Hi guys, I have now got the bug to hunt in the US with a trad bow and would like to ask advice on how easy it is for someone like me to come over to get an over the counter tag to hunt. Firstly do I need to know somebody in the US or is it as simple as jumping on a plane and going off into the wilderness.
I have only ever been to the US once and that was just a quick stop from Greenland home.
I have no idea on area or state but if I can help it would like to not use a pro guide if possible.
I have hunted in other country's for different species and I like the challenge with terrain and something new, its not about even getting that shot but the chance to just see new species.
I have hunted in mountainous regions before so understand what kit I would need although it was only the elements to deal with and in NZ they don't have predators.
Any help or suggestions would be great to here your thoughts and also a big hello from the UK, Regards Wayne.
Our game animals, terrain, methods and climates can vary a lot. Narrow it down just a little to what you are after. Google is good place to start! The fall is the most common big game hunting time. September-November. The right connection on here might get you a nice whitetail deer hunt on private property. Whitetail archery hunting is usually a sit and wait type hunt, often from tree stands. I don't think that is common in Europe so that might be hard to do!
We have great outfitters and outfitter associations to take advantage of. Most of those are in the west where the mule deer and elk are. A call to those organizations might help.
Western hunts can be from lodges or mountain camps. The best tags for the west are lottery draw with preference points. It can take years to build points. Some states and areas have over the counter tags for mule deer and elk. Eastern states have over the counter whitetail tags.
Narrow down your targeted animal a little and we can point you in the right direction. And good luck, you are coming to the right place to hunt!
Tedd
It's not glamorous, but the best chances of success for the lowest cost hunting with traditional archery equipment in the US would probably be for wild hogs, primarily in the southeastern part of the US through Texas. In many places, you could be hunting with a reasonable chance of success in the hundreds of dollars range. This would be primarily on private land with some assistance from the landowner or someone who has leased the land.
To hunt big game, elk or deer, unguided on public land in the western US with traditional archery equipment is a long shot. You will probably spend a lot of money on non-resident tags and never get a shot. If it were me, I would make a scouting trip to the areas I wanted to hunt the first year and do a little backpacking, and asking around among the outfitters and outdoor stores that service the area. This would essentially be free except for your travel expenses.
GPS maps are available that show the areas where you are allowed to hunt and those where you are not, mainly private land and national parks. State wildlife agencies have information available on seasons, licenses, legal areas to hunt, etc. Each state has its own laws regarding hunting, licensing, etc.
If you are hunting in areas where there are grizzly bears, mainly northern Wyoming and Montana, you need to be concerned with your safety. Moose are also potentially dangerous, but normally only if you approach them too closely. Mountain lions are dangerous and widespread, but not likely to attack you. Black bear and wolves are usually not dangerous unless you have food in your tent that they want to eat. Carry bear spray and don't sleep with your food.
Thanks for your help, I hunt wild boar in Europe and have shot many so would like to see something different, whitetail or Elk sound really appealing even if I don't get the chance at a shot but just a chance at seeing them would be enough and fully understand that actually getting a chance at a shot could be very slim. I need to start reading on areas and if anyone else has any thoughts all will be greatly received, thanks again for your help, Wayne
Before you get carried away with game species and locations there is some house keeping you would need to do. Most states require a valid Hunter Safety Certificate to buy a license for big game species and some states require a specific Bowhunter Certificate.
http://www.ihea-usa.org/hunting-and-shooting/requirements/hunter-education-requirements
Fortunately HSCs from one state are usually vaild in the others. There are several ways of doing them. The easiest for you would be to do the online course, which would still require you to do an in-person field day in the US. You'd either need to time it so you got the course done right at the beginning of your hunting trip so you could then buy your license, or you'd need to make a separate trip to the US to get the course out of the way - several hundred GBPs worth of flights for a $10 course. My father is travelling here from Sussex in June for a visit and is going to do his field day then, and combine it with a trip to the Sawmill Rendezvous. The courses are easy - nothing like the DSC1/2. They are designed so kids can pass them. The quiz is true false, and anyone who failed on my course was asked the questions they got wrong again - so all the state of Maryland requires of you is that you are not dumb enough to get a true/false question wrong twice in a row..... Also the way they want you to carry your dummy firearms on the field day would get you thrown off a shoot in the UK.
Your best bet is to figure out where you want to go and find the website for their equivalent of the Dept of Natural Resources and then look up something like 'Hunter Education.' Below is a link to the MD version:
http://dnr.maryland.gov/nrp/Pages/hunter_education.aspx
Sorry for the redundant post. Toxon beat me to it.
toxon, would the IBEP course be sufficient for the requirements?, atb Wayne
It may be, but I'm not familiar with it. The IBEP website lists several states that require it, but you'd probably be wise to contact the DNR (or equivalent) of whichever state you're interested in to confirm that it's valid, and all you need, well ahead of time. Flights are expensive so you don't want to get screwed out of your hunt on a technicality.
In the states around me your out-of-state hunting license will cover you for use of a multitude of weapon types. You then supplement the license by purchasing individual 'stamps,' to allow archery or muzzleloader hunting during the appropriate seasons. So I can see how some of the more restrictive states (like MD) might require a more general safety certificate that covers use of firearms and muzzleloaders, but I don't know that for a fact. I'm sure someone will be along who knows more about IBEP than I do.
It's probably stating the obvious but the rules will vary from state-to-state, and some times from county-to-county. Some states will have generous seasons and bag limits, others will suck. MD archery season runs from Sept through Jan with a few breaks. If you want to bowhunt in muzzleloader season you still have to buy a muzzleloader stamp. We are allowed pretty much unlimited does through the season, but are much more limited on bucks. We have a crap load of deer though....
If you can afford it, one of the best things to do would be to come over for a big archery rendezvous like ETAR and make yourself some contacts. There are a couple of Brits that regularly come to my local trad archery meet at Baltimore Bowmen and, I'm told, also hunt over here.
Guys the I in IBEF stands for international. If you have an international course they can not deny you. International Bowhunter Education Foundation is what it stands for.
Thanks, I got that from their website, which also states the following:
'Hunter education is currently required in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, 3 Northwest Territories, and Mexico. A separate bowhunter education course is required in many of the states and provinces to comply with the bowhunting laws and regulations in those jurisdictions.'
This implies to me that at least some states may require it 'as well as,' rather than 'instead of,' the HSC. Is that incorrect? As a non-US citizen I haven't found that something being designated international is any guarantee at all.
Let me try this again. International BOWHUNTER Education Foundation. It's all bowhunting. Some courses are IHEA-International Hunting Education Foundation.
I was wrong in my abbreviations. I'm sorry. Had a head issue that screwed me up a little.
Anyway the info I gave you was correct cept international hunter education association is IHEA, IBEP, not IBEF. Forgive me
Guess the jist was its an international course and must be recognized internationally. Yes some states stay w IHEA, if you have an IBEP certificate they can't deny you to bowhunt
Wayne,
Whitetail might be the best DIY game animal in North America. There are simply more of them and more opportunities to hunt them either on public land or on private outfitted hunts. I think it is safe to say you are more likely to get chance for a shot at whitetail than any other big game animal. I'm no elk expert but if I wanted to hunt them and could only do it once I'd get an outfitter in the best place I could afford. Happy hunting and good luck wit hyour adventure!
Fair enough. NBEF who administer the IBEP hedge their bets in the Q&A section of their website:
'Q: If I take a bowhunter education course, do I also need a hunter education course to obtain a bowhunter license?
A: This is an important question. Every state has different regulations and requirements. It is always good practice to check state regulations as they can change from year to year. For your convenience, the state agencies and their contact information are listed in the upper right hand corner of our home page.'
http://www.nbef.org/faqs.html
Checking Colorado Hunter Ed requirements, IBEP is not mentioned nor is any other Bowhunter only Ed course. I don't see any reason why tossing the word "international" into the course name would obligate any state to accept it.
If elk is of interest, I'd start with finding out which states have over the counter licences available. Most of the western states have huge swaths of public land with most of it unrestricted. Some public lands are designated Wilderness Areas and some states require you to hire an outfitter to hunt those areas. There is still plenty of ground to hunt but it's just something to know before you go.
There is no special inherent need for an outfitter in a wilderness area. The regulations are lobbied for by the outfitters for their own benefit!
Colorado has no such rules and there are over the counter elk licences available. Elk season opens the last weekend of August and runs for four weeks. Fly in, take the Ed course, buy a license, rent a car and camp gear and hit the hills.
Order your maps online before you leave home.
No need to do reconnaissance. Do it with your bow in hand.
Easy peasy. Why complicate it. :)
thanks guys for al your help, I will let you know how I get on
Go when small game season overlaps the big game you are chasing. Your basic hunting license you have to purchase will include it so you might as well have a few more targets of opportunity. Just about everywhere in the U.S. has some species of squirrel and rabbit you will encounter while hunting big game.
Monteray it's cause they have to.
Arizona has over-the-counter deer tags for late summer/fall and winter seasons. Success rates are fairly low, but it will get you out hunting in a fantastic part of the US.
Not all states include a small game permit. Varys from state to state.
For clarification, I checked today with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife regarding the International course and they do accept it for archer specific licenses. So, that would cover any archer specific big game license, eg., Elk, Deer, Antelope, Sheep, goat, moose, etc.
It would not allow the purchase of a small game or turkey tag, for example since they are not archery specific licenses.
So, as far as Colorado is concerned, taking the International course would qualify.
Thank you for asking Monterey that's great, regards Wayne
QuoteOriginally posted by wayne rollinson:
Hi guys, I have now got the bug to hunt in the US with a trad bow and would like to ask advice on how easy it is for someone like me to come over to get an over the counter tag to hunt.
Any help or suggestions would be great to here your thoughts and also a big hello from the UK, Regards Wayne.
Hello back at you Wayne. :wavey: I hope you get it done someday and then report your experiences back to us.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/index.html
The State of Minnesota has Whitetail deer (some really nice ones too) Black Bear, Elk, Moose, and Wild Turkey, as well as assorted small game and birds.
Elk are extremely limited and are on a drawing basis. Moose has recently been closed due to low numbers. Black Bear for most of the NE portion of the state are by draw, but there is also an over-the-counter zone. Bear would be over bait and you would probably have to have an outfitter to do that. Wild Turkey is in the Spring and Fall. The Spring has the first two time periods as draw and the rest of the Spring and the one-month fall season are over-the-counter. All Whitetail deer tags are over-the-counter...and reasonably priced compared to a lot of states.
Minnesota has millions of acres of public land. The Superior National Forest is 3.9M acres all by itself! On that web page under "PLACES" will be information regarding that.
While deer numbers would be low, The Boundary Waters Canoe area has true wilderness within it. This area has moose and black bear. Many of the lakes are non-motorized only. Fishing can be fantastic. September in the Boundary Waters can be magical. Wilderness skills would definitely be a huge plus if one plans a trip there.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/bwca/index.html
http://bwca.cc/activities/hunting/hunting.html
Have fun planning your trip, wherever you end up and Good luck!
Thank you to everyone who replied including pm's I will definately let you all know how I get on as this is going to happen,regards Wayne
I agree that Georgia (along with other southern states) would be a good place to consider. Non resident licenses are not unduly difficult to obtain. Game is plentiful with deer and hogs being some of the most sought after.
Early season can be quite hot. Snakeboots and tick control are essential, but everywhere you go there will be local circumstances to consider.
There are numerous outfitters who can provide a very enjoyable hunting experience.
Wayne--I dunno, it strikes me that going after a big spring gobbler makes more sense for a person coming from overseas for his first US hunt. There is nothing more electrifying than having a gobbler strutting back and forth in front of you at 10 yards. There must be 50 outfitter/guides that could hook you up for a 3 day hunt, which should suffice. Having a gobbler down makes more sense to me for a guy from overseas than having a 600 lb elk down or even a 150 lb. deer. What are you planning to do with all that meat? You can cook up the gobbler's breasts the night you shoot him...
Such a hunt would probably me a heckuva lot cheaper too. Your guide would be calling him in to you, and you'd find that experience tickling, I bet...
The contacts you would make could probably give you a sense of the realities of going after bigger game a year or two you later for a more complicated hunt, involving camping, tree stands, stuff like that...
To clarify if it was a non archery license you needed an international -IHEA permit would be honored. Either one can be gotten in another country
Wayne... check out the thread I just brought to the top. A hunt on KennyM's leases would be just perfect for what you want to do.
Here's a link... KennyM\\'s hunt (http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=156785)
Charlie thanks, I have been chatting with Kenny, he's building me a bow I think by the end of the year I will have a write up to do, thanks again for everyone's help its been great, regards Wayne
hi Wayne , I live in London & I get over to the states every couple of years & normally go to Texas to a bow hunting ranch ( hogs & exotics )
I don't have enough time (holiday ) to scout out public land with otc tags . it may not suit your ideas of a bow hunt but its always a good start & a brilliant time , if I can help pm me or give me a buzz on 07763203448 , john h
Following on from the IBEP question I emailed MD DNR and asked:
Can IBEP certification be used in place of IHEA certification to purchase an out-of-state MD hunting license specifically for bowhunting?
I received the following reply:
Greetings! Unfortunately, no, he must possess a general hunter education certificate to purchase the license here in MD. Sorry for any inconvenience.
thanks for all your help guys, regards wayne
I think toxon is missing the point in his effort to prove something. Hunter Ed certificates are mostly done IBEP format. Anywhere a bowhunter ed certificate is needed the international course is honored. Some places even for only bowhunting they might want a firearm course. Places that give IHEA hunter Ed courses must also be honored. The I in both still stands for international. No matter where the course was given the certificate must be honored. We know not who you spoke to or his/her knowledge on these particulars. It's fact I assure you
To be clearer the certificate says hunter Ed on the certificate but if it was done in the international format it must and will be honored no matter where it was given.