Favorite animal to hunt?

[Scott85]

Best duck hunting happens when it's just me and the dog. Ymmv

I can see that. You don’t have to worry about someone skybusting or being a shot hog. I like seeing birds works, can’t say anything about the dog cause next year will be Molly’s first year.

 

[hank4elk]

Elk ,obviously. I get it.
For most of my life it was bucks ,turkeys & wild pigs at and around my home. Blacktails. Mostly.
I could always draw tags and fill them. I did not know til years later that they were tough to hunt. LOL
Filled my share of mule deer tags but that elusive 30" buck has always been just missed. 29 3/4"s ,twice.

This year I will try again for a big mule deer with a mz, locally. It will be tough.
Elk will be #1 again. I will hunt at home again. Because I can.

 

[el unit]

ELK!
I love that meat!

 

[fulldraw]

Archery whitetails during the rut.

 

[shrapnel]

Probably rabbits if you consider hunting year round. If it is a game animal, then it has to be turkeys in the spring…

 

[Boarmaster]

Whitetail deer.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I can see that. You don’t have to worry about someone skybusting or being a shot hog. I like seeing birds works, can’t say anything about the dog cause next year will be Molly’s first year.

I usually shoot at least one honker triple every season (true triples, not flock shooting). A well known shotgun editor for one of the big American hunting magazines who's almost my age once commented in an email correspondence that he found that awsome (unbelievable?) as he had yet to achieve even one triple in his life. My response was simple: "You don't hunt alone, do you?"

If Molly is old enough to breathe now, she'll be old enough to hunt this fall. The mighty Ethyl retrieved her first duck at five months, December 1977. Sophie, her successor picked up her first grouse at about five months. Then Pearl who brought in her first of hundreds of honkers (her specialty) at four months. Two years later Opal set the record pointing and retreiving a double on Huns at three months and three days. Here she is a few days afterwards with a bunch of sharpies. She was responsible for two of them.
Then there's the goofy anomaly. Ellie, my current Lab, didn't get going till age two. One day I had to hunt her alone and that's all it took. I should have figured it out earlier. The rest of them all started alone. The wait was worth it. She is the best upland dog yet, easily surpassing my French Brittany (hunting behind Opal and Pearl at six months old).

 

[brockel]

1. Coyotes
2. Elk
3. Antelope
4. Birds

10-15 years ago mule deer would have ranked very high

 

[Salmonchaser]

Having just hunted Africa, Kudu then Elk and everything else.
Upland;
Kudu
elk
mule deer
any antelope

 

[Scott85]

I usually shoot at least one honker triple every season (true triples, not flock shooting). A well known shotgun editor for one of the big American hunting magazines who's almost my age once commented in an email correspondence that he found that awsome (unbelievable?) as he had yet to achieve even one triple in his life. My response was simple: "You don't hunt alone, do you?"

If Molly is old enough to breathe now, she'll be old enough to hunt this fall. The mighty Ethyl retrieved her first duck at five months, December 1977. Sophie, her successor picked up her first grouse at about five months. Then Pearl who brought in her first of hundreds of honkers (her specialty) at four months. Two years later Opal set the record pointing and retreiving a double on Huns at three months and three days. Here she is a few days afterwards with a bunch of sharpies. She was responsible for two of them.View attachment 222067
Then there's the goofy anomaly. Ellie, my current Lab, didn't get going till age two. One day I had to hunt her alone and that's all it took. I should have figured it out earlier. The rest of them all started alone. The wait was worth it. She is the best upland dog yet, easily surpassing my French Brittany (hunting behind Opal and Pearl at six months old).

Awesome story. Molly heads to a trainer here in Va until we move out west, that's at least for the next 4 months.

 

[RobertD]

Whitetails, and I specifically want to go back to the Midwest and do deer drives in hardwood bottom and cornfield country, with lots of snow on the ground. I think it's as fun as anything ever could be.

I could also stand some more antelope hunting opportunities in my life. That's my second favorite... for now.

 

[Khunter]

Tough to choose! My fave animals to hunt are all when chasing with archery tackle as that pegs the type 1 fun meter for me because the stalks to close range and calling activity, and the many failed stalks I get to relive in my mind. Enjoy rifle hunting as well, just not quite as much.


1. antelope
2. elk
3. sheep
4. moose
5. mule deer
6. Coues white tail
7. easy “regular” white tail
8. mountain goat
9. bear


Also really have fun filming at close range critters I choose to not arrow.
This bull got a pass at 10 yards.

Can’t list birds cuz birds aren’t real.

Birds Aren't Real

They used to be. Until the U.S. Government replaced them with drone replicas designed to spy on the American public. Founded in 1976.

birdsarentreal.com

 

[NR_Hunter]

Anything that walks or crawls at one time or another.

 

[Nick87]

I can see that. You don’t have to worry about someone skybusting or being a shot hog. I like seeing birds works, can’t say anything about the dog cause next year will be Molly’s first year.

Good name, ours is a Molly too.

 

[Scott85]

Good name, ours is a Molly too.

It's really Molly Rose.

 

[jlmatthew]

Blue (now called Dusky) Grouse

 

[Europe]

Thank you for the heads up and I will try, but please excuse any typos

North America

Mostly for sentimental reasons but probably the Kaibab Mile Deer. But the Brown bear hunts on Kodiak were not bad either. And like others here the Dall sheep hunts are tough to beat. Oak, the Coues is a tough hunt for sure, but like you there are other hunts/animals I have chosen before them.

Ocellated turkey. Loved the hunt and the bird. Beautiful bird

Europe

Alpine Ibex and Capercaillie ( big game and bird )

Africa

for me the bird is easy. Sand Grouse

but having been fortunate enough to have hunted all 7 dangerous game, each animal has their allure. This is not mine, but I always liked it.

Buffalo is hunted with your guts, Leopard with your mind, Elephant with your feet--But, the Lion is hunted with your heart.

1. Lion, 2. Elephant, 3. Buffalo, 4. Hippo and then Leopard for me. Unless you are hunting a wounded leopard and that changes everything

As to plains game, I personally found hunting the small antelopes the most difficult. They are so small and the grass is so high

thanks for asking and again sorry for any typos

p.s. thanks of for the reminder, I did forget. Plains game. My favorites were the Bongo and Gemstook, but the Kudu hunts and horns are magnificent

 

[WoodMoose]

yup
thought long and hard on this when I first saw the thread
and decided
I agree with all of you!

 

[Khunter]

Probably rabbits if you consider hunting year round. If it is a game animal, then it has to be turkeys in the spring…

Huh? Last thing ever expected to see on HT. Do you hunt big game? To each his own but…really turkey above the many mammal choices?

 

[shrapnel]

Huh? Last thing ever expected to see on HT. Do you hunt big game? To each his own but…really turkey above the many mammal choices?

Yup, and I probably hunt more big game than you have any idea.

There’s nothing like spring and getting out before light, locating some turkeys and calling in a nice Tom…