top 10 most difficult game to hunt in north america

[k31]

any type of game but no fish
small and large all inclusive what are to top 10
in my own opinion coyote is on there some where or its very close

[hooligan1]

1. Brown bear
2.Bighorn sheep
3.Mountain goats
4.Moose
5.Elk
6.Antelope
7.Sitka deer
8.Muledeer
9.Whitetail
10.Wild turkey
IMHO, there is more animals probaly that should make this list, but I stuck to the rules, 10 only, and I haven't hunted but only two of these!!!

[DiscoRacing]

ground squirrel by far

[Bud Helms]

I don't think I could list 10 that are difficult. But whenever I think of difficult-to-get-game, I think of turkey. There is no time of day, season, weather or any other circumstance that makes them easy. It is always a matter of more or less difficulty with turkey. Probably the most wary game legal to take in the lower 48.

If you are good or lucky, you can still tell tales of the one that got within 50 feet and just ... disappeared. 'Course there are tales about how stupid they can be too. Unpredictable and wary.

[jmr40]

A lot of animals are hard to get a tag for, but once you have the tag killing one is not that hard. I'd say taking a turkey with a bow has to rank right up there.

[musher]

I guess it depends on whether you mean difficult or dangerous.

Restricted to North American game, in terms of difficulty, I think:

1. Mt. Goat*~
2. Dall Sheep*~
3. Bighorn Sheep*~
4. Wolverine (shooting not trapping)^
5. Moose ~
6. Wolf (shooting not trapping)^!
7. Lynx (shooting not trapping)^!
8. Coyote (shooting not trapping)!
9. AK Brown Bear^*
10. Interior AK Grizzly^

* Hard to get to
^ Hard to find
~ Hard to carry
! Hard to catch

[YARDDOG(1)]

By far "SNIPES" They are hard to find, And won't come to no call Here Snipe
Snipe here snipe snipe
Y/D

[Gbro]

I am longing for there to be a season of Gray Wolves. Don't know about other parts of the country but around here they can be very elusive.

Klobuchar Pushes Administration to Expedite Removal of Gray Wolves in Minnesota from Endangered Species List

http://klobuchar.senate.gov
/newsreleases_detail.cfm?id=328930&

And 3 days later;
http://klobuchar.senate.gov/

[hoytinak]

Around here I'd have to say bobcats should be on the list. I've never seen one while trying to hunt them. The only time I've ever seen one was while I was calling a coyote in, I heard a slight noise behind me and it was a pretty good size bobcat about 5ft away....couldn't get turned around in time to get him before he was gone.

[k31]

me and a co worker hit a snipe with a yamaha rhino once
we wor working back in the woods building fence in wv and it flew at us from behind and landded just in front of us on the trail and before we could stop it tried to fly off but was under the machine
i think it had young or a nest near by and was going to try and goad us away

[huntinaz]

Coues whitetail deer
Mountain lion
bobcats

These animals give me the most trouble here in AZ. Most people outside of AZ and New Mexico aren't familiar with the Coues deer. Their choice of habitat and ability to hide make them a very dificult animal to kill consistently. They sure do taste good though!

[Scorch]

For a variety of reasons, primarily where they live and how you have to go get them, in my order of difficulty:

1- Himalayan Snowcock
2- Mountain goat
3- Stone sheep
4- Barren ground caribou
5- Coues deer
6- Roosevelt elk
7- Mountain lion
8- Bowhunting antelope
9- Grizzly bear
10- Anything with hounds

[Buzzcook]

For what it's worth Snipe Gallinago gallinago is real hard to hunt.
They are a very fast moving bird and they're not all that big. There is a reason good shots are called snipers.

Hard to hunt for me means hard to get to or hard to find. The goat and sheep that live real high up and far from roads would get my vote.
In my area Cougar are hard to find as are moose. I've read other posters saying that cougars are thick on the ground were they live and of course some places have lots of moose.

I have friends that go years without seeing an elk. Another guy gets an elk 7 years in a row.
iirc 10% is the hunter success rate for elk in Wa.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/harvest/2009/

Is hunting elk hard? Well from my personal experience it's physically difficult hiking around looking for them and hauling out the carcass is hard work.
But once you have them in sight, sneaking closer for a good shot just requires patience.

If we go back to the snipe, the opposite is true. Finding them isn't that hard, sneaking up on them and shooting them is.

[mete]

Don't forget the Nauga and Jackalope.

[woodguru]

Nobody mentioned Chukars, never easy to hunt, lots of walking (usually up and downhills) involved.

Hard to believe K31 actually got a snipe, never have got one myself.

[rdmallory]

Crows ---

Smart birds.

[markj]

Crows ---

Smart birds

Use an plastic owl for bait. Crows will go after it you shoot them crows.


You can hunt fish?


We used to send our city cousins out late at nite for some tasty snipe

[Brian Pfleuger]

There aren't too many animals that are difficult in and of themselves if the requirement is "kill one". When you start getting picky is where you run into trouble. On the other hand, if you consider "accessibility" into the equation and not just the animal itself, then I'd guess any of the mountain living critters would be up there... Dall Sheep, Mountain Goats.... those things.

[davlandrum]

I think you have multiple questions pretending to be one:

1. What is the most physically demanding game animal in N.A. to hunt. I would say anything where there is not enough oxygen for me to breath...goats, sheep, etc.

2. What is the hardest tag to draw in N.A. Of course, since every state is different, that one is going to be confusing. In Oregon, I feel like Pronghorns are a lower chance of getting a tag than winning powerball since I have been trying literally my whole hunting life and have not got one. Of course, I could travel to Wyoming and buy one over the counter.

[k31]

i was thinking more on the lines of what is the smartest and hardest to out wit and get the shot
sight smell hearing, self educating, etc. what is the most difficult to to hunt
if given 1 day to hunt and only you are there no guides just you and suppose you know there is that particular type of game in the area and you have your one day to go find it( some game 1 day is not possible so assume the least amount of preperation time) what is the hardest to track, glass, call, shoot etc.

[Brian Pfleuger]

It's really impossible to narrow it down like that. There are areas around here where people have been hunting their whole lives, they know there are deer in the area, they spend the whole summer getting ready and they go the whole season without shooting a deer, yet they'll shoot 5 the next year.

Does that make deer hard to hunt?

Well, there are other areas that I've hunted that I set foot in once in my life, went there opening day and shot deer.

What's that tell you?


Then again, I say it also depends on whether or not you mean "kill one" or "kill a trophy".

Most "normal" people who have to hunt unfenced land of reasonable acreage with deer that cross multiple property lines will never, in their entire lives and probably their children and grandchildren, kill a deer with a rack scoring over 110-120 inches.

Certainly, if the question is "kill a deer" and I can pick where I want to hunt, I can virtually guarantee a kill in one day. If the question is "We're dropping you here, kill a 140 class buck.", well, no way, no how.

I would guess that the same is true of most game animals.

[reloader28]

I suppose every part of the country would have a different list of animals.
I have hunted moose, bear, elk, mulies, turkeys, and whitetails.

The deer were very easy.
Elk and bears werent that much harder.
Moose around here are very hard to find anymore cause of the wolf problem, but there are areas I know of that they are very easy to get.
Around here the turkey is the hardest tag I've tried to fill. Been doing it 7 years and only shot 1. But man is it fun. Kind of a cross between coyote hunting and elk hunting.
I think mountain lion hunting would be hard and fun.

[BombthePeasants]

1. Submarines
2. Robots
3. Easter Bunny
4. Smokey Bear
5. Ninjas
6. Zombies
7. Communists
8. Ghosts
9. Chinese Hackers
10. David Letterman

[FrankenMauser]

Most difficult:
Wild Ferrets (there are many species... but most are protected)

The species native to the western U.S. are quick, tiny little things. They can be very difficult to find without baiting, and are nearly impossible to hit. (We used to hunt them when I was a kid. I have no idea if the species we were after are even legal now - so don't try it without checking first.)


Close second:
Flying Squirrels.

[Ludarue]

I really don't hunt too many things except deer, coyote, rabbit, and ground hog.

My dad swears up and down till this day that grouse is the hardest thing he has ever tried to hunt. He said when you kicked one up it sounded like a chopper taking off. Nearly gave him a heart attack. LOL.