Are you thinking about planning a hunting trip with your friends? Are you wondering what must be done for a successful hunting trip? There are many things that have to be thoughtfully planned for a hunting trip to be successful.
The experience and thrill of a hunting trip is worth all the planning. In this article, we discuss how to plan a hunting trip.
What To Hunt
One of the first things to decide on is what you and your friends want to hunt. Are your interested in hunting deer, mule deer, elk, moose, wild turkeys, squirrels, etc. This has to be determined in the early stages of planning.
Do you or some of your friends have experience hunting the animals? By deciding what will be hunted, it makes it easier to plan other parts of the hunting trip.
Wher to Hunt
Another important planning detail is where do you want to hunt? Do you and your friends want to hunt in an area not far from home? Is there a public land that you and your friends want to hunt? Are you or your friends familiar with the area your want to hunt?
How safe is the area? Is it free to hunt there or do you have to pay to hunt? How is the terrain in the area? These are some of the questions you want to answer and have a clear idea of the hunting area?
Monitor the Weather
When planning a hunting trip, find out what will be the weather before, during, and after the days you want to hunt in that area.
You want to know if it will be favorable weather for hunting or not. You don’t want to plan a hunting trip and when you and your friends arrive there, it will be heavy rain or snow for the entire week.
Weather patterns also affect animal behavior and movements as they also have to shelter themselves from bad weather. Always monitor the weather for a 4 week span during the time period you want to hunt.
State Hunting Laws
When planning a hunting trip, always find out what are the hunting laws in the area you and your friends want to hunt in. It may be in the state you and your friends live in, but it is always good to research the laws before going to hunt as there may have been changes to the laws.
You want to always abide by all of the hunting laws and regulations. You also want to know the hunting laws regarding licenses, permits, tags, etc. and that all members of your hunting team have everything that is required.
Delegation
Part of planning a hunting trip with your friends is to delegate responsibilities to other members of the hunting team. There will be other responsibilities that you have to delegate to others.
You can’t have the responsibilities of everything concerning the hunting trip. Delegating responsibilities to others also make them more involved and will have a stronger desire to make the trip a successful one.
Packing List
Create a packing list to ensure you and all of your friends come with all the required items and other things that will make the hunting trip successful.
You want the list to include licenses, tags, weapons, ammunition, safety clothing, first aid kits, food, cell phones, chargers, GPS units, flashlights, scent killers, optics, hunting knives, a multi-tool, camouflage clothing, etc.
Scouting
Before you set out on a hunting trip with your friends, it is a good idea that you and some of your friends that will be going on the hunting trip, make a scouting visit to the area. You want to get familiar with the hunting area. How big is it? What does the terrain look like?
Is it crowded with other hunters on certain days? Which animals can be found in the area? Is it accessible? Are there farms nearby? Are there busy roads close by? How far is the hunting area from where your will be residing? These are some of the questions you want to get answers for by scouting the area and getting familiar with it.
Google Earth
You can also use Google Earth and hunting apps like onX, HuntStand, and HuntWise to study the landscape of the area. Look for possible areas that animals may use as bedding areas, travel routes, food sources, transition zones, funnels, and cover.
You can also take notes or mark areas in the hunting apps that you and your friends want to explore when your make a scouting trip to the hunting area. This will help you get a rough idea of the area before you plan a scouting trip on the ground with some members of your hunting team.
Inform Others
Always inform others of your hunting plans. Give them a much information as possible. How many of you are going on the hunting trip, how many days your will be hunting, where your will be residing during the hunting trip, when your will return home, etc.
This help others know what you are doing and when to expect your return. Let every member of your hunting trip give this information to their family members like spouse, parents, siblings, children, etc.
Conclusion
A hunting trip with your friends or family members is an exciting and rewarding way to spend some time away from the regular routines of living and enjoy nature. It also helps to improve the relationships that you have with your friends and families.
Planning a hunting trip involves many things to make it successful and in this article, we outlined and discussed the steps to take for a successful hunting trip. If you want to get more hunting tips and information, then visit this hunting website.
