I've traveled the West quite a bit but never had the opportunity to hunt it. In the part of Kentucky where I normally hunt (south central, or Soky to us natives) shots can be varied from under your feet to 1000 yards (actually I can think of one place you could theoretically make a shot approaching 2000 yards). I would say the average kill is made at 150 yards or so however. My personal longest is 450 and the shortest 15 or so. The creek and river bottom long shots are countered by the occasional tract of cut timber which is nearly impenetrable after a couple years due to blackberry briars. Believe me, you don't want the hounds to tree a coon in the middle of one of those, it's almost always a slick tree and by the time you get to it your clothes are torn off and you're light headed from the pint of blood you unintentionally marked your trail with. At that point, you curse, cry, and briefly consider shooting the dogs because you realize your journey is only halfway over. But I digress. I avoid that crap for deer because I don't really think deer frequent stuff that thick very much, and I'm granting compassionate reprieve due to mental incompetence to any that do. The "big woods" offer some good hunting and shots up to 100 yards in places.
Rifle Hunting in Different Areas of the USA
- Thread starter warbirdlover
- Start date
I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and now live in Colorado. Ironically, the first Colorado muley I killed was in heavy timber, within 50 yards, and with the trusty old 30-30 lever gun. Generally speaking though, you will see game in more open country and take longer shots. I've hunted for years in Colorado with a Remmington 700 in 30-06 equiped with a Nikon 3 X 9 Buckmaster. Shots have ranged from 125 to 275 yards. Longer shots avail themselves but I am not confident in my ability to make a lethal shot much above 300 yards under anything but ideal circumstances, and I'm too dang old to chase the critter all over the Rockies.
I have not hunted in Wisconsin for many years but it seemed that the licensing process was much simpler. Deer season was the week of Thanksgiving, you got one tag for a buck, could apply for a special doe tag or "camp permit", and you could buy a bear license if you wanted. Out here, you have to pick a season, pick an area, apply for what you want, strategically manage "preference points", and hope for the best. But our choices are more plentiful, mulies, whitetails, elk, bear, pronghorn. We even have a chance at mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and moose. Plus we have the ultimate reactive targets, prarrie dogs, great dove hunting , and a host of other small game, upland birds, and waterfoul. Also, we have millions of acres of public land to hunt, and while some is crowded, most is not bad.
Hope you get a chance to get out this way for a hunt someday, good luck.
I have not hunted in Wisconsin for many years but it seemed that the licensing process was much simpler. Deer season was the week of Thanksgiving, you got one tag for a buck, could apply for a special doe tag or "camp permit", and you could buy a bear license if you wanted. Out here, you have to pick a season, pick an area, apply for what you want, strategically manage "preference points", and hope for the best. But our choices are more plentiful, mulies, whitetails, elk, bear, pronghorn. We even have a chance at mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and moose. Plus we have the ultimate reactive targets, prarrie dogs, great dove hunting , and a host of other small game, upland birds, and waterfoul. Also, we have millions of acres of public land to hunt, and while some is crowded, most is not bad.
Hope you get a chance to get out this way for a hunt someday, good luck.
warbirdlover
New member
I hate those "drawings" for tags out west. Probably what has kept me from only hunting there (by Devil's Tower) once. Why don't they just make so many resident tags available and so many out-of-state tags available and when they're gone they're gone. First come first serve.
FrankenMauser
New member
Because they sell out in 15 minutes state-wide.
If you have other obligations that prevent you from standing in line for 8+ hours to make sure you're at the front of the line... you don't get to hunt, ever. The situation just repeats itself; year, after year, after year....
We use various "lottery" systems because there isn't enough game to go around. In order to keep things as fair as possible, you have to give everyone a chance - not just the people that can camp out the night before, to ensure they get in the front of the line.
Having to apply for all the drawings is a major pain. Not knowing what, or if, you'll draw, is even worse. But, it means the odds of being able to hunt are much more fair for everyone.