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Montana is a great place to start, healthy herds for the most part and easy to read regs. Only downside is the tags are not cheap.
Quote from: 270Shooter on December 15, 2014, 03:12:46 PMMontana is a great place to start, healthy herds for the most part and easy to read regs. Only downside is the tags are not cheap.Lots of public land in Montana. However, most of it is bordered by private land. You need very good maps, or even better a GPSwhich shows both public and private land. The ranchers in Montana take exception to people hunting on their property withoutpermission. If you decide to hunt in Montana, I would get the information on the Block Management Program which is available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website. They provide lots of excellent maps.
For a first out of state trip try Wyoming for antelope. About as affordable as you can get and for a father and son a blast. First time we went came back with 10 animals 2 bucks and 4 does each. Learned that lesson but a good time. If interested PM me and I will give you the unit we were in - not that there are plenty of others better and if you get drawn I will draw you an X on the map and tell you what and how to do it. Not a slam dunk as I have seen plenty of empty trucks drive by us there, but if you can hunt you can whack and stack if you want with plenty of shots around 100 yards or so. We did a 5 day trip 1 day travel on each end and 3 days there.
Step one: put the WA state line in your rearview mirror. Seriously, start with the state wildlife agencies' websites. Application periods are pretty early in some states, for example nonresident elk in Wyoming closes January 31. Decide what you want to hunt, and where. It is much less intimidating to learn one specific area than to try to consider all of the possibilities. I'd suggest Oregon or Idaho to get your feet wet. Pick a decent public land area with a decent success rate and decent draw odds (some are OTC, but not many).If cash is tight, consider a dry run - pick up a small game license, or just go camp and fish in the summer. This way you wont drop $500-1000 on a big game license and tag combo in unfamiliar area. Some states offer very inexpensive doe tags, as another option.Lastly, when you go, LEARN the regulations pertinent to what you will be doing in the selected state. DON'T assume what is legal at home is legal where you are going. For simplicity, I would start with large public land areas; odds to hunt them are tougher, but you won't run afoul of private property. What are the orange requirements? Tagging? Evidence of sex? Hunter safety required? Carrying hunter safety card required? Is it a stand-alone license, or do you need specific tags? Most states will have a list of most-common violations. When I worked in Wyoming, as an example, you needed a big game license for each animal, but no requirement for a "hunting package" or hunting license. You also needed a conservation stamp, and if born after January 1, 1966, required to carry on your person your hunter safety card. To shoot forest grouse, you need to have an upland bird license. etc.
Dad took me when I was 15, and I've been hooked ever since. To Idaho, that is. That trip we saw every North American big game animal except moose, wolf, and cougar. But, sounds like the way I do is the way that you do it. If you're looking for an easier hunt for an older father (mine is getting up there, too), then maybe whitetail hunting is the way to go. Find the right spot, and there's much less walking than for high country mule deer. At least in my experience.
pick up a gazetteer book or a landowner gps map and you can really see where some good public land is to start seeing which tags are available...
I don't think there is a better place to go on some one's first ever out of state deer hunt than Eastern Montana. Lots of deer and a good amount of public access. Get a gps with a MT chip and enjoy.
I'm in the same boat as your Dad, I'm late 60's and a disabled hunter in WA. I hunted ID first time in 20 years and wasn't impressed, I have a bunch of tags for tag soup. But I did have a good time, I hunted 8A and 10A. There was a lot of people in 10A during elk season and most were riding atv's. It was a fun place to ride I bought a new UTV for it. I was there for Archery, MOD and ML. I finished up yesterday in 8A saw lots of tracks but no deer. Saturday I saw a buck and a wolf but few tracks. But there was no people.I think your going to find to be successful you need to hunt high and hard or hunt flat with little game and lots of people. I was surprised at the camps set up weeks before season. Motorhomes and trailers set up every where, 6 or 8 in a group for elk. It was hard to find a place.
Lots of public land in Montana. However, most of it is bordered by private land. You need very good maps, or even better a GPSwhich shows both public and private land. The ranchers in Montana take exception to people hunting on their property withoutpermission. If you decide to hunt in Montana, I would get the information on the Block Management Program which is available on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website. They provide lots of excellent maps.
It really is a roll of the dice. I have never once scouted any of the places I have hunted in other states. You do all your homework like talking to bio's, google earth, Eastman's and Huntinfool magazine's, forums like this etc., but in the end you just gotta saddle up and go. Step one is to pick a state. From there you need to figure out what part of the state you want to hunt. Most F&G websites have all the info you need like hunter densities and success rates. Once you have some of that figured out and a few areas picked, its time to talk to bio's and wardens. These guys are usually (some suck) pretty good at helping out. After you have an area picked out its time to come up with plan a,b,c,d,e,f,and g. Seriously! Going in blind can go one of two ways, hard suckage or epic success! If an area sucks, move to the next. Having multiple areas picked out can save a hunt. Its basically process of elimination. The more you hunt an area the more successful you will be but you have to find an area worth going back to, and thats the hardest part.When it comes down to it, elk are elk and deer are deer, no matter what state they call home. If you can successfully kill them in Washington, you can successfully kill them anywhere. Lots of areas in other states can be slim pickings but from my experiences, everywhere I have hunted in other states has been better than washington and had better trophy potential.Lastly, know the potential for where you are hunting. If you go to Montana expecting to shoot 180" deer from the truck you could be there a while. The genetics and age class just aren't there in most regions. Places like Colorado though, there is potential for a boone and crocket deer in every county. My 2nd choice colorado hunt is tough with a lot of otc elk hunters running everywhere and is considered one of the worst deer areas in the state but our group kills good mature deer every year and a few 180"+. Its an addicting game where the research and application process is as exciting as going on the hunt. It starts with one state and otc tag and ends in divorce and bankruptcy If you want to test the waters without much risk I recommend Eastern Montana. Tag wise it is expensive but you can literally shoot a buck from your truck if you just wanted to kill a deer. Endless amounts of public land to roam. Lots of deer, lots of bucks, mild terrain for hiking, and tags are available basically otc. Go the week of Nov 14-21st next year and you will never want to hunt washington again. It is just a good quality experience chasing mule deer in the rut.
I got started hunting out of state many years ago when my wife was pregnant and the due date was in the middle of October. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I did a little research and figured out that Oregon had a high buck hunt in early September that was easy to draw. I figured I could get away with that. My daughters birthday is October 17th by the way. That hunt was so fun I just kept applying. About that time Garth had started the Huntin Fool magazine, and I was friends with and grew up hunting and trapping with his brother, so it was probably inevitable that I started applying in more states. Beware once you get started building points you may find yourself commited to a game department fueled gambling addiction. I agree with the Wyoming antelope idea, I have done that three times and will likely go again next year. It's always fun, especially for a person used to hunting Washington blacktail. Wyoming you usually see more antelope bucks in the first hour than you see blacktail bucks in an entire season. Idaho might be a good state to look at also, lots of fun options there.
