What are your 3 favorite hunts?

[Red Leg]

Favorite is inevitably tied closely to the place. Number three would be spot and stalk spring bear in the Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia. It is both challenging and simultaneously some of the most incredibly beautiful terrain anywhere on the planet. The bears come in all sorts of colors and some can be bruisers.

I think number two would have to be hunting cape buffalo in the Zambezi Delta of Mozambique. The terrain is incredible and somewhat reminiscent of the marshes of Southwest Louisiana where I grew up. Something special in working up close to a herd of two or three-hundred buffalo in waist deep mud and water in the middle of a malarial swamp.

First will have to go to the diminutive roe deer hunted almost anywhere in Europe. Hunted in conjunction with plenty of tourist time, they have become the most enjoyable adventures for my spouse and me.

Finally, an honorable mention to walking down an eland. This is a Livingstone from Mozambique.

 

[Green Chile]

That's a great list of locations/species. I haven't hunted buff in Moz yet but have certainly considered it. The swamp buff hunt is memorable by all accounts.

 

[NDWoods]

Dove always has been, and always will be #1 for me. Nothing else is close.

My second favorite has been hunting in Hawaii. My wife's family is there and hunting is always an amazing adventure with stunning views and a great variety of game. I have hunted Big Island hogs, Spanish goats, Black Hawaiian/Mouflon hybrid, and Vancouver bull. I still want a pure Black Hawaiian, turkey, and pheasant on big island. I have not yet had any interest in island hopping for Axis since we have so many places to hunt them here in Texas and a big part of hunting them for me is the amazing meat I would much rather put in the back of my truck and drive home with.

Third is hunting pigs at night. I love getting close and the few suppressed IR laser pistol hunts I have successfully pulled off were at the top of the list. I hunt pigs with thermal year round and it never gets old. It is always fun to experiment with calibers, bullets, firearms, and techniques.

I choose to add a fourth and it is shooting prairie dogs. The volume and improvement in shooting at range in variable wind that you come away with is incredible. Shooting in 10-20 mph variable winds you are hitting almost every shot on day 3 you had a very small chance of hitting on day 1. The improvement and experience is that fast for me and those I shoot with. It is so much fun! We unfortunately lost a great friend who was a rancher and passed away, and our new place was wiped out by plague last year so we are looking again.

I read that I should expect to come back from Africa already booking my next trip but it did not feel that way to me. I enjoyed every moment of it, but I have a greater love for new experiences. My wife and I will return to Alaska next August where I plan to hunt ptarmigan for the first time in addition to our silver salmon fishing. Alaska was our honeymoon and we are returning for the first time 28 years later!

Only big game item on my bucket list is water buffalo in Australia. Anything beyond that will be bonus!

 

[Green Chile]

Vancouver bull! That's on my short list.

 

[NDWoods]

Vancouver bull! That's on my short list.

Take enough gun. I was shocked at how big my bull was. The overall size was about like my cape buffalo but the neck and brisket area was massive. It soaked up 458 TSX.

 

[migrabill]

1) My one and only 10 day Safari to Limpopo South Africa in June of '24.

2) My Western Maryland Bear hunt in 2015. Beat ridiculous odds to get pulled for a tag, and took one of only 50 bears allowed that year. Rare trophy for sure.

3) I used to do an annual Bunny hunt with Traditional Archery equipment (Recurves and long bows only). It was a weekend gig involving campfires, adult beverages, and like minded gentlemen. I actually took a rabbit with a 1965 Fred Bear Kodiak.

But... I think my upcoming trip to Argentina for Red Stag in March of '26 might break into the list.

 

[Red Leg]

1) My one and only 10 day Safari to Limpopo South Africa in June of '24.

2) My Western Maryland Bear hunt in 2015. Beat ridiculous odds to get pulled for a tag, and took one of only 50 bears allowed that year. Rare trophy for sure.

3) I used to do an annual Bunny hunt with Traditional Archery equipment (Recurves and long bows only). It was a weekend gig involving campfires, adult beverages, and like minded gentlemen. I actually took a rabbit with a 1965 Fred Bear Kodiak.

But... I think my upcoming trip to Argentina for Red Stag in March of '26 might break into the list.

With which outfitter?

 

[steve white]

Hunting on my property, black bear.

Favorite thing to hunt, elephant.

I dream of hunting a big moose, but then I’m reminded of poor weather, walking and sweating with no showers for many days, I’ll just keep booking African hunts.

Ha ha, lots of hunts are sweaty with many days before bathing, it's true. Thank God for large wet wipe bath towelettes.

 

[Green Chile]

If anyone is a big fan of the spiral horns, I highly highly recommend Peter Flack's book series on them. They are well worth the $. He has one for....eland, bushbuck, kudu, bongo & nyala, and sitatunga. He also has a great one for Cape buffalo and sub-species as well as hippotrages (roan/sable).

 

[Scott CWO]

Ive got a polar bear hunt coming up in April 2026, mountain nyala in April 2027 and LDE in January 2028. I’ve got one more year (2026) of full-time managing the Colorado outfit I started in 1991 and sold in 2020 and then I will guide and consult enough going forward to keep a moderate salary and health insurance. Once I’m just part-time guiding and consulting, my schedule each fall will be more flexible so I’ve got some ideas going forward for fall hunts.

I really want to get a nice moose. I’ve got a hunt coming up in September 2028 on the Alaska Peninsula with the outfit there where I guide brown bears. I only have to pay costs - some flight time and food! Whether that is successful or not, I’m also going to hunt moose with my son or a friend with a drop off flight service that @Altitude sickness lined me up with in Alaska.

After that, I want to hunt roe deer in Europe a few times. I also want to get a big “book” pronghorn and plan to devote some time to it. I’ve taken some low 80” bucks but never one that made the book, although I’ve guided several. Low fence red stag also on the list.

If a cancellation lion hunt in a good area comes across my desk, I would love to do another lion hunt someday.

 

[Green Chile]

Scott I love your style man and wish you well in partial retirement. We should collaborate on a hunt.

 

[Scott CWO]

Scott I love your style man and wish you well in partial retirement. We should collaborate on a hunt.

That would be great!

 

[Ragman]

My three favourite hunts here at home are:
1). Whitetail
2). Mule Deer
3). Moose
These are the animals that I grew up hunting and and after 44 years of hunting them, I still love it more than anything. To me the various deer species are the most interesting game animals. I love elk as well but where I live, I don’t love hunting them. You either need an “in” with a landowner or hunt them on crown land crawling with all the other hunters.
My bucket list Canadian game would be a nice bull caribou.

Pretty hard picking favourite international hunts as I’ve only done two…Namibia once and RSA once. Loved them both and would really like to return to Africa for more. BUT…

As I said before, the various deer species really fascinate me and if I could I would try to go after them. Fallow, Axis, Red Stag, Sika, Sambar, Roe, Rusa and Muntjac. These are the species I especially like to experience in new locations for me.

Cool thread.

 

[Betterinthebush]

I grew up hunting. I’m very blessed in that regard. Woodchuck were my first animal I was introduced to (.22lr) then whitetail, then hound hunting coons with black and tans and bunnies with beagles. After I got out of the Marines, my first farm was in NC where I fell in love with jumping and running whitetail with dogs (again, beagles). I love hunting with hounds. Whatever the game, don’t matter, just as long as hounds are involved. I now live in an area where I can run dogs on deer again. I’m very much looking forward to it.

Outside the US? I’m too new in international hunting to have any opinion on anyplace other than my one experience in Namibia. But Africa has completely taken hold of me. I’ve got a hound and predator hunt lined up for May and immediately going into a mountain sheep and zebra hunt the day after I’m done with predators. I want to see and experience as much of Africa as I can before age and injuries prohibit it. So, I’m liberal about the “what and where” on the subject.

Brown Bear and moose. I’d like to take one of each in Alaska and Russia.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Question 1: First of all, what do you love hunting around home or where you come from?

Answer:
Man Eating Royal Bengal tiger
Sambar deer
Axis deer
Bar headed Geese

Question 2: Next question is what do you enjoy traveling outside of your country to hunt and why?

Answer: Hippopotamus bulls on land (particularly in the sugarcane fields at night). Because it’s the definitive African dangerous game hunt.

Question 3: Final question is what would you like to get a lot more hunting experiences with in the world?

Answer: Wild lion. It’s so thrilling but so expensive !

 

[grand veneur]

We are waiting for question 2 because, as @Hunter-Habib wrote, there is a difference between what one likes to hunt around home and what one like to hunt worldwide.

 

[grand veneur]

Answer question 1:

Wild boar
Roe deer
Field hunting small game and birds

 

[grand veneur]

Answer question 2 :
(Hunting worldwide)

Wild cattle's
Elephants
Deers and Ibex, because often possible in combination hunts

 

[Elkeater]

I take back my previous answer. Number one is now any hunt with my kids. Then coues deer, African safari, and Texas culling. My daughter had a particularly tough coues deer hunt this year. 6 days of hot dusty conditions, early mornings, late nights. I gave her every chance to quit and she wouldn’t. The look of determination by about day 4 was pretty entertaining. She stuck with it and got her first deer on the morning of day 6. I posted that deer in the 2025 deer season thread but here he is again.

My son just turned 10 this past year so he can finally hunt in Arizona. Prior to this year he hasn’t had a chance to hunt anywhere other than Africa when he was 9 and his first big game animal was a blue wildebeest. My favorite hunt with him was his warthog though. We baked in the hot African sun all afternoon, kid got a bloody nose, sunburned, all the good stuff but he stuck it out and killed a very nice boar just after sunset.

 

[Throwback]

Replies:
1. Around home - Dove hunting, hog hunting and lately more so duck hunting. All of these I do with my son most times which makes it extra special. All in TX where we are.

2. International - I really enjoyed Spain with my son for ibex, a hunt in the Italian Alps for Chamois I did and just plain ol go on day rate in Namibia and hunt down some PG. I am one of those guys who really loves the overall experience of the culture (people, food, language difference, etc).

3. Future - What I would like to do more of is DG hunting in Africa, eyeing Moz, Zim and Uganda. Eventually, Tanzania with my son would be ideal. Also, a Brown bear in Alaska and some more hunting in Europe is on the list.

All that said, I am boarding a plane this afternoon for Argentina with the wife and son for some cast and blast over Christmas, then some touring in BA. Hard not to like all the options! Cheers