Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Least Favorite Part of Deer Hunting

For me sitting waiting/freezing for a deer to walk past when I lived in PA. I froze as a youngster but it didn't deter me because I loved hunting. First thing I bout when I was gainful employed were Lacrosse shoe packs my brother in law still has/uses them 30 years later. I became a still hunter by choice and hunting for me is now a pleasant stroll (painfully slow) through the mountains of Colorado. I started in PA but it's tough with all of the hunters sitting, kind of messes things up for them. Where I hunt now if I see one hunter a day it's a crowd, love it! As I've aged it is easier to move slower some out of necessity but more really due to experience. I am pretty good at it now, ahh to be young again, I could have taught myself something. No matter, better gear and patience make my deer hunting now much more pleasurable.

That would have serious repercussions with physical contact upon their faces...We call it “Hunters Re-Education with Fists & Fear”. And, it really works. 😎

Wounding A deer or any animal and not recovering it is the worst.

Everything that follows the shot. Favorite aspect is everything associated with just being out there. I've been known to spend a week or more on hunts where I don't even have a tag. More than happy to just be there.

There are many valid complaints brought up on this thread (hiking into an ATV area and then having ATVs come cruising along is near the top) but if I had to pick my least favorite, it's hands down losing an animal you've shot.

Not having enough Tags! I think we all could say that. Dealing with and being around "Slob Hunters" is my Pet Peeve.

Yeah, know what you're speaking of, don't like it either.

Least favorite part of deer hunting? Thats easy, for Me its Gettin up in the morning 2 1/2 hours before daylight 😩😩😩.......Hb

Gutting and dragging.

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^^This.^^

Clean, takes surprisingly little time, cools meat fast, nothing to get rid of when you arrive home.

Re the boogeyman of unknown body weight: From experience, I'd bet that the national average weight of a boned out deer will not break 50 lbs. Not many will bone out to 70 lbs. We live and hunt where all but our island blacktails are larger than national average. That said, scale weights of some of our boned out deer have ranged from:

36 lbs. for a Vancouver Island spike;
42, 45, 48 etc. for several average mainland blacktails, (not counting some larger old bucks unweighed);
55-70 lbs. for several mule deer does and fork horns;
mid-60-70 lb. range for some two and three year old big northern whitetails.

And then the BIG ones:
97, 105 and 115 lbs. for huge N. Cascade hybrid mule deer blacktail cross bucks;
120 lbs. for one enormous central British Columbia mule deer. Hard to imagine a deer that big, and they look like a different species.

If you get a monster to pack out, be grateful. For 98% of deer, much easier to carry 40-50 lbs. than drag 120 over logs etc.

A meat packing tale: My grandsons ages 18 and 19 bow hunted a Sept.1 weekend in WA off a popular backpack trail. Lots of yuppie hikers. The boys deliberately left the unskinned lower legs from a buck intact so that each of them had two deer legs with hooves sticking out the top of their packs on the 5 mile trail out. They have backpacked boned out stuff since age 8 but they enjoyed the conversations the deer legs elicited from Seattle folks.

Having to gut and skin one in the dark because it's to warm to let it hang when it's my turn to cook supper.

The season being over.

1. losing an animal (twice in 33 years of hunting)
2. Frozen hands (all the time below 35 anymore)

Yup. I'm thinking about giving that part up.

Maybe that is just the masochist in me, but I like that part.

Least favorite part of deer hunting?

Finding a deer stand on my land, no IDTag ( required in Maine), no permission.

Similarly, coming across another hunter on my land while I’m out hunting. I ask him to respect the landowners posted signs of “ hunting by landowner written permission only.” They then tell me they “ HAVE written permission from the land owner.”, then get assertive and ask me, “ Who the hell do you think you are? The forest police?” I then quietly answer, “ I am the landowner, and I did not give you written permission to hunt on my land.”

Seems to happen every couple of years. Sad. No respect. My peaceful time in the woods hunting is yanked away from me with treassers. I do give a couple of people written permission to hunt on my land, but it is dated when I will not be there. I pay the taxes on my land, I’m entitled to enjoy the fruits of my labor. It seems to be getting worse.

I'm sure I all ready posted on this thread, but another "least favorite" thought comes to mind.

Knowing that all the original members of our camp, including my father are long gone. Time marches on, and the only thing that stays the same, is things change.

Here's to all the camps that lost a member recently, and those who still struggle with the memory of those that went before us to make camp a special place.

We refer to the original members of our camp as The Olde Guard, and are very greatful for the legacy they created for us. Here's to Dad, Bud, Bert, Charlie, and Corely. And to the guys from Camp Bozo across the trail: Ray, Gomer, Ben, Wes, and Tim. Sadly all, gone on now to hunt in a far better place.

The stories from day of yore with these, fine men bring both smiles and tears.

Hang in there boys. We'll hunt together again soon.

Leaving camp and whenever an old timer passes on.

In an odd way I enjoy the final clean up and inspection of the camp before closing it. It is a time for personal reflection.

Cleaning and processing the deer.