Have you ever lost your motivation

I am currently in this lack of motivation Funk. My son left for college in Alberta at the beginning of September. He is my friend and motivation to hunt. I sure miss him. I have gone hunting with my wife, and we enjoy the time away but the freezer is currently full of beef and we don't really need a deer. I was considering doing more waterfowl hunting as we had a springer that was just coming into her own and would have been a joy to shoot over, but we lost her last week. So now my four legged friend is gone too. She was probably the best dog we have had in 40 years. I am totally bummed out. I actually had a coyote wandering around our back field for about an hour the other day and just couldn't bring myself to get the gun and duff him. One of my daughters suggested we should go deer hunting together in October. I got her on to a good buck last fall but I tried to get her in a better position and he bailed. I might have to take her up on it but right now I don't know.
We are flying our son home for Thanksgiving so maybe we will shoot a few ducks together and the motivation will come back.
 
I think you should take your daughter hunting, she may not be your son but she is family and she wants to spend time with you.

Last month I lost a friend of 35 years. We had hunted and fished and travelled a lot over the years. I am struggling with it but I am trying to make the best of it.

If I cannot go fishing with my friend, I can at least take his son fishing. I am going fishing with another guy I know, he had lost his best friend of 70 years, we have both lost a good friend, it's time to make new hunting companions. Take care.
 
It can be tough to find a hunting partner for sure. I have been hunting on my own the last couple of years. It is not nearly as fun when you are alone, and it can be downright stressful backcountry camping in grizz country with animals visiting the tent at night. When you have a family you don't exactly want to become a meal for some critter. I am doing my best to get out this year, but I find the motivation is a little less when you go out by yourself.
 
The Grizzlies are a lot less dangerous than the terrain or weather, Dogleg and I had one visit our camp at night a few weeks ago. Might have been the same one he tagged a couple hundred yards away a couple days later. Or it might have been one of the half dozen other Grizzlies within long rifle shot of camp. Moral being don't sweat the bears, they're a lot less dangerous than simply being alone and falling or getting a stick in the eye etc.

I think the biggest part about having hunting partners is it helps in the justification, and I mean that as a good thing. To your wife you're able so say "John and I are going hunting," not "I'm leaving alone, likely back in a week.", and when things get down, as in no animals or terrible weather, or heck post success field dressing alone in the rain or snow, the chit chat and coffee or scotch raises spirits. I'm blessed my brother prefers the bush to the house, not hard getting him out the door, when he quits one day I suspect I'll truly see what this thread's about. Or, hopefully my sons take over then and wheel me about.
 
I'd be curious as to how much this possible loss of motivation affects guides and professional hunters. It obviously occurs in varying degrees to some recreational hunters and not to others...how much worse, or better, will it be for guys who do this professionally, either full- or part-time? Angus, I'll bet that during the planning of your entry into the world of outfitting and guiding, you probably gave this a bit of thought. I don't doubt that in five or ten years your drive to hunt will be as strong as it is now...I'm talking about the old-timers with decades behind them, and in many cases no other line of work to fall back on or depend upon. A PH that I hunted with in Africa was afflicted by this. In his 50's at that time (within a year of my own age when we hunted together), he had hunted professionally for many years, and he admitted that he no longer had any interest in hunting for himself anymore, with the exception of an animal or two each year for meat. I felt sad for him; he seemed to regret not the lack of hunting he did himself, but rather the loss of the motivation to do such.

A couple of times in my lifetime I have "switched gears", so to speak, and tried totally different lines of work. I am fortunate to be semi-retired from a trade which would allow me to basically drop the tools, dabble in some other line of work to see how I liked it, and then return to my original trade with nothing lost and much life experience gained. Both times I left the toolbox behind I accepted a job in an area of endeavour that rotated around one of my hobbies or interests...each time I thought that I had found the ultimate career, that I would be one of those rare and fortunate folk who "love what they do". Instead, I found that I was starting to do what I loved...but by turning it into my livelihood, I quickly took the joy out of the subject matter, so that it simply became work. Both times I returned to the trades within a year...my interest in one of those lifelong passions vanished completely, but fortunately the other was rekindled once the aspect of work was removed.
 
Oh it's taken hold already, I haven't hunted for myself this year and gave up the opportunity to, to go off and make some extra money at work to slap against the territory's costs. No plans to hunt for myself here out either, as it's all time away from home, and mix the outfitting in with the day job flying up north and I'm lucky to be home five days a month in fall now, that's been this season's average anyhow. Not a sob story, love it, however taking those five days to go hunt for myself dwindles in importance now from time and money perspectives. Time, I now want to spend with the family as I'm in the field a good month cumulatively for fall, and money to pay off the hunting territory and gear which also equates to time, just spread out over the rest of the year. Like most of us I need two of me, a clone would be a damn handy thing.

Further to your thought, a friend (we all call our favourite PH's friends!) and PH in Zim says hunting's the last thing he wants to do when off, he loves to fish. Another good PH rushes off home to France anytime he can to hunt Roe Deer, despite hunting dangerous game professionally. I hope I'm in the latter camp... though I do love to fish. I suspect upland will be my sanctuary, a lot different than the outfitting, and always loved it.
 
I’m having a harder and harder time forcing myself to get off my ass to go out. Its comfortable laying on the couch flipping thru TV channels or fiddling around with machinery in the garage. It seems like a hassle to gear up and go, but once I’m out in the bush it’s all good, and I like it.

Maybe it’s because I go out hunting too much, I bow hunt and shotgun grouse hunt through Sept & Oct, rifle hunt in Nov and then coyote hunt through the winter until March. I probably average 40-50 days a year hunting and always alone except for the occasional goose hunt with my brother.
 
I don't have a problem with getting out but find that I mostly end up exploring with a rifle and my dog. It's still enjoyable and Lucy my loyal friend seems to enjoy it either way.
 
If you ever loose your motivation all you have to do is go buy the sausages that are sold at the major food chain stores then you will get right back on track. That what I have discovered.
 
i'm 28 been hunting sense i was 18 seen 2 does shot n missed 2nd time out hunting, sense then seen nothing hunted in a bunch of different spots around ontario,for all differnent kinds of animal, drove for hours and hours to get to them and come out empty handed. My dad never hunted and only me and one brother of mine hunt, he wont go hunting with me because he only hunts deer and only in northern ont and i mean north few hours north of Kanora. So i'm stuck hunting alone on crown land, can't afford my own land now. Between driving so far and having shots go off right beside me and never catching anything and always hunting alone...starting to lose hope been 10 years and have nothing to show for it, constantly get laughted at by everyone for never bringing home meat, but at the end of it all even though i'm starting to lose motivation, i do believe i will keep hunting i just went out yesterday caught nothing but seen more of beautiful northern Ont in the land I love CANADA!! I always remember this is a tradition, this pass time makes us Canadian, it puts food on the table (in most peoples cases) and makes us not rely on grocery store and most importantly makes us not turn yuppie!

Once i keep that all in my mind i kick my ars out of bed and haul out and take my gun/bow for a walk, maybe one day i'll catch something other then a cold.
 
I to went through a stage where the desire and urge and motivation totally left me
I had 3 hunting and best friends pass away all with in 8 months
the urge just wasn't there
then a series of 7 heart attacks
I never hunted for 5 years
then my daughter asked if I would take her hunting
I gave her a 243
and took her and showed her my best secret hunting spots but never connected with anything
then she went out and got a beautiful 5x5 wt buck on her own
now her son and daughter make an annual trip for a week just to hunt waterfowl with their old gramps
this keeps my life worth living and the anticipation of hunting with my daughter and grand children makes every day
of my life worth looking forward to the next time we share a goose blind
or set up decoys
or set up a tree stand or ground blind for ELK deer moose
its time to get another Chesapeake bay retriever ( anyone know where I can get a good registered one from??)
my new found desire and hunting enthusiasm has more desire and is imbedded in my soul more then it ever was
my daughter and grand children are the safest and most knowledgeable hunting partners I have ever had in my 58 years of hunting
I have other hunting partners that are lazy and are not true sportsmen that don't practice conservation and ethical hunting and don't respect wild life
they are so tight with their hunting funds you cant drive a flax seed up their arss with a post maul
I rather hunt alone then with them because of this they are better off to sit on the couch and watch wild tv
but when it comes to hunting with my grand children and daughter it makes it all worth it
they live in Alberta I live in Saskatchewan
but every day we exchange pictures or inquire each other has done during hunting season
we quiz each other constantly about hunting regulations or animal habitats and habits
so don't totally give up hunting
take a break pick up a camera try wild life photography if you don't feel like packing a rifle or putting up with the BS of cheap arssed lazy un ethical hunting partners
or just enjoy nature and the outdoors at its finest
 
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misfits said:
i'm 28 been hunting sense i was 18 seen 2 does shot n missed 2nd time out hunting, sense then seen nothing hunted in a bunch of different spots around ontario,for all differnent kinds of animal, drove for hours and hours to get to them and come out empty handed. My dad never hunted and only me and one brother of mine hunt, he wont go hunting with me because he only hunts deer and only in northern ont and i mean north few hours north of Kanora. So i'm stuck hunting alone on crown land, can't afford my own land now. Between driving so far and having shots go off right beside me and never catching anything and always hunting alone...starting to lose hope been 10 years and have nothing to show for it, constantly get laughted at by everyone for never bringing home meat, but at the end of it all even though i'm starting to lose motivation, i do believe i will keep hunting i just went out yesterday caught nothing but seen more of beautiful northern Ont in the land I love CANADA!! I always remember this is a tradition, this pass time makes us Canadian, it puts food on the table (in most peoples cases) and makes us not rely on grocery store and most importantly makes us not turn yuppie!

Once i keep that all in my mind i kick my ars out of bed and haul out and take my gun/bow for a walk, maybe one day i'll catch something other then a cold.
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That's a total bummer man, I feel yer pain. Impressed that yer gonna stick with it though.
I couldn't live in eastern canada, sounds like for most folks , hunting is a challenge, with some exceptions here n there of course.
I'd suggest trying to hook up with some hunters through a fish n game club or something. I too was a self taught hunter and was unsuccessful at big game for my first 5 years.... And I live in BC LOL pretty sad.
Keep at it, one day it "will" come together for ya ;)
 
:)When I originally posted this it was looking like I was going to pass on this season. A few days ago my daughter who is off at university texted me asking if I was going to make any sausage this year. I kind of chuckled thinking now that she has to buy her own groceries dad's home made sausage are starting to look pretty good and you can't beat the price. I finally went and bought my licence the day before the muzzle loading season opened.

My plan was to go to my favourite spot after work but delay after delay getting going got me cranky and wondering why should I even bother. Finally arrived at my spot a good hour later than I wanted to be out there. As I snuck out to my stand sure as s**t there was a deer feeding right where I needed to be and he saw me. Oh well at least I saw something. But when he busted me I just froze then I remembered a little trick a fellow told me.

He said to flash the palm of your hand occasionally from your side. He claims it,simulates a flicking white tail,and puts the deer at ease. What the hell I tried it and it worked the buck went back to feed in and it gave me a chance to settle in for the shot.

The bullet hit where it was supposed to and after a short stint of tracking on a blood trail a blind man could follow there was my nice spiker meat buck. Just what I needed to make some deer sausage for my girl. My season lasted exactly 10 minutes but it was a pleasant evening in the end even with all the BS I went through in just trying to get out.

For the rest of the fall I think I will just take the dog out and work on water retrieves till I can count on him to do what he is supposed to. This year hunting season was short and sweet but hopefully I can keep the motivation going over the winter. The land owner said he had piles of coyotes around his place and maybe some varmint hunting will happen.

For all of you guys that have shared the same loss of the passion for hunting I have been going through keep posting and encouraging because we all need it.

By the way I will post a pic tomorrow even if it is just a spike buck so I don't get called a Bullsh*tter because that seems to be the rule here LOL:)


 
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