The barrier to entry for new hunters or even experienced hunters looking for opportunities is undoubtedly a daunting task — and one that I have personally experienced myself. Growing up in Iowa, all I knew was whitetail hunting in my home state, but, as I grew older, so did my dreams of going on my first elk hunt. However, I remember thinking to myself, “Where do I start?” which is a common problem among most. In this article, I'll be giving you a starting point and outlining the first three steps you’ll need to help you find more hunting opportunities this fall.

First step: State Profile/State Rules and Regulations

The first thing you need to ask yourself is, “What do I want to hunt?”

Once you’ve decided on the species you want to hunt, it's time to do your research. It's important to start broad in your research and then narrow it down as you go. A research tool I have found to be the best starting point is called State Profiles and Species Profile, which can be found in the GOHUNT Insider membership. What this tool does is it gives you a big picture view of all the opportunities available across the different states for the specific species you are interested in. 

From there, you can click on each state and then click on one of the species that you can hunt in that state section to read about the specific opportunities available for the species you are looking to hunt. It includes an overview, notes, highlights, and license costs. The Species Profile tool is a great starting point to see everything available to you. From this knowledge, you’ll be able to choose which state gives you the best opportunity for what you are looking for.

Second step: Dive in deeper

Now that you've learned about what each state has to offer for the animal you want to hunt, it's time to hone your search. Pick a state or a few states that have what you are looking for. Once you know the state or states you are interested in, it's crucial to dive into the next GOHUNT research tool called State Rules and Regulations and then State Profiles—the meat and potatoes. Here, will go further than the Species Profile section at the top. State Profiles allow you to gain an in-depth understanding of how to get a tag, the draw system, important deadlines, and the state's general hunting rules. Every state is different, and it's important that you educate yourself on each state's rules and regulations as you will begin to see the pros and cons, allowing you to decide which is best for you. Just remember that knowledge is power, and this foundational knowledge will go a long way to helping you find the best possible opportunity for what you are looking for

Third step: Filtering

With the proper foundational knowledge of the hunt you are looking to undertake, the next step is to dig into more details such as possible areas/locations, tags, different hunting seasons, weapon types, draw odds, etc. All of this information can be found in GOHUNT’s research tool, Filtering. In Filtering, you can choose the criteria of the hunting opportunity you are looking for, which then gives you results of hunts that match the criteria you entered. From there, you can examine the different results and click on a hunt to go into the unit profile, which provides all the information you need to know about that particular hunt. Now it's just a matter of time and research, looking at the different hunts in Filtering and picking a hunt that best meets the goals you are trying to achieve. 

Finding hunting opportunities can be tough if you don't know how to look for them. It's all about building your fundamental knowledge one step at a time, starting with a broad search and then narrowing it down as you learn more. Following these three steps is going to give you the proper process needed to help you discover more hunting opportunities you didn't even know existed.