What is your favorite North America big game animal to hunt and why?

On a recent get together of some pards at my cabin for trout fishing, one individual posed this question. In the small sample of five, four stated location which consisted of three basic components. Habitat, scenery and olfactory. One individual stated meat.

Elk. I moved to Co so I could hunt them every year and have done so since 1974. In NM it was every other year, and some times three. No other big game animal gets me even close to excited as elk does.
If one has ever watched the movie Open Range with Kevin Costner, when talking about his dog he said he has the mind for it, but not the legs. That's me pretty much anymore, butI still try

Operative word here is "hunt"

Female humans. Oh! I'm too old for that? Are you sure?

OK then elk.

Actually I've discovered that what I really like is camping with friends and family. I like the comraderie more than anything else and hunting provides a good framework within which I can enjoy that. I also like being in the mountains and woods, the aromas, the vistas, the serenity.

KC

Pronghorn is my favorite hunt by far.

It comes down to 2 times a year for both elk and turkey's. There is nothing like bugling elk or gobbling turkeys. Nobody can hunt sheep all the time, or Dall and Bighorns would be there on that list...

Elk by a wide margin. I'd likely give up hunting everything else just to hunt elk.

I've hunted several sub species of mule or blacktail deer, pronghorn, black bear, pigs and elk. I've spent enough time around desert bighorn and desert bighorn hunters to know what that would be like as well.
But, for me, it would be hunting the desert mulies of the Ironwood Deserts, O.H. eremicus..... Why ? because where I do it, unless you track them, they are too few and too scattered for a hunter to have a chance of finding one.
Why bother ? Because it's the only area I've ever hunted with a high percentage of older bucks, and where I can usually get a tag every year. That and I'm a desert rat at heart.
In 2nd place, of course, would be either the Desert Bighorn or the similar California Bighorn found in the desert mountain ranges of Nevada. E

Elk, by far.

I've never had the chance to hunt elk, so I've got to go with whitetail, although there is nothing quite like a good day in the duck swamp with the mallards riding in on a norther just begging to pitch into the decoys.

Dall Sheep, by far and away my favorite.
But for EXCITEMENT? Try elk on Afognak Island in October. a certain "pucker factor" there.
Bear in Fairbanks

Elk, on public land, in the backcountry.

Late November of 1980 for me. First hunt was 1982. Have only missed one or two years since.

Deer are an afterthought, a target of opportunity but one not to be taken if it interferes with getting elk.

Second would be antelope. We go to Wyoming for a weekend hunt but everyone loves the meat. Better than elk.

too bad tags are pretty much once in a lifetime

Elk...Would probably be mule deer if I could draw good tags.

Deer tags have kicked my ass.

So far I haven't found a North American big game animal I don't like to hunt, and ignoring record-book categories have taken a dozen species. The meat has always been a factor, and trophies used to be much more of a factor, but have always loved open-country hunting in wild country more than anything else.

If sheep hunting was more affordable or available would no doubt place them pretty high, and have liked my limited sheep hunting.
Have gone through periods of hunting elk really hard, but grew up in elk country and they have never excited me as much as some others, oddly enough, and these days would rate whitetails higher. Have taken one good grizzly and that is enough.

Got pretty excited over caribou for about 15 years, partly because of the real wilderness they live in, partly because of their extravagant antlers, and partly because they mostly live where fishing is really good. And they're good to eat too!

But number one has always been mule deer, with pronghorn a close second. They both live in great country, taste good, and can be hunted as hard-core trophies or meat animals, either in empty country or more casually with family and friends.

Elk, and hope to make a Bison hunt this fall with my Sharps.

Gunner

Elk. Would love to get the opportunity to hunt pronghorn sometime. But I love elk. The country, the weather, being with my boys. The experience!

Current favorite = bear. Especially because they can be hunted in the spring, when there is much less competition for the hills.

Least favorite = elk.

archery elk and trophy mule deer

Still working on making an informed decision.

Love walking across the prairie hunting antelope the best. Usually decent weather that time of year and then there are those prairie dogs.....

Probably a tie for me between coues deer and pronghorn.

Followed closely by mountain whitetails in Western Montana and mule deer anywhere.

Distant 5th place to elk.

Cant hardly count sheep and goats as most just never get that many opportunities to hunt them.

Mule deer followed by elk.

Overall I think I get the most excited about pronghorn, mostly because you can find trophy size critters on fairly easy to get tags.Plus they are my favorite game meat.

then it'd be big mule deer, which usually kick my ass.

Elk are usually an afterthought, and I'll shoot one every few years cuz they usually eat good. i've always been kinda ho-hum about them for some reason..All tho great elk tags and huge bulls will take my enthusiasm for them to another level.

speed goats by far.....normally lots of animal, great country and the pack out is easy....plus they taste great.....packing out elk gets down right masochistic at times

Elk have become my favorite over the past 12 years. The country they live in is demanding and they taste better than all other big game - according to the wife.
One elk per year is all we need. Someday I hope to be able to buy a resident tag!

whitetails

I'm another big antelope hunting fan, its what I look forward to most each year.

As much as I like to chase mule deer there isn't much finer than being out in the sage in Wyoming looking for a nice antelope buck!

Big mule deer followed by elk. If it had been any animal it would be coyotes way out front.

In order of preference:
1) pronghorn antelope.
2) mule deer.
3) whitetail deer.
4) moose.
5) elk.

I reserve the right to change my mind after my trip to Africa in May.

Funny, but I have often said that if meat was not an issue and I could only hunt one thing for the rest of my life, I would probably choose coyotes.

Coyotes are common, no limits, often no seasons, challenging.

Kodiak Sitka deer because they're some of the best eating game there is. Moose and Caribou are great but Sitka deer are better and also easier to carry. --- Mel

Sheep is the hunt that I look forward to most every year, but I tend to enjoy whatever I'm hunting.

If I were to live someplace I couldn't hunt sheep, I'd choose that place by the quality of the elk hunting...

Mule deer.
Location? Wherever scenarshooter would take me...

I got hooked on elk hunting for good about 29 years ago and have hunted them somewhere every year since then. However, if I could only hunt one animal to the exclusion of all others, it would be Coues whitetails. I love the animals, I love the country and I love the challenge. Now that I have a new knee that works, I am back in the game!

Elk, followed by elk and elk. Especially during the rut. Gave up 2 months of whitetails for a week of chasing elk and never looked back.

Dall Sheep- for the trophy and the country they inhabit...

Elk- a freezer full of elk meat is never a bad thing.

Mule Deer- have never had luck getting tags, but I really want to dedicate some years to chasing them!

Sheep are great in their own way, but I suspect success with really outstanding examples has a lot to do with which ones rises to the top of the favorites. Having shot a pretty good whack of very fine examples I have to go with Sitka deer, still.

The season is only 5 months long, 3 tags per year free for residents and some years they raise the number as high as 7. They eat better than just about any other game meat and you might get to meet their neighbors while wandering around out there.

Limiting it to species I have covered all but 3 in North America...

Least favorite would have to be someone else's moose!

Elk, though my grizzly hunt was great but something I will only do once.

Blacktailed deer.

Why? Fall is my favorite time of year and prime blacktailed deer habitat is the best place to experience fall. Leaves start to change color, still generally dry out but the edge is gone off the heat, a little chill at night. And with any luck, a little venison for the smoker.

Tom

Stealing a thought or two from JB here, but haven't found anything I don't like to hunt either. However, I've been lusting over wild sheep for 30 years and never hunted one. I love hunting free range aoudad, as they are a spot and stalk hunters dream. Another however, big mule deer bucks really turn my crank, and after 40 years of chasing them I never get tired of hunting them or attempting to outsmart one.

1. mule deer
2. mule deer
3. whitetail deer(all species)
4. antelope
5. tie between elk and sheep

I haven't hunted enough other stuff to say for sure yet, but I can't imagine loving anything a whole lot more than looking for mature mule deer. They are just such an incredibly cool critter and can be so wiley at times that I don't know how it could get much more fun.

That may change after this summer....grin

Tanner

Ive got to say whitetails.

gota be whitetails because no 2 are alike. trying to kill bigger,wider,taller,heavier with whitetail racks i enjoy most.we have lots of bear but they all look alike,you seen one you seen them all.i would like the chance to killa big elk,mulie or moose. pronghorns to me mostly look the same,don't believe i could stay interested in them long. but i do like long range hunting,so maybe i could.

It used to be moose. But I got older and my back isn't what it once was. I'd have to say pronghorn antelope. Chasing them around the prairie is some of the most fun I've ever had.

Mule Deers first paragraph. Dall sheep/ Mt. goat are #1 tho, with the sheep edging out goat.

I enjoy any hunting that requires movement and takes place in interesting environments. I love chasing Muledeer in transition zones where I may be in sagebrush in the morning and Pinetrees at lunchtime. Pronghorns provide the wide open vistas that I also crave. Elk are fun and challenging as well as delicious but for me are more complicated logistically. I can hunt coyotes any time near my house and I am currently obsessed with finding a wolf. Being outdoors w/ a rifle in hand always makes me happy.

mike r

Sitka deer or caribou for me.

This.

And this.

Hunting and fishing both have kept the kid in me alive for a long time. There isn't a patch of woods or pond I've driven or walked by that didn't have me wondering what critters were in there and how to kill or catch them. If it crawls, walks or swims it's my number one for that moment. Damn, I love the outdoors!

roundoak;
Thanks for the thread topic and thanks to those who've responded, it makes for some interesting reading for me to be sure.

Personally my favorite hunt would be mule deer in the high sagebrush bowls that run up against old growth Douglas Fir stands. The kinda county we see here.


Truthfully I don't hunt that country very often most years however, because typically it will only have mulies and black bears in it as far as big game.

We are quite spoiled here in BC in that we've got almost 3 months to chase big game and it's only from Nov. 11th onward that we'll only be chasing a single animal which is whitetail bucks. From Sept. 10 until then, we'll usually have a black bear tag, bull elk tag, bull moose tag, mule deer buck tag and lastly a whitetail buck tag in tow.

There's an area we haunt on the mountain behind the house that holds all of them and on any given morning in fall, if we're lucky we just might bump into any or all of them. Here it is on a November morning at first light - it's a lot "thicker" up here.


Anyway that's my choice, why I'd choose it and why I don't follow that choice many seasons - if that makes any sense?

Thanks again for the thread and all the best to you and yours this week.

Dwayne

I originally said this:



...which is true cuz I am working on hunting different animals right now, but this:



...is true for me so far. The fact that I can take my boys and have them LOVE the WHOLE experience (road trip, new country, many animals, spotting & stalking, etc) is the biggest factor.

Like many of you, being out in the fall is what makes it feel like hunting season to me. Here in Colorado, nothing better exemplifies that than first or second season elk. It also doesn't hurt that elk meat is my all-time favorite!

I am happy to be hunting about anything but in no particular order I like mule deer, whitetails and elk.

If I can get a tag for any of these I am a pretty happy camper.

Archery elk and Sitka black tail. Because they both taste great and are less filling!

I feel fortunate to live in some great Whitetail country, but Mule deer is my favorite big game animal to hunt due in no small part to the sight, sounds and smell of the Missouri Breaks. I have hunted Mule deer in the Rockies and Badlands, also, however the Breaks continue to beckon me back.

Dusty trails, stunted pines, juniper, sage brush, muddy alkaline water holes and an old trapper log cabin.

I used to prefer deer hunting, then coyote hunting, but now that wild hogs have moved in, they take first place.

My first four hog kills were made stalking through patches of cane in swampy areas, and were all less than 30 yards. It is very exciting to be in the cane, with 5-10 hogs within 7 to 25 yards, and not to be able to see any of them, just the cane shaking. It anchors you to the now, all your other cares are forgotten.

They taste great too!

Hunting older deer is quite a challenge, and coyotes are extremely challenging to hunt in this are, but I have come to prefer the get in amongst them hog hunting.

Right now, Alaska-Yukon moose are my favorite animal to hunt, just something about glassing for big bulls on a chilly Sept day that brings a smile to my face.

When it comes to game meat, dall sheep wins that category hands down, dalls are the best eating game meat in NA IMO.

roundoak, I agree with you. There is nothing to get blood flowing like great mule deer country. Wonderful!

Tie between elk and mule deer.

I like hunting all of them.
The seasons determine my favorite.
That said, it's hard to beat Big Mule deer.

Big deer and big antelope!!!!

Elk with a someday moose.

I haven't hunted the wide array of game that some have, but when it comes down to those that I've hunted, there's no way that I could choose just one as a favorite. I love to hunt antelope, being able to choose from dozens of bucks and see game all day long is fun. Elk are a blast, whether it is an archery hunt during the rut in the Breaks or a late season hunt in the mountains, I really enjoy the whole process. WT and MD are a lot of fun, archery hunting for a velvet buck or hunting our five week rifle season, I'll never tire of looking for a big deer. Bears are fun, but I've shot enough that I do it more for fun than as a serious endeavor. Which isn't to say that I don't get pretty wound up when I see one that I want. I hope to one day be able to hunt some of the other stuff that's out there. For now I'm kept pretty busy just trying to shoot stuff in MT, WY, and ND. A big caribou and a moose are on the short list of stuff that I need to kill sooner than later. The more I think about it, the more I realize that there's no way that I'll ever have a favorite animal to hunt. It's the hunt itself that I enjoy more than anything else.

When I was young and lived in the East and then the mid west it was mallards and whitetails with a bow. Today I live on the left coast and have found that's there is nothing like chasing big stinky old bull elk in the fall through the beautiful high country of AZ,Montana,NM,CO NV and Utah.

I've only hunted Elk, mule deer, whitetail and hogs but Elk is my absolute favorite.

All of my big game hunting has been white-tail deer and black bears in Michigan. I like hunting deer, but black bear are my passion. The bears are more interesting, the weather nicer, and I have a longer season.

Without question and for quite some time now, it's been Coues whitetail deer.

BIG whitetail.

Have hunted whitetails, elk, black bear, and caribou. Killed many, MANY deer and 2 'bou. Have yet to get my first elk or bear. Would like to get a moose someday. One big problem with elk, 'bou, and moose is the expense. Hunting any of those is for the most part out of reach for me financially. The times I hunted elk, I loved the comaraderie of the camp more than the ceaseless hoofing in steep country, which I can no longer do. If I ever do get an elk or moose, I will have to hire it hauled out. Just getting there and back is probably more than I can handle now, unless I can ride in a vehicle.

I have to say my favorite is whitetails. I can hunt them out my back door on my own property. My young, strong sons helps me pack them out. Nowadays I hunt a lot with my wife, which we both love a lot.

Desert Bighorns then speed goats

I've never seen a Coues, but I know there are a lot of aficionados.

What is it that makes Coues a favorite?

I really enjoyed my coastal black bear hunt. I like shooting wild hogs as well. Like coyotes, no season, no limit, and they get big.

The remoteness. The terrain. The weather. The wariness of a whitetail buck that's pursued on a daily basis by mountain lions, the occasional jaguar, the occasional red wolf, coyotes, bobcats, black bears and humans. The difficulty of trying to even see an animal that's so incredibly camouflaged. And the allure of chasing specific older age-class bucks that are virtually unseen, in an ecosystem that's beyond challenging. Not to mention how petite and beautiful they are.

Used to be that Dall sheep were my favorite big game animal to pursue. That was the case for about 15 years or so. Now it's Coues whitetail deer and that's been the case for about 20 years or so. Currently, second place belongs to mountain goats and older age-class brown/grizzly bears. Dall sheep have fallen to fourth place, behind desert bighorn sheep and California bighorn sheep (tied in third place). Older age-class mule deer -- Sonoran, Rocky Mountain and Pacific (sub-species) -- are tied in fifth place.

I thought for sure you were going to say Russian women.

That's what I'm talking' about. Niiiice!

Axis
More bang for the buck.

Public hunt Texas Whitetails are hardly worth the effort.

Pronghorn. It's all spot and stalk. Plus I love the high plains environment where I've been able to hunt them.

For strictly hunting, it would be pronghorn. For the meat, and the camp, it would be elk.

LOL!

I enjoy the hell out of the spring hog hunts with my buddies. Sometimes, we even kill hogs.

The western pack horse hunts I've enjoyed were spectacular, more for the majesty of the land, than for which animal I pursued while there.

As for animals, specifically, I'd have to say elk. There's nothing like having a bull bugling his face off at you at 10 yards, and having nothing but a bush between him & yourself.

FC

Didn't realize the red wolf was quite that far West... The only one's I've seen were in Smokey Mountain National Park.

We have introduced sub-populations within the Blue and down in the Gila. There's also quite small sub-populations in the Sierra Madre Oriental and also the Sierra Madre Occidental. Out here they're oftentimes referred to as Mexican red wolves or Mexican grey wolves. The type specie is canis lupus baileyi. It looks very much like the eastern red wolf, but possibly even smaller. Pretty animals, though.

Gotcha. Thought maybe you were referring to Canis rufus. Never hear of the Mexican wolves being referred to as red wolves.

Carry on.

Got to be Pronghorn.....quite a challenge.

Moose in the calling season. And moose in the late season. I've never been a real good moose hunter but I keep trying. Calling a moose in close or tracking one to its bed are skills that I aspire to perfect. Moose mystify me. But recent opportunities are different than a few years back, with easy moose in our farming country and scarce and educated moose in the bush. So they frustrate me too.

So probably elk, although elk hunting for me is a very easy hunt. Our farmland elk are wonderful to eat but the hunt is a bit too predictable to be all it could be. We do depend on that great meat for many family meals�

Mule deer are fascinating and live in wonderful country. they are a contender. But our mule deer have fallen on hard times with bad winters and CWD�

Maybe another trip for caribou is in order, just because of where they live.

I dunno what was the question again?

#1 Aoudad, #2 predators.rio7

I've hunted and been fortunate enough to take whitetails, muleys, elk, antelope, and black bear. The elk, mule deer and black bear share a fair amount of overlap when it comes to terrain and I have enjoyed them all. Antelope country is a different kind of pretty and there are usually lots of them all day long. I hunt whitetails locally every year so the excitement level isn't as high as for the out of state hunts but I have thoroughly enjoyed all the species. Moose and caribou are definitely on the list at some point.

Spot and stalk spring bears for me. I've only hunted them the last six years, so it's still new enough to be exciting and it amazes me you can walk up on a bear. That, and it's usually the first hunt of the year after a long winter, so I really look forward to it.

I wanna try that sometime too. I don't have much interest in killing one from a tree, but the spot and stalk version sounds like a blast.

A couple of the biggest deer I"ve seen were public land TX Whitetails in East Tx. Unfortunately, I"m a bit ethical and refused the fleeting iffy shots... but they were over 150 inches anyway. And saw one at 198 ish that was shot out there.....

But I"d prefer the Axis by far.

Of course my favorite is anything in Alaska.

Moose, because I used to hunt them with my father and grandfather.

Later in life made two trips to the Yukon for this purpose. 1st trip = no moose. 2nd trip = no moose, but did get a B&C mountain caribou. I've shot three moose here in NB over the years. Hard to get tags here in NB as it's on a draw. Might be time for another trip elsewhere.


Yes sir!

Living in Arizona, drawing a quality tag no matter the species is what I enjoy. Archery elk and December rifle coues far and away take the cake.

Mule deer. Posters Mule Deer and BC30cal have expressed my preferences well.

A close second is mountain lion. Like Cocadori said: hunting is the operative word. Hunting mule deer is like a favorite wife in the harem and mountain lion calling is like a mistress!

I truly enjoy hunting, period. But my favorite is elk.

Having only thus far hunted and tagged moose, cougar, deer, elk and black bear I have to say that bear are my favorite, especially in the spring. Calling them in is quite exciting!

I would dearly love to hunt mountain goat, sheep and caribou as well as griz/brown bear but doubt I will ever be able to afford it. Maybe one of these years I will get lucky and draw goat and sheep here in WA State.

Elk, for a variety of reasons..

Actually it's more buck for the bang.

Nilgai!

KMS, your right Nilgai, are the S.TEXAS, elk and great eating.rio7

I love elk hunting but thinking back over the years I had the most fun chasing Blacktail Deer.
Maybe because I was younger then and there was more of a thrill to it, but I really miss those days. It's unlikely, because I have so few hunts left in me, but I would love to do it one more time

I've only ever hunted moose, whitetails and black bear. Lived a pretty sheltered life, I guess. My favourite for all the reasons above is moose.

1.) Big animals.
2.) Loads of good lean meat.
3.) Rugged country to hunt.
4.) Usually accompanied by some hard work.
5.) Hunted during my favourite time of the year -- Autumn.

Whitetails are also fun, and not nearly as much work. The meat is good too, perhaps like it better than moose, but you gotta shoot a lot of deer to fill the freezer compared to a decent moose.

I have decided that I am really not a bear hunter anymore, though I love a good bear stew and fried tenderloins.

Mule Deer are my favorite. But, I'm only interested in real trophy sized bucks. For that reason I haven't killed a buck for several years even though I've had tags. I almost always get a bull elk, they're easy compared to a real trophy buck mule deer. Also like antelope, even like the way they taste. I'll have a tag for each again this year, so maybe, just maybe I'll see Mr. Big, If not I'll eat another deer tag.

I empathize and somewhat sympathize with you. I'm strictly a trophy hunter and I have been since 1973. In that 40-year span I've accrued a heck of a lot of un-punched tags across the United States, because I chose to not pull the trigger. Granted, I've killed more than a mere so-called "room full" of quality big game animals. But even still, I've also not "cut" a large number of tags because I also chose not to kill. That, in and of itself, is gratifying, though. For me, there's nothing quite like trophy hunting for an inconspicuously large male specimen or an incredibly old male specimen of big game.

I'm the opposite, I'd rather take a half dozen 1.5 year olds of any species than one "trophy". all my family eats is big game so it takes several a year to feed us. an elk would be nice, hard to get tags in SD though.

Sheep, and then elk.

Interesting read, with my vote for elk the very
UNOFFICIAL results thus far are;

Deer - 33
Elk - 24
Antelope - 13
Sheep - 7
Bear - 6
Moose - 4
Hogs - 1
Nilgai - 1
Aoudad - 1
Turkey - 1