Field Of Dreams: Bucket List

What if--heaven forbid--you actually do make it to the pearly gates, only to find "no hunting" signs hanging everywhere? What if you kick the bucket and all they have up there are those suction cup Cupid arrows, teeny white recurves and no bull elk, only nativity scene-looking sheep and donkeys?

What that means, my friend, is you better take care of business during your brief interlude here on regular old earth. Forget once-in-a-lifetime. Go for a big trip once or twice a year. And with every outfitter on earth worried about bookings in this economy, this is the bargain hunter's best shot in years at a dream trip. 

For each of us, the ultimate hunt can take on a wild array of forms. Maybe it's seeing a roaring red stag in full rut, hunting exotics in their native habitat, stalking a giant moose with a handgun or chasing a ghostly white Dall's  sheep above Alaska's ethereal glacial moraines. Or maybe it's just the ultimate hunt for a 140-class stateside whitetail.

Sometimes, the dream hunt of a lifetime pops up where not anticipated when fate throws a favorable bone our way, like when a friend of mine recently shot a big black bear that charged him off the elk he'd killed in Wyoming, turning a routine elk hunt into a superhunt. Or when our recent Manitoba goose hunt went deep into overtime, with bonus evening bear action because local farmers were complaining about bear problems, turning a waterfowl trip into a super-productive thrill ride of hunting big carnivores with 12 gauges.

The Bucket List is not just the species and the location, either, it's a lot about the how you do it, too, the call to adventure. You can go to Texas and shoot a big hog after it walks out in a field, tipping it over with your trusty ought-six at a comfortable distance. Or…you can go to Florida, listen to the chaotic baying of hounds, see the trees shake and the palmettos tremble, and charge in to the fray…with a spear.

And who knew freezing doesn't have to be part of waterfowling? In Mexico, you can have warm weather and 20-duck morning shoots, hit the beach in the afternoon, catch huge largemouth the next day, wake up, shoot some more ducks, then head offshore for marlin…if you don't overdo the epic nightlife.

Grab a red pen, tear this story out, and circle your top five. The yard, the family, the taxes, the time…we understand, it's ha-a-a-a-rd to get away. But there's no excuse for not trying. Nobody can do ALL these things, but we all agree we should go to the grave trying, and for love of outdoors, die with our old beat up hunting boots on.

EXOTIC BIG GAME
1 Namibia: Leopard
Man said you don't pay the gunbearer until after the leopard hunt, because the smallest of the Big Five can be an easy deal if you're lucky… ahhh, but "if" is such a big word, isn't it? If you show up, sit tight, be patient and if you shoot straight, dear bwana, you'll be kicking up your heels in camp, the hero hunter in repose. But some of the greatest stories in hunting stem from "ifs," don't they? And if you flub the shot even a little, odds are even ol' spots will make you famous. Figure about $12,000 for a one-week hunt, $16,000 for two weeks, and about $600 per day if you don't kill a cat. 

2 Africa: Cape Buffalo
Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique…doesn't matter, just bring plenty of spare underwear. The most accessible of dangerous game, mbogo is the one of the big five that is not in short supply, and you might just wish they were more scarce when you see an entire herd thunder past point blank. Tough, perilous, plentiful, and with massive head gear, Cape buffalo are the perfect African game animal. You may not owe that huge black bull money when he swings his head your way and hits you with that heavy glare…but you'll understand exactly what Ruark meant: Expect to pay $7,000 to $14,000. Best time is April through September.

3 Florida: Gators
Crossbows, huge fishing rods, set-lines, harpoons, .357 bang sticks…if it sounds like combat, it's because it is. Nothing cooler than a midnight Florida alligator hunt, best done with amateur friends on a public lake at night with a one-size-too-small boat--permits are much easier to get these days. On a private lake, you may see up to a hundred sets of eyes staring back at the light--guaranteed to alter your perspective on water skiing. Fall is best, and professional guided hunts average around $1,500.