Most Overrated Hunt and Most Underrated Hunt

[Rumrunner]

Most overrated. Anything waterfowl. I just can’t take the wet cold.
Most underrated. Tucked away in an open tree stand (think a couple 2x4s) or a tripod on a game trail. Climb in before daylight and just sense the woods coming to life for a new day.

 

[Muskox]

I know there are exceptions but I can emphasize with this. I had a whole points plan going for awhile and then stopped. I was seeing points creep and realized that since I didn't start gathering points from when I was young, I couldn't really get there for the areas I was most interested in.

I have 5-6 years of hunting pretty solidly starting in 2027. I am moving back to the USA next year, so this works.

 

[Sabre]

Overrated: many western draw hunts where rarely is anything killed. Guys go over and over on some DIY camping adventure and never draw blood. Fine adventure but not for me.

Underrated: a safari on large acreage in the Eastern Cape. Most folks here have no idea how challenging yet rewarding a tough hunt in the EC can be. But when there get there, watch out!

Dude, I am in like 5 or 6 states as a 5-12 point holder. I would never do it again. this is 100% true.

I see the appeal. I had that image in my head when buying points in Wyo for pronghorn.

My imagination: I am going to drive out, spend some time with my son, glass around, and kill a decent shooter pronghorn.

The reality: I am going to coordinate with a guide, drive out with my son, and hopefully have some expert guidance and have a decent chance at seeing a good animal.

The imagination thing dropped off when I had two kids. I give a ton of credit to the people who do it 100% DIY though.

Hunting in western draw states is what ignited my interest in traveling to hunt. But it is a broken system for non-residents. And now, it is a broken system for a lot of residents as well in many states.

Between point creep, Anti-Non-Resident cost increases, policies, and sentiment, massively increased cost of guided hunts, etc. The value just isn't there, unfortunately.

At this point, for most people the best case scenario is to find a good outfitter out west with a guaranteed tag in a good unit and go with them. But the cost for that is massive in comparison with what it used to be and out of country hunts.

So when you are trying to decide between paying $10,000-30,000 to go hunt out west, freezing cold, eating mediocre meals, living in a tent, for one animal. Or, fly to another country, stay in a nice lodge, eat amazing meals, have a nice private room, and hunt 6-12 animals. Well.......

I've done plenty of both versions of hunting. But, when you are looking at how to spend $10,000+ I can tell you which seems much more appealing to me after doing quite a bit of both.

 

[Milo]

Most overrated. Anything waterfowl. I just can’t take the wet cold.

Mexico will solve that problem. Hunting in shorts and crocs is a game changer for an Alaskan who is used to having the boat froze to the trailer in the morning.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Mexico will solve that problem. Hunting in shorts and crocs is a game changer for an Alaskan who is used to having the boat froze to the trailer in the morning.

Yep. So much fun hunting ducks while swatting mosquitoes and dodging water moccasins. Not interested! I'll take frosty mornings every time.

 

[Russ16]

Yep. So much fun hunting ducks while swatting mosquitoes and dodging water moccasins. Not interested! I'll take frosty mornings every time.

I’ve shot ducks in Mexico twice. No mosquitos or snakes either time. But it’s not the best duck hunt. Greta shoot not a great hunt.

Throwing a huge spread of dekes to pull in your one a day limit of late season canvasbacks on the Chesapeake is a great hunt.

Backpacking a dozen dekes a mile into public ground in ND to shoot morning limit and watch a muskrat try to steal one of your dekes before dawn is a great hunt.

The day the ring necks found the one hike you cut in the ice and you and three buddies limited in under and hour is a great hunt.

Spreading straw to cover the snow and make the geese thing there is a place to feed and keep calling and reciting birds after you’ve filled your limit on the last day of the season is a great hunt.

Dry land ducks out of layout blinds in the early season is a great hunt.

And all of these are made better if the best dog you’ll ever have is by your side and picking up birds. I’m lucky enough to have experienced that. That dog distracted me from big game hunting for about a decade and the 55 species of birds he picked up in 17 states were worth every minute of it. The memories will last me forever.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I’ve shot ducks in Mexico twice. No mosquitos or snakes either time. But it’s not the best duck hunt. Greta shoot not a great hunt.

Throwing a huge spread of dekes to pull in your one a day limit of late season canvasbacks on the Chesapeake is a great hunt.

Backpacking a dozen dekes a mile into public ground in ND to shoot morning limit and watch a muskrat try to steal one of your dekes before dawn is a great hunt.

The day the ring necks found the one hike you cut in the ice and you and three buddies limited in under and hour is a great hunt.

Spreading straw to cover the snow and make the geese thing there is a place to feed and keep calling and reciting birds after you’ve filled your limit on the last day of the season is a great hunt.

Dry land ducks out of layout blinds in the early season is a great hunt.

And all of these are made better if the best dog you’ll ever have is by your side and picking up birds. I’m lucky enough to have experienced that. That dog distracted me from big game hunting for about a decade and the 55 species of birds he picked up in 17 states were worth every minute of it. The memories will last me forever.

I do a fair amount of waterfowl hunting but typically too much sit around and wait for my liking. Shooting can be fast and furious but usually not for long. Pheasants keep me and the dogs moving all day. They stay warm and usually fairly dry. That can extend their lives substantially. My little French Britt is looking forward to her fourteenth season in a month. Amazing. Still gets around great, though her hearing is almost gone.

 

[Russ16]

I do a fair amount of waterfowl hunting but typically too much sit around and wait for my liking. Shooting can be fast and furious but usually not for long. Pheasants keep me and the dogs moving all day. They stay warm and usually fairly dry. That can extend their lives substantially. My little French Britt is looking forward to her fourteenth season in a month. Amazing. Still gets around great, though her hearing is almost gone.

Rigby was a great duck dog better goose dog but the best pheasant dog I ever hunted with. He could be counted on to catch a wild rooster on his own almost every year. A lot of that 55 species were upland birds.

I’m more of an upland guy but the best waterfowl days are hard to beat. Partially because of their rarity.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Rigby was a great duck dog better goose dog but the best pheasant dog I ever hunted with. He could be counted on to catch a wild rooster on his own almost every year. A lot of that 55 species were upland birds.

I’m more of an upland guy but the best waterfowl days are hard to beat. Partially because of their rarity.

My Lab Ellie has yet to catch a rooster but she has nabbed several hens (always released). We hunt late season cagy wild birds only and she is primarily a pointer. Not a typical pointing Lab either. Ellie hunts like a cat and she works close. She is so deadly it's almost not fun. Ordinarily we never lose a bird but last year was different. Maybe half a dozen. I'm sure it was because conditions were so dry and dusty. She's also getting long in the tooth.

 

[Russ16]

My Lab Ellie has yet to catch a rooster but she has nabbed several hens (always released). We hunt late season cagy wild birds only and she is primarily a pointer. Not a typical pointing Lab either. Ellie hunts like a cat and she works close. She is so deadly it's almost not fun. Ordinarily we never lose a bird but last year was different. Maybe half a dozen. I'm sure it was because conditions were so dry and dusty. She's also getting long in the tooth.

Rigby was nothing like cat. He was a bulldozer of a flushing dog. But smart as hell figured out how to run at a sprint down a tree line or field edge the work it back towards me pinning the birds to flush or be caught. Early in his life I hacked at him thinking he was trailing out of range. Then I figured out what he was doing and let him work. He was great with a big group but my favorite upland hunts were just him and me.

Sorry to hijack this post with dog memories but once they come it’s a bit of a waterfall.