How to Fill the Freezer with Lesser-Known Hunt Opportunities

When I was a kid, I was an avid Petersen’s Hunting reader, and I always hoped I’d have the opportunity to someday pursue the types of trophies that I saw in the pages of this magazine. Fortunately, I have not only had the opportunity to hunt most of the big-game animals on my bucket list, but I’ve also been able to chronicle those adventures in the pages of the magazine I loved best as a youngster. But that doesn’t mean that my hunting career is over or has even slowed. I’ve simply changed my focus, and now, more often than not, my personal trips are meat hunts.

One of the things I’ve learned as I’ve spent more time hunting for the freezer: Though meat hunts are more accessible and cost less than trophy hunts, the experience is still very much the same. In many ways, meat hunts are more enjoyable than trophy hunts because I don’t have the pressure of finding just the right buck, ram or bull. I also haven’t had to wait for years or even decades to draw a tag. If I decide I want to add a meat hunt or two to my fall to-do list, I can usually manage that—and at a price that’s lower than I would pay for a trophy hunt.

Meat hunts are also beneficial for game management. Simply removing all the breeding-age males from a population is rarely the best strategy, and in areas where game is overpopulated, removing females may help improve the herd’s overall health. In some instances, the animal that you are hunting is an invasive species that may be harming native wildlife populations.

From Field to Freezer

Obviously, the intention of most meat hunts is, at least in part, to fill the freezer. During the pandemic, many Americans learned how disconnected they are from their sources of food. A worker shortage in one part of the country or world can have a ripple effect on food supplies. A global disruption like the pandemic can have substantial impacts. I’ll never forget seeing a 20-something mother staring blankly at an empty meat counter and understanding—perhaps for the first time—she had no idea where her food really came from or how quickly it could disappear.

But not all aspects of obtaining meat from the field are so glum. I have two kids with outsized appetites, and keeping them fed is not an inexpensive process. Game meat provides a low-cost alternative to buying roasts, steaks and burger at the store. And, obviously, natural game is far more healthful, free of artificial hormones and antibiotics. And, best of all, I know where my meat came from and followed it every step of the way from the field to the freezer.

Cull vs. Non-Trophy vs. Meat Hunts

Let’s examine several of the common terms that are used to describe any hunt that is not a traditional trophy hunt. At outdoor shows and in print and online advertisements, you’ll find outfitters and professional hunters advertising cull hunts, non-trophy hunts, management hunts and meat hunts. But what’s the difference?

It’s the objective of the hunt that determines the appropriate name (although many of these terms are used interchangeably and the target animal varies depending upon the outfitter or guide). Generally, a meat hunt is limited to animals suitable for the table but not trophies. Many meat hunts offer hunters an opportunity to take young animals and females so long as doing so helps achieve management goals. In many cases, females and young animals will be particularly sought after because they represent the best table fare.

Non-trophy or management hunts typically target males of the species that are not trophies or that don’t possess the genetics of a trophy animal. In some cases, these are males of a species that have abnormal horn or antler growth, or they have reached an age of sexual maturity but do not (and likely will not) have horns or antlers that would be considered trophies. The definitions of “non-trophy” and “management” animals will vary from place to place. One of the largest mule deer I ever killed (larger even than some of my “trophy” mule deer) was taken on a management hunt.

Cull hunts are a way to reduce the overall number of animals in a herd or population. Some ranches in Texas use cull hunts to help achieve management goals for deer, and in some instances invasive mammals like aoudad are available on cull hunts. But most of these hunts are available in Africa where a certain species (usually some form of antelope) has increased in number to a point where their herd sizes need to be reduced.

Why You Should Book a Non-Trophy Hunt

Of course, the primary reason to book a non-trophy hunt is to obtain fresh protein. Game meat is natural, lean and, if you can process and transport the game yourself, it’s more economical than buying beef, chicken or pork from the grocery store.

These hunts are also generally cheaper than trophy hunts. Hog hunts in Texas and Florida can be booked for as little as $300 a day, and in many cases, you can take as many hogs as are available. Trophy elk hunts with guaranteed tags range from $6,000 and up, with some costing $16,000 or more. A cow elk hunt, by contrast, might cost between $1,700 and $2,500. Whitetail trophy hunts start at about $3,500 and increase well into the five-figure range if you’re hunting trophy-managed bucks in high-fence areas, but you can book doe hunts for $400 per deer and management buck/doe combo hunts for around $1,500.

These reasonable rates with wide availability make meat hunts attainable, and that means you can fill your freezer every year and enjoy these experiences without waiting until you draw a trophy tag.

Much as we all hate to admit it, there are only so many years when we are physically able to climb steep mountains, and if you start applying for trophy elk tags late in life, you may find that by the time you draw you aren’t as physically capable as you had been a few years before. So why wait? You can travel across the country hunting cull hogs, deer, exotics, bison and elk and enjoy a new adventure every fall without waiting until you finally get the tag you want.

Pure Enjoyment

There’s also a great deal less pressure placed on the hunter during a meat hunt, and that makes the experience more enjoyable for many hunters. The respect shown to the animal should be the same whether it’s a cull whitetail or a trophy elk, and hunting for meat doesn’t mean it’s excusable to make bad shots and wound game, but with most non-trophy hunts there are more target animals and you can be more selective with your shots. Waiting ten years to draw a trophy mule deer or sheep tag places immense pressure on the hunter to make the most of every opportunity, and there’s a chance you’ll be presented with a questionable shot. I’ve known hunters that faced just such a decision on once-in-a-lifetime trophy hunts where time and money invested can cause a hunter to consider shots they would normally pass. That type of pressure can drain some of the enjoyment from the hunt. Non-trophy hunts don’t normally involve that type of stress.

I also believe that non-trophy hunts are a great way to introduce new hunters to the sport. Now that I have a son in elementary school, I have a greater appreciation for just how brief the attention span of a six-year-old really is. As he matures, I hope he’ll have the patience to wait and pass deer until an old, mature trophy buck presents a shot. But soon he’ll be old enough to head afield and kill a doe, and I would love to take him on a management hunt where his odds of success are high, if for no other reason than I want his first experience with an animal to be focused on acquiring meat for the freezer so that he has an appreciation of the process. Trophies can come later. For now, he needs to understand that hunting provides a source of food. I want him first to take pride in the fact that he has provided for his family.

Perhaps most importantly, non-trophy hunts give us an opportunity and excuse to do what we love most: spend time outdoors. I’ve hunted non-trophy animals across the United States and in Africa, and I count some of those experiences among my favorites, despite not having a trophy on the wall. Last fall in New Mexico, I was hunting cow elk in October and the rut was in full effect. The canyons echoed with bugles as the sun faded each day, and I saw a half-dozen big bulls harrying herds of cows and chasing off younger rivals—an experience I would have missed if I’d spent the years waiting for my bull tag to show up in the mail.

On a hunt in South Africa’s Karoo Desert, I was invited to cull springbok on a property where the population of these antelope had exploded. Dry conditions had persisted there for more than a year and food was becoming scarce; the decision was made to remove a number of springbok so the remaining animals (and the rest of the game) would survive the drought without massive die-offs. We hunted for a full day, and when the sun set, we built a fire in a dry riverbed and ate fresh springbok steaks fresh off a mopane-wood fire while drinking beer and staring into the star-filled African sky, all while jackals called back and forth in the surrounding hills.

The Best Non-Trophy Hunt Options Now

If you’re looking for a non-trophy, meat or cull hunt there are plenty of great options in the United States and abroad. Here are a few of the best options.

Hogs: Hernando de Soto brought a handful of hogs to Florida in 1539 and turned them loose, setting into motion a feral pig explosion that would plague the United States for centuries. Today there are an estimated six million wild hogs across the United States, though considering how crafty these animals are and their ability to reproduce rapidly that estimate is probably low.

Most landowners and state wildlife agencies share the same sentiment when it comes to hogs—get rid of them. That makes feral hogs hunts affordable and available, particularly in the south. Texas is the epicenter of hog hunting, and most ranches I’ve hunted there were only too happy to have hunting clients knock down a few pigs. The good news for meat hunters is that feral hogs can be quite delicious, particularly sows and young animals, though I’ve had the meat from mature boars that was quite good.

Just about any deer rifle will do for pigs, but my favorite hog weapon is Bill Wilson’s AR rifles chambered in .300 Ham’r. It’s the only round I know of that was designed for hog hunting and tested on hogs (in addition to his affinity for making beautiful custom pistols, Wilson is an inveterate pig hunter), and I’ve found it to be highly effective even on large boars.

Deer: In many areas, whitetail doe and management buck tags are relatively easy to obtain. I’ve hunted management deer in Texas and Arkansas, and on both occasions, I managed to acquire hundreds of pounds of meat in a few days. In many places you can kill multiple deer in a single day, and there are some great values available.

Parameters

You might also be surprised to learn that on some ranches a 130-inch whitetail is a cull once it reaches a certain age, and on well-managed ranches you’re likely to see several deer in that class in a single day. But non-trophy deer hunts aren’t limited to whitetails: many hunters consider mule deer to be the ultimate North American trophy, and on many ranches a “non-trophy” mule deer is a pretty impressive animal. Utah’s Ensign Ranch has a very well-managed herd, and when my guide told me to shoot a 30-inch 3x4 classified as a management buck, I did not argue with him.

Cow/Management Elk: I love elk meat and consider it to be the best of our native wild game. I also enjoy being in elk country, and I’m certainly not going to wait around to draw my desired bull tags to hunt the Rockies for wapiti. I’ve been fortunate enough to take my trophy bull elk, and I may or may not have that opportunity again, but I certainly will not wait around and hope to draw a tag.

Colorado has many ranches that offer opportunities for cow elk, and this is probably your best bet, although other Rocky Mountain states like New Mexico, Idaho and Montana also offer great opportunities. You can book a cow elk or non-trophy bull hunt on many ranches, but you can also apply for cow tags (with much higher draw odds) and do a DIY camp or hire an outfitter. Be prepared to bring out a lot of meat if you’re successful, but whether you punch your tag or not, being in the field with these incredible animals is a reward in itself.

Don’t wait for that once-in-a-lifetime tag to turn up before you allow yourself to enjoy all the hunting adventures that are offered. You may not bring home a trophy, but you will bring home memories of time spent in the field and lots of meat. I’d say that’s a fair trade.

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