Hunt Alone?

[jtduncan]

Does anybody here hunt alone?

From a safety standpoint, it's always bets to have a companion, but how many of us hunt alone? I can get some great weekday early morning jaunts in and if I'm lucky can take the game home before going into work.

I'm planning on hunting small game at the local army base on their property with their permission (you have to register) and was advised that a percentage of hunters hunt alone, especially the deer hunters.

How many people hunt alone here?




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The Seattle SharpShooter - TFL/GT/UGW/PCT/KTOG

[Robert the41MagFan]

Always hunt alone. It's not the best thing to do. But when you have no choice, what are you going to do? Can't let that stop you from enjoying the sport.

In my case, I am a weekday hunter and even when I do hunt weekends, most people find my methods and locations a bit extreme. They get a bit turned off. Just this weekend took a few friends out to do some critter killing in eastern Oregon and I think that one them got repulsed from the volume of kills. Between Saturday and Sunday, 278 varmints got sent to the desert in the sky.

Hunting is not for everyone and sometimes it's hard to find people to go out with that fit your style and time frame. So I say go out and enjoy. It is OK to hunt alone. Just be careful and don't forget to tell someone where you are going. And, pack a friend who's initials are S&W.

Robert

[This message has been edited by Robert the41MagFan (edited August 14, 2000).]

[Will Beararms]

I either hunt whitetail with my Dad and Brother or alone. Anytime I have brought others, they always come back to our lease uninvited. We only have 250 acres and I always tell someone in town where I am and keep a cell phone.

Yep, we learned about the friend "thing" years ago. My older brother brought someone out and the next day, the "someone" brought his friends. To make a long story short, this guy would not quit coming back uninvited with his friends and an ice chest full of beer, so my brother, a construction worker, whipped his rearend at the deer lease in front of the free-loader's friends and our troubles ended.

Years later, we got the place we have now and we have made it a policy to hunt alone or with family only.

I enjoy hunting alone as well because it is a great source of solitude.

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"When guns are outlawed;I will be an outlaw."

[rr41mag]

ON hunting alone, I don't have much of a choice either. I've tried several methods one of which was with a brother-in-law and his friend. They were more concerned with killing beer than deer. I'm serious when I go hunting. I't unfortunate that I can't share the experience with anyone else.

If you have kids, take them.

[Legionnaire]

Often hunt alone, but take my son when I can. I let people know where I will be, when to expect me back, and carry a cell phone to let folks know if I'm going to be delayed. And think safety!

[Art Eatman]

I guess I've hunted by myself, mostly, since I was a kid. Was with a group on a deer lease for a number of years, but in the last 17 years, I've mostly hunted alone. Most folks just can't take the time to get out to "my country".

It would do little good to tell anybody much about my going, as I'll either do okay or not--and if not, the odds of finding my dried up carcass are real poor until the buzzards come back in the spring. The country is just too big and too rugged. I'm real careful; I'm just careful faster than most folks.

FWIW, Art

[kjm]

Hunting has always been somthing we do alone in our family. We first were taken out by my father, and he supervised us during a few hunts to make sure that we got the idea, and didn't do anything stupid. After a few hunts, we were on our own. I like the peace and quiet of the early morning or late evening hunts, and you know that you won't be bothered as nobody else comes out when they know someone is hunting. It makes for real solitude, and that is one of the major reasons I go out. Frequently, I've let the poor animals go on their merry way because I realized that I wasn't out there to "kill", but rather to watch and enjoy. My wife is the real blood-thirsty hunter in the family. She doesn't go out without bagging whatever it was she was told was in season. Maybe if she had to clean them herself, she would start to enjoy the "company of solitude" too!
I have only found one other friend who was compatible with my hunting style. He always brought plenty of food, cokes, and would even clean up everything he messed up. The only other person he brought with him was his wife, and they were both good company. Seems like everyone else I've invited would bring along friends, and relatives, and just make a complete nuissance of themselves in addition to breaking at least half of the rules they were told about prior to the invite. We don't allow invitees to kill big bucks. We like to save the biguns for the kids and for breeding stock. Had one moron last season kill the best buck seen out there in a couple decades, and he was explicitly told to kill only does & spikes. His reasoning was that "he was just so pretty I couldn't help myself". Needless to say, he won't be hunting again, and if I had had my way, I would've confiscated the antlers, and/or charged a hefty restocking fee to replace him. My dad was a big softy, and let it pass. If they ain't family or damn close to it, don't take 'em.

[Patrick Graham]

I prefer the solitude of hunting alone.
I think the older a person gets the more hunting alone appeals to them.

[Art Eatman]

Thinking about this some more, I guess I separate "the hunt" into two parts: I have always liked to be alone during the actual hunt-to-shoot, but I enjoy the company of good folks around the campfire in the evening.

In my area, two or three guys walking across miles of country is generally more productive. What adds to the fun is jumping some poor piddly-diddly little four-point and hollering "Shoot him! Shoot him!" to see if you can sucker somebody into "wasting" their tag. This is part of the ancient game of teaching young hunters--and it sometimes works on "old folks".

My problem with hunting with others close by is that they want to talk, or can't walk quietly, or will get so out of position that they become a hazard if game is jumped. I have jumped a deer, looked through the scope, and there was a fella! Said fella should have been off to the side a hundred yards or so, not out in front of me! Me, I don' wanna be in his scope!

Me being me, and harking back to the comments above about safety: I've always felt safer when I'm by myself...

, Art

[Seldom]

Taking my kids and/or grandkids is very, very enjoyable for me but hunting alone, it lets me get "right with the world"!

[SnakeLover]

I probably split 50/50 on alone vs others. Almost all the time, archery hunting is done alone. The need to be quiet and/or sit still isn't something everyone can do for long periods of time.

Hunting pheasants can be either. I prefer hunting with my son, dad, brothers, uncles, etc.. because then there are always witnesses to who is the best shot!! But a quick afternoon/evening of working small plots for birds is just as fun.

Big game (elk/antelope/bear/deer) is usually also done with others, though the "hunting" part is usually in different canyons or areas. Sitting and talking around a camp fire and sharing the wealth when packing out an elk are the main reasons I enjoy the company of others.

Whichever method you prefer, continued luck to you.

[solo]

If I am not hunting with my father, then I am usually alone. Although I often hunt alone I tell my family exactly where I'll be so if something ever happened they would know where to look.

[Dagny]

I nearly always hunt alone. Part of why I hunt is to get away from people. With other hunters there is always the concern of where they are - both from a downrange standpoint and from the trying to keep together standpoint. Hunting alone permits me to impulsively go off in directions that otherwise could require consulting with partners else we would lose each other. Yes, I suppose we could use those little hand radios. But that then entails either an earpiece which cuts down on listening to the woods or a partner calling you at just the most inopportune time - either while in a squat or just getting ready to pull the trigger after many minutes of waiting.

I also rarely leave info as to where I will be going, because not even I know where I'll be.

[DAL]

I've never hunted alone, but with my stalwart small game hunting buddy (and best friend since I was 12) in Korea, I'll probably do some solo hunting this fall. I'm looking forward to it: just me, my weapon, and the great outdoors.
DAL

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Reading "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal," by Ayn Rand, should be required of every politician and in every high school.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined."
--Patrick Henry, during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution (1788)

GOA, JPFO, PPFC, CSSA, LP, ARI, NRA

[1S1K]

Most of the time i travle with a friend but we hunt alone. we know where each outheris and if were not back at camp at a preset time the outher person knows where to start looking. We have hunted like this for twenty years and it works well, Two years ago we went to a stalking mach on difernt days and chose the same path with out talking about it.

I have never hunted on land(anything bigger than a rabbit-I do plan on hunting dear and/or boar next season), but growing up in CA I was very into spearfishing and would always go out alone.

Initially I would hunt alone because it was difficult to get someone to go with me. After awhile it seemed like much more of an accomplishment to forge out alone- a mini adventure every time.

Then it settled into me enjoying the natural setting and solitude so much that it just stuck. Usually I would pick a type/size of fish that I would only be successfull about 1/4 of the time- didn't really matter if I shot something or not.

I also came to terms with being part of the food chain myself. Never really cared if others thought my activity was "dangerous", "prudent", or "a good idea"- I just went huntin', California sytle.

Regards,

Olazul

[Field-dressed]

jt
Like 1S1K, I usually hunt alone but travel to the area with a friend. In Alaska, getting there (and back) is sometimes half the fun. With a good partner, you can hunt alone for hours, then show up on the same knoll at the same time without even planning on it. Compare notes and split up again. I enjoy the solitude, changing strategies on a whim, and catching a snooze outta the rain under an old hemlock when the mood hits. You just can't do these as easily if you're tied in to a partner. I make exceptions for brown bear hunting and sometimes moose. The back-up is nice and you only want to bag 1 of those a day anyway. By all means give it a try, just leave a float/flight/hike plan with someone who gives a damn about your hide!

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Dave

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'...till you can find a rock".
Bumper Sticker

[ArmySon]

For you deer hunters that hunt alone, how do you get your game back? I make a makeshift stretcher. It's tough hauling it myself especially if I'm out a ways, but worth while once I bite into that venison yummy!

[Art Eatman]

Son, if I can't drive to him, or drag him to a road, I always figured on finding somebody to help me. If it's way, way back in the boonies, I'll butcher him out right there, put the meat in my backpack, and struggle on out.

When I'm really getting far from vehicle tracks, I even carry one of those little wire saws. I cut the top of the skull off, and just carry the horns out with me.

Knowing somebody with a horse, mule or burro helps, too...

Art? You aren't saying that you leave the meat there to rot are you?

[ArmySon]

I never considered butchering it on the spot. I guess I should check with PA DNR to find out if it's legal here in PA. Hunting season is almost here!!!! woohoo

[Dead]

Never hunted alone, prob never will. My friend and I work a team when hunting.

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Dead [Black Ops]

[Art Eatman]

Kilgore: Nope, nope, nope. Phrased it wrong. Along with the meat, I carry the horns, but not the rest of the skull.

I remember one hunt with Damron. We were hunting down along the Rio Grande back in '66 (That's 1966, Dennis, not 1866!) and the temperature was running in the high eighties. We knew from nuttin', then, about mule deer hunting; we'd walked some eight or nine miles and still were around five or more miles from camp. I looked at him; he looked at me:

"Hams, backstraps and head." Another mile.
"Hams, backstraps and horns." Another mile.
"Backstraps and horns." Another mile.
"Hell with the horns, and we'll eat him, right here!"

, Art

[This message has been edited by Art Eatman (edited August 25, 2000).]

[JayDrummond]

If you're hunting deer or other medium game, make sure you're in decent shape to haul the carcass out of the woods. Lots of deer hunters every year dying of heart attacks from packing out. (Buck's revenge?)