Has anyone hunted the States / Canada?

[wildfowler.250]

Has anyone on here hunted the States or Canada at all? What was the verdict? Did you go with a guide / outfitter? Are there many states that will let ‘non residents’ hunt public land?
Self-guided would be interesting and more affordable but obviously there are huge expanses of areas and limited timeframes. Most of the places I’ve looked at such as Alaska and BC require a guide and it gets $$$.

I’m starting to think along the lines of looking further afield for more of a trip rather than repeating the same days here. Obviously it will be a longer save up as everything seems about $4k minimum,(opposed to £700 here for an odd day at the stags) but it might be good to get out of a comfort zone.


I’m not entirely sure how I feel about a bear hunt,(spot and stalk only) but that does seem like a more affordable option and very different . There’s also tons of other options such as deer and antelope. My friend has just become a Canadian resident but I think he would have to register as a guide to take me out which I can’t see happening.


Any experiences at the SD end ? I’d be keen to hear them. I think most U.K. folk tend to hunt Africa or Eastern Europe?

 

[Bavarianbrit]

AFAIK all states will let ‘non residents’ hunt public land.
Get a hunting license from the relevant state online and then apply to BATF on form 6 downloadable for permission to bring your firearms with you, I took my Contender and my .44 spl revolver with me last time, they will ask you for proof of the hunting license.

 

[Scotty99]

As Bavarianbrit says most States in the US will sell you a non resident hunting licence for the duration of your hunt. The ATF form 6 is quite straightforward to allow you to bring your firearm and ammo into the US for the duration of your hunt/stay. Be aware that your biggest problem will be finding an airline to guarantee that they will carry your firearm and ammo on the day. It’s down to the pilot on the day to approve and sign off on the manifest, if you get an anti you may find you arrive at your destination without the necessary hardware. I suggest you look at flying with a USA airline, given you will have your BATF approved Form 6 when you fly they are far more likely to carry your gear. Also allow I think 6 weeks for your Form 6 to be approved.

As for hunting public land on your own in the US can be difficult, rifle deer seasons on public land tend to be quite short, you get a lot of hunters and a lot of recon is required beforehand something locals can do but hard for visitors. I’d suggest going with a guide who has access to private land. Oh and don’t forget your orange blaze.

 

[Scotty99]

If you fancy a bear hunt go for Black rather than Grizzly they tend to work out cheaper and look at some of the Appalachian States, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, N Carolina, they have good Black numbers in the mountains and very large ones in the coastal plains in N Carolina.

If you want a lot of fun hunting see if you can find someone who can throw in some hog and coyote hunting too, generally seen as pests in a lot of states and can be had cheaply and sometimes FOC.

 

[Heym SR20]

Have a watch of Randy Newberg and his channel. Lots of good advice on public land hunting.

3 things that strike me

1) very very different to the UK and distances are vast.

2) big differences from state to state and even from county to county

3) the ethics and expectations are very very different. You get one tag allowing you to shoot one animal and it may take a week or three to get a kill.

With North America I don’t thinks it a question of pay money and get a deer. It’s pay money to have the opportunity to potentially if you are lucky to shoot a deer. A guide or outfitters main job is to get you into an area where there are deer / elk / pronghorn or bear and provide the camp etc etc

Have a look at the video below and follow the links.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

As an incentive to remove coyotes, participants receive up to $50 for each properly documented coyote that they kill in Utah.
I have signed up for it, you get an ID number. Bring a .223 .22-250 and if you are good the trip is paid for.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

@devon deer stalker / @big ears one for you both.

 

[Loki]

Hi

Stopped in Idaho last summer with a good friend (took him walkabout whilst he was rotated over here for 2yrs), for Black Bear.
He and his local friends did a lot of scouting/trail-camera work for the areas we would visit during Bear Camp. Our Cousins over The Pond do it very differently!

Non-resident tag was simple enough to pick-up from the Fish & Game Offices as my friend was there to provide necessary details. Used his 'kit' rather than risk misplacing mine in transit.

L

 

[big ears]

Has anyone on here hunted the States or Canada at all? What was the verdict? Did you go with a guide / outfitter? Are there many states that will let ‘non residents’ hunt public land?
Self-guided would be interesting and more affordable but obviously there are huge expanses of areas and limited timeframes. Most of the places I’ve looked at such as Alaska and BC require a guide and it gets $$$.

I’m starting to think along the lines of looking further afield for more of a trip rather than repeating the same days here. Obviously it will be a longer save up as everything seems about $4k minimum,(opposed to £700 here for an odd day at the stags) but it might be good to get out of a comfort zone.


I’m not entirely sure how I feel about a bear hunt,(spot and stalk only) but that does seem like a more affordable option and very different . There’s also tons of other options such as deer and antelope. My friend has just become a Canadian resident but I think he would have to register as a guide to take me out which I can’t see happening.


Any experiences at the SD end ? I’d be keen to hear them. I think most U.K. folk tend to hunt Africa or Eastern Europe?

Check out this write up in the search button. Might whet your appetite

Famous four go to Montana​

 

[MacPherson]

About 6 years I met a guy from Pennsylvania, we talked hunting, bow hunting etc,
He invited me over to stay with him and his family, his house backed onto tens of thousands of acres of public land.
I applied and got the tags, checked seasons etc and went for a week hunting black bear and whitetail with my bow.

It was great, never seen a bear, tracks or sign, but had a chance at white tails that I left cause they were too small, seen turkeys, chipmonks, black squirrels.

Would definitely do again but it was very different from hunting / stalking here.

 

[devon deer stalker]

Yes, hunted 4 times in Montana, you need to work out what you want to hunt and where, then come back to us.
There are others on here also wanting to hunt in the US, I know this because they have contacted me previously via pm.
I had fished in the Rockies several times before I hunted there.
I strongly suggest you join Randy Newberg's Huntalk forum, Hunt Talk

How old are you?
That can have an impact on where you can hunt, I'm thinking hunters education certificate, and before anyone asks, DSC1/2 is not transferable!

 

[devon deer stalker]

@wildfowler.250 have you had a brain fart?
I thought you had asked this before!

Anyone hunted state side?

Looking into this as a future plan but prices seem crazy,(compared to U.K. / even Africa). Bull moose in Alaska seem to be around $16,000... Do you have to go via an outfitter at these sort of prices or can you bid for tags like they do over in the states. Got a feeling you have to be a...

www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk

 

[njc110381]

I went to Canada to hunt but that was over ten years ago now. I got talking to a fella on a forum who invited me to stay with him, I had the basement of his house for a month and we went out several times in different areas. It was one of the best trips of my life, if not the best. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

He's been over here with his wife since then and I took him out looking for roe as well as sight seeing, Stonehenge etc. Unfortunately nothing showed, but he's welcome again any time. If you can offer an exchange, maybe try that route. It's so much cheaper. I think my month cost me about £1k - Flights, chipping in for the food and fuel etc.

 

[Taff]

Hunted squirrel only many times , get a license from Walmart, I keep my gun at a friends over there, easier than taking one.

 

[Kimura84]

Yes, hunted 4 times in Montana, you need to work out what you want to hunt and where, then come back to us.
There are others on here also wanting to hunt in the US, I know this because they have contacted me previously via pm.
I had fished in the Rockies several times before I hunted there.
I strongly suggest you join Randy Newberg's Huntalk forum, Hunt Talk

How old are you?
That can have an impact on where you can hunt, I'm thinking hunters education certificate, and before anyone asks, DSC1/2 is not transferable!

Started watching his channel recently after seeing your posts. What I am trying to figure out is, if you manage to draw a tag can you find a local guide to then take you out on public land? The outffiters I am finding on Google seem to be established in private land (as far as I can tell).

 

[devon deer stalker]

Started watching his channel recently after seeing your posts. What I am trying to figure out is, if you manage to draw a tag can you find a local guide to then take you out on public land? The outffiters I am finding on Google seem to be established in private land (as far as I can tell).

Apply for a Tag (17,000 issued in Montana for non residents) once you get a tag (if you are lucky) you can DIY or employ a outfitter, the outfitter has a lot more access, private and public, nothing guaranteed but your chances of success are more with an outfitter, but the cost is huge.
Outfitters were guaranteed tags once, but that stopped, but there have been noises of it being introduced, @Muir lives in Montana so he would know more about that side of it.
I would also look at other states.

 

[Sol]

Whitetail deer are in Finland if that's what your after, Lot cheaper than the USA and also possible to arrange a moose hunt alongside it.

As Devon mentions above Outfitters are not guaranteed a tag anymore, you as the hunter have to acquire one the only time an "outfitter" may get a tag Is if they happen to have landowner tags on a problem property for deer however I've found most individuals reserve these tags for A: Deer drives (If the state allows it) or a bow/rifle doe cull with family.

You cannot go wrong with starting to put preference points into states you wish to hunt in the future, many states run on a preference point system a lottery based system that each year your chances increase however with how many hunters are in the USA (and how many non NA's want to hunt it) these can take decades to draw especially for the sheep hunts.
.
My recommendation would be hunt a game ranch in Texas they offer natives, and exotics most exotics do not require tags Its a good balance between the USA but also a chance at the odd African animal as well.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

In this respect European and UK hunters are spoilt as there are fewer of them so there is enough game to go around, but when there are Zillions of gun owners wanting to hunt there has to be a share out as in the USA. Not sure how Canadas system works though as whitetails are up there too.

 

[Sol]

In this respect European and UK hunters are spoilt as there are fewer of them so there is enough game to go around, but when there are Zillions of gun owners wanting to hunt there has to be a share out as in the USA. Not sure how Canadas system works though as whitetails are up there too.

I admit there's plenty of deer to go around as well but yes the average European or UK hunter probably shoots 30-50 deer per 3-5 years An American maybe shoots 10 if there lucky.
.
I've already shot three within 6 months as a complete beginner.

 

[Alces Alces]

I spent 6 years living in Ontario and took my hunter education course at a local school and passed the end test, this was over 30 years ago. I hunted mainly with a shotgun and shot wildfowl and Ruffed Grouse. I did use a full bore rifle on several occasions but never hunted deer. What I would say is, hunting is very regulated and regionalised as well as being strictly enforced! I always found it odd that there were bag limits for rabbits and squirrels but then again they were not as common as in the UK, for instance you might be able to shoot 6 squirrels per day in one region and cross into another and only be allowed to shoot 4. The rifle season for deer is actually only a few weeks and you quite literally take you life in you own hands during the rifle season this was especially true in Southern Ontario, bright orange attire was compulsory. I recall that the bow season was longer, but somehow I struggle to find bow hunting humane and ethical. You should consider that all bear, moose and deer hunting is undertaken under a tagging system and the tags are not always easy to obtain. Sometime hunting parties might consist of 5 individuals but only 2 might have tags for an individual species. You might also want to consider that the average Canadian deer hunter will shoot in a lifetime what a British Stalker shoots in a year, this is based on my own experience. I guess my point is that we take our UK stalking for granted, but if you are committed and willing to make an effort we have some fantastic deer stalking opportunities within our own shores.