A long term plan for my but I wanted to at least start the research......

I have often been curious as to how easy it is for visiting hunters to hunt in the USA and Canada. I have no desire to hunt in a small high fenced private farm but would one day love to hunt Elk, Whitetail and Mule deer. I understand that all or most of the hunting done is via draws/ lotteries for tags and was wondering how this affected visiting hunters?

Is Canada an easier proposition

Good plan! Some of the very best hunting in the World is in North America.

I have only hunted Western Canada, so I'll let somebody else comment on the East - although I believe it might be possible for you to hunt on your own there. In Western Canada for the species you mention, you are basically limited to guided hunting - unless you have a cousin in BC, or something... But, nothing wrong with a guided horse back hunt in the mountains of BC or a white tail hunt in Northern Alberta! The BIG advantage about Canada, is that licences are guaranteed and can be bought on the spot (or upon arrival in the province where your hunt takes place).

Down in the USA, every state has its own hunting regulations. But it is true that in most Western states, in order to obtain a big game license with the necessary tags, you will likely have to go through an application process and a draw. However, there are so many rules and so many exceptions that it is hard to provide a short overview. TX, NM and UT (just to name a few) have guaranteed licences - in some of these states you have to hunt on private propety to take advantage of these guaranteed licences, though. The big advantage of hunting in the US, is that if you can secure a license, there is a lot of hunting possible without the use of a guide - accepting, naturally, that the chances of success also fall if you elect to hunt on your own.

Keep up the research and try to narrow down different species and areas you are interested in. I'm sure you'll find a good hunt then.

- mike

Unless things have changed, all Non-Residents of Canada are required to use a guide when hunting.

For the three species you mentioned, and depending on how much you are willing to pay,and not bragging on my home state, but all three can be hunted on low fence properties where the animals are free ranging.

The beauty of hunting Texas is that for hunting all 3 one license covers all. There is no draw, the white tail and mule deer are covered under the same license, which costs a Non-Resident hunter $315.00. Hunting the elk is covered under the same license, but elk are not considered game animals in Texas but there are free ranging elk in far west Texas, the same area where mule deer can be hunted.

The ugly part of hunting Texas is that all hunting is done on private land, but it does not have to be done behind a high fence or on small acreage.

Many ranches in Texas offer some really excellent hunts at reasonable prices, you just have to look around and find something you like the looks of.

Thanks for the info folks.

Just to clarify my earlier post - private land is fine as long as the property is big and not high fenced.

As this is likely to be a once in a lifetime trip I would want to try and take the best trophy possible. Am I correct in saying that the Northern states with big agricultural areas like Ohio & Wisconsin produce the biggest whitetails. Likewise I have heard that Saskatchewan produces big whitetails.

Are the above assumptions correct and can you make similar generalisations with Mule deer and Elk?

quote:

Am I correct in saying that the Northern states with big agricultural areas like Ohio & Wisconsin produce the biggest whitetails. Likewise I have heard that Saskatchewan produces big whitetails.

This is true.

I hunt Northwest Wisconsin every year. So does Pdog (I think that's his handle). I can say that NW Wisconsin, while being "big" and "wild" also gets a lot of hunting pressure during the regular deer season.

I have hunted moose in Ontario, and from that experience & my Wisconsin years, I'd say you'd be much better served hunting Saskatchewan or Alberta (probably Alberta is better) for whitetails - the deer would be as big, or bigger, and there would be far less hunting pressure.

Enjoy!

friar

Newfoundland has quite accessible hunting for moose, bear and woodland caribou. No draws, but you must book with an outfitter and sometimes they are booked up a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by gbax:
As this is likely to be a once in a lifetime trip I would want to try and take the best trophy possible.

...Are the above assumptions correct and can you make similar generalisations with Mule deer and Elk?

Your desire for success on a (potentially) once-in-a-lifetime trip is understandable. But perhaps you need to have your perspective modified ever so slightly. It is easy to imagine the perfect hunt when your input about North American hunting comes from hunting magazines. Reality is often slightly different. In my early hunting days, I booked with a US booking agency, who emphasized something like "If you can't handle lack of success, don't hunt North America. Go to Africa instead". There is definitely something to this.

It is possible to plan (and pay) for higher cances of success (and trophies), but hunting in North America will always include a healthy possibility of going home empty handed. That is just the nature of things.

That said, IMHO, North America offers some of the finest hunting experience anywhere, and it is well worth visiting. It is probably best to go with the right expectation, though.

Elk and mule deer now. It really depends on what experience you are looking for. If you want a high country, horse back experience, say, states like CO and WY are often good choices in terms of availability and potential trophy size. If your main focus is on success and trophy size, you would probably head to states like UT or NM and hunt lower altititudes - even on the prairie. Private land normally offers lower hunting pressure, and *can* offer very good game densities too.

Our very own Aaron Nielson runs some very successful hunts for mule deer, white tail and elk - mainly in Colorado and neighbouring states. Some of the trophies taken on Aaron's hunts are absolutely wonderful

Be aware, that in this game, you pay for the potential trophy size a hunt offers. That is often what makes the difference between a $2000 elk hunt and one for $15000.

Good luck with your continued planning.

- mike

Gbax;
Successful big game hunting in the western United States is a complicated procedure.
For a lot of money, it can be made much less complicated.

For a non resident, I would consider booking at least 2 weeks with a booking agent or outfitter who has experience dealing with non resident clients.

Most Mule deer and elk hunting requires drawing a tag and many of the states have a “points “ system.
“Points” are accumulated , by species, at a rate of one per year, and good tags often take 5-10 points.

Some states have a “landowner tag” system where tags are given to landowners to sell, and a hunter can buy them, getting around the need to spend many years building up “points”.
This may be your best bet.

If I were you, I would contact several hunting consultants and/or outfitters. Keep in mind, there are some with very good reputations and some with very bad reputations.

I do not know the above mentioned “Aaron Nielson” , but by all accounts he is one of the good ones.
Before you choose an agent or outfitter, do a lot of research.

After you travel to the U.S., and get to the area you want to hunt, I would expect to spend;

For a good quality 2 weeks hunting for mature elk and mule deer, tags and outfitter who will take you hunting and supply food and lodging, somewhere between twelve and fifteen thousand U.S. dollars.
This would be hunting for 4X4 mule deer in the 140-170 class, and 6X6 elk in the 280-320 class. Success rates would run 60-70% on elk, and 70-80% on deer.

For a chance to hunt really big animals, say 170-190 class deer and 320-380 class elk, the total price could double just to buy better landowner tags.

On the other end of things, if you want to “Do it yourself”, draw tags in the lottery system,, rent a 4X4 truck and stay in a hotel, eat in restaurants, you could pull off the hunting for around three to four thousand U.S. dollars.

No matter what you decide to do, research is the key.

Since this could be a “once in a lifetime” thing, I would highly suggest a high country mountain hunt in a scenic alpine area.

A lot of te price is going to depend on your expectations of what you want as a trophy. The higher your expectations, the higher the price. From your OP, you are looking at this as a future project, I advise that you start contacting outfitters in the various states in the west and see what kind of hunt one of them can put together. Aaron Nielsen and Mark Young are good ones to start with.

For a truly western American hunt you might want to look at including pronghorn to your menu.

quote:

Originally posted by gbax:
As this is likely to be a once in a lifetime trip I would want to try and take the best trophy possible. Am I correct in saying that the Northern states with big agricultural areas like Ohio & Wisconsin produce the biggest whitetails. Likewise I have heard that Saskatchewan produces big whitetails.

Are the above assumptions correct and can you make similar generalisations with Mule deer and Elk?

For Big Whitetails and Muley's contact Aaron Nielsen, he posts on this forum. Some properties in Eastern Colorado have some enormous Deer.

In most of Colorado you can buy an elk tag "over the counter" with no application, and go hunting on plentiful public land.

If this is to be a once in a lifetime hunting trip out this way and you have the $$$ I would suggest you give Stone Mountain Safaris a call and discuss some sort of elk/moose/goat combo hunt with them. They will throw in the rare chance for a mountain caribou (I saw many but just 1 point shy of legal), black bea and wolf. Located outside Toad River BC it is surely one of the most beautiful and pristine places in the world and extremely game rich. You will fly deep into the mountains and spend 10 hours a day on a horse for 10 days of pure mountain hunting. I have photos if you are interested. I will be going back when time allows.