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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Articles Archives > Planning Your Out of State Hunt - Part 2
Planning Your Out of State Hunt - Part 2
David Blake - JHO ProStaff
- Southern CA
April 22, 2006
Payoff!
Hunter Roy Grace shows the payoff for spending the time and doing the homework. Photo courtesy of Roy Grace. |
With the many options available for hunting out of state, it can be difficult to decide where to go. Some hunters are looking for the mule deer buck of a lifetime. Others are looking for a different kind of meat for the freezer. There are a myriad of choices out there and one is right for you.
For a hunter looking for a record-class buck, the key is to eliminate as many choices as possible. Roy Grace is a long time JHO member and world-class bow hunter who has many impressive animals in his photo album. I picked his brain for some advice on preparing for an out of state hunt.
Roy’s first step is to pore over the record books and find the areas that consistently produce record class animals, and then get topographical maps for those areas. Using those maps, he familiarizes himself with the county and general area he is interested in hunting. Once his homework is done, he calls every biologist and warden in the area.
Questions like, “How many deer congregate in the Buck Ridge Drainage?”, or “How many deer could a person see in a day if he hikes into a certain canyon, or drainage?” are more effective questions to ask than, “Where are the best bucks?”
Roy says, “Once these wardens and biologists realize you’ve done some homework on your own, they are more willing to provide useful information.”
The off-season is another key to Roy’s success. He spends several four-day weekends driving to scout his new area of choice. He reasons that, “Most of the time I’m rewarded with sights of good mule deer, or elk. A few times, I’m disappointed… but better to be disappointed before I waste a tag or vacation on the area.
Making time to spend in the field is another key to success. In my own experience, I have found that during a shorter hunt you might get one good opportunity on a decent animal. I was recently in Utah hunting the Wasatch Front archery zone for about five days. My hunting partner Mike and I hunted hard for four days with a couple of opportunities at does.
Time in the field
Spending time in the field is the best way to ensure success. Allow plenty of time to scout, as well as hunt. Photo, courtesy of Roy Grace. |
On the fifth day while hunting by myself, I finally had one fleeting glance at a really good buck before he darted through the trees after my foot broke a fallen branch. The long drive home from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles was a little less fun than it would have been had I had more time to pursue that buck. Having another day or two to hunt could have made all the difference. Next time, I’ll try to do to allow myself more time to hunt.
There are many areas to choose from when you are looking for a place to hunt away from home. The keys to finding the area that will work for you are; do your homework, make some calls to people in the wildlife field, and be willing to put in the time, both before and during the season to ensure you can maximize your hunting time.
The animal of a lifetime is out there. The best part about the memory will be how you put all of the pieces together to make your hunt a success.
In the next installment of this series, we’ll look at guided hunting, and some tips for selecting a guide who will help you make the most of your money, and of your hunting experience.
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