What to do when you grow tired of the hunt? - Page 3

Longshot4 · January 21, 2015, 12:11 PM

I have hunted for the last 5x years. Reloading keeps me going. Squirrels have recently renewed my skills out to a good distance. Head shots of Corse. Taking the grand kids out is also great. And there is nothing like a limit of Walleye out of 60' deep five mile an hour current. But Reloading and punching bug holes in a target is probably my most favorite challenge.

Art Eatman · January 21, 2015, 08:40 PM

For me--now a certified Olde Phart--it's not tiring of hunting so much as a far more relaxed attitude. Same as the other Olde Pharts I watched during my own eager-hunter years.

A change in relative importance, I guess. Less about the chase and the shot, though they're still there, and more about the companionship around a campfire and some focus on passing along one's knowledge to a younger generation.

I can't do those ten to fifteen miles in a day's walking hunting, anymore, but I can darned sure hunt the campfire!

603Country · January 22, 2015, 10:34 AM

That's well said, and I'm also taking (usually) a relaxed attitude toward hunting. Also, I'm lucky enough to live where I hunt, so no big production is required for me to go hunting. I grab a rifle and walk to the back whenever I want to. It's coyote season now, and that season never closes, so the 223 remains on call.

Saltydog235 · January 22, 2015, 11:36 AM

I too live in a place where I can enjoy the outdoors merely by traveling basically to my back yard. I still get that anticipation before every season. Once hunting season is over, I get ready for fishing. With two young sons who are just beginning to learn and do it, I get more excited about their experiences than I do my own. My oldest boy is going to be 7 staring the fishing season, I cannot wait for him to have his first go at a full offshore trip. And next deer season, I'm going to have him ready to squeeze a trigger. We've been looking at youth rifles a good bit lately.

wild willy · January 22, 2015, 03:37 PM

I like to hunt and I like to fish if I'am hunting somewhere and I need a little break I go fishing.

thallub · January 22, 2015, 05:24 PM

i go trap hogs like this one:

And these:

georgianative · January 23, 2015, 05:11 PM

Just take a break. Wait till you get the itch.
Mentoring a kid would be good too.

psalm7 · January 23, 2015, 06:16 PM

5 years . Waite till you start mesuring time in decades . If I were to tire of hunting I would start doing some sierous soul searching to see whats wrong with me . Sometimes I do just decide to stay home but ofcorse I work 60 hours a week and pick what I do in my spare time closely .
Thats a ugly hog in that trap .

nickE10mm · January 24, 2015, 08:47 PM

I, personally, NEVER tire of the "hunt" ... but have occasionally tired of a location or region. I like to keep my options open. But the hunt itself is what drives me to attend work every day to earn vacation time.

lol

Picher · January 25, 2015, 09:33 AM

I used to love shooting competitions, from turkey shoots, starting around 21 yrs old (1 shot per target @ 100 yards) to various handgun and rifle competitions, terminating with .22 Rimfire Benchrest. Haven't competed for a couple of years now and don't miss it.

I love to hunt, but being almost 71, find that it's more enjoyable to teach my grandkids and others to shoot well and hunt. I've helped 5 grandkids learn to shoot better just last fall and two went on to get deer on Youth Day. A third entered Army training and did very well there. Another of the 5 joined the high school shooting team and is doing well, despite physical challenges. Also I got three adults into shooting the past year.

Teaching others to shoot is quite rewarding, and I like to do gunsmithing work as well, but don't do it as a business, just for the fun of making guns better.

We've had a home in the country for 10 years now and I love walking out back, either to shoot or hunt, especially hunting coyotes, but don't do it at night.

My advice is to get a new gun, do some shooting, handloading, and hunting with it. Find new friends to go hunting/shooting with, and take in some gun shows, etc.

January 24, 2015, 08:47 PM	#59
nickE10mm Member Join Date: October 9, 2004 Location: Missouri Posts: 91	EH? I, personally, NEVER tire of the "hunt" ... but have occasionally tired of a location or region. I like to keep my options open. But the hunt itself is what drives me to attend work every day to earn vacation time. lol __________________ www.twitter.com/nickE10mm

January 21, 2015, 12:11 PM	#51
Longshot4 Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2014 Posts: 868	I have hunted for the last 5x years. Reloading keeps me going. Squirrels have recently renewed my skills out to a good distance. Head shots of Corse. Taking the grand kids out is also great. And there is nothing like a limit of Walleye out of 60' deep five mile an hour current. But Reloading and punching bug holes in a target is probably my most favorite challenge.

January 21, 2015, 08:40 PM	#52
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	For me--now a certified Olde Phart--it's not tiring of hunting so much as a far more relaxed attitude. Same as the other Olde Pharts I watched during my own eager-hunter years. A change in relative importance, I guess. Less about the chase and the shot, though they're still there, and more about the companionship around a campfire and some focus on passing along one's knowledge to a younger generation. I can't do those ten to fifteen miles in a day's walking hunting, anymore, but I can darned sure hunt the campfire!

January 22, 2015, 10:34 AM	#53
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	That's well said, and I'm also taking (usually) a relaxed attitude toward hunting. Also, I'm lucky enough to live where I hunt, so no big production is required for me to go hunting. I grab a rifle and walk to the back whenever I want to. It's coyote season now, and that season never closes, so the 223 remains on call.

January 22, 2015, 11:36 AM	#54
Saltydog235 Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2010 Location: Pawleys Island Posts: 1,563	I too live in a place where I can enjoy the outdoors merely by traveling basically to my back yard. I still get that anticipation before every season. Once hunting season is over, I get ready for fishing. With two young sons who are just beginning to learn and do it, I get more excited about their experiences than I do my own. My oldest boy is going to be 7 staring the fishing season, I cannot wait for him to have his first go at a full offshore trip. And next deer season, I'm going to have him ready to squeeze a trigger. We've been looking at youth rifles a good bit lately.

January 22, 2015, 03:37 PM	#55
wild willy Senior Member Join Date: March 8, 2006 Posts: 404	I like to hunt and I like to fish if I'am hunting somewhere and I need a little break I go fishing.

January 22, 2015, 05:24 PM	#56
thallub Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Location: South Western OK Posts: 3,112	i go trap hogs like this one: And these:

January 23, 2015, 05:11 PM	#57
georgianative Junior Member Join Date: January 21, 2015 Location: N Atlanta suburbs Posts: 7	Just take a break. Wait till you get the itch. Mentoring a kid would be good too.

January 23, 2015, 06:16 PM	#58
psalm7 Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2014 Location: Middle TN Posts: 543	5 years . Waite till you start mesuring time in decades . If I were to tire of hunting I would start doing some sierous soul searching to see whats wrong with me . Sometimes I do just decide to stay home but ofcorse I work 60 hours a week and pick what I do in my spare time closely . Thats a ugly hog in that trap .

January 25, 2015, 09:33 AM	#60
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I used to love shooting competitions, from turkey shoots, starting around 21 yrs old (1 shot per target @ 100 yards) to various handgun and rifle competitions, terminating with .22 Rimfire Benchrest. Haven't competed for a couple of years now and don't miss it. I love to hunt, but being almost 71, find that it's more enjoyable to teach my grandkids and others to shoot well and hunt. I've helped 5 grandkids learn to shoot better just last fall and two went on to get deer on Youth Day. A third entered Army training and did very well there. Another of the 5 joined the high school shooting team and is doing well, despite physical challenges. Also I got three adults into shooting the past year. Teaching others to shoot is quite rewarding, and I like to do gunsmithing work as well, but don't do it as a business, just for the fun of making guns better. We've had a home in the country for 10 years now and I love walking out back, either to shoot or hunt, especially hunting coyotes, but don't do it at night. My advice is to get a new gun, do some shooting, handloading, and hunting with it. Find new friends to go hunting/shooting with, and take in some gun shows, etc.