how far will you go

[stosto]

How far will you travel to hunt? From your porch to international hunting trips, what drives your decisions and how far are you willing to go to hunt? Spending hours driving and hundreds of dollars on gas, it can hardly be justified as an exercise in subsistence hunting. Where are you on this?

[IslandWanderer]

Living on the south island we've got to drive 2.5 hours just to avoid gates. Because of work schedule I have about 2 days of travel I can use at each end of a week of hunting.

The 3 deer butchered and flown to Vic for me from qc was the priciest meat I ever had.

[srupp]

Hmmmm travelled to Sask border for deer, to Atlin to fly in for moose...its the experience..and the chance for a trophy...by adding hotels en route..food..thousand in fuel..then add 9.82 per air mile for float plane..plus actual hunting costs tags etc..
I never considered $..per pound of game meat.
Of course I never tell Susan what that burger costs per pound..lol
Cheers
Srupp

[silvertipp]

Ah common Steve
after all these years I'm sure she has figured that one out��

[BStrachan]

For me the experience of going on a hunting trip is priceless. That being said for weekend hunts I choose to drive 2 hours to the north end of the Island.
On a week long or more hunting trip 12 hours to the Cariboo.
That is as far as I have gone.

[Drillbit]

I travel lots to hunt. Mainly out of province where bringing the meat back isn't an option.

Will go to new zealand on a rabbit and goat hunt one day if they still have guns. Will heli-hunt pigs in texas soon.

As far as BC hunting goes, I still go over quite a bit of the province thanks to only winning 1 LEH, ever. The travelling part and seeing new country is my favourite part of hunting, the meat, not so much. Would rather just butcher a finished off steer if it came down to meat.

[Ron.C]

Would have no issue driving a couple days and spending the gas money. If I had the financial means, id gladly travel to experience some international hunts. Would love to hunt New Zealand and Africa

[dakoda62]

My Oct trip will be 4000k rnd trip. this will be the 4th time ive made the trip, You can't take it with you when your dead.

[Cyrus]

Within an hour of my house...well at least for the last 10 yrs or so...

[marcus44]

Usually within a couple hours of home. Next year will be 25 hours of travel to QCI

[Bustercluck]

My longest trip was from the north end of the island up to about 3 hours north of Prince George. I threw my quad in the back of my pick up and dragged my travel trailer all the way up there. I think that trip was over $5000 for a moose that I split with my brother. Probably the best hunting trip I’ve been on.

Second one was from fort Mac to fort Nelson for pretty much a weekend hunt. I got to hang out with my brother in law for a few days and shoot a big old bull about 4 hours out of Nelson.

I don’t know if I’m getting smarter, cheaper or my standards of living are getting lower, but I’m packing way less gear than I used to. I haven’t brought my travel trailer hunting in a few years and I’d rather stay in a tent under a tarp.

[tipper]

Depends, usually don't like going more than 20 minutes from where I live.

[Gateholio]

I've been all over BC to hunt, that's one of the best aspects of hunting for me-new territory and new adventure

I've also gone to Ontario to hunt turkey and wild boar and when I was stuck in Edmonton for a few weeks some gracious members of CGn took me out gopher shooting, which I had never done before but would love to do again.

I've hunted Vancouver Island, QCI, east and west Kootenays, Chilcotin, Central BC, Bella Coola, and much of northern BC, as well as my home turf. Get out there guys, its a big wonderful province.

[mpotzold]

Since mid 60s been hunting predominantly 3 areas on many trips
1) Birkenhead Lake area
2) Gang area-Empire,Big Creek, Farwell canyon triangle
3) Germansen Landing area & up to Johansen Lake & Germansen Lake.

Also hunted just south of Dease Lake, east of Chetwynd, north of Chase & Sorrento, Fort St. James area, Nation Lakes, south & north of Vanderhoof + many others.

Future hunting trips that we have in mind are Spatsizi, Atlin & Home Ranch(Pan Phillips) area on horseback if possible.

[whitlers]

I also don't mind traveling for a hunt. I'll go as far as a 2-3 hr drive for a day trip. 3-5 hrs for a weekend and 8-10 hrs for a week long excursion. I agree with others. It's about the experience. Hunting for me is all about that which makes it worth the travel. Shits just plain fun!

[butcher]

As far as I can afford, and then some.

[Springer]

I'm with Geoff. Life is about the Journey and the Adventure within it. I know that if I never wore this ring on my left hand that I would live in a smaller home and Hunt further and further away.

[Danny_29]

Travel to manitoba every year for the archery opener.

Usually spend a week but have done it for a weekend before.

[REMINGTON JIM]

I would like to go to Russia and Kill a BIG Grizzly BEAR ! :wink: RJ

[caddisguy]

2.5 hours away is my max for a weekend trip.

I do the occasional 4-5 hour trip if I have 4-5 days off work, but just can't drive that far for a 1 or 2 nighter.

Hats off to guys that do 4+ hours for a day trip and come home with something. There's a more than a few on here that pull it off... up at 2am, hunting by 7am, shooting a deer in the evening then home a little after midnight. Too much for me in one day... that must be like a big blur the day after... like did I actually do that or just dream it?

[moosinaround]

I'll travel 3 hrs one way many times in the season, but usually I hunt 25 minutes from the house. If we win a LEH, I'll travel as far as I have to go to get there. Its about the adventure, meat is cheapest if bought at Costco! Moosin

[Wild one]

As far as I have to might be 2 min or a 2 day drive

[albravo2]

I don't mind a bit of a drive. Weeds out all the smart people so there's less pressure. Been LML to Fort Nelson 4 times, thinking Dease area this year.

[tigrr]

20 minutes outside my door. LIG

[MichelD]

"that must be like a big blur the day after... like did I actually do that or just dream it?[/QUOTE]"

Been there, done that. No more one-day trips to me. It makes so much more sense to go up, hunt the evening and then sleep in the canopy and hunt the next day too.

I'll go two or three hours for a two or three day deer or bear trip.

For moose LEH I'll go wherever it takes me. so far it's been the Chilcotin (Gaspard Lake, Restone-Chezacut, Smithers, Burns Lake and Likely.

[wideopenthrottle]

we do 1 long trip per year usually for moose up near smithers or PG ...... when there was a 2 doe WT limit we went up to Cranbrook for 3 years and filled all our WT tags as well as being able to add an elk one year and a goat the next to fill the meat poles...

[250 sav]

Up to a hour for a day hunt
Up to 2.5 for a weekend hunt
10 or so hours for a week+

[Darksith]

How far will you travel to hunt? From your porch to international hunting trips, what drives your decisions and how far are you willing to go to hunt? Spending hours driving and hundreds of dollars on gas, it can hardly be justified as an exercise in subsistence hunting. Where are you on this?
I stopped trying to justify hunting as a means to save money a long time ago! I don't care if you hunt out your back door, its probably not a break even type of activity. I do it because I love it, I do it because it provides 100% natural wild meat not because its cheaper than the grocery store. I will travel to the furthest corner of the province...20+ hours, and I will do it happily. Love the adventures

[hawk-i]

A large % of my moose hunting is within 30 miles of my house but with being non-native and declining moose seasons I find myself doing more a more hunting 3 hours out. Also enjoy hunting the peace region and thats 10-12 hours out.

Cost of travel isn't a consideration for the further hunts as the enjoyment factor is worth the price! :)

[IronNoggin]

I consider this type of trip a rather common experience, and then we jump in the jet rigs and push them 300 miles up the river.

https://i.imgur.com/F94hXf2.jpg

I travel to Alberta quite commonly to hunt as well.
Have hunted most of the Western US States, Sask, Alberta, BC, Yukon, NWT and Africa.

No distance is too far if the adventure upon arrival is right. Really.

Cheers,
Nog

[twoSevenO]

Never been further north than 100 mile or further east than Princeton.

I find there is too much area to explore to start branching out to extreme parts of the province.

Havin said that, I'd love to do a northern elk or moose hunt one of these days

[Blockcaver]

I consider this type of trip a rather common experience, and then we jump in the jet rigs and push them 300 miles up the river.

https://i.imgur.com/F94hXf2.jpg

I travel to Alberta quite commonly to hunt as well.
Have hunted most of the Western US States, Sask, Alberta, BC, Yukon, NWT and Africa.

No distance is too far if the adventure upon arrival is right. Really.

Cheers,
Nog

IronNoggin, Quite the resume...I like your sense of adventure! Mine is similar as I've bow hunted big game in 5 provinces/territories, combined with 14 states (Alaska to Arizona) plus Africa (Zimbabwe and South Africa). I never get tired of seeing new things and bow hunting new places. Good luck this fall!

[Drillbit]

Driving to Saskatchewan to hunt gophers is an annual event.

[BRvalley]

my longest distance trip was PG to New Zealand for 3 weeks of fishing and hunting, expensive even more than I budgeted and likely once in a lifetime trip

I used to regularly drive from Chetwynd to Kitimat for weekend fishing, but pulling all nighters is getting harder to do now that I'm on the other side of 30...the drive is much easier now that I've moved to PG lol

did a road trip once from Vancouver to Dauphin, Manitoba for an ice fishing derby, took turns driving non stop to arrive 30 mins before the derby started, that was a rough drive lol...used to be an annual trip to North Battleford, SK for an ice fishing derby that's since been cancelled....old college friends fly into Edmonton from ON for the trip....with the derby gone it's turned into a Cold Lake and Slave Lake road trip, one of the trips I look forward to the most every year

for me half the fun of hunting and fishing is the adventure and good company....when the finances allow for it, I'd go wherever I could afford the gas.....my goal is to fish in every province and territory in Canada, so far I've done BC to QC....my hunting goals are less ambitious, I'd be very happy to have a successful hunt every region in BC, only done 7 A/B and 3 so far, got some work to do there still

I have "next corner syndrome"....always want to see what's around the next bend, over the next ridge, etc

it's definitely not an "exercise in subsistence" living, it's a complete lifestyle choice, but the $/lb for meat in the freezer is always worth it

[Huntingtyler123]

I’ll pretty much go as far as I can go or want to. Distance or the drive doesn’t bother me if I think the hunting will be good. I love the experience myself in seeing new country and exploring BC. I just keep the cost of gas to myself haha. Like mentioned previously, it’s memories that will last a life time. Already met some incredible people that hunt and look up to for in knowledge

[MDR]

Anywhere from 30 minutes to 8hrs depending on what I am after. I plan on getting to NZ in 2020 for Tahr, Stag and deep sea fishing if everything goes well!

[Weatherby Fan]

Driving from Maple Ridge........most of my deer hunting is around Cache Creek/Clinton area, Elk hunting outside of Cranbrook, Sheep hunting out of Muncho Lake and this year RJ and I may go on an Alberta Hunting adventure !!!!
So a bit of driving for sure.....not scared to burn up some gas to go hunting thats for sure.

[drop-tine4U]

My first year hunting in BC, I applied for three LEH and won all of them. Sheep in Peace, Grizzly in MidCoast and Anterless doe in Thompson. Finances would allow for one hunt, I choose Grizzly and did not find a adult male old enough. So my limit is one big hunt a year and many 2-3 day hunts.

[Rob Chipman]

Going to drive 26 hours in a couple weeks to NW BC.

I'll go anywhere in BC that looks cool and promises adventure and that allows hunting, especially if my partners in crime are going.

I look forward to being able to do something international.

[westcoaster]

For me the experience of going on a hunting trip is priceless.

Same here, but with the family twist.
I have been either hunting with the wife and kids or Dear Old Dad and brother.

Within those parameters, cost per pound simply doesn't matter.
With the wife and kids, getting game isn't the priority either.

[butcher]

I’ll do three big ones this year, one overseas, one north, one to the coast (elk draw).
maybe Alberta as well if things work out.

Been invited back to New Zealand in the spring but I haven’t told my wife yet.

[browningboy]

Go wherever to be honest, go way up north or just hit one of my cabins, more depends on time and draws!

[Mudsey]

Once drove for 3 days to southern Wyoming, hunted antelope for 2hrs, then drove for 3 days home.

[HarryToolips]

16 hours each way, was as long as I've ever gone...

[dustycool]

I do one “big” trip a year. With the fellas I get out with for that we do a 18+ hour drive on odd years and a 6 hour drive on even years. Try and go on lots of day trips within an hour of home and weekend trips up to three hours away too.

[Hunter gatherer]

As I get older I like to stay closer to home, 1-2 hours of driving. My favourite hunts are walking out my front door.

[RyoTHC]

I would gladly travel many many hours assuming I have the time to justify it. Sask for white tail is soon to happen.
Alaska for grizz or maybe Yukon

but thus far for the past three years I haven’t had to travel more than 2 hours from home to fill all of my tags.

[butcher]

As I get older I like to stay closer to home, 1-2 hours of driving. My favourite hunts are walking out my front door.

Strange, as I get older my favorites are going farther and farther afield. I don’t really care about filling tags so much, as long as I have something to eat.

[twoSevenO]

Once drove for 3 days to southern Wyoming, hunted antelope for 2hrs, then drove for 3 days home.

lol. I drove to Yellowstone, in winter, for 17hrs straight .... photographed some animals, drove back for 19hrs .... i think i spent like one night in Gardner, Montana.
Trusty old Jeep never skipped a beat ... I'll never own a vehicle that will treat me as well as that jeep did.

Like the jeep, those days are long gone too. These days i'm lucky if i can sit behind the wheel for 3 hours without my back cramping up .... and i'm only 34 :(

[kaptin]

This year will be the farthest I have gone, 14 hours plus to 7-27. I am so excited about the opportunity to spend a week long in Northern BC. Who cares about the harvest. It is all about the adventure for me. If I manage to harvest something that is just the cherry on the top. I can't wait. The LEH gods have been nice to me the last few years. Two amazing hunts in back to back years I will take it.

[Norwestalta]

Driving from Maple Ridge........most of my deer hunting is around Cache Creek/Clinton area, Elk hunting outside of Cranbrook, Sheep hunting out of Muncho Lake and this year RJ and I may go on an Alberta Hunting adventure !!!!
So a bit of driving for sure.....not scared to burn up some gas to go hunting thats for sure.

I'm still planning on making this work but I've got a feeling all my summer work will be this fall. Horrible bad summer here with the friggin rain. August already and you guys coming to the peace country would be well advised to bring tire chains, winch, rubber boots, rain suit and/Or Argo.

Went to the Mackenzie mountains twice. 30 hrs in a pickup and a days quad ride to camp. Most of the time I like to walk 20' from my recliner to the binoculars and look out the kitchen window. Generally hunt within 10 sq mi of my house.