How does it work in the US? Help the european guy, please...

Hello,
I'm currently falling in love with bowhunting, but in my home country... Slovakia(central Europe) it is increadibly difficult and expensive. Well not only bowhunting...hunting in general. First you need to pay and attend special courses to become a "jaeger"(the course lasts 15 months). Then you have to work in the hunting range or pay this "deposit"(like 13 000 USD) to be able to actually shoot an animal. Yeah and... shooting an average 5 years old buck would cost you about 2000-4000USD (pretty much, huh?)

So my question is... how much would it actually cost me to hunt in the US? Lets assume I have all the gear needed and I flew do the states... how much is the license and all the stuff I need to actually harvest an animal?

Thank you guys!

 

There are many outfitters that may be able to help you out with a hunting trip depending on what you are looking for and where. As for the differences between here and there you may look in to the politics and laws of each country you reside in and plan accordingly.
Good Luck!

 

I'm not sure how it would work traveling from overseas, but this is how it works for us here. My kids are ready to hunt now so I have them signed up for the mandatory hunter education course. The cost is $10 per child and lasts 3 days. After that they need to buy a license which will be somewhere under $50 depending on what seasons they want to hunt. Out of state license will be more, for example for me to hunt in Ohio my license is $125.

Now as far as where to hunt you could hire an outfitter as SpotnStalk mentioned and costs can vary from $1000 to as much as $10,000. Or you could pick a public hunting area such as a national forest and it will cost you nothing but your license fee. Hope this helps.

 

I looked up a little information first for you. Yes, a non-citizen can hunt in the U.S. (I wasn't sure) That being said, you have to take a Hunters Safety class. But that's not too big of a deal, because you can take the majority of the class online, then you'll have to attend a "Field Day" in the state in which you plan on hunting.

Then you just need to acquaint yourself with the area you plan to hunt, and start hunting.

In regard to licenses, they're going to vary by state and game. For example, a non-resident whitetail deer license may cost you approx. $400. A non-resident elk license may cost you between $600-$1000. (obviously this is US currency)

It might make a lot of sense for you to hire an outfitter no matter what type of game you plan on pursuing.

I think your biggest expense is the travel. Even with the travel, you're going to come out ahead hunting in the U.S.

I'm not going to do the homework for you on this one......What are the regulations regarding bringing harvested meat through customs back to your country?

 

Thank you all guys!
It's crazy how different the rules for hunting are in the states, compared to my country.

SPOTnSTALK
- thanx! And by the way, I'm a believer as well. I play drums in worship band :D ... so God bless you!

RugerRedbone
- thank you for a helpful reply. I might just want ask one more(and maybe dumb) question. About the license... for you as a US resident, do you need to get new license each season? And is the number of animals you can hunt on that license limited somehow?

MichiHunter
- thank you for for making it much more clear to me! You're right. It would still be cheaper(and maybe better in every way) to hunt in the US. And who knows, maybe I'll win a green card lottery one day :D.
As it comes to bringing harvested meat back to my country, I don't have a slightest idea. I'll try to find some information.

And one more thing... what's your opinion on PSE bows? I'm a tall guy with pretty long draw(33") so their Freak is maybe the only possibble bow for me.

 

$55 USD for a Sportsman license in GA. That covers the limits for Bear, Turkey and Whitetail. Small game included in that price. You need to seek a citizenship here and head to the Midwest where you can hunt the giants...

 

Yeah for a resident license, it cost me $295 to drive 15 miles into Georgia from NC to hunt our farm.

 

Pse makes some really nice bows. Very fast and loaded with technology and features. Not to mention I think they are the only manufacturer that will accommodate a draw that long


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A much cheaper option will always be South -Africa.
Work out your own flight tickets .
One week of hunting 3-5 big antelope will cost 5-12 000 US , full board.

 

Welgevonden Safaris » Packages

 

Once again, thank you all guys for valuable information!