Hunting Out of State for the First Time

I began hunting as a young kid in the great state of Texas. My dad is the one who introduced me to hunting and the outdoors, and ever since my first hunting trip with him when I was 7 years old, I’ve been hooked! Since then, the entirety of my hunting career remained in Texas, up until 2018.

Last year, I had my first opportunity to hunt a different State. One of our Fall Obsession Staffers invited me to join him in Montana for a Pronghorn Antelope hunt, and I couldn’t say no. Thanks to he and his family’s generosity, it ended up being one of the greatest and most memorable hunting experiences of my life. I never imagined I would end up filling my Montana archery tag with such a stud antelope.

Hunting out of state for the first time can be very different to say the least. Especially when you do what I did and travel 1400 miles to do it. After one hunting trip, I by no means consider myself an expert on out of state hunting. My goal through this article is simply to give those who might be preparing to venture across state lines for the first time a basic understanding of what all they should expect when hunting in a new and different environment.

Preparation

Properly preparing for your trip can make or break your success in the long run. Nothing should be overlooked. It is one thing to be a whitetail deer hunter who just jumps one state over in pursuit of the same species. Often times you know what to expect and your same strategies and tactics can be applied. It is when you venture farther away, and especially when you throw a different species of game into the mix that things begin to change.

If you are pursuing an unfamiliar species, it is a good idea to do some homework prior to embarking on your trip. Online articles and videos covering hunting tactics, wildlife behavior and various environments are always helpful, but I have found nothing compares to talking face-to-face with individuals who have experience and knowledge applicable to specific areas relevant to your hunt. No, it is not always easy to find an experienced individual you can have a personal conversation with. But if you do, you should take advantage of it.

Another aspect of preparation is knowing the environment you are about to be exposed to. Is it going to be hot or cold? Wet or dry? What kind of gear should I pack in addition to my basic essentials? What kind of terrain will I be hunting in? Do I have the right footwear for such an excursion? All these are questions you should be asking yourself.

My biggest mistake, or lack of preparation last year when traveling to Montana was my camouflage. I knew I would be hunting in open country with more brown colors and tall grasses opposed to the greens and hardwoods I’m used to during early fall. So I packed more neutral camo patterns containing brown and gray colors, thinking that was all I needed. I never suspected there would be 6 inches of snow on the ground on September 30th in the middle of my trip. And while the snow did melt within a day, I still had to hike several miles in pursuit of a speed goat, all while sticking out like a sore thumb.

Teaching Moments

Another easy mistake to make is beginning your out of state trip thinking your already know everything. Spoiler alert: you don’t. You can watch all the videos and read all the articles relevant to your upcoming trip, but nothing is going to help you learn like going out there and figuring it out on your own. You are going to make mistakes. There’s no way around that. It’s how you change your methods and tactics based on those mistakes that are going to make the difference.

It’s always easier when you are hunting with a guide, or someone who already knows the territory and wildlife behavior. Going DIY and 100% on your own can be much more challenging. I had a healthy mixture of both during my trip. I was up there with our Staffer who already had several years of experience hunting Pronghorn in southern Montana, but he was not with me during every hunt, or every stalk, and he did not have any experience hunting in this environment with a bow. Therefore, I learned a lot from my own trial and error.

Keep an open mind, learn from your mistakes, and know that every hunt and every encounter, whether you are successful or not, is only making you a better hunter.

Have Fun

Hunting for the first time in unfamiliar territory can and will be frustrating. You have to keep your head up, keep pushing and maintain a positive attitude. You will beat yourself down and contribute to your own failure if you don’t. Hunting in a new place should be fun. Sure, when I was up there I had my low points. There were several times I thought to myself, “what am I doing? Hunting in unfamiliar territory, chasing the fastest animal in North America, and with a bow and arrow.” But I didn’t let it beat me down. I kept working, kept pushing, and in the end my perseverance only made it more rewarding.

Any experience, new or repetitive is a learning point. It is either getting more reps at something you are already good at, or it’s adding to your knowledge and experience. Kill or no kill, out of state or on your home turf, we all have a long list of reasons for which we hunt besides just the kill or the meat. For me, hunting is therapy, it’s a getaway from busy life, it’s a way to decompress and maintain an appreciation for the amazing creation we are blessed to have before us.

Expanding your experience and knowledge by hunting in a new environment and pursuing a new species is an experience I 100% recommend. Not only do you see new part of the country, or even the world, but it is one of the greatest ways, I believe, for an individual to grow as a hunter. It will challenge you, yes, and you will get frustrated at some point. But like I already said, it makes the success that much more rewarding. I look forward to returning to Montana again this fall, and getting to once again build upon my knowledge and experience in an effort to better myself as a hunter and outdoorsman.

-Sam Thrash, Fall Obsession CEO