Planning Tips

Planning for the next season’s hunting or fishing adventure is what keeps most hunters and fishermen content to work a day job in between. You might think we’re kidding, but we’re not!

HuntFishGuide.com connects you with guides and locations that you may have imagined were rural legends (as opposed to urban legends). In fact, that’s why we started HuntFishGuide—because we too were looking for that next great place to aim a shotgun or cast a line. Until this website most hunters and fishermen had to rely on word of mouth referrals for new hunting and fishing grounds.

The Guides listed on our site welcome your inquiries by phone and/or email. The particulars they can share with you about weather conditions, terrain, altitude, services, lodging and travel connections are invaluable and having those answers will make your trip that much better.

Some of the considerations we’ve found important to address when planning a hunting or fishing trip are worth passing along to you. So here goes:

  • Weather forecasts and seasonal weather conditions. We once made three attempts to bone fish in Eleuthera. Each time we were about to head to Denver International Airport, we’d get the news that a new hurricane was threatening this mile-wide island in the Bahamas making travel there a risk. As land-locked Coloradans, we weren’t in tune with hurricane season. Now we are and we plan our fishing trips accordingly.
  • Transportation and travel connections. It’s the airlines’ prerogative to cancel or change flight times. When that happens, it can disrupt the best laid plans. Be sure to two hours minimum between flights when passing through customs and if traveling with gear, contact the airlines well before your departure date to establish what you’re allowed to carry on or not.
  • Prescription meds. Plan like you would for any camping trip. Take extra meds with you and keep them in two different locations in your gear. That way if you lose one set of meds, you have a backup available.
  • Communications. Don’t wait until the day before departure to check whether your cell phone will work in your destination. Contact your carrier to confirm where service is available and what the additional cost is. Some foreign locations offer cell phones for rent for brief vacation stays. Be sure to leave a phone number for your destination with your family or a co-worker…just in case.
  • Itinerary and Emergency Contact info. Leave a day-by-day itinerary for family with guide info and local emergency contact numbers for the region where you are fishing or hunting.
  • Contact Local Stores. Since you cannot bring your ammunition with you on the plane, ensure that you contact local stores to see if they sell your caliber of ammunition or any other gear that you might not be able to bring along.
  • Checklist. Create a gear checklist and go over it twice to ensure that you have not left any essential items behind.
  • Exercise. You need to be physically prepared for the rigors of travel and of your hunting or fishing trip. You should start a work out regime and follow it for at least a month prior, if not more.
  • Travel outside of the US or Abroad. As of June 1, 2009, all U.S. citizen children ranging in age from birth to 18 years-of-age are required to present their own passport when entering the United States at airports.
    • Air Travel: Passports are now required for U.S. citizens traveling to or from all international destinations, including Mexico or Canada. 
    • Land & Sea Travel: U.S. citizens returning home from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda, by land or sea, will be required to present one of the travel documents listed below:
      • U.S. Passport
      • U.S. Passport Card
      • Enhanced Driver's License (EDL)
      • Trusted Traveler Program Cards 
    EXCEPTION: U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port) and visit Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and/or countries of the Caribbean will be able to enter or depart the US with a birth certificate and government issued photo ID.

    For information on passports, U.S. citizens can visit the State Department's web site, or call the U.S. National Passport Information Center: (877) 4USA-PPT. Please allow at minimum 6–8 weeks for processing of the passport application. If you need to travel urgently and require a passport sooner, expedited processing is available.

    For information about how to obtain a passport, please visit:
    Passports on the State Department's web site

    To find foreign country entry requirements, please visit:
    International Travel on the State Department's web site

Going fishing or hunting is this close to going camping. Plan ahead, pack thoughtfully, prepare for any situation, and you’ll be glad you did.

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