my wife asked me why at my age do i hunt alone??, so my question is why do others hun

After years of hunting with groups from 4-10 I just had enough of all the b.s and drama. To some it's a shooting competition, others it's about getting away from wives and #####ing about them the whole time or for some it was an excuse to party out of view of friends and family. Plus there was the whole commercialism thing of some always having to trade up to the next newest gizmo and expecting the others to follow suit to play along. Now I most often go alone or with one other person like last fall when Doug joined me for a couple days on his way through to Ontario, when I go. I love the peace and solitude. I enjoy the sights, sounds and smells with a much more renewed appreciation and I can be the one deciding to call my own shots or pass them up at my discretion.
 
The older (possibly wiser) I get, the more I like being alone. Average Joe Blow annoys the sh*t out of me. Being out in the bush alone is a wonderful experience, nothing to interfere with the peaceful solitude and beauty of nature....
 
Counterpoint. I hunt with 2 other gentlemen in their 70's, while I am a spry 50 year old. This year, we are adding a 4th to our group. He is 30 years old, and we have high hopes of continuing our group and it's ethos.

As members die, we look for others, sometimes with success, sometimes not. With hunting, the newbie has to prove they have what it takes to come with us on a couple short hunts (day hunts) to see if they will blend in well.

Once accepted, our quartet is complete. Over suppers we swap stories, reminisce about the other hunters we had in the group now, that have since passed on, and that forms part of the tradition of our group.

I like to hunt alone, but find that our group is quite tight knit. We share dinners, and our animal harvest. Equal shares for all no matter who cuts the tag.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. One day, the group of four will talk about me when I am gone from this world. I hope they laugh about me, and perhaps shed a tear, but the finest tribute will be remembered as part of the group.

I can live with that.
 
I agree with the OP and most of the replies in this thread. I ended up hunting alone for similar reasons and a few of my own reasons.

Many years ago I had a very close friend that was on the same wave length as me. Sometimes our thinking was so in sync that we scared people....lol. But when you can sit in a boat, or paddle a canoe, or hunt through the bush for hours at a time and never say a single word, know deep down inside that no matter what happens he has your back and vice versa, communicate directions or intentions without speaking, lower your rifle on a legal animal without firing a shot and not a word is said....THAT is a hunting partner. Life got in the way and we went our separate ways and I miss that partner to this very day.

But I hunt alone and my wife understands exactly how I feel about it. If something ever happens to me while I am out hunting she understands that it is my preference to go out of this world with my light shining on something that I love doing.​
 
I usually enjoy hunting alone or with a family member. I do make an exception when taking out new hunters..I have some friends I work with that are new to fishing and hunting and am trying to help them out which means added expenses and missed opportunities but its worth it.
 
I hunt alone because the other people I like are usually too busy. I would rather hunt with a good partner, but t alone is better than with a dumbass.
 
It's interesting this came up. I've only been hunting since April 2016, and have already resolved to hunt alone. My reasons are pretty similar to the OP. I've tried to bring a few friends along (I'm the one with the property), and while they initially tell me all their ideals/standards are the same, they are not. In this short time I've experienced:

- Late arrival and early departure (basically wasting my time)
- Showing up without safety equipment (harness for tree stands, etc)
- Cancellations at 4:00AM
- Shooting over my head at geese/ducks (not respecting shooting lane assignments)
- Insisting on bringing their own climbing stand (while I have multiple fixed stands in place), and then falling half-way down the tree
- Not respecting the property and laid out 4-wheeler trails

The list goes on, but I think you get the idea. I talked to my wife about it as well, and have decided it's just easier and safer for me to go it alone. Since making this decision the bounty has been plentiful (got my first buck last October, and two turkeys this spring). I also can stay out as long as I like, and there isn't anyone else in the bush making noise. I actually didn't mind not having anyone around to share in the kills, and field dressing, etc. It was actually quite fulfilling to do it on my own, on my own terms without anyone telling me I was going about it the wrong way.
 
I "only" hunt with my son. While hunting upland and waterfowl, we are together. While big game hunting, we can be 3 to 15 miles apart from each other. Likewise, as what many have stated, "solitude, peace and quiet". I love being alone watching and listening to silence. I'm in thought about many things while alone, however my mind is at peace. The lonely, remote desert of the northern boreal forest is my favorite place to be while hunting the elusive white tailed buck. Life does not get any better!
 
Im an introvert by nature, so I like to do everything alone or bymyself, because most of the time I think only I can do it perfect. (I know thats not the case 99% of the time, but its who I am)
 
I would live a person like you to teach. I will carry your bags too.
cant_rope_the_wind01 said:
well after a 1/2 a day I came up with her answer
I said honey
you asked why I hunt alone at my age
I told her
I wish I had someone to share some of the finer moments and joys I encounter out there
In my younger days I had three friends I hunted with , for 25 years
then as life would have it , with in a year my friends all passed away , due to accidents at work, cancer or some other illness
I have tried unsuccessfully to find new hunting partners over the years
I have never found what I call true sportsmen, outdoors men type of partners,
oh they all lay claim to be in the beginning
but after a few outings, their true colours come out
some are just guys wanting to shoot and kill something
some are and most of them are lazy,
none of them can appreciate, just being out there,
a beautiful sunrise, a quiet afternoon in the outdoors on a sunny hillside,
they all whine and snot and sniffle ,it costs to much, or its to much work and effort, or they have some kinda ache or pain
they have no heart , or drive , or incentive to educate themselves on hunting regulations, or ethics , of fair play , or the species of wildlife they are hunting for,
some want everything their way, when they cant have it their way every outing they throw a pout, and become want to argue and be miserable and ruin the day for themselves and others around them,
and mostly not one of them know the value of being a true friend or hunting partner
so I told my wife , I appreciate the solitude
the time alone, the time to reflect on life and appreciate all that life has offered me, the time to find me again
the time spent with my dog (who by the way is my best friend and best hunting partner I have ever had)
and if I ever had a heart attack or injured myself and passed away out in the outdoors all alone, don't cry
because I was alone,
that's the way I would rather have it then in some sick bed under a roof
and that's why I hunt alone
there was more said but in general that was my answer
then that blushing bride of mine looked at me and said
well you put like a dream of some sort , or a story in romance novel,
she said she now understood, and wouldn't bug me to take someone again
Click to expand...
 
My hunting partner and best friend succumbed to illness, so then I tried some new partners.
They just werent as committed, and bailed so I hunted alone. Have to admit I really enjoyed the solitude.
My wife (65 yrs young) was concerned so I got a Spot, but then she went the next step and got her Rpal and passed Core.
So now she is my steady partner. She took the BCWF BOW course, field dressed a dead goat, joined the range with me, and she can shoot.
I bought her a new rifle for xmas, and hopefully this season she will draw her first blood.
When our non-hunting friends ask if I'm going hunting this fall, she proudly says we are both going, and she says it with excitement.
I knew she was a keeper 35 yrs ago. Life is good!
 
I find 2 hunters are 4 times as noisy as 1 and 3 hunters 9 times as noisy as 1 and so on.
Walking in the bush quietly is an acquired skill not many of the young ones have bothered to acquire.
My observation also is that not that many of the new generation of hunters are patient enough to stay parked on a watch (tree stand or ground blind) for hours.
Tried hunting with 'the next generation' a couple of times but when beer cans and 26ers started showing up on the hunt with loaded guns we soon parted company.
So now that many of my old seasoned hunting buddies have passed I usually (not always) hunt alone.
 
as soon as you get a group of guys together , they all start whining about work kids politics immigration you name it . I like quiet but use a gps
 
I was spoiled by being raised by a father who loved to hunt and passed that and a wealth of knowledge on to me. We hunted together for as long as father time would allow and when the day finally came when he could no longer could walk the distances required, he packed it in saying he was never going to be a truck hunter. Dad still enjoys hearing about my latest hunting exploit and is pleased his great -grand children are starting to get involved in this great activity. (using some of his hand me down guns). Since he quit, I have been solo for quite a few years, never having any desire to replace him, but am hoping one of the grandkids and I can enjoy some time like my dad and I did.
 
Eenie said:
I hunt alone for all the aforementioned reasons. It's just easier and more enjoyable. I still party hunt for moose as this guarantees us a tag. Maybe we should start another thread titled " What you don't like about the hunt camp !!!" such as the guy with borderline sleep apnea who takes snoring to a whole new level, or the world class farter who could gag a maggot!
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To hell with borderline sleep apnea. My buddy has it bad, he stops breathing multiple times through the night (only for a few seconds usually, but can go for up to 30sec or so) and snores loud enough to make a chain saw seem like an acceptable white noise machine.

I figure he's good to keep around though, because it'll either scare away the bears, or he'll be the first one the bears try to eat. Lol


I'm torn. Im a very social person in general, I love hanging with my friends. The problem is none of them want to hunt like me. They all prefer to drive around all day where I prefer to park the truck and walk. Mr. Chainsaw snore has an excuse, two bum knees means he can't go far on foot, but my other friends have no excuse. I have one "friend" who hunts like I do, but he's one of those know it all types that make you wanna hit something after listening to him yammer on for a while.

I would say my hunting is about 50/50 solo and not. If I had like minded, able bodied friends who wanted to hunt like I do I'd rarely hunt alone though.

The one nice thing about my group of friends is we share everything. Need a piece of gear that someone else has and isn't using? Borrow it. Got an animal? Share it. One friend is a butcher by trade so he does a lot of that work, my other buddy loves running the grinder, we all collectively bought a smoker... It really helps with the costs of gear when you can split costs 3 or 4 ways.
 
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