hey guys..i need some suggestions! next year, my senior trip will be coming around. im in my junior year of highschool right now. i bowhunt harder than anyone around and i take pride in it. everyone that i know goes to panama beach for senior trip. parents pay..kids get drunk..blah blah. sure i wouldnt mind going to be with my friends one last time, but i want to do something for me. im seriously considering taking that money my parents would allot me for senior trip and using it to go on a paid archery hunt. they like the idea..somewhere i could travel, see some giant bucks, and do what i love rather than get drunk on a beach. i have no clue of where to look into going, so any suggestions?
also..if you would rule out places i could go to because of price..hit me with them anyway. i already made it clear to my parents that i would not let them pay for everything, whether it was panama beach or a bowhunt. ive always cut grass around town to fund my expensive habit, and ill continue to do so with this endeavor.
not a bad idea..especially since i would save money on plane tickets. i can just drive since im in louisiana.
Texas would not be a bad idea. You could see a lot of deer and plenty of big ones. There is also a chance of shooting some hogs or even a javelina depending on where you go
Back in my day the senior trip was a class trip you took to a ball game or theme park. My folks would have just laughed at me if I asked them to pay for a trip to Florida much less a guided hunt when I was in highschool.
Here in SC all the high school seniors go to "senior week" at myrtle beach to party and get drunk. My group of friends went to the lake for a week to do some fishing instead. A guided bowhunt would have been sweet but I had to pay my way wherever I went so it was not feasible.
A guided archery trip is going to cost a lot more than a couple nights in a crappy hotel and a few cases of Natty Light. Go hang with your friends. You can always go hunting, you're not going to be able to go on Spring Break when you're 30!
Consider first, what it is you want to hunt. Then look into outfitters that offer that type of hunt and where you are willing to travel to. Once you have a couple in mind, do your research on them. What is the success rate? Is it fair chase? What is included in the hunt (ie: lodging, a guide, food)? How much are the tags for that state/animal? Is it fully guided, semi guided or a DIY hunt. Be sure to search forums as well. There are a fair amount of reviews for the outfitters out there. I learned the hard way on my first.. The outfitter was horrible, the "lodge" was a crappy plywood shed with slapped together 2x4 bunk beds with a cheap plastic matress, ect.
Well I'd personally go on the beach trip. Won't get too many more chances to spend time with your friends. If you are set on hunting, then try an area in the Midwest. Get an OTC tag and go hunt some public land.
Wait. I know I only graduated seven years ago...but really. You guys all really go away for a trip? Goodness - we went down to the local beach, had a picnic and some raffles and off everyone went. My parents would have laughed (and not allowed) and thought I was crazy. What time period would this vacation be? Do you need to go during the same time?
Spring break for high school wasn't really a thing people did or currently do where I'm from. I like your idea though. If you want to go for a guided trip you are going to spend some money. You can always do a DIY hunt out of state somewhere. Any of your friends up for the same idea? You could get an out of state tag somewhere and hunt public while camping. Not that expensive once you get past the tags. Just takes a lot of planning for out of state hunts. I would go the camping route to save money and spend on the hunt. Texas is close and doesn't sound like a terrible idea. No experience in texas myself. Plenty of places out west to hunt also. If you are set on whitetails I would look at the midwest. Kentucky has some big deer also. Might be a good spot to look at. Not sure how far that is for you. Make sure you know regulations and you have ACCESS to public ground. (meaning you have roads to public or blm land....some places are landlocked blm and could only be accessed by heli)
I agree with what some others have already said. A senior trip is something that only comes around once. Don't let that opportunity pass. We obviously all love to hunt or we wouldn't be on the forum but you have many many years of hunting in front of you. Good luck in whatever you choose.
it isnt during spring break..my spring break consists of me playing baseball, wishing i could be turkey hunting too. lol. this is just tough. i see what you guys are saying with senior trip being a one time opportunity. i get that, but this also may be a one time opportunity for me also. anything i do, id be paying for a good bit of it. with a diy hunt out of state, id worry about not seeing the deer i would want to because of not being familiar with the area. i suppose ill just continue to save money, go on the trip, and continue to hunt the low scale whitetails i have around where i hunt. maybe in college or fresh out of it the cards will align. thanks for all of the insightful input posted by you guys. you all sort of helped me get over an immature spur of excitement of the idea. good luck hunting this year. make sure to post how everything goes!
