Hi appologies if this is in the wrong section but i was unsure of where to place it , i am based in the uk and i have just found out that i have to visit the USA in early April on buisness, i am hoping to take this oportunituy to get some shooting in if at all possable .

So i was hoping some one could point me in the right direction and give me an idea of the costs involved.

I will be in washington between the 6th and the 9th of April and will have the rest of the following week to play!!!

I was hoping to go down to Dallas hence the question focusing on Taxas in particular .

Sorry to drag the post on but this is a bit of a one off for me , i have only been to the usa once and it might be a while before i can make the trip again so would like to take advantage of the oportunity.

Keith

Are you going to be in Washington DC or Washington the state?w/regards

Washinton DC then on to meeting in Dallas.

Keith

In April, just about the only game season that is open is Turkey. There are a number of guides/ranches that will take you turkey hunting, but in my opinion, the price is somewhat steep for what you get.

Not far from Dallas you can find some pretty good feral hog hunting. Again, there are guide services for this, and as it is a year-round sport, several of them are fairly reasonable in price.

Coyote calling is a possibilty. Maybe someone on this board can direct you to a guide. Not much coyote calling/hunting is done on a guided basis, so it would likely be just someone who is willing to take you out.

You'll have to travel several hundred miles to the northwest of Dallas to find prairie dogs. By April, they are usually fairly active and make for great sport; but again, commercial services are scarce for prairie dog hunting.

My advice is to post several more places on this board, plus doing an internet search for hunting guides in Texas.

By the way, Dallas is not exactly the epicenter of hunting opportunities in the state. Unless you have other business in Dallas, there are probably more opportunities in the Panhandle near Amarillo or in South Texas south of San Antonio. (Out of San Antonio you would find a lot of opportunities for exotic game like the various sheep, Indian Blackbuck, Axis, and others.)

Whatever you do, you'll probably need a non-resident 5-day hunting license. Check www.tpwd.tx.state.us for details.

Welcome to Texas, and good luck!

By the way: Don't know if you already have airline travel arranged, but Southwest Airlines flies out of both Washington-Baltimore and Washington-Reagan to all of its numerous Texas destinations. Advance (non-refundable) fares roundtrip are typically a little over $200, and it is about as economical to fly to Amarillo, San Antonio, Dallas, or any other Texas destiniation. At this date, you may not be able to get the early-booking fares, but you should still be able to travel RT for $300 or so. Check www.southwest.com

I suggest you read this Washington dc gun laws, before you make hotel arragments.
I would hate to see a guest become an unwilling perminate resident.

I live with in 50 miles of DC and go out of my way to never go though it.

This one is especially entertaining.

It is unlawful to carry a gun within 1000 feet of a public or private day care center, elementary school, vocational school, secondary school, college, junior college, or university, or any public swimming pool, playground, video arcade, or youth center, or an event sponsored by any of the above entities.

I bet that if one where to map out all these places and draw 2000 ft dia exclusion zones around them, one would be hard pressed to drive through DC with out passing though one or more.

My assumption is that you will not be bringing your own gun(s), but will need such furnished by whomever takes you hunting. Is this correct?

Thanks for the replys guys, having a bit of a re-think , it seems to be very expensive to fly down over that time , it's working out more expensive to fly from washington DC to Dallas than from the uk to DC!

So am now thinking of either hireing a car and driving down and back , that way i will see more of the USA , I am reconing on a two day drive down is this viable, my other option is to stay closer to DC and see what i can find within a days drive , i have between the sat 9th till the 15th in the us so am keen to make the most of it!

Keith

If you try to drive from D. C. to Dallas and back, ALL of your time will be in the car (and it will cost you as much or more than flying). I's two hard days of driving. Besides, you'll be driving on the wrong side of the road. If you wanted to drive FROM D.C. and fly back from Texas, you can get a one-way flight from most Texas cities for as little as $100 right now on an advance fare on SWA. But driving even one way leaves you little time for hunting.

What is your travel budget. I just checked the Southwest website and found that the most expensive flights from D.C. to Texas are just a little over $300 -- only 175 lbs or so.

Just off to the southwest site for a look .

Keith

Lots of nice folks around Dallas. But then there a lot of Varmints in Washington DC maybe your hunting in the wrong place.