I've mainly chased whitetails and coyotes my entire existence thus far in Southern Illinois. Thinking its time to change it up and start trying to have some new experiences in life. Any recommendations? Overall value(price) and the whole experience of the trip would be my biggest concerns if I'd decide to move forward and pursue this. Also, I have a 9yr old son who is starting to gain interest in my hobbies. Do I try to include him in something like this at this point or wait for him to get some more years and experience under his belt? I'm thinking wait for now.

You need to give us a price range. Out of state hunts vary greatly.

Not sure at this point really? Maybe $5,000 max for a 1st time trip ... does that get a guy much? I'm up with all types of game ... antelope, mule deer, elk, hogs, whitetails, even predators. Just looking for different scenery with a great experience.

Colorado try 2nd season for cow elk plenty of left over tags to be had..

Try antelope.. Easy hunt.. Great for kids.. You can do it yourself..

Which states?

Is that a local thing, "chased"?

I've seen it used before as it relates to hunting.

I've been hunting a lot, for different animals. But, only had to chase one on a couple of occasions where the kill shot is less than optimal.

We save the "chasing" for the women in the bars...

Depends on what type of hunting gear you are "running."

Simple
Hog Hunt
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...687/2017__Campfire_Hog_Hunt#Post11679687

Wyoming or Montana.

Good advice^^^^^^^^

Or Texas....an exotic might be fun for starters....or just blast a few pigs...they have plenty of predators too....

With a 9 year old in tow go early season do an antelope hunt public land in Wyoming then swing down to Northern Colorado for an over the counter bull or draw cow tag. If you have a camper or trailer already you'll have at least a grand left over. You can apply for a tag in Wyoming fairly soon and Cow tag in Co before April or leftover in August.

Staying in hotels cabins etc probably can be done under that budget even with a cow,bull and antelope tag.

That assumes you have a truck or good hunting vehicle, rifle rangefinder, boots etc. Upgrading your elk hunting gear can be habit forming and expensive.

My dad and I never made the elk hunt we talked about and that might be the biggest regret that I have. Take your son this year and get that Rocky Mountain elk hunting bug. I'm dragging my grandson out this year he turns 12 and will be carrying a rifle. I expect he will talk about it the rest of his life.

A young man was out hunting alone, and shot his first buck. Proud of his accomplishment, he laid his gun against a tree, and took his knife from his pack to go gut it.
As he was about to make the slice, he remembered the law said it had to be tagged first, so he pulled his tag from his pocket, and tied it on the antler.
As he picked up his knife, his "DEAD" deer revived, it had only been stunned by a glancing bullet!
Up it jumps and runs away! With only his knife in hand, he gives chase! And just over the creast, he hears a shot, and he is crestfallen. Oh no!
He comes over the rise, and sees another hunter approaching his downed buck.....

"My.....deer!.".. he pants.
"What? Like hell it's your, i just shot it." Says the hunter.
"TAG......MY........TAG! "....and points to the marker.

The hunter examines the tag, turns and stares at the young boy and declares " if you are man enough to tag it then run it down with a knife, that deer is yours!"

What they both said. Hog hunts in Texas can be a big bang for the buck, plus you might be able to work in a javelina.

If you want to try exotics, check out Mulie Mikes WTHO (West Texas Hunt Organization). Took my son on one of his management buck hunts and was very satisfied. He listed some axis hunts recently.

Your 9 year old can't get a tag in Wyoming.

Montana he can get a tag at age ten but IF I'm reading the regs right he can't put in for a draw. That limits him to the $505 youth tag and he can only fill the deer tag portion not the elk tag portion.

If he's just going along without a tag I'd take him on any hunt.

Dink

Or Colorado for big game.

I'd go without the lad the first time around, in case it turns out to be a Charlie Foxtrot.

Axis would be a fun hunt, especially if you get out a blind and still hunt those barking bastards.

Your boy has been attending public indoctrination for several years. Hes probably been indoctrinated at home from tv time as to be somewhat antipathetic towards guns and hunting.

Has he developed the desire to hunt by going with you or spent time around others who hunt and have presented it in a positive light?

Has he killed sparrows with a bb gun? Does he like to watch hunting shows on tv?

Ive seen kids drug of to sit in a deer stand for 3 boring hours never want to go again. Ive seen kids who were taught to shoot and sat in a stand and shoot a big buck as their first game and be completely turned off to hunting while guys there were high fiving and back slapping over what a great job he did while the kid is wondering wtf or even unhappy he killed an animal. Things like that have ended hunting for many.

Have you taken him hunting/camping where he has developed an appreciation for the outdoors?

I started those things as a 5 year old with dad and did it more as i got older with cousins, uncles and grandad. First time i was going deer hunting with dad i was 7 and dont think i got to sleep half the night due to the excitement, but i had been around uncles and heard the stories.

At age 4 I had watched the really big birds out my bedroom window even younger and wanted to get my hands on them real bad. I later would learn they were doves and quail that fall when dad had me as a retriever around the dirt tank he hunted over.

By the time i was 8 i was much deeper into hunting than "expressing an interest".

We moved to a ranch from town when i was 6. I was not happy to see vaqueros slit the throat of their dinner kid goat, or slaughter hogs. Glad i had been around grandad popping young roosters that ran loose on his farm in the head with a 22 or shooting jacks to feed the dogs.

I would not take a youngster on a long drawn out hunt as a first event. I have hear of kids getting very homesick and miserable. I even start pointer pups on very short trips afield until they become interested in the field and develop their desire.
If its something you really like then take your time. See what he wants to do.

That's a whopper of an assumption for folks you know nothing about.

Antelope
Reasonably priced
Unique and beautiful animal
Success rate near 100%
Physical requirements are low
Have done it many times with rifle and bow and really enjoyed
Oh, and I think the meat is excellent, if you get a quick kill and cool it properly.

And take the young man with you.

Sorry. I did assume the boy went to public school and watched tv.

Or, maybe i feared it?*

Ok, ill admit it. The terms chasing deer and coyotes and "espressed an interest" raised a note of caution with me. So, sue me.

The above suggestions of antelope in Wyoming, and cow elk in Colorado are excellent “1st time” western hunting experiences.
Easy tags to draw, relatively inexpensive, reasonably good chance of success.

We have always let the kids start walking with us at about ten. (No problem with nine if he can do it) At twelve they did the hunter safety course, got a tag and a rifle. They still had to stick close to an adult for a couple of years before we cut them loose so we could see if they were ready to take on the big country alone.

I raised three boys who went to public school and watched TV. None came close to having an antipathy toward guns. They all loved to shoot from an early age. Kids naturally love to shoot, even those raised by parents who don't. All they need is exposure to it. Our sons are grown now and they still bug me to take them shooting.

It's not rocket science.

Ok. I was wrong.

Still, i a kid expressed an interest in fishing i wouldnt take him on a 3 day deep sea excursion any more than i would hook him up for an overnight with a hooker if he expressed an interest in grils. Wink.

Smoke, Ricky asked for opinion/ideas. I gave him mine-OK?

I told of what ive seen and not of what i dreamed. I was of course wrong. Im sure all kids are just like yours.

No it isn't.

But millions of snowflakes just didn't fall from the sky.

At least not those kinds of snowflakes. They came from somewhere, and public schools are perhaps the biggest source of them.

PS.. The sad part is that many don't have parents that care enough to show their own children the difference. Your kids are lucky, as are you for having a receptive audience.

Glad you're not my dad...depriving a kid of a hooker is un-american

I was introduced to Boy's Town in Villa Acuna by my dad...

But you always were a lucky bastid, Barry.

Pursuit of happiness and all that, for sure. But i was referring to an overnight experience only.

That would have ruined me-more.

I had a cheap bastid for a dad...

The most he would spring for was 1/2 an hour.

Didn't take me that long anyhow...

I made the assumption that the 9 year old wasn't already a big game hunter based on the description.

I remember vividly when it was my job to hop out and open fence gates and run errands around camp. Graduating to carrying a rifle was a big deal. By 14 I could do just about everything better than the old man including spotting game, shooting and dragging out deer, cleaning birds and sharpening knives. None of that would have happened without that early exposure that made you want to be a full fledged hunter so bad you could taste it. I was my Grandfathers retriever bird hunting and he would drop them close to the road so I didn't have to run far to pick up birds. I'll never shoot a shotgun nearly as well as he did but it was always fun.

Starting boys before they are able to shoot is a great thing for their development as hunters.

Definitely take the kid hunting--would start in state if you haven't already. Did take three kids along (usually one or two at a time) from around 5yrs old. Out of state--one at a time.

Maybe it's just me, but out of state hunts were compellingly easy until actually going. Then the pendulum moved to the opposite end of the arc. Hogs or antelope sound good, though--something where the kid (and you) can see a lot of critters.

Nailing something was always more important to me than to the kids

The first thing I learned with the eldest was to simplify everything I could and dial back on my personal indifference to difficulty for the sake on success. Way back...take it easy and it will be fun--and that is the part they talk about as adults, today.

Well, if a kid has a dad who's taking him hunting, I assume he's not a snowflake--not the other way around.

PS, Jaguar, the advice to take it easy on the first trip ain't bad. Part of that is to set aside time when the kid can just bang away at targets, pop cans, clay pigeons, or whatever.

Guaranteed, he won't have an antipathy toward guns after that. He might not like staying quiet, slogging through the hills, or sitting in a blind for hours, but he'll love the shootin' part.

Sweet Jesus, it's like a bunch of eyeball's dumbphuk friends have arrived on the 'Fire.

So you said it better than me. Good.

Everyone, google "chasing whitetails"

I turned on one of the big 3 other am after a late night FB game. I watched a few minutes of a program about exceptional kids. Gurl was a local hero about 14, for developing an internet community espousing all animals should be free and not owned and used by man. A vegan. All her friends and teachers feel she will someday be pres of course.

We just now are getting rid of a president like that.

He's a little girl too.

Nobody knows your 9 year old as well as you. The antelope hunt, and early season cow elk have high likelihood of moderate weather.
It will be an adventure, and a learning experience for both of you.
Take him, he will remember it for the rest of his life.

He took his 1st whitetail back in October 2015 off our farm at age 8 during the Youth Firearm season ... and he's been along with me for some of my more memorable hunts. I do not force hunting on him and he still likes to do things most 9yr old kids typically do. Like playing video games or war in the house with his nerf guns.





... he can get bored with hunting quickly if not kept entertained. No different than most at his age I'd think.

Some really good advice here.

Great photo. Looks like he is having the time of his life there!

It's my understanding that Illinois is a shotgun state? Does this mean for game animals only, or do they allow rifle hunting for coyotes? It would be good for you and your son to get plenty of rifle practice on varmints or targets with a view toward chasing antelope.
Happy Hunting

Don't take the kid. Either team up with somebody with a clue, or go on a guided or semi/guided trip the first time.

Be realistic about your abilities both physical and mental, as well as your experience. No shame in starting at the bottom and hiring a guide for the first go around to shorten the learning curve.

When you get good, start hauling the kid. Having a kid in tow isn't the time to be figuring things out.

Shotgun for everything except coyotes.

Texas and Oklahoma are seriously over run with feral hogs, these areas really need your help. The reason they are over populated is because ranchers were trying to get high prices for hunting them, but now some land owners just want them controlled. Independence Ranch for example has free hog hunts.

What would you like to hunt?

I recommend looking at Arizona Coues Deer (later season, nicer weather) or antelope.

What about Texas exotics?

Exactly. Adults don't like Charlie Foxtrots, kids most certainly do not.

Best to get sheit worked out a time or two before dragging the kid along

RB,

I'd start with determining an animal I'd be interested in pursuing, then narrow it down from there.

And, food for thought - rather than bringing the lad, I'd work out the kinks that come with a first out-of-state hunt, learn the ropes a bit, then include him down the line.

If I offended anyone for using the word "chased" when describing my past hunting experiences, I sincerely apologize ... sometimes I forget how easily everyone is offended in this day and age. Painting a horrific picture of us as "hunters" was not my intention. Please accept my apologies.

My wife's grandma (born 1882) and my grandma both asked me if I had "caught" a deer--had to think about for a second the first time I heard it.

Antelope season here is in Sept when it's usually hot. The meat is excellent but it MUST be properly cared for. When it's 80F, that can be a trick. You have to be prepared with large coolers and lots of ice.

About antelope: if you want to save the hide, DON'T DRAG IT. Their hair can be pulled out by hand. Dragging it even a short distance will leave bare patches. I don't know how it holds up after tanning.

LOL!

If I understand correctly neither have you hunted out of state nor have you hunted with your son on over-night trips?

I think those recommending simple steps up are on the right path. The fact your son has enjoyed hunting is great. A "big hunt" could be a few things and with young people I really like bird hunting as a first over-nighter or extended trip. A bird hunt in the Dakotas would be a blast, keep his attention, and isn't as serious of an endeavor. I've spent many hours walking with my boys behind dogs, shotgun broken open over my arm having conversations, and coaching quietly. They still talk about the great times to this day.

A big complicated hunt with the potential for foul weather and miserable conditions can be pretty discouraging early on.

Just my opinion based on raising three boys. Oldest loves to shoot but not hunt. I came on the scene a little late. Younger two started messing around in the field with me very young, shooting at four, hunting as it became legal. Both are very comfortable way out, and love to hunt. The youngest more so than the middle. Some personalities will just affect how they take to it.

Coues Deer sounds fun! Never would have gave that a thought. Approach would probably be similar to what I do here with our whitetails. Might have to ponder on this a bit. Otherwise, I'm liking the antelope too.

What distances would I need to expect to be shooting at antelope on a Wyoming antelope hunt?

Out to 300 yds.

As a big kid, my maternal grandmother would ask me the same. When i responded in the affirmative she would ask if they werent more beautiful when seen alive in the woods. After a few of those replys I told her they looked good fried. Cured that.

That's not bad at all. I was expecting maybe a little farther. I'm getting more and more confident out to roughly 400yds but beyond that it starts getting sketchy and I also have a hard time finding places around here to shoot much farther than 400yds.

Farther out is possible,but there's a schit load of antelope in Wyoming. You can always pass on a shot and find another one if you're uncomfortable with the shot. Plus you can buy doe tags and put some more meat in the freezer.