hello all,
This will be my first year doing a travel to go hunting and am starting to plan it out. Currently my plan is to start in Washington where I live, travel east hunt idaho, Montana and North South Dakota. Is there any advice you guys can give me on areas, travel experience with dogs and hoteling it? Anything at all will help! It will be myself and my 11 year old daughter doing the trip. I want it to be something she remembers forever. Appreciate the help!
Thanks
Will
Out of state hunting
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FirehouseBirdDogs
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averageguy
- Rank: 5X Champion
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Re: Out of state hunting
Talk to Biologists with the DNRs in each state and get Maps of public areas ahead of time. Start now. That will give you information on where to go. OnX is a very useful software.
Run good 10 ply tires on your truck to avoid flats and be prepared to get stuck and get out (tow rope, snow shovel, hand winch), keep supplies in your truck to spend the night if you hunt remote areas. Weather makes a big difference in how hunts go including foremost your ability to get around on the backroads. Certain times of year will make that more or less risky but there is no predicting weather swings these days.
Hotels in SD will be crowded with hunters and dogs. Unfortunately too many of them do not seem to own a leash. Twice last season I opened my Motel door to have a strange dog run into my room. Luckily my dog was in a crate in the back of my truck. Great way to start dog fights and very frustrating. Mind your dog closely around the motels and expect nothing of the same from others.
I look up the numbers of local vets where I am going ahead of time and put them into my cell phone list. Porcupine and snake avoidance training is essential with my dogs. Carry a good First Aid kit in your truck. I carry dog boots and condition my dog to lie still while I put them on. Have yet to use them while hunting but I have em if I need em. I also carry a muzzle and forceps for pulling quills and cactus needles in my vest.
Ecollar/GPS electronics is essential for me and I carry spares in the truck.
Run good 10 ply tires on your truck to avoid flats and be prepared to get stuck and get out (tow rope, snow shovel, hand winch), keep supplies in your truck to spend the night if you hunt remote areas. Weather makes a big difference in how hunts go including foremost your ability to get around on the backroads. Certain times of year will make that more or less risky but there is no predicting weather swings these days.
Hotels in SD will be crowded with hunters and dogs. Unfortunately too many of them do not seem to own a leash. Twice last season I opened my Motel door to have a strange dog run into my room. Luckily my dog was in a crate in the back of my truck. Great way to start dog fights and very frustrating. Mind your dog closely around the motels and expect nothing of the same from others.
I look up the numbers of local vets where I am going ahead of time and put them into my cell phone list. Porcupine and snake avoidance training is essential with my dogs. Carry a good First Aid kit in your truck. I carry dog boots and condition my dog to lie still while I put them on. Have yet to use them while hunting but I have em if I need em. I also carry a muzzle and forceps for pulling quills and cactus needles in my vest.
Ecollar/GPS electronics is essential for me and I carry spares in the truck.
Re: Out of state hunting
I don't know about SD, we do hunt eastern Montana and ND quite a bit. I would suggest you start out there and hunt your way back. What are you planning to hunt in these states? We travel in a self contained camper so I don't know a lot about motels. You can PM if you like and I can give you some areas to hunt.