PODCAST 15 – Planning DIY Hunting Trips with Joe Wilson

If you have yet to go on an out of state hunting trip, today’s episode will provide plenty of inspiration and wisdom from seasons past. While I was back home visiting friends and family in Michigan during March, I sat down with my longtime friend and hunting partner, Joe Wilson where we talked about all things related to out of state, DIY hunting trips.

We all lead busy lives and money doesn’t grow on trees, but we discuss how we are able to make it work from a budgeting and planning perspective and how we dive into scouting and preparation leading up to a hunt. We also talk about countless lessons learned, memorable stories, and how we tackle a week hunt by breaking down our day-by-day strategy.

Topics Covered In This Episode Include:

• Our background of growing up in Michigan and hunting whitetail deer
• The first out of state hunting trip Joe and I took together to Ohio
• Choosing a hunting partner and how our friendship evolved because of hunting
• What hunting trips mean to us as far as an adventure, scratching the itch, suffering, and getting back to the roots of our ancestors
• The pro’s and cons of a one week trip versus two weeks
• The initial stages of planning as far as taking time off of work, budgeting, and taking care of the family at home
• How to determine which state to hunt for whitetail deer or other big game species based on budget, terrain, and the experience you are after
• Staying in a hotel versus renting a cabin or camping and how to find lodging
• The famous “Sha-Pom-Bo” story on our first Ohio whitetail trip
• Coming home empty-handed and why your really not coming home empty-handed
• Utilizing technology and mapping software to digital scout when determining a hunting location
• Calling local wildlife managers and talking with them on the phone to get local intelligence
• Books and online forums to utilize to help better understand terrain and deer movements
• Walk-in hunting access and finding overlooked areas of private land that is available for public hunting
• Overlooked hunting spots and finding barriers that will keep other hunters from accessing that particular area
• Spring scouting trips and why we feel like they are not worth the time and money
• Examples of what we do on our first day of a hunting trip in big woods and open terrain scenarios
• Getting aggressive and adapting in order to have success on limited time
• Hunting public land areas for multiple years and how that plays into zoning in and eliminating certain spots
• Transporting meat back home and caping an animal to save money
• Preparing physically and extending your shooting range for out of state hunts
• Knocking on doors for private land access and getting permission to hunt for free
• Talking to locals and other hunters in the area in order to gain further intel on deer activity
• Looking back on hunts and why everyone should go on an out of state hunting trip

To view the articles that were written by Joe Wilson that we mentioned during the show, click the links below:

The Clueless Midwestern Hunters Guide To Out Of State Deer Hunting – Part 1

The Clueless Midwestern Hunters Guide To Out Of State Deer Hunting – Part 2