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Planned Trips?

jlh42581

jlh42581

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Messages
454
Location
PA
Trip 1: I have a three day trip planned hiking in May 20th and coming out Sunday in PA. A turkey hunt, planning to double up and do it in the elk zone of PA and maybe find some sheds and or at least encounter some elk while out and about. Open invite, anyone who wants to come, wont be a saddle hunt for me Im taking a shotgun. Theres an extremely good chance I will be joined by my buddy who is a journalism major at PSU who has done his internship for Outdoor LIfe last year and continued to do stories for them. Cameras will likely be involved even if he doesnt make it. Theres a chance he may not as this year he is supposed to do an internship with Backcountry Anglers in Montana.

Trip 2: Meeting a buddy tomorrow to hopefully iron out a few details on some Maryland trips. Technically I am not aloud to take off in that month but I think I can get away with a day or two. Pa starts to late, I want to get a jump on my season. This will hopefully be in September, with a scouting trip sometime mid summer.

Trip 3: Might shoot for a one nighter opening weekend of archery, this will for sure be a saddle hunt. This is going to really depend if I have the bead on any of the bigger bucks that I am seeing signs of, they dont require me to sleep in the woods as theyre close to home.

Need to start planning for 2016 in Iowa, frankly I am regretting buying the points I wish I had used the points for other species and I likely will never accumlate points after that trip for a whitetail again. Its almost $900 in just tags alone, seems foolish to me when I couldve probably hunted Wisconsin and had an equal opportunity on public land. I am finding myself extremely interested in the western style of hunts. One of my fav shows is solohunters.
 
Nothing planned as of now. I would like to do at least a long weekend in NY in October. I probably won't know if I'll be able to do it until June most likely though. I have already started ordering my backcountry gear :cool: .

My ultimate goal is an elk trip. Possibly 2016 but I'm not sure on that yet. Definitely in the next few years though. I'm not worried about it for my first trips, but I am going to start doing research and applying for preference points for some future elk trips.
 
Colorado makes you front the entire cost for any species you want a pref point for so go into that with at least $600 to loan them for a couple months if you want points. There are OTC tags too.

Plan shifted last night, bailed on Maryland due to their goofy stance on Sunday hunting. Heading to Ohio.
 
Yeah I'm just starting to learn about preference points, draw odds, etc. I'm always up for OTC stuff so thats easy :cool:

When does Ohio's season start? You still going in Sept?
 
Its not as early. Looks this year to be last weekend in September they're also talking about upping non resident fees.

These states have lost their minds when a whitetail gets as expensive as elk or pronghorn or any other big game. I'll never build enough points to draw an Iowa zone five bow tag again. You can get a rifle tag with virtually no points. Spending an extra $200 to have worse odds on a whitetail... never again. I feel like a fool paying $800 for a deer tag. Caught up in the hype. Figure I gotta see it once since I cut my teeth on deer. I can only imagine how many big bucks I could've encountered had I started fifteen years ago traveling... couldn't afford it
 
jlh42581 said:
Its not as early. Looks this year to be last weekend in September they're also talking about upping non resident fees.

These states have lost their minds when a whitetail gets as expensive as elk or pronghorn or any other big game. I'll never build enough points to draw an Iowa zone five bow tag again. You can get a rifle tag with virtually no points. Spending an extra $200 to have worse odds on a whitetail... never again. I feel like a fool paying $800 for a deer tag. Caught up in the hype. Figure I gotta see it once since I cut my teeth on deer. I can only imagine how many big bucks I could've encountered had I started fifteen years ago traveling... couldn't afford it
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Everything in life is getting ridiculously expensive and out of hand nowadays. Everyone is trying to make their buck!
 
Haven't been on here much lately as I've been busy but preparations are in full swing for an overnighter on our turkey season opener (weather cooperating.) Done some scouting and been trying to decided what to take and what not to. Adding a shotgun and hunting gear definitely brings my pack weight up. Going to keep it pretty basic, two or three calls, no decoys, etc. Can't wait!
 
jlh42581 said:
These states have lost their minds when a whitetail gets as expensive as elk or pronghorn or any other big game. I'll never build enough points to draw an Iowa zone five bow tag again. You can get a rifle tag with virtually no points. Spending an extra $200 to have worse odds on a whitetail... never again. I feel like a fool paying $800 for a deer tag. Caught up in the hype. Figure I gotta see it once since I cut my teeth on deer. I can only imagine how many big bucks I could've encountered had I started fifteen years ago traveling... couldn't afford it
Click to expand...

I'm with you. The DNR agencies are getting hip to non-resident hunting opportunities and placing a premium on their wildlife and the experience of harvesting one. Heck, for $1000 you might as well farm a trophy buck from a high fence ranch that all but guarantees your success. And with lease prices going up and up and up I fear that that soon it'll become unreasonable except for the wealthiest hunters to pursue fair-chase game animals on public land outside of their resident states.
 
It certainly won't be a yearly thing for most. I think AK is on every hunters bucket list. Affordable options are almost non existing in AK as an NR.
 
woods89 said:
Haven't been on here much lately as I've been busy but preparations are in full swing for an overnighter on our turkey season opener (weather cooperating.) Done some scouting and been trying to decided what to take and what not to. Adding a shotgun and hunting gear definitely brings my pack weight up. Going to keep it pretty basic, two or three calls, no decoys, etc. Can't wait!
Click to expand...
When is your opener? Ours isn't till May. Heck it's snowing at my house. I have my first bass tournament for the year tomorrow. At launch... ten degrees
 
Our opener is April 20 I believe. We've been hearing gobbling out at our job sites so it can't come too quick! Sounds like you will have some chilly fishing lol!
 
Hoping to do my first backcountry trip on Memorial Day weekend up in the Catskills for turkey. That will be the first weekend after things have calmed down for me at work and I'm just looking to get out for a few days and relax. I might be able to get out for turkey 1 day around home before then, so my main source of enjoyment until then will be rounding out the few pieces of gear I still need, but I'm almost there.

jlh42581, thanks for the backcountry inspiration! :D

Everyone else, thanks for enlightening me to hammocks. I am definitely hooked! :D

Pics to come on all the gear whenever I eventually get a chance.
 
No problem. I've got back to back to back trips in may. Turkey and ohio scouting
 
Guys I know this is a tad disappointing. I shot one opening day. After the ohio trip I was beat and it rained so I didn't go again.

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Thanks I called him in from an unbelievable distance and then had to turn him and bring him up the side of the ridge. When I first heard him I wasn't sure it was even a turkey. When he got with in 200 yards he gobbled at every sound. I'd make a single click and get double and triple gobbles. Shot him sitting beside one of my best friends. Was a morning for the books.
 
Congrats! That is a good reason to disappoint us :lol:

I am doing a one night trip this weekend to test out my new gear. I won't get to use it this fall with the baby coming but I'm hoping to be able to do a backcountry turkey hunt next spring!
 
I found out that I carried way too much gear. I will be cutting things I dont deem 1000% necessary. Im even considering going to a tarp style tent or hammock/tarp to cut more weight. Ill probably keep my tent but if the weather is nice theres no reason for it.

My buddy who went to ohio slept in the wide open. About midnight I could hear something walking around him lol. I figured it would eat him first and went back to sleep.

Worth noting, my favorite item by far during that trip was hard candy. Its a must.

Be sure if youre out there in hot weather like we were that any chances you have to clean up a little bit you do so. My undercarriage was RAW when I got home and I had a few opportunities I didnt take advantage of.

Zach(my buddy) has done a lot of west hunts. He had a neorest zlite pad that he used as a seat at times, man as lite as that thing is I might need one myself.
 
Try baby wipes for the undercarriage. You can pop them in the fire when done.


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