Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game How often do you hunt alone?

Wow, that sounds familiar. When I do hunt with friends, I end up bring the one who leads, brings extra gear, supplies gear, gas truck, etc.

I seem to have very little luck with finding quality hunting partners. Also, I tend to enjoy my time alone while hunting. Hunting for me is not always the social good-times type deal that it is for others.

I have a tag on a game range known for its griz, including a man-eater in 2005. I will still likely hunt alone there, at least some of the time.

I have identified a few that I would likely enjoy hunting with, but they are very much like me, and as such we rarely if ever will find a way to make it work. Call me selfish, but I do expect a lot out of my hunting partners, as I have very little time to actually hunt due to professional and family obligations.

Just another grmupy 36-yr old.

Shortside
Lolo, MT

I never understood these hunters either.If i need a backpack to carry it i probally don't need it.

I hunt alone more now than ever. There are few folks with whom I want to be with on a serious hunt. Those short list spots have been earned. My wife (and I'll admit, myself much of the time) prefer that I go with someone else in to the backcountry.

Exactly the same here.

JCM

There are not many I'll hunt with, but those handful are there on time, do their share of the work etc.... I find that I"m thankful that I have probably about 3-4 partners like that.

The rest of the time, I don't care if I have to go alone. I"ll certainly do it alone except for running my airboat to duck hunt, that I have to have one other person along. Personal rules.

Most of the time I hunt alone, but I appreciate a body that will hold a leg while I gut! Shared a hunt with 3 friends these past 2 weekends. They all killed and I had a great time. I never pulled a trigger.

75% of the time it's just me and my two 12 y/o boys. I get annoyed really quickly that call too much in the blind or don't follow the rules when hunting over my dog. I do have one reliable hunting budy that I like to hunt with. Hard to come by though.

I enjoy taking people hunting and having them be successful. My early hunting was mainly duck hunting. I enjoyed the company of other hunters but went by myself if I really wanted to kill some ducks. I doubt I could physically do some of the things I did duck hunting by myself 40 years ago and usually take someone with me. I hunt mainly deer these days and hunt by myself most of the time because I generally hunt on the spur of the moment when the spirit moves me to spend some time in the woods. For example, I put up a new bow hunting stand last week and may try it out tomorrow. I may just spend some time on a tractor getting ready for gun season. I will know tomorrow when I decide. I do like to have friends come down and hunt with me. I have gotten to the place that I would rather see one of my guests take a nice deer than shoot one myself. I will have friends and family coming in for the opening of gun season and hope they get to shoot some of the big bucks I have been feeding all summer.

I have only been elk hunting once and hunted with a guide and my brother. That was an interesting experience not being the one who knew how the game was played. I am a DIY type person and would like to become comfortable enough with the ins and outs of elk hunting to be able to go it alone.

99%
Haven't gone with or taken someone with in over 20 years.

99% here also.

Alone 90% of the time. My boys when available. The only other one I can "trust" is my brother. He got me hooked on hunting, so I bring him along as "punishment".

not much at all anymore.....due to health reasons, ive had several knee surgeries and the ligaments are stretched out and they want to bend in ways they arent supposed to from time to time and if that happens ild have to crawl out on my hands and knees...so i hunt with my wife, my kids, my brother and one buddy....when in the back of your mind your thinking you might have to rely on the other person to get help for yah cause anyone else yah trust is hours away it kinda changes who your willing to hunt with...

Where are you hunting? Come hunt Dall's for 10 days and try to find someone to carry all you rgear for you.

Anyway, I'm solo about 75-80 percent of the time, the exceptions being small game and birds, because that is about camaraderie and what not as much as anything. I'll be huting deer with an almost 6 year old in Gerogia (my son) in a few weeks, and I'm sur that'll be a quick "hunt" I try to tell him sitting on a deer stand is boreing but we'll have a blast walking around the woods spooking deer and looking at sign.

Left the house yesterday at 4 A.M....alone,hunted all day..alone,drove home alone...ass dragging tag in pocket.Walking in door I'm thinking hope this isn't the sign of a loner.Honestly wouldn't mind company,but most don't seem to want to do the work or want to make a competition out of the experience.

Well, I'm still a very new hunter. I just got my 1st deer last season. It was a group hunt with 4 people. It was an awsome experience, but This year, I'm hunting with the group for 2 days and then hunting by my self durring the weekedays. There was a lot of waking up late and taking forever waiing on people to get out in the field and everyone coming out of concealment every hour or two to chat in a group. It was fun, but like others have stated, there was a lot of socializing going on and it probably kept the older deer away. also a lot of coming and going to get forgotten items. a group is great when you want to do drives though. I got my deer the first weekend, then the following weekend I had 2 does walk up and eat about 16 yards from me. I flicked a leaf to send them away from me to the other guy's tree stand since he hadn't gotten one yet and it was also his first deer hunt. Over all a pretty good and safe group, just need to get out earlier and move around a little less.

Oh and to answer the question,95% of the time huntin alone.

With the exception of a few day hunts, most of my outings are extended trips of 10 to 21 days, typically with a party of 3. We hunt as individuals, but do have one another's company in camp and packing assistance. In instances where only one may have a tag, then we may be out as a group sharing in the scouting and spotting efforts.

We are a well tuned group and know one another's talents and weaknesses (about 29 years together). No whiners, and each of us fully expects to be left behind if we are late. When it comes to hunting or fishing, I wait for no one.

I've become very much a lone hunter. Few guys can take a month or two out of their busy lives to hunt.
The places I go are hard to hunt. They are all public land and require alot of effort and patience. Often a long walk in the dark, with lots of climbing in very cold weather. Or it might involve lots of rough 4WD time over very rough ground looking for tracks. After a few days, many want to give it up.
I've had some great partners. The one I still have has scheduling difficulties. We have a hard time getting together at all. Another lives in another state now and has some serious health issues. Still another divorced me !
I go anyway. I love being out there with a gun, hunting. Even just being there is worth it. My family has resoved to not worry about me. If I don't come back one day, they hope somebody will find my remains. Well, at least I leave them a note as to where I went. E

when i hunted maine never it seemed like everyone enjoyed hunting and sharing each others company and experience. moved to n. c. years ago to find no one hunts together are right ugly about their hunting territory and equally possessive. hunt alone 100% of the time. avoid confrontations that way.

i would like to add i was hunting a piece about half mile behind my house and was challenge for a permission slip to hunt there and threatened to have the law turned on me for hunting his property illigal. the only problem was he was on my land and needless to say the land is now posted. no one is welcome.