What are your 2026 Outdoor Plans

[LCH]

I have already made a trip to Oklahoma for hogs, doing another trip down there in a couple weeks.

No idea where I will land with the draws, I'm sure I will get lucky and pull a few tags.

Big things are cruise to Hawaii in March, and a week in Alaska in early September. After these trips I will have visited all 50 states with my wife and kids. Pretty much every trip has centered on nature and the outdoors in one way or another.

 

[T.R.]

Next month, I'm headed down to hunt along the Suwannee River in Florida for a wild hog. TR

 

[Lmartin5]

Will hopefully draw a Kansas non-resident Spring Turkey tag!

 

[corndog1]

Winter steelhead trip soon.
Late August dungees in Oregon.
Bow elk
Rifle whitetail
Ducks
Fishing in between everything.

 

[Bigjay73]

Kodiak blacktail, Az javelina, Colorado elk, Wyoming pronghorn

 

[Ballistic]

I have a bit of Walleye fishing to do on the Erie Detroit River area from March until Mid-May then setting up camp at my place in the U.P. My daughter is going to college this summer but it's in Marquette so we'll probably be able to check in on here there. I'm not chasing any of the usual western suspects this year, nope. This year is the year I no longer say "one day". I'm headed the the Northwest Territories with a couple of weeks and tags for Sheep, Goats, Moose, Mountain Caribou, etc. Then I'll spend November chasing whitetails around the Midwest.

 

[Art Vandeley]

Summer - walleye fishin’
Fall - hopefully hunt something other than birds.. it’s been a minute

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

I have a bit of Walleye fishing to do on the Erie Detroit River area from March until Mid-May then setting up camp at my place in the U.P. My daughter is going to college this summer but it's in Marquette so we'll probably be able to check in on here there. I'm not chasing any of the usual western suspects this year, nope. This year is the year I no longer say "one day". I'm headed the the Northwest Territories with a couple of weeks and tags for Sheep, Goats, Moose, Mountain Caribou, etc. Then I'll spend November chasing whitetails around the Midwest.

Is lake Erie the one where walleye are known to eat lead weights?

 

[8andcounting]

no idea ask me in 4 months lots of variables in the draws ! But it’s exciting to read everyone’s hopes for plans

 

[8andcounting]

Is lake Erie the one where walleye are known to eat lead weights?

Only during tournaments

 

[beagle001]

I think this year is the year I finally go elk hunting! So if anyone has tips for 7 points in CO, lemme know!

 

[BobT1105]

I’m going to do a little predator hunting for the next month then trout fishing from March 1st. Spring turkey for three weeks in April/May. Late May will be Redfish in Louisiana. I’m going to try to get back in some sort of shape over the spring and summer after finishing up my cancer treatments. Back to Louisiana in September for a gator hunt and more Redfish. September 15th. Through the end of the year I’ll be chasing whitetails here at home along with the odd predator hunt here and there. I’m not applying for any western hunts this year but will buy elk and pronghorn points in Wyoming.

 

[It’s Bucky]

Current plans:

 

[rmyoung1]

I’m in Colorado-point-purge mode, so I’m planning on a third season CO rifle elk tag in a unit where I’m hoping to dump 21 deer points in 2027. My younger two should draw a quality Arizona youth deer tag in Oct. And I’m hoping to hunt cow elk with Dad back home in Montana. Those are the fairly predictable ones. I’d love for that plan to get disrupted by MT sheep/goat or CO moose draw success.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

I hesitate to put my plans down since my plans always seem to change. I feel like this year's plans might be less likely to change since they are focused on my son's opportunities. Here they are right now:

For sure:
- Take my oldest son out for youth deer season in MN. It's his first year that he's old enough to hunt the family farm.
- Take him out again for the regular firearms season. Party hunting is legal in MN (plus you can basically shoot unlimited deer in our area), so I'm considering my tag his, and hopefully he'll be able to put it on a good one.
- Continue to build my points in WY and CO, though I'm not sure when or if I'll ever use them now that my sons are getting old enough to hunt

Likely:
- Take my son on his first western hunt.
- Will have him apply in AZ for elk, deer, pronghorn, and we'll see what else. Not likely for a tag but will try.
- Will have him apply in NM for elk, deer, oryx
- If he doesn't get any of those, will likely either do OTC deer in MT or OTC bear in NM for him

Possibly:
- Have my son hunt archery deer season in MN (crossbow)
- Have my son turkey hunt in MN

Not likely:
- I will put in for OIL tags for moose in CO and NH, but not likely to draw.

Not sure:
- Still deciding on having my dad put in for elk in CO to burn his points. Not likely my wife would allow me to do a trip out there with him AND my son, but he's also getting up there in age where I don't think he'd be able to go much longer.

I am unlikely to be the shooter for many years to come, and I'm excited about that. Hoping to save up for a nice camera to film some of our adventures now.

 

[Foxtrot1]

March-Hog hunt in TX
May- plains game in South Africa

Pending draw results:

TN sandhill crane
Wy pronghorn/fishing trip
AL deer hunts

If I scrub on the draws, maybe great lakes salmon or steelhead or Canada walleye/ pike fishing? Depends on who's interested

 

[TransplantHunter]

At some point in the late spring through the summer, I am going to take my kids (9 & 11) into a random place in the national forest near Fraser, CO and let them build a bushcraft shelter. They really like swinging axes and whatnot so I figure, what the hell.

As for hunting, probably just cow archery elk tag, hopefully pronghorn tag in Oct, and then a bull OTC 3rd season rifle tag in Nov. Really just stay here in CO so not planning on venturing out of that bubble for a bit.

 

[Straight Arrow]

At some point in the late spring through the summer, I am going to take my kids (9 & 11) into a random place in the national forest near Fraser, CO and let them build a bushcraft shelter. They really like swinging axes and whatnot so I figure, what the hell.

Four grandkids collaborated and worked diligently for days constructing this wickiup several years ago. They had alot of fun and worked like beavers!

 

[Alpine01]

Some of you have an enviable year ahead of you. For me ....

For sure plans:
- Spring Turkey in CO
- Deep sea fishing off of SC coast in June
- Moose in northern BC in September
- Hiking with the wife for several weeks through Bavaria, Austrian/Italian Alps, and parts of Switzerland

Highly likely plans here in CO:
- 1st rifle elk
- 2nd rifle elk (cow)
- 2nd or 3rd rifle deer
- 4th rifle deer
- Multiple spring/summer scouting trips

Unlikely but hopeful:
- WY elk or pronghorn
- CO pronghorn

 

[texwest44]

I've got an interesting 2026 outdoor season coming up, if anyone's got some free time and is interested in an old timey style treasure hunt.

A good friend of mine's father passed away recently. In dealing with the estate, my friend has been discovering many, many secrets, including that his father was apparently a massive silver and gold hoarder. He has found gold and silver bars/coins (numbering in the dozens) all over his parents property stashed in weird places, including planter pots in the yard, tool boxes in the garage, and other oddball places.

Here's where it gets fun: My friend discovered that his dad secretly owned little parcels of undeveloped land out in the middle of bumfudge nowhere in the deserts of CA and AZ. He also found two high-end metal detectors, and is now thinking his dad buried more silver and gold off in these random places.

My friend is a certified city boy through and through, and does not want to spend a chunk of his summer hunting for treasure in CA and AZ. I, however, am absolutely champing at the bit to go out and see if I can't find something. One of my dreams of childhood that has stayed with me into adulthood is to go on a real actual treasure hunt.

My friend's a little iffy on the idea, as he doesn't have the whole estate situation sorted out yet and doesn't want things to get more complicated than they already are. But I bet over the next few months he'll settle down a bit and give me the addresses for these parcels and let me have a go at it.

If anyone here is good with a metal detector and wants to join in, let me know!