Kyle Hanson joins Cory to walk through nearly three weeks in Hungary — first hosting two groups of red stag hunters across seven different estate locations, then stepping into the field himself and ending the trip with two free-range stags, one of them the biggest taken by their outfitter all season. If you’ve thought about a European red stag hunt, this episode is about as honest and detailed a look as you’ll find.
In this episode
Getting Everyone to Hungary in One Piece
International travel has a way of humbling even experienced hunters, and this trip was no exception. One group flying in from South Dakota got delayed, missed a connection in Chicago, and ended up spending an unplanned night there — arriving a full day late — because there was only one flight a day out of that hub. They made the hunt work, but they showed up tired.
That experience crystallized something for Kyle going forward. Next year he’s requiring every hunter to arrive a full day early and spend the night in Budapest before heading to the lodge. The reasons are practical: it builds redundancy into travel and baggage, hunters arrive rested, and it opens up a bonus first-evening hunt at no extra cost. The programs are already structured as four-day, five-night hunts with that bonus first-night hunt built in — you might as well be there to use it.
If you travel internationally with a firearm, you already know the paperwork and logistics are their own project. Kyle and Cory also cover why a dedicated travel agency has become a standard part of every booking they put together, not an optional add-on. When something goes sideways — and sometimes it does — having a professional in your corner makes the difference.
How Hungary Manages Its Tags
That local knowledge showed up in real time. One morning, Kyle and his videographer were still at the lodge when the guide stopped mid-sentence — Kyle described just hearing something in the distance — and said simply: right now. They took off running in the dark toward a stag that was less than a half mile away. The guide already knew which animal it was. That’s the kind of familiarity that only comes from being on the ground year-round.
Taking His First Red Stag
The stalk on that first morning was about as good as it gets. Pitch black, moving fast on foot, closing the distance to a field where a stag was roaring. By the time they reached the field, they were nearly at first light and had to work through berms left from timber cutting as they moved into position. The videographer along for the hunt had guided in Hungary before, which meant he understood the pace and the stakes — Kyle said he was the best possible person to have behind the camera that morning.
After taking that first stag, Kyle was honest about where his head was: he said he could have put that experience in a notebook, kept it on a shelf, and been satisfied for the rest of his life. It was that good. When the guide asked if he wanted to chase another stag or a roebuck, Kyle’s answer was measured — sure, he’d keep hunting if a guide was available, but he wasn’t going to pull the trigger on something average. If an absolute giant showed up, that was a different conversation.
The Second Stag — and the Biggest of the Season
As it turned out, the guide for the following morning had seen a really large stag in his specific territory the week before. That was enough. Kyle went out, and the opportunity came together. He ended that trip with two stags and a roebuck — three animals total between him and another hunter in the lodge who also had a standout week.
Multiple hunters in the lodge took multiple animals that week, and by Kyle’s account the energy in the group was nothing but positive. He mentioned that he’s been in situations before where someone’s success was met with something other than genuine happiness from the group — and those situations don’t belong on a trip like this. He talked about how much of his job is matching the right people to the right groups, and that both weeks of clients independently said the same thing: how did this particular group of people all end up in one place at one time, and how do we all get along this well? He can’t fully explain it, but he said pairing group dynamics is one of the things he works hardest at — and cares most about getting right.
Archery Hunting in Hungary — and What It Takes to Do It Right
Hungary is one of the few European hunting destinations where archery hunting is a legitimate option, and Kyle and Cory are open to booking it. But they want to do it right, and that means structure. Their approach: two extra days built into the program, and if you’re coming as an archer, you’re hunting as an archer — not picking up a rifle at the last minute because the pressure got to you.
Kyle’s phrase for it was blunt: shit or get off the pot. If you’re booking archery, you’re committed to archery, and they’re going to build the trip around making it happen. That kind of focus is exactly what a specialized hunt requires, and it reflects the same concentrated attention to each individual hunter’s success that Kyle described across both weeks in Hungary.
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This is one of the more complete looks at a European red stag hunt you’ll hear — logistics, tag systems, group management, the actual stalks, and what happens when everything lines up in the field. Pull up episode 52 of Live Like You Mean It and listen to the full conversation.
If a Hungary red stag hunt is something you’ve been turning over in your mind, reach out to an Outdoors International consultant at outdoors-international.com or browse available trips at gothunts.com. These programs fill up — if next season is on your radar, now is the time to start the conversation.
Listen to the full episode — or wherever you get your podcasts.
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