Scott Bowen
Make the shot at these international hunting havens
Five days of sleeping on the ground and endless bushwhacking through swamps or over ridges, in all kinds of weather and bugs, with a rifle slung over your shoulder can turn out to be the hunt of a lifetime, deer or no deer. Then there are those other hunts of a lifetime when the incredible quality of the chase is surpassed by the comforts of where you lay your head...
Make the shot at these international hunting havens
Five days of sleeping on the ground and endless bushwhacking through swamps or over ridges, in all kinds of weather and bugs, with a rifle slung over your shoulder can turn out to be the hunt of a lifetime, deer or no deer. Then there are those other hunts of a lifetime when the incredible quality of the chase is surpassed by the comforts of where you lay your head...
Scott Bowen
Make the shot at these international hunting havens
Five days of sleeping on the ground and endless bushwhacking through swamps or over rid... more
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1
Glenroy Hunting Lodge
New Zealand
If you've chased rams over the Absarokas and thought you did well, try another challenge: the Remarkables Mountains of New Zealand. In this incredible wilderness—a cross between the Rockies and the Alps—you'll seek out antlered and horned big-game like you've never seen before. Expect Himalyan tahr, red stags, Arapawa ram, fallow deer, chamois and even American elk. Glenroy Lodge, the base of operations, is an eagle's nest of comfort and tranquility. There are still some 2008 bookings available.
2
The Resorts at Paws Up
Greenough, Mont.
Eight days of elk hunting by horseback in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness, with nights spent in a cozy-rugged wall-tent camp is enough to conjure the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt. Your minimum reward for having the stamina to ride and hunt from 5,000 up to 7,500 feet in elevation is camp-cooked gourmet meals and the experience of endless pristine forest. Your maximum reward could be a heavily antlered bull elk—but that's up to you.
3
Legendary Adventures
Tanzania
You'll get help with the long-range planning necessary for a successful safari from Legendary Adventures and its two outfitters, Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris and Wengert Windrose Safaris. On either a plains-game (mostly horned ungulates) or a big-game hunt, you will have the guidance of a highly experienced professional hunter (always do what he says). Be sure to practice with your big-game rifle and become proficient with it well before you travel, because in the bush you might have to deliver a crucial follow-up shot with that bone-jarring .458.
4
LaFonda Ranch
Brackettville, Texas
After landing on the one-mile paved, illuminated airstrip that leads to LaFonda Ranch, you'll have 8,000 acres of southwest Texas hunting land in which to pursue a classic Texas hunt for trophy whitetail, quail, Rio Grande turkey and a variety of "exotics." Careful management allows the hunter to select how big a buck he'd like to take, and pay on that basis. If you're on a mission to get your first Rio Grande gobbler, there is no better place than this part of the country for abundant—though sometimes difficult—birds. There are still lots of hunts available for 2008. Just about everything in this landscape bites, pokes or stings, so dress accordingly.
5
Rovos Rail Safari
South Africa
The Rovos Rail wingshooting trip is like something out of an Isak Dinesen story. It's a lavish, unique and romantic trip on board a private train from Zambezi to northern South Africa. After two day's sightseeing and wingshooting around Victoria Falls, the train moves off for a series of daily stops—the bird-hunters hop off, hop on an airplane and fly to private lands for all-day driven shoots at wild fowl while non-shooters take wildlife-watching and sightseeing trips. Bookings for 2009 start soon.
6
Klocka Fjällgård Lodge
Jämtland, Sweden
Sweden is a country for outdoors people, especially those who prefer to personally secure their own moose meat. And Klocka Fjällgård Lodge is a grand immersion in resort living, Swedish style: mellow but attentive service and perfect meals of indigenous fish and game. Hunting moose here in the fall is an interesting and merry affair using dogs as you tramp through thick spruce forest. Passing the shooting test to get your hunting license isn't impossible, but it'll put you a notch above your established skill.
7
Deer Creek Lodge
Sebree, Ky.
Hunting at Deer Creek Lodge is like living the highlights reel from a TV show. Surrounding the delectable comforts of the lodge itself are tremendously good opportunities for trophy whitetail deer (archery only), pheasant, quail, mallard ducks and wild turkey—the game most Americans hunt most of the time. Winters are mild, allowing for October to March hunting for pheasant and quail, and the spring is "cast and blast" time: shoot mature gobblers in the morning, and catch fat largemouth bass in the afternoon.
8
Three Forks Ranch
Colo.
While there's plenty about Three Forks Ranch to make it a great western destination (rustic-deluxe ranch houses, sporting clays, and horseback riding), its maxed-out opportunities for elk and mule deer put it in a special place among private-land hunts. The highly experienced army of guides increase the chances of a major success (i.e., make some space on a wall for your trophy). Throw in excellent antelope-hunting opportunities, and you're going to have to block out more vacation time.
9
Rainbow Bay Resort
Pedro Bay, Alaska
Across one of the world's last true frontiers, southwest Alaska, Rainbow Bay Resort guides crisscross the expanse in floatplanes to take clients on some of the most daring hunting in North America. Be prepared for rapidly changing weather; enjoyable, wine-sweetened exhaustion; and ground-shaking Ursus arctos and Alaska moose lumbering in your direction. How enjoyable and successful is this place? Bookings for 2009 are just about full; think about 2010.
10
Rancho Caracol
Mexico
A resort-like hacienda atop a wide mesa, Rancho Caracol was the Orvis 2005-2006 Wingshooting Lodge of the Year. The abundance of birds here from November to February puts hunters into contact with 10 to 25 coveys of quail every day, and hundreds of mourning doves and whitewing doves. It's easier to get your own pointing dog into Mexico than your shotgun, so use the ranch's nice Berettas (left-handers available).
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