Your Top 5 Animals from North America

What 5 Animals do you want to hunt the most from North America?

What makes these animals desirable to you?

How would you hunt them?
1. Method (Rifle or Bow)
2. Guided or DYI
3. OTC Tags, Draw, Outfitter/Landowner Tags, or Auction/Governor tags? (Give everyone an idea of how tags or access may be obtained).

I have a lot of hunting left to do in North America. Including Alaska, Canada, US, and possibly back to Mexico.

For me it’s:
1. Big Moose - Guided with Outfitters (Booked Alaska and British Columbia). Always desired Moose. Majestic, Huge, Powerful, live in amazing places.
2. Whitetail - Guided with Outfitter Tags (Fair Chaise) Booked British Columbia. -I’ve never shot a Whitetail outside of Louisiana Swamps with Bucksot.
3. Caribou (Not Booked). Always wanted to hunt Caribou.
4. Any Big Horn Ram. (This will require some time and money to sort out). Pinnacle of North American Hunting in my opinion.
5. Brown Bear - I may add this to my Alaska Moose hunt. North America’s dangerous game. Powerful and Beautiful.

1. Tops, by a large margin is a 200+ mulie, hunted DIY in my home state. Dream animal, since I was 12 years old.
2. Grizzly. Guided, on Kodiak preferably. As I’m currently unwilling to pay for such a hunt, it probably won’t happen.
3. Caribou. Maybe. A drop off hunt, remote interior. Could be fun.
4. Mountain Goat. Guided in B.C. I’m considering this hunt at present. No reason, I just think they’re infinitely cool.
5. Big free-range bull bison. There aren’t too many places you can make this happen.

I decided long ago my life would be happier if I forgot all about sheep hunting. For the same money, I’d rather hunt elephant or leopard. Moose do nothing for me. Rifle for everything. We invented gunpowder long ago and there’s a reason.

For me in North America it would probably go-
Bison,- I don't need to go full on free range hard tag draw but a decent experience and the meat to follow would be nice.
Javelina- I have a soft spot for hunting pigs and pig like animals. This one I would willingly get back to compound bow shooting just for the spot and stalk adventure. Probably be outfitted in TX
Pronghorn Antelope- I have been collecting points in MT to go with a friend who is a resident. This will be a rifle DIY hunt.
Black bear- not too exciting but I have never gotten one. I would love to do hounds ( I grew up around working dogs) but would consider bait and one of the two flintlock rifles my grandfather built for me. OTC tags, Maine or similar would work well for me
Whitetail on Anticosti Island. I always wanted to hunt in this high density deer but big woods setting. Still hunting, occasional sit. This would be outfitted but I did consider some of the unguided options I have seen on the island.

I should mention that I don’t bow hunt. But, appreciate those who do…

I’m a rifle guy. I don’t mind guided hunts. I simply HATE the license and tag situation in the U.S. When I want to hunt something I want to hunt it NOW! Not after years of watching the mailbox. Probably one of the reasons why I love Africa so much.

1. Grizzly or Brown Bear
2. A big Mule Deer. Probably the toughest trophy to take, even down in Mexico.
3. Rocky Mountain Bighorn.
4. Muskox. Just something about them.
5. Polar Bear.

Elk would be #6.

Good question. I'm guessing that these would be animals that we've never taken before or in a new environment.
1. Elk (Bull would be first choice, but I'm trying like heck to get a cow hunt together)
2. Mule deer. Easy second choice.
3. All native turkey species. I know this is more than one vote, but its my fantasy!
4. Javelina. Vote #2 for the skunk pigs!
5. Alligator. Here's the deal with this one. I'd have to shoot it like a crocodile. No turkey necks on fish hooks and point blank range brain shots the next morning. Not for me.

1. A Big, Mean Old Kodiak Grizzly. I dont live in AK, so it would have to be guided.
2. A Moose, in Maine. I tagged along with my grandfather when he got one back in 02 or 03 and I still think about that hunt all the time. He lived there at the time and had the time to scout. I live in Colorado, so I would probably pay a guide to make this one happen as well.
3. Polar Bear. It seems like a very challenging hunt and they are huge beautiful animals.
4. A 375" Elk. Here in Colorado, Unguided, Public Land. I have taken cow and bull Elk before, but nothing huge.
5. A Combo Moose, Caribou, Wolf hunt in AK. Probably guided, a nice long trip, like 3 weeks in the bush.

I'm mostly almost entirely a rifle hunter, I would love to take the Elk with a Muzzleloader though.

In NA Im more of a meat hunter than anything else (but love the adventure of a "new" hunting experience.. so much of my priority is about size and freezer filling capability

1) I'd love to take a big moose (never hunted moose before)
2) A big bull elk (Ive taken cow elk in the US and a big NZ bull before, but never a NA bull)
3) Mule deer (Ive got hundreds of whitetail under my belt and have hunted mulies before, but never connected on one)
4) Caribou (Ive got a buddy in AK thats invited me numerous times to come hunt them with him.. but Ive never gotten around to it)..
5) Nilgai (Ive been telling myself I would make the time to chase a nilgai for almost a decade at this point, but have never actually gotten around to it)..

I do bow hunt.. but for any/all of these I would definitely go the rifle route.. other than the nilgai I would likely DIY all the rest..

1. Elk. Big herd bull over 360” with a bow. Unguided draw tag. I’ve killed a handful with a bow including one herd bull. And a 383 herd bull with a muzzleloader. But I simply LOVE hunting them. I need a big one with my bow.

2. A 170”+ whitetail. With a bow. At home, that I’ve worked for to kill. I’ve killed a pile of them. But never a really big one.

3. A bighorn. With a bow. I’ve seen them when hunting. Have never had a tag. I can’t afford the guaranteed tags. So hopefully I draw a tag some day. I have 20+ points in multiple states and I’m 44 years old, so hopefully someday I draw a tag. I will probably hire a guide if I ever draw.

4. Moose. Archery. Either a shiras that I draw a tag for or an Alaskan. I would go guided in Alaska. Probably DIY if I ever drew a shiras tag.

5. Caribou. I’d love to hunt the tundra. Rifle or bow. And their antlers are just cool.

I’ve killed several black bears with bow and gun. Really don’t have much desire to hunt a brown or grizzly. I’m a horn, antler and tusk type of guy

mdwest said:

In NA Im more of a meat hunter than anything else (but love the adventure of a "new" hunting experience.. so much of my priority is about size and freezer filling capability

1) I'd love to take a big moose (never hunted moose before)
2) A big bull elk (Ive taken cow elk in the US and a big NZ bull before, but never a NA bull)
3) Mule deer (Ive got hundreds of whitetail under my belt and have hunted mulies before, but never connected on one)
4) Caribou (Ive got a buddy in AK thats invited me numerous times to come hunt them with him.. but Ive never gotten around to it)..
5) Nilgai (Ive been telling myself I would make the time to chase a nilgai for almost a decade at this point, but have never actually gotten around to it)..

I do bow hunt.. but for any/all of these I would definitely go the rifle route.. other than the nilgai I would likely DIY all the rest..

Click to expand...

Nilgai are so easily chased...no tags needed. One weekend on King Ranch, etc would take care of that but I know you're busy.

Top 5 for me would be :

1. Big brown bear, preferably on Kodiak Island
2. Polar bear
3. Mountain Caribou
4. Muskox
5. Big Alaska Yukon Moose

I have Muskox/Caribou hunt booked (not a mountain caribou). I have a big Canadian Moose but not an Alaska Yukon Moose. I have hunted moose in the Yukon (back when they were not so expensive) and saw a couple of 55-60" AY moose but since I already had a large Canadian moose I was looking for a monster so I never pulled the trigger. Probably will book a brown bear hunt in next couple of years but will likely never do the polar bear.

In order of desire, need:
Rocky Mountain Big Horn
Stone Sheep
Big Mule Deer
Big Elk
.....then the list gets murky, maybe a mountain lion, musk ox or polar bear I guess, but more likely to spend time looking for another but bigger/better Dall Sheep, moose, brown bear, desert big horn.

My answer is in the realm of realistically going to happen for me, meaning I will rule out Polar bear and Big horn. All rifle for me. Some stuff I like a lot that Ive already taken I will leave off such as Axis deer and Nilgai.

1. Brown Bear
2. Elk
3. Moose
4. Bison
5. Tied - Caribou and Aoudad (getting real close to booking this one soon)

Bsto270 said:

For me in North America it would probably go-
Bison,- I don't need to go full on free range hard tag draw but a decent experience and the meat to follow would be nice.
Javelina- I have a soft spot for hunting pigs and pig like animals. This one I would willingly get back to compound bow shooting just for the spot and stalk adventure. Probably be outfitted in TX
Pronghorn Antelope- I have been collecting points in MT to go with a friend who is a resident. This will be a rifle DIY hunt.
Black bear- not too exciting but I have never gotten one. I would love to do hounds ( I grew up around working dogs) but would consider bait and one of the two flintlock rifles my grandfather built for me. OTC tags, Maine or similar would work well for me
Whitetail on Anticosti Island. I always wanted to hunt in this high density deer but big woods setting. Still hunting, occasional sit. This would be outfitted but I did consider some of the unguided options I have seen on the island.

Click to expand...

Javelina hunting in South Texas is an absolute blast. When you do it, find someone who will make tamales for you out of the meat, you won’t regret it.

It is rather interesting reading some of the replies, many people's dream hunts are every year experiences for some of us and I find that fascinating. I am one of the lucky few who chases elk and mule deer every year yet they have still made it into my number 1 and 2 spot!

#1- Mature velvet muley with traditional archery gear. I've taken excellent examples of the species with a rifle and a compound bow. Yet I have never taken one in velvet nor with my traditional gear. I may attempt to remedy this in '27

#2- A true DIY public land wall hanger of a bull elk. I am not much of an elk hunter but this creature has frustrated me for years! This will likely be a 1 and done experience for me, I want a good one for the wall and then I'll give up to chase muleys more!

#3- MTN Goat, preferably in my home state of Montana but I would take Wyoming as well. This would definitely be a rifle hunt but if I drew the tag I may try to talk a friend into packing my traditional muzzleloader in with us. A MTN goat with a patched round ball sounds like a story to be told!

#4- Sitka Blacktails, a boat based rifle hunt is already in talks with my friend group. I am hoping for '28

#5- Caribou, a fly in drop camp with my rifle. This has been on my bucket list nearly as long as Africa. One of these years I'll chase them!

My top 5 North American list in no particular order is...

- finish my world slam of turkeys and I need both Mexican species - let's count that as 1. I would love to get a brocket deer but that's a real specialty hunt that usually takes numerous attempts to even see one.
- I've taken nice antelope but I want a proper jaw dropping B&C goat - most likely a ranch tag in NM is the best way to get there.
- I want a big timber wolf from Canada. I've been around them in Alaska but haven't taken one.
- I have 170" mule deer but a 190+ is an entirely different animal. It's a dream.
- I've taken some nice black bears but I'm still looking for a real pumpkin head bruiser. Maybe I find him this spring?

I've heard a lot of people say that a truly big mule deer or huge black bear is a rare thing to see in a trophy room. I think there is truth to that.

If we get down in the weeds, I'd really like a big, red fox squirrel to put on the wall.

1: Caribou in Alaska
2: Auodad free range in west in Texas
3: Mule deer Montana or Texas
4: Pronghorn Montana or Texas
5: Musk Ox in Alaska

These are all realistic hunts/goals of mine that I have set my sights on and can obtain. Either of the Montana hunts would be self guided. I checked self guided elk off my MT list this past October and it was truly a blessing to achieve that milestone and I got to do it with my best hunting buddy beside me. We are looking to head back out in November this year if either of us draw.

I’d definitely be hunting with a rifle, I’ve never been much of a bow hunter, was hoping to bow hunt for black bear on the east coast this year but have SLAP tears in both my shoulders so it’s looking like if that trip stands it’ll have to be with a rifle as well.

Cougar, mountain goat, elk, moose, and any wild sheep in that order, because I already KNOW I"m going to hunt white tails.

Based on reading this thread the first thing that comes to my mind is how fortunate I am to have been able to do some of the NA hunting I've done, before it got so outrageously expensive.

All of the hunts I would consider still "dreams" for me in NA are in order.

1. Mountain Lion. I've been on two guided mt. lion hunts with, at the time, very well respected outfitters and both were complete disasters. We never once turned the hounds out on 14 days of hunting over the 2 trips.

2. Mountain Goat. I hunted for a mountain goat last September in Alaska and was not able to make it happen. Had a wonderful experience. However, that hunt made it abundantly clear that even though I am probably in the best physical shape of my life right now, where those goats live and where I live are drastically different and no matter how much I train, it will just get harder and harder to get up to where they live.

These two hunts are ones that I will almost certainly try again but at the moment I am leery of making a commitment to either based on my previous experiences.

Other animals in NA that I am confident I will hunt at some point include a Bison. I hope to do this on one of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. I maybe able to combine this with a "low" mountain goat hunt if the weather conditions are correct.

I would love to hunt a polar bear and a walrus but the fact that I can not get them home has kept me from seriously considering hunting them. However, my experience last year hunting a non-exportable elephant bull and how rewarding that hunt was for me and seeing some of the replica work being done now, I am really starting to get the itch to try and make this hunt a reality.

Other than these hunts it would be more about drawing a tag in a special area for an animal I already have. An example would be drawing a mule deer tag in the Arizona Strip or a Rocky Mountain Big Horn in once in a life time type unit. I apply every year and so far, I haven't been lucky yet....

I will say that for me, African hunting goals are certainly more prominent in my mind now that any NA hunting goals, just due to the value and overall experience being so much more enjoyable. With the big draw back for African being the travel but when I compare the travel of getting to Africa to what I had to do to get to some of the more remote locations I have hunted in Alaska and Canada, I find the African travel to be more predictable and pleasant overall.

I really enjoy reading these type of threads so kudos to @NIGHTHAWK for starting this and for all who have shared their thoughts. Looking forward to reading some more.