Looking for a different type of hunting trip and could use suggestions

[teddy12b]

ELK. = lots of $$$​

Back when I was 22 I went out and bought a 300RUM because I wanted to go elk hunting and that's what all the publications were pointing to for the "perfect elk gun" at the time. Every place I looked at was really expensive. If you know of a reasonable way to go elk hunting I will listen to every word you say, but ultimately there's going to be a budget on this trip and right now I'm afraid that elk hunts are usually way over what I've got in mind.

 

[rhino]

Back when I was 22 I went out and bought a 300RUM because I wanted to go elk hunting and that's what all the publications were pointing to for the "perfect elk gun" at the time. Every place I looked at was really expensive. If you know of a reasonable way to go elk hunting I will listen to every word you say, but ultimately there's going to be a budget on this trip and right now I'm afraid that elk hunts are usually way over what I've got in mind.

They have elk in Kentucky now. I don't know if out of state tags are available, but someday they will be.

 

[teddy12b]

Good news for you, your misses will look as good as anybody's. Just work on your style and wear a cool Orange hat. I didn't say what my hit ratio was high! Nice thing is short, ugly open choke shotguns work great for this and there is nothing wrong with using 12 over 20 gauge. I missed equally well with both gauges in both semi auto and O/U. One day while I was bent over in the thick stuff and the dog put a bird up behind me that flew right over my head and I never saw the damn thing. I felt it's wing beat on my neck but never saw it.

The area I hunt the most I am usually alone. One day I bumped into two guys from Green Bay that recognized me form the river this summer. One has a cabin nearby. One day while I was Goose hunting instead of Grouse there was a couple from out of State with the guide. West of us around Hayward get the Mud ducks (Minnesotans) and East at Eagle River get the FIB's. We get a mix but no where near as many. Less lakes means less cabins. Up here a cabin may sit on 40 to 240 acres or even more. Many do not seem to be in use much either. I joke and tell people we live on the quite side of the forest, no matter what direction you are coming from. There is a reason land is so cheap here.

North of Hwy 8 is great, East and West of Hwy 13, all the way up to Ashland on the lake.

Half of it is just being able to hunt for hours and never see anyone else, maybe hear a shot in the distance. Stop by a lake and watch Eagles, Ospreys, Loons then go back to hunting. Walk along see deer, turkey, bears. Small game near us is just nonexistent. Since June I have yet to see a single Coon and the other day I saw my first real squirrel, a Gray. We have rare pine martens and I have watched one hunt but I think the problem is the Fishers. I have seen them nearby and they are basically mini Wolverines and eat everything. The guy we rent from was amazed when I told him we had rabbits, even through the winter. We have plenty of Coyotes and Wolves. Bobcats are here but you rarely see them, friend saw one this weekend. A cougar was sighted on our property past few years but not since we moved here, I am good with that. we have a butt load of bears. Just down the road one day about 6 or 7 came out of the same 5-10 acres of still standing corn during a deer drive.

Only bad thing is this winter has been the coldest ever on record. Not record low temp but lowest average temp. I would say for three months even on a rare day above zero, the windchill was below. Coupled with the early deep snow and no melt during the winter, kill rate is high. We are at 121 through end of February, still have snow on the ground today and the last two days have been about -14 for a low. Turkey and Grouse seem to have done OK, deer are hurting. Last season was my first here and all the locals said less deer, more wolf sign.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/documents/wsi2.pdf

Trips up here doing what you are talking about would also be good practice for taking a trip out West. If your gear and your truck are ready, you basically don't even have to plan this trip, just grab your maps and head out. I use to fish that way down South. Stay at a small motel and decide each morning if I was staying or checking out. Go camp in the swamp, night fish in the boat, no plans, just cash and gas.

You make it sound like heaven on earth to me. Don't worry, if I go there I'll have plenty of missed shots with my shotgun.

 

[teddy12b]

They have elk in Kentucky now. I don't know if out of state tags are available, but someday they will be.

For a non-resident you have to have "hit the lottery" kind of luck to get an elk tag in Kentucky, or enough $$ to make political kinds of friends.

 

[6mm Shoot]

I don't know about hunting for Elk in Kentucky, but I have hunted Daniel Boone National Forest for deer, squirrel, and rabbit. I have taken all in the Red River Gorge Geological Area. All sorts of places to hike and camp. You can also fish. I know it would cost a lot less than going out west. Also there is a lot of game. I would think your odds of getting what you were hunting for much better than out west.

 

[Zoub]

The nice thing about Northern WI/MN and the Dakotas is you get two totally different environments to hunt in. Here in Wi it is deep forest. I use to live in North Dakota and I am a big believer that everyone should see that part of the country at least once in their lives, even if they don't hunt or fish. It is hard to describe just how open that area is and how big the sky really gets. North Dakota makes Nebraska look like the Rockies.

Add these to your list as well, Nebraska and Iowa. As a kid my first hunts were pheasant in both, we lived in Nebraska at the time. I enjoyed the hell out of deer and turkey hunting in Kentucky but I was always on private land there. It's a lot like Southern Indiana, only less people. In KY you start to spend some time going up and down uneven terrain so if you like that, you might as well do it right and hit West Virginia.

I just honestly believe when you start talking about truck camping, moving around like a gypsy and just chillin' and grillin' while you be huntin' you want to drive away from population centers and from Indiana, that is North and West.

 

[teddy12b]

I did some reading on South Dakota pheasant hunts last night. Many of the places are really nice, but I'm not looking for the places that have a bottle wine and bubble bath waiting for you back at the lodge. I'm more of a lawn chair and campfire kinda guy anyway. Depending on where a person goes in South Dakota it looks like a guy could pheasant hunt one day, shoot prarie dogs the next, and then go fishing on the other day. It's got me thinking.

 

[Zoub]

My Pointing Lab pup came from Hunters Point Kennel, which is now located in Iowa. They have a pretty tight relationship with at least one lodge in SD and I think they supply all the dogs. Might be worth looking into. I would hook you up with my friends in SD if I thought it was safe but the drinking is a bit much these days. I have another friend that spends a big part of every October there. I know he goes on some private land but may hit some lodges or public land as well. I will ask him this weekend. The other fun Fall hunt out there is Antelope. You go up, cruise around, do some bird hunting and get to know the areas and make some connections.

There are places that are more blue collar in their accommodations and prices and hunt just as good as the others. It's a good way to get started and learn an area in general.

 

[UNCLE HARLEY]

Were you "self guided"? For me to do a pheasant hunt I'd have to have somebody with me who has a dog. I couldn't do it on my own.

One of the guys in our group has a friend who lives where we hunted & has (2) dogs. We took one dog with us.