DIY hunting in the USA, suggestions where to go?

The south central area that I generally hunt in might offer some opportunities worth exploring. I do a lot of hunting in Arkansas where there's hills & public land to the west with deer & bear and flat Mississippi delta agriculture to the east with waterfowl. There are a few special permits to hunt in certain Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) but I don't think they're as difficult to acquire as some permits are in other areas of the country.

During the spring, hunting for snow geese in the central flyway might be an easy & affordable thing to do. All you need is a valid license "from any state" & they'll give you a free conservation hunt permit. I assume that might work for a hunting license from another country but I haven't researched it. There's nothing more fun than sitting on a plastic bucket in an ice cold puddle of water in a soybean field.

AH_SnowGeese1.jpg


The shooting can vary depending on whether the geese are in the air & flying north (2023) or if they're content to roost on the ground and wait for better weather (2024). But a couple of years ago we got 126 in two days & had a good time. There's no daily limit so when the shooting is good, there can be a lot of it.

AH_SnowGeese2.jpg


One thing I like about Texas is that they offer 5-day licenses for $48 so its easy to drive over there & hunt hogs with thermals for not a lot of money for example. As mentioned earlier, you could also hunt javelina, aoudad or varmints like coyote, ground squirrels or prairie dogs. There's upland bird hunting opportunities as well. Many of these options also apply to Oklahoma.

AH_Boar.jpg


Before deer season starts, I have a good friend who really likes small game hunting with pneumatics which can be quite the challenge so we like to wander through the Ozark Mountains hunting squirrels & rabbits. That's always a nice time of year to go for a hike through the woods. We'll be out in a national forest all day & never see another person. If you have a 4x4 camper, there's plenty of free back-country campsites along gravel forest service roads.

AH_Ozarks.jpg


A forest service ranger who stopped to chat with us gets a laugh out of John's Daystate setup. John managed a 50-meter head shot on a squirrel shortly after this photo was taken. :D

AH_Ranger.jpg


Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is my other favorite option whenever I'm not hunting. If you're camping in a 4x4, this photo was taken at St. George Island State Park on Apalachicola Bay. I usually do most of my Gulf fishing off the coast of Louisiana or the barrier islands near Mississippi. All of them are good locations.

AH_Gulf.JPG

Enjoy your visit to the USA!
 
Last edited:
Thanks a lot, you are great! That will help to concretize the plan.
Thats a cool brainstorming here.
Like I said it's a plan for the further future, can be in some years, but is on the list (have to take
care of my mom at the moment and can not be away for month now).

I figured out, there is the possibility to do an onlinecours to achieve your hunting licence. That
will be the first thing to do. As well I have got time to apply for tags and achieve credits. Sure
big game is not easy to get, but as I am a fisher and hunter my whole live I think I'll be mulish
enought to get some. In fishing for example I had the plan to catch bluefin tuna on my own.
Done it up to 450lbs without any guide...

By species I'd take whatever I can get on tags. But Elk and Bear would be No. 1.
In fishing I've been in BC for sturgeon and salmon, maybe something to repeat in Oregon?
Most of your Bass we do not have in Europe so thats also a target. And one more dream is
shorebased sharkfishing in Florida, what should be not a problem.
My big advantage is, that my wife hates citys and shopping ond loves to be outdoor as much as
I do. With gunsave I mean gun cabinet or however you name propper locker für weapons. Think
that helps for traveling.

What about crossing borders in the USA with a rifle? Do you have to declare it in any way or may
It be a real problem in some states? Could imagine to enter DC with a .375H&H without any hunting
possibility can become a problem.

Best regards

PM
 
What about crossing borders in the USA with a rifle? Do you have to declare it in any way or may
It be a real problem in some states? Could imagine to enter DC with a .375H&H without any hunting
possibility can become a problem.

Generally speaking, a firearm can be legally transported in a vehicle anywhere if it is unloaded, in a locked case, is separate from the ammunition (i.e. the ammo is in its own locked box) & it's not in an area that is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This will often be sufficient in even the most restrictive areas but it's always good to check the laws before you travel to certain jurisdictions. In some areas of the country, citizens can carry a loaded pistol on their hip without a permit so it does vary and there's a wide range on what is allowed depending on where you are.

So with your 375 H&H example above, you should be good because you are "...transporting the firearm for a lawful purpose from a place where the person may lawfully possess and carry the firearm to another place where the person may lawfully possess and carry the firearm;".

But I'm not a lawyer. ;)

 

Forum statistics

Threads
58,006
Messages
1,245,097
Members
102,486
Latest member
CharlesSobia
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Grz63 wrote on roklok's profile.
Hi Roklok
I read your post on Caprivi. Congratulations.
I plan to hunt there for buff in 2026 oct.
How was the land, very dry ? But à lot of buffs ?
Thank you / merci
Philippe
Fire Dog wrote on AfricaHunting.com's profile.
Chopped up the whole thing as I kept hitting the 240 character limit...
Found out the trigger word in the end... It was muzzle or velocity. dropped them and it posted.:)
Fire Dog wrote on AfricaHunting.com's profile.
2,822fps, ES 8.2
This compares favorably to 7 Rem Mag. with less powder & recoil.
Fire Dog wrote on AfricaHunting.com's profile.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS FOR MY RIFLE, ALWAYS APPROACH A NEW LOAD CAUTIOUSLY!!*
Rifle is a Pierce long action, 32" 1:8.5 twist Swan{Au} barrel
{You will want a 1:8.5 to run the heavies but can get away with a 1:9}
Peterson .280AI brass, CCI 200 primers, 56.5gr of 4831SC, 184gr Berger Hybrid.
Fire Dog wrote on AfricaHunting.com's profile.
I know that this thread is more than a year old but as a new member I thought I would pass along my .280AI loading.
I am shooting F Open long range rather than hunting but here is what is working for me and I have managed a 198.14 at 800 meters.
That is for 20 shots. The 14 are X's which is a 5" circle.
 
Top