Who Hunts Alone Most of the Time?

[paleoman]

#4799

Be it personality or what, I seem to do most of my hunting me, myself and I these days. Last year I was a week in the bushes in Michigans’ Upper Peninsula with my bow – I enjoyed it but missed the comeraderie of camps I’ve been in. Who does it by preference and who kind of by default? I’m kind of mixed up in the middle!

[Robert Gilbert]

#33990

I guess I am caught between the two . I like the solitude of the hunt and the company of the camp . Sometimes I just like the solitude and getting away from it all. Nothing like quiet and being alone with your thoughts . SOMETIMES !! 😕

[David Petersen]

#34011

I’m right in there with you guys, though age makes me increasingly more sociable, win or lose. Most of my hunting life I hunted and camped alone. Part of the reason, I suppose, was that there just weren’t many other trad bowhunters around, and narrow that down more to those with a general worldview to share around the proverbial campfire. These days I”m far more sociable about camping, but still hunt alone. Only very very rarely is there any benefit in having two or more people actively hunting together, unless of course one is guiding/mentoring the other. So I still hunt almost exclusively alone, and am about 2/3 camping alone and 1/3 with a friend, very rarely more than one friend at a time. As much as I love the company and conversation, I tend to “have way too much fun” at the campfire with a friend, that is stay up too late and drink too much, which doesn’t really help when the alarm goes off in the dark cold morning. When camping alone I still drink at night but not nearly so much, and I’m often in bed very early. Like almost everything else in life, I see no “best way” here. Camping with established friends is great fun. Camping alone is among the most self-revealing and spiritual experiences we can have these days, esp. if you have some real backcountry to be alone in. To own his each. 😉

[Troy Breeding]

#34014

I mostly hunt by myself. Still, it is nice to have someone around to help when you make a kill with tracking (if required) or helping to get it out.

At night I like to talk for a short while, then head to bed. Just ask the fellows at the last two group hunts I went on.

No problem camping by myself, but the better half isn’t real fond of me doing it.

Troy

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#34044

Depends a lot on what I’m hunting. With small game, it’s

often a matter of going hiking with a buddy after work. But elk hunting is generally a solo pursuit for me.

[Troy Warner]

#34074

Unless I’m hunting with family I generally hunt alone.

[tailfeather]

#34087

Almost always hunt alone…always have. I do a fair number of camps with one, occasionally 2 or 3 buddies….but even then we hunt alone and see each other back at camp. I do really enjoy those times, and look forward to them almost as a celebration. Overall, I’m something of a loner and there aren’t a lot of folks whose outlook on hunting, ecology, and hoo-doo jives with mine.

[JodyS]

#34099

I usually hunt alone too. I did share camp, er cabin, with a trad bow buddy this past deer season. We hunted different areas on my property, but had dinner and good conversation every night. It was the best of both worlds: solitude in the woods and good company at dinner time.

Dave is telling the truth, it is hard not to stay up late telling campfire stories…and he does.

It seems like a common theme in this thread that causes us to hunt alone is the desire for solitude, but also a lack of folks who have the same mindset/views that we do, albeit our spiritual, hunting, or ecology views.

One of the things that makes this website, and TBM, so engaging is that a good number of us share many, but not all, of the same views. There is common ground yet room for open mindedness. 💡 Rare indeed today…

Jody

[kjlarson]

#34137

I am hunting by myself most of the time. There is always an open invitation to other archers (wheel and real friends) who would like to come. The fifteen days I got out for elk last fall were solo eleven times. One friend I was unsure about brought a couple friends. Thank goodness I insisted we go in two trucks. They headed back to town after a few hours wet and cold. My other friend is more of a kindred spirit. Kind of a loner like myself.

Hunting, for me, is an independent activity but during the break times it’s nice to have someone to share experiences with.

[T Downing]

#34154

I don’t spend most of my time hunting alone since I have family that hunts. That said, I absolutely love hunting alone. It is one of the only times in my life when I am truly being honest with myself and engaging a form of self expression…The mountains themselves seem different and more alive and the art of hunting takes on new meaning and more purpose when I am out there alone.

[Raymond Coffman]

#34561

I am like most posts here. I generally hunt alone. I currently have a good friend who sometimes can make the hunts and it is great fun. He is similiar in style and outlook to me. Of course there are others of whom that cannot be said, that are no longer invited.

My Father is probably my best hunting compadre. Over the years we have learned to move in concert, and have many times successfully accomplished short pushes [ slow drives / movements]to include my first Wt Buck many yrs ago. He is now unable to shoot much/well due to shoulder problems {86}but still loves to go to the woods. He drops me off on one end of roadless areas and I work my way to a pick up point. Allows me to check a lot of ground without backtracking. we still do pushes with him as the driver —

Won’t be the same when he moves on. The interesting part of this is he was not a hunter to start, became one because I was—-

Scout

[JEMBO]

#34810

Hunting solo is my preference except when my sons and grandsons are around.Since they could walk my boys have followed me through the swamps os Louisiana to the peaks of Colorado and now the high desert of New Mexico. And now to see their sons tag along with them (and me) takes the experience to a new level.

[strait-aero]

#34851

I pretty much hunt alone for the most part…but love to share the experiences with those of like mind. Luckily, one of those people is my son,Jared. I like hunting alone though, as I always have. Wayne:)

[ksbowman]

#35184

I hunt alone most of the time. My out of state hunts though, I always try to team up on. Sure helps to have company in the evenings and help getting critters out when you score not to mention spliting fuel.

[doug krueger]

#35212

I hunt alone a lot,mostly out of default due to lack of good friends who hunt. I have acquired more good friends to hunt with since I started trad. I guess I prefer to be alone but good friends are hard to beat. There is nothing more rewarding than taking an animal especially and elk alone and seeing it dressed out,packed out and butchered all by yourself though.

DK

[Ed Ashby]

#35260

The vast majority of my hunting has been solo, mainly because there were no other bowhunters around. I must admit though, I do enjoy solitude and have become less tolerant of many folks (not all) as I have become older, but there are few things I enjoy more than taking kids out and introducing them to life in the bush. I did a number of ‘rough camps’ with kids in Africa, where we lived for a couple of weeks at a near-stone-age level, and few times have I enjoyed more.

Ed

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#35276

I think our game is tough enough when it only involves one person, given the close distances to game that we’re dealing with. Two people doubles (or more) the amount of noise, and potential scent, and that’s my primary reason for not taking on hunting partners very often. Beyond that, however, it’s also just nice to be alone in the woods, without feeling a need to be making conversation, etc. That’s what the campfire at the end of the day is for.

[JodyS]

#35358

Fellas, it seems that we share a passion for the solitude of the woods/hunt. I have to say that we are a small band of folks. It seems nowadays that most everywhere people are jabbering away on cell phones, playing songs/games on smart phones, or absorbing TV nonsense. Pardon the stern tone, but, my generation is rapidly losing the ability to be alone successfully, and to be quiet for long periods of time.

The introspection, peace, contentment, and “worship” that our souls/minds long to experience and embrace cannot be practiced in the midst of hustle and bustle. I, for one, would be less of a person were it not for the solitude of the hunt, along with the many blessings those quiet, still moments bring.

I fear for my three little ones who are growing up in a culture that embraces all things technological and ignores most things natural. As I try to swim upstream against this ideology with my children, many of you do as well with your kids, or grandkids. Long live those who can sit still by an oak, hunt traditionally, think purely, and soak in God’s creation.

Jody

[SteveMcD]

#36112

I am very selective about who I will go hunting with. So generally, I hunt solo. One of the things I look forward too, is the peace, solitude and freedom to roam.

[CareyE]

#36151

I for the most part, hunt by myself, although the wife is not fond of it. My family and friends generally know the areas I hunt in so that gives her some comfort should something happen. I like the solitude, but still miss the fellowship sitting around and going over the days events.

[William Warren]

#36567

I’ve hunted both ways but I’ve taken more deer on my own than with a group or even a buddy. I did not really began killing deer until I went solo. After that it was hard to make myself go with the club or with a few buddies. When I was a member of a camp for several years I never felt like totally a part of the camp scene. I know it seems smug and anti-social but I would camp outside the clubhouse in order to get some sleep and be able to hunt refreshed while the others would stay up all night and wind up back in camp by 9:00 with a big head.

I’d just say, hey, don’t hate me ’cause I’ve got one hanging on the meat pole. I came here to hunt. It’s a hunting camp right?

Now days I wish I had finessed that just a little better than I did. Like Dave said, age will make you a little more social. 😀

[celinsin]

#37037

Except for a week in Crawford County, Missouri, hunting with my brother and our buddy, Dave, I hunt alone … If I had any friends, they could confirm this.:twisted: Hunting alone remains a cathartic, even spiritual, experience. I expect, however, for my two oldest sons (13 & 11) to start joining me soon.

[DAbersold]

#39220

When I was younger I hunted with friends most of the time. Then a new job and rotating work schedule made it such that I rarely had the same days off as any of my hunting buds. So, I got used to hunting alone and found that I was much more successful and enjoyed it more. Now, I so look forward to my weeks alone in the wilderness. Generally opening week and the last week I’m packing alone. They are two of the best weeks of the year, my time. The rest of the season I’ll hunt with anyone who wants to go. 🙂

[james gilmer]

#39818

living in the Midwest and living on good hunting acreage allows me to hunt out my back door nearly every day of our whitetail season. I love hunting alone but i also love making good memories for good friends. Weekends at my farm usually spent putting friends on stands then listening to their excitement at the end of the day while Watching the fire embers slowly fade. I even put up a yurt for them to stay in ( keeps peace in the house). Some guys I know tell me I am screwing up my chances at the big bucks that live here but I’d just as soon see one of my friends kill one as doing it myself.

[LimbLover]

#39938

I hunt with my Dad when I can but he lives 3.5 hours North so I’m by myself on public land most of the time. Unfortunately, I’m seldom alone. Michigan public land is fairly crowded these days.

[mittenm]

#44780

I started out hunting big whitetails in the mid-west. It kind of lended itself to solo hunting. With that self-reliance, I have hunted alone in the wilderness from New Mexico to Alaska for weeks at a time. I may not always get the big bull, buck or bear, but I’ve learned that if I redefine my notion of failer I will be 100% sucessful on every hunt! Mike

[David Petersen]

#44937

Hi Mike —

Good to see you back over here on the sunny side of the hill. 😀 See ya in Portland next month, eh. I forget whose turn it is to buy drinks, but I’m pretty sure it’s yours. 😛 Dave

[Charles Ek]

#45097

Are there actually people out there who hunt with others? 😉

Started going in the woods alone at five years of age. It’s a hard habit to break and shows no sign of abating.

[wildschwein]

#45112

Luckily for me my wife took to hunting shortly after I introduced it to her. Now she and I hunt together regularly and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way, especially when it comes to camp hunts.

[horserod]

#45249

I’ve hunted by myself for many years. I’ve, also, had the pleasure to be part of a couple different small groups that were a great experience. It has always seemed hard to find that “right” combination that brings it all together for the benefit of each hunter. At least for me anyway. I envy those that have great partners(Dad, brother, wife, best friend) to share the hunting times. Until that happens for me I’ll keep headin’ to the woods with my faithful companions, my bow and arrows! Bullseye

[mittenm]

#45686

Yep, I owe you one Dave for always being such a nice guy!

Bullseye- Yes even in solitude you are never truly alone.

[wapiti792]

#45779

I kind of do both…set up a base camp with a friend or two, then spike or coyote out on my own for a day or two. Come back to camp, eat a meal, visit some and do it again. That way I get the best of both worlds.

Recently my wife has showed interest in doing some hunts with me, and this fall we are going to do a bivy hunt in WY for a few days. She will be packing a camera and some bear mace, I will be packing my longbow. We’ll see how that goes 😀

[new moon]

#52975

I have several close friends who hunt with trad gear and every year I look forward to the day or two I spend hunting with them. But I must confess that I don’t consider those days to be “serious” hunting days, I think there is to much comrodrery. I have found that it is easier to truly hunt when alone. Perhaps it has something to do with the generally solitary nature of predation.

Josh

[Dan Jackowiak]

#57476

I’ve hunted alone for a very long time. Partially because I don’t know anyone that hunts with a bow or has a similar hunting style. Riding around on a quad all day is not my idea of hunting that they seem to enjoy. I like to bring home the bacon and fill the freezer, sitting on a quad doesn’t allow me to do that. Besides, my soul yearns for the simplicity of nature without the modern conveniences. Hunting with a bow allows me to go back in time to when things weren’t so complicated.

[pewanogo]

#58113

The multi hunter camps are fun for what they are but as a true outdoor experience give me the solo trip every time. Hunting alone is a major part of the reason I hunt at all. THE BOW, ARROWS , and THE JOURNEY, make hunting what it really is. A chance for introspection, honing your woodcraft and the opportunity to see nature as it really exists from day to day is all good reason to hunt alone.

[David Petersen]

#58201

Pewanogo — Well said!

[George McCloskey]

#58218

Well stated Pewango. My hunting experiences are mainly with a friend. We start on the same trail and split up, keeping in touch via a radio from time to time or just finding each other in the head of the canyon we decide to walk. In the end, we all walk alone with our own thoughts.

[Backcountry Joe]

#58512

I try to get out as much as I can alone, but when I can take my kids I tend to seize the opertunity!

[Author]

Posts