Big game hunt for 15 year old

[Jeff H]

I have a 15 year old, Jackson, that I'm wanting to take on an adventure of some kind next year. I'm thinking hike the appalachian trail or canoe the Mississippi. Jack wants to hunt. Gotta love that !
A few of the conditions I'm looking for:
1. Affordable. I'm not a wealthy man but I usually get done those things I've committed to. I can't spend five grand on a hunt.
2. Adventurous. Something different than hunting deer/turkey in Missouri. A different setting that we're used to. The more different, the more adventurous. Think mountains, ocean, desert.
3. High success rate (within reason). For his first adventure it should be successful. I want to fuel his fire not douse it.
4. Challenge. I want him to work hard at something and see the results of his efforts. This is where the conversation started. I want it to be difficult yet I want him to succeed. I know this sounds contradictory and maybe it's not possible to have both. But maybe it is.
I'd love the thoughts and opinions of the forum members, especially those who have taken a teenager on an adventurous hunt or just an adventure.

 

[X-farmerdan]

You're heading in the right direction! IMO, anything different is exciting for a 15-year-old....but what do I know. I thought I did, but I hear some of the stuff my kids talk about doing when they were 15 and I'm in a state of semi-disbelief! Having said that let me brag on my two boys. The oldest graduated from James Madison University, B.S. in Finance. He'll be 31 on Sept 4, same day as his son, my grandson was born. He works for the Army. My youngest is nearly 30 (yes, we figured out what was causing it and got it stopped). He works for the (big) local energy company and is in Paris at an international conference at the moment. He's not the hunter, he's the genius with B.S. and M.S Electrical Engineering, Virginia Tech,but he surely enjoys adventure.

My oldest is the hunter, fisherman, (Eagle Scout), outdoors-man. We hunted and fished throughout Virginia. We walked the AT and did a week backpack on the Susquehannock Trail in northern Pennsylvania. We also spring gobbler hunted up there in the mornings and fly-fished Kettle Creek in the afternoon. It was inexpensive, but just as memorable as anything else we could have done. College is expensive and I always thought it more important than anything else.

Maybe the funnest thing we did a couple times was to find a good charter fishing captain and spend a half day in the Gulf Stream, sometimes catching nothing but good times.

Don't know if this helps, but I had fun! Thanks for your indulgence and good luck! Raising kids is the hardest thing I've ever done!

 

[Tap]

Maybe a canoe/camp/hunt? I like to backpack but canoe camping beats the crap out of having to carry everything on your back. Canoe camping allows you to transport big loads for a few extra comforts, and a higher quality of food than backpacking allows (he's an eating machine at his age, correct?). Plus getting deer-sized game out of the back country is a lot easier with a canoe than quartering and hauling on your back for miles. Max weight of gear for backpacking would be ~75 lbs which means things like an extra tarp, larger tent, cook gear, etc must be kept to a minimum (and that's before any thoughts of transporting a kill back out). A canoe can easily haul 150 lbs of gear per person.
I've canoe camped the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in MN and it was fantastic, but we didn't hunt so I don't know about the ins and outs and success rate of hunting the BWCA but the canoeing and camping was great, not to mention good fishing.

 

[swat1018]

I can think of all kinds of fun, adventurous, inexpensive hunts, but the success rate is the killer. You can go to CO on a DIY archery elk hunt for not much more than a tag, which I think is about $100 for a youth. Don't hold me to the youth regs / license price.

 

[Jeff H]

I can think of all kinds of fun, adventurous, inexpensive hunts, but the success rate is the killer. You can go to CO on a DIY archery elk hunt for not much more than a tag, which I think is about $100 for a youth. Don't hold me to the youth regs / license price.

Jack mentioned elk in Colorado. I'm afraid the success rate would be pretty low for a couple newbie elk hunters doing it on our own.

 

[swat1018]

Jack mentioned elk in Colorado. I'm afraid the success rate would be pretty low for a couple newbie elk hunters doing it on our own.

Yep, but some of my most memorable hunts were the unsuccessful ones. Sometimes more is learned by not killing.

 

[Triple C]

If he enjoys bowhunting you may consider a combo coues deer / javelina hunt in southern AZ. High success rate on the javelina and good possibility of a sub-species of deer that a lot of folks never have the opportunity to do. My son did it back in 2014 and had a blast. Didn't connect on a coues deer but did connect on a javelina. Other option already mentioned is DIY archery elk hunt in CO during the September rut. Over the counter tag and your golden. My son leaves in 2 weeks for his annual trek out there on a DIY elk hunt. Hasn't missed a year in over a decade but only 2 bulls taken over that period. But usually has up close and personal encounters with bugling elk each year.

 

[Cap'n]

Have you two ever gone Spoonbill fishing? That's a blast, they are good to eat too. I can hook you up with the guy that guides us on Ft. Gibson in the spring. Close to Springfield too. I caught & released a 50 lber last year. That's not all that big either. 80 lbers are fairly regular. It is an adventure. And can be combined with a turkey hunt.

 

[buckdeer1]

A cow elk hunt out west is pretty well 100% and some great eating.Check on the age for youth elk in NM.Probably best hunt around.

 

[Jack Terpack]

I went with a friend and his teenage son on our first duck hunt in Arkansas. It was an absolute blast. I never thought I would be interested in duck hunting, but it was so much more than just duck hunting. Listening to a pro caller talk to those birds sent chills up my spine. The young boy that was with us was mesmerized the whole hunt. He still talks about every deer season and he's about 30 now. It wasn't all that costly either.

 

[Jeff H]

If he enjoys bowhunting you may consider a combo coues deer / javelina hunt in southern AZ. High success rate on the javelina and good possibility of a sub-species of deer that a lot of folks never have the opportunity to do. My son did it back in 2014 and had a blast. Didn't connect on a coues deer but did connect on a javelina. Other option already mentioned is DIY archery elk hunt in CO during the September rut. Over the counter tag and your golden. My son leaves in 2 weeks for his annual trek out there on a DIY elk hunt. Hasn't missed a year in over a decade but only 2 bulls taken over that period. But usually has up close and personal encounters with bugling elk each year.

I looked into some javelina hunts yesterday. Lots of fun and pretty good success rates too. It's on my list!

 

[Jeff H]

Have you two ever gone Spoonbill fishing? That's a blast, they are good to eat too. I can hook you up with the guy that guides us on Ft. Gibson in the spring. Close to Springfield too. I caught & released a 50 lber last year. That's not all that big either. 80 lbers are fairly regular. It is an adventure. And can be combined with a turkey hunt.

What part of the Spring do they run ? I assume they fish on the Arkansas river?

 

[Jeff H]

A cow elk hunt out west is pretty well 100% and some great eating.Check on the age for youth elk in NM.Probably best hunt around.

I had pretty much ruled out elk but a cow elk may be a possibility. New Mexico has a draw system. Non residents have a 6% opportunity (I think). We can throw his name in the hat I suppose. Great suggestion!

 

[Eric]

Jeff,

What about offering a trade a hunt/fishing trip with other members on here. MO has plenty of game to chase...it doesnt have to be a guided hunt or fishing trip, but maybe offer something in MO in return for an adventure for you and your 15 year old...or at least a discounted trip for the two of you. Good luck

 

[GonHuntin]

Antelope in Wyoming might be worth looking at.

 

[Cap'n]

What part of the Spring do they run ? I assume they fish on the Arkansas river?

It's on the Grand River just south of Hwy 412 near Chouteau, Okla. We put in at Mazie Landing. We fished in late March but you can go on into April. We were on fish in probably 20 min and fished for 4 hours or so. It's as close to fishing in an ocean as you can get as far as fighting a huge fish. Several of them. You can only keep one but thats usually all you'll need. 2 1/2 hrs from Springfield.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Maine bear hunt with dogs, nonstop action, success rates in the nineties, nice time of year, beautiful scenery, affordable. Stonybrook Outfitters Bob Parker

 

[Jeff H]

It's on the Grand River just south of Hwy 412 near Chouteau, Okla. We put in at Mazie Landing. We fished in late March but you can go on into April. We were on fish in probably 20 min and fished for 4 hours or so. It's as close to fishing in an ocean as you can get as far as fighting a huge fish. Several of them. You can only keep one but thats usually all you'll need. 2 1/2 hrs from Springfield.

That might just work for Spring Break. Mid March. Thanks Cap'n

 

[Drycreek]

I looked into some javelina hunts yesterday. Lots of fun and pretty good success rates too. It's on my list!

I have a phone number you need if you want to hunt S Texas for javies. Success rate is high. Bow or firearm, and a chance for hogs too. Got a phone number for cow elk in NM too, but that one ended pretty quickly. Four of us went. To quote John Belushi, " We came, we saw, we kicked ass !"

But.....my choice would be an antelope hunt in Wyoming, if he can take a week off from school. Most hunting seasons are gonna interfere with school days, except maybe the javi hunt. Might get that during spring break. The only other option would be during Xmas holidays. Good luck !

 

[gasman]

If you are looking into something with a high success rate and different type of hunt you should look into a spring or fall bear hunt in Canada. Something totally different than what you have done with a very high success rate. Can be something as simple as a fully guided to a DIY hunt once you arrive in camp. If you are interested I have contacts with an excellent camp in Manitoba for spring and in Ontario for the fall. Has taken many trips to find these two diamonds.