Time to play, looking to cross more off the bucket list.

[Arwin]

Life isn't going any slower and it's time to start crossing some of these hunts off the bucket list.    
 
  I'm a parent first and have been responsible for raising kids since the age of 19.  I think I've done well, both still have all their limbs, are healthy and excellent students.   :D  

  I'm 36 now and have yet to really venture outside of Michigans borders and have never hunted out of state.  I refused to travel far because that "What if this happens to the kids" scenario comes up or finances aren't there to make it happen and I hate missing work.
 
  Now the kids are old enough for those worries to subside slightly (I'll always worry, LOL!) I'm not old by any stretch but do know I have a limited number of years for my knees and back to hold out. I already have arthritis in one hand.

  I'm hunting hogs in a couple weeks down in Florida and am now in the makings to do a Canada bear hunt in August.
  It will be tight to make both happen, but I'm positive it's not going to put me in financial chaos.

  Anyone else experience this and how did you make it happen on an average persons budget?
 My list includes elk, mule deer, pronghorn, caribou and moose.

[eflanders]

I am a number of years older than you and have been trying to complete my hunting bucket list the past couple of years.

I found out through research and some good friends that one can do many of the out-of-state hunts much cheaper than I originally thought possible.  This almost always means a DIY hunt and without a hired guide.

Of the hunts in your list, caribou will likely be the most expensive and hardest to do on your own.  I have yet to hunt caribou myself for this reason.

Talk your plans over with friends and maybe you can share in an adventure or two together.  This has been my best source for doing hunts the least expensively.

[Bow man]

Good for you my brother!!! have a great trip south

[T Lail]

Moose and caribou hunts are expensive...elk, mule deer and pronghorn are very do able on a working mans budget.....I took a second job for my most expensive hunts......plan well ahead and dream BIG !!!!!!

[damascusdave]

How about coming to Alberta in May to shoot a black bear... less than 2 grand for the 5 day hunt with shared guide, accommodations and food...another 500 or so for licensing I believe...pretty much a guaranteed bear where we hunt as long as you do not get picky about size...and always a chance at one that makes Pope and Young...one compound shooter took a big cinnamon last year that measured very close to 20 inches...it took me about 5 hours in a tree stand last year to shoot mine, an average size dry sow

[Jon Stewart]

Arwin, you are TOO YOUNG to have a bucket list,LOL

Good luck on your quest and go for it.

[damascusdave]

Canada moose for two bowhunters for 4200 bucks plus licensing...the outfitter I work for understands the current economic realities and has made allowances for that

DDave

[agross1]

Good luck ,have fun , and take a lot of pics.  Where you doing your bear hunt?

[rastaman]

Get a credit card that you can build delta sky miles with. Use that credit card to make as many of your routine purchases as possible.  And yes, pay it off monthly. That's how i was able to go to Alaska this past fall on a "do it yourself" fly in drop camp hunt for caribou for about $3500 total (8 days). Plane tickets without sky miles would have added about another $1500.
Good luck and take lot's of pictures.

[Bud B.]

Married at 19. Father at 21, then at 22 again. Now both are 27 and 25 respectively.

I gotta get a bucket list going....

16 months to retirment.    


Go get'em Arwin. Come down to NC if you want. I have 21 acres I'll let you hunt any time you want as long as I have permission to hunt there as well. I'm already planning on how to "attack" this next season on the acreage.

I usually start planning a year or more out for my next hunt and I have a "Hunt" savings acct that I deposit money into every month. I put money in that acct whether I have a trip planned or not because I know I will need it!

Good luck on your hog and bear hunts!

Bisch

[DamselflyFarm]

Put your name into the moose lottery in Maine. It'll be a rather cheap hunt if you get drawn.

[Arwin]

Thanks all, some great advise.    

 A plus of the kids being older is that they can travel along on some trips.     My son has been chewing at me about bowhunting jackrabbits out west.   :D

[finkm1]

Good Luck with the hog hunt! Im 49, and have never hunted out side of Michigan. I guess you have to just set a timeline and stick to it. A hog hunt is probably the right choice to break the ice. I would like to do a elk hunt and a bear hunt and. What part of Florida are you going to hunt?

[Roughrider]

One of the great things my Dad taught me was to "do it"!  I went on my first out of state trip when I was 10, and have only missed one or two years since (44 years).  A lot of the trips were over the counter tags and sleeping in the truck, on the ground, or in a cheap tent - but they were all a blast!  In the early years I couldn't afford a motel room while travelling so I either drove straight through - sometimes 20+ hours, or slept by the side of the road in the truck.  

You have to keep in mind that even when you stay home you spend money on food, gas, and maybe entertainment, so a hunt really doens't cost much.  An evening job pumping gas or something can also pay for a trip.

A 2000 mile round trip from Michigan @ 20mpg x $4 gas would cost $400.  Pack your food in a cooler, a $250 deer license and you're hunting for $650.00 - that would be saving $2 a day - pass on a cup of coffee at Starbucks or a large soda for lunch and you more than pay for your trip.

[Rick Butler]

Arwin hog hunting, especially spot and stalk WILL get in your blood.  Myself, my son and my buddy went down to Ray's Hog Heaven 4 yrs ago.  Now we make it an annual trip, but it's not enough!  Next year, in addition to Ray's I'm planning a DIY hog hunt in  Georgia sometime in Feb. and will hunt on wma property.

[8Crow]

+1 on the Maine moose lottery.  It's on my list too.  I think you generally need quite a few points to draw, but it only costs $15 to put in for a pref point.  Do that for 4-5 years while you cross other things off the list (or just apply and get the point when you don't draw...either way).  Price any other moose hunt and I think you'll see that's by far the cheapest option, plus there's tons of land in northern Maine you can access for a dirt cheap fee.

Elk is very do-able on the cheap too--DIY like others have said.  I'm headed out to CO for my second hunt this fall.  You need some decent camping gear if you're backpacking, can get by with cheaper, heavier stuff if you're car camping.  Other than that you can make do without much more than the cost of the tags and fuel.  If you're worried about packing out the meat, a lot of times you can find a local outfitter that will pack you out for somewhere around $4-500.  It's nice to have that option as a plan B if you run short on time.

[Ibow]

Arwin - I've so much enjoyed your posts, picts and videos over the years and it's so clear to so many that you're a guy who just loves his family and makes the most of every opportunity you've got. So happy to hear about the trip south to hog hunt - looking forward to those picts as well!      

As far as out of state deals and making it happen, like yourself, I've always tried to put my wife, kids and now grandkids first in every respect whether you're talking time or money. The bear hunts to the western provinces like AB & MB were done with lots & lots of "on-call" at work...  My fear, like yours, was if I waited too long, none of it would happen. My advice would be if you can somehow make it happen ($) and you've got the blessing of your wife & family, don't wait too long. Like you've always done, keep putting your family first and you'll enjoy the hunts you do get to go on a lot more. I can't imagine doing a hunt with the thought of "woulda, coulda, shoulda" on my mind.      :(    

I always referred to some of those bear hunts as "once in a lifetime" events. After having done several of them, my buddies just laugh.     :p  . Keep working and keep dreaming. You'll get there.      

BTW, I've noticed in other posts you're mention of Ontario as a possible destination for a future bear hunt ... PM me if you're interested in the name of a good outfitter at a very reasonable price. I've never hunted with him but I have emailed back and forth with him many times and I've watched his posts and picts on other sites... For a fall hunt, he does VERY well each year.

Best wishes for a successful trip south hog hunting!

[Whip]

Set up a hunt account and squirrel away whatever you can into it.  A little of each paycheck.  Extra cash that comes your way from selling something, working overtime, tax refund, or whatever.  A little here and a little there and before you know it there is enough to put a trip together.  
I've been on lots of DIY inexpensive hunts, and a few guided hunts.  When it comes down to it they were all just as much fun.  I would much rather go on 3 or 4 DIY hunts that one big guided hunt.  
Hogs and bears are great places to start.  Work on in to antelope, mule deer and elk.  All can be done for much less than most people think.  It just takes some research and planning, and that is a blast in itself!

[rbcorbitt]

Have to agree with Roughrider.  I'm a few years older than 36, but have been very blessed to have hunted a large part of the U.S. West, Texas several times, and Africa on 4 occasions.

If I had waited until I could "afford" to go, I'd have never had the opportunity to see and experience so much of this beautiful planet.

I second on entering as many hunt lotteries that you can.  I drew the coveted Maine (see following)