GMMAT

I KNOW how fun it is to travel with friends to hunt.

I KNOW people have their own, personal () reasons for wanting to hunt....and for wanting to kill certain representative animals (reasons I would NEVER gegrudge anyone).

Here's my question.......

You go to another region of the US (or another country) and kill a whitetail larger than anything you've ever seen in your woods.

So....with no disresepct, I ask......"What have you done"? "Why do you go this route"?

If the answer is..."It's just important enough, to me.....to kill a big deer"......then that's a perfectly legitimate answer. Now wrong ones.

Is there anyone else, besides me, that has a hard time paying big $$ to kill an animal that he can hunt at home? (and it could be argued VERY WELL that a "big" deer might not BE available to hunt, "at home"....which would be true in many cases)

Is there anyone else that feels like the 100" (insert ____" to match a great representative deer from your area) deer you took from an area that doesn't produce that many of them is a more meningful trophy than the 150" (again....insert ____" to correspond with area hunted) you took from an area that produces them, regularly?

Just curious as to how you all feel about this. I'm hoping someone might give me reasons to make me change the way I feel about this.

Pro-Line

I don't think I'd pay big $$$ to kill a bigger deer. I mainly hunt in WV, even though I live in huge buck country in Ohio.

If I kill a 120" deer in WV, it's as much as or more a trophy than a 160" in Ohio...at least it is to me.

TexasBowHunter

Let me start by saying I have never hunted outside of my own state, (not because I haven't wanted to, just simply lack of funds to do so). My father in law and myself have been discussing this very thing the last couple of years, we have finally decided to make a trip to the midwest. I just like the idea of hunting different areas that I have never stepped foot in before, simply put, a new huntingexperience. I have travelled pretty much all over the state of Texas bowhunting, I truly like the different terrain's and different ways to hunt them. I could hunt South Texas and have the opportunity to kill as big of a deer as I could ever want but I have have hunted there before. My point is I have never hunted the mid-west and just look forward to learning to hunt a different terrain.
I have never gotten hung up on hunting a buck that is___" I hunt mature deer and if said deer is 100" or 150", I shot a mature deer.

Example, one of my favorite deer that I hunted was a 7 1/2 year old that was only 110" and I passed bigger antlered deer to get this old boy....

GMMAT

Perfectly legit answer. Thanks.

But "most" times, it seems......when people are making these trips.....they're hunting in stands set by someone else.....scouted by someone else......etc...

I know there are DIY scenarios....and I understand these fully. The aforementioned (guided) are the ones I'm "more" asking about.

Steven McBee

i believe my farm is one of the better hunting spots in the US, its between kansas, illinois and iowa so some of them giants are goin to start squeaking there way into missouri therefore i have no reason to pay big money to hunt with an outfitter

Dr Andy

I haven't traveled to hunt, and probably won't unless It's for elk or something else I can't hunt close to home. As far a whitetails are concerned, you can't get a whole lot better than Illinois!

Diesel77

Well, for me,it would begreatto hunt another state just to see other parts of the country. My buddies do self guided hunts all over Kansas, Iowa, South and North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, etc and they do very very well most of the time. Planning a self guided hunt can be pretty fun finding properties, mapping everything out, etc, plus it keeps the costs much more reasonable. 4 of them went to CO last season elk and mullie hunting, its was less than $1600 per person for everything, 3 of them scored on bulls and mulleys. They also did self guided hunts in South Dakota turkey hunting, it was real cheap, they both scored on Merriams. It would befun to test my skills at taking as big a buck as I could in another state given the few opprtunities I will have.

AF Hunter

Personally, I hunt for the food. If I can take a big buck while I am doing it, GREAT! I would not pay money (1. because I don't have any; & 2. I have deer right here) to hunt somewhere else for deer. I understand that some people have way too much money and will pay to a lot (I know one place in this state that charges $5000 per week for hunting rights) for the chance to get a bigger deer than they can get in their home area. I think it's an ego thing. I also know that every year the DNR busts a lot of poachers here from other states who have killed bucks, cut off the capes and heads, and left the rest to rot. Many of these poachers are wealthy and just came here for a trophy to hang on their wall.

We have elk here (but they're all in state parks & zoos), and if I had the money I would not hesitate to go hunt one in another state. We also have black bear sightings here, but since they are protected, I would pay (once again on the premise that I had cash laying around I didn't know what to do with) to hunt one of those too.

Now for all you big time hunters, I have started a guide business here for those of you that want to take a wiley Iowegian Rabbit. For a mere $1000 per week, YOU can come out here and walk around and take all the rabbits you want. Now you might think $1000 is a lot for a week of rabbiteering, BUT, if you sign up now, we'll include a lifetime membership in the EFA!!! So don't delay, sign up today and get a week of hunting the cunning Iowegian cottontails and a lifetime membership in the Elmer Fudd Association, where our motto is "Shh, I'm hunting Wabbit!"

All satirical views are the responsibility of the poster. Any offence taken is the responsibility of the reader and no others. Void where prohibited by law. yada yada yada

GMMAT

I'll never begrudge another man for spending his hard earned money on anything he sees fit. There's no such thing as "too much" or "extra" money.....lol. I'm just asking "why".

Oneshot7

I enjoy hunting, and I like a change of scenery. I know I could have killed the smae kind of deer here, but I have a better chance out there. That hunt is one of the most memorable and fun things that I have ever done, and better that that it was with my dad. I experienced highs and lows through out the hunt and saw things that I very well may never see here, like a boone and crockett buck and being inches from a deer on the ground. Also the type of hunting changes completly when you go to another state and that was fun to see.
That is my reason for out of state hunting.