Help me out here...

[hobbes]

Everyone's a badass backcountry hunter these days.

 

[TurboSportTSi]

I know what he's talking about I saw a couple. Talking about guilt from home, disconnect from others etc. I don't get it either but have taken a lot of guys up the mountain and have seen the breakdowns happen. I love my family. Pretty sure they know me and that high country life is part of me and accept it. But if I don't have enough time alone u guys would probably see me on the news. Hell I don't even take a fone with me after 22 years my wife knows if I tell her I'm gone for 3 days don't worry till after 5.

Time alone and without internet/cell doesn't bother me and I tend to prefer it a lot of the time...but i have noticed that the guilt of being away and the worry about the family has drastically increased since my kid was born a few years ago. Hoping an inReach with 2-way check-ins will help that. We shall see.

 

[Rich M]

Did you need some reassurance you are tough? Big pat on your back big boy. You are a super tough mountain man!

I can’t hunt 7 days straight. I guess I’m a puss. Getting up at 330am and getting back to camp at 10pm 7 days in a row isn’t my idea of a good time. I usually cover 10-15 miles a day if I’m looking for elk. Not all of us can be as manly as the OP.

Everyone's a badass backcountry hunter these days.

You guys took the post wrong. I'm not challenging anyone's manhood - just curious what the issues are. Guarantee you that I could not keep up with any of you in the mountains - and I'm not gonna try. Just no desire to hunt along the spine of the world, as beautiful as it is.

Folks talk mental about for back country, but also for flat land & farm hunting too. What about the guys in elaborate camps who up & leave early? It is a widespread thing I'm asking about.

Maybe it is just as easy as whatever it is that has someone saying "this isn't worth it to me" and heading home.

It might also be that marathon runner type of mental that we are talking about. They say the hardest thing about running a marathon is keeping your head in the game. The folks who quit could have done it if they just would have kept their feet moving. (I work with marathon runners - again no desire)

So far I'm seeing:

Physical aspects - ability and endurance suitable to the situation.

Kids and family concerns - totally understandable - you never get that time back and kids are notorious for doing stuff.

Solitude - we are a communal species.

Trophy - some guys set the bar high and others just want to see things (mountains, artifacts, etc.) What if you pass the biggest buck you are gonna see and then can't find it the last day? Or don't see anything at all.

Maybe the "need" to get a certain level trophy. It's up to a guy to decide that stuff for himself.

Stress of the trip living up to expectations - "need" that trophy, or maybe too many other guys in the area, someone took your camp site, etc.

Survival - bears, slippery slopes, lose rocks, injuries, etc.

Temperature - comfort, safety.



The hardest thing for me is being deaf - life is basically visual for me. Glassing is fun - at least I'm not spooking stuff, yet I was raised hunting in eastern timber and routinely hunt very thick woods. It can get very frustrating and I usually hunt 7-10 days a year (game or no game) and then it is over. I have no desire to hunt more than 10 days if I'm not seeing stuff and likewise will only hunt about 10 days, even if I see stuff.

10 days is my mental shutoff. So we have a 3 week season, I hunt 10 days. Might go back for the last weekend but would not hunt the full 21 days.

 

[RMac5]

It’s probably a lot harder and more physical than they ever imagined, not to mention the mental piece.
Some people need constant communication with their family/friends and just get homesick. I enjoy solitude, for a certain amount of days then I’m ready to see my wife and twins.

 

[kiddogy]

Who needs 6-7 days? Day one kill elk, day two pack it out.

for the past 4 years out of 5, I've done it all in one . coarse I been huntin cow elk and it's only half hour drive from home.

 

[kiddogy]

You guys took the post wrong. I'm not challenging anyone's manhood - just curious what the issues are. Guarantee you that I could not keep up with any of you in the mountains - and I'm not gonna try. Just no desire to hunt along the spine of the world, as beautiful as it is.

Folks talk mental about for back country, but also for flat land & farm hunting too. What about the guys in elaborate camps who up & leave early? It is a widespread thing I'm asking about.

Maybe it is just as easy as whatever it is that has someone saying "this isn't worth it to me" and heading home.

It might also be that marathon runner type of mental that we are talking about. They say the hardest thing about running a marathon is keeping your head in the game. The folks who quit could have done it if they just would have kept their feet moving. (I work with marathon runners - again no desire)

So far I'm seeing:

Physical aspects - ability and endurance suitable to the situation.

Kids and family concerns - totally understandable - you never get that time back and kids are notorious for doing stuff.

Solitude - we are a communal species.

Trophy - some guys set the bar high and others just want to see things (mountains, artifacts, etc.) What if you pass the biggest buck you are gonna see and then can't find it the last day? Or don't see anything at all.

Maybe the "need" to get a certain level trophy. It's up to a guy to decide that stuff for himself.

Stress of the trip living up to expectations - "need" that trophy, or maybe too many other guys in the area, someone took your camp site, etc.

Survival - bears, slippery slopes, lose rocks, injuries, etc.

Temperature - comfort, safety.



The hardest thing for me is being deaf - life is basically visual for me. Glassing is fun - at least I'm not spooking stuff, yet I was raised hunting in eastern timber and routinely hunt very thick woods. It can get very frustrating and I usually hunt 7-10 days a year (game or no game) and then it is over. I have no desire to hunt more than 10 days if I'm not seeing stuff and likewise will only hunt about 10 days, even if I see stuff.

10 days is my mental shutoff. So we have a 3 week season, I hunt 10 days. Might go back for the last weekend but would not hunt the full 21 days.

I'll just respond to one part of your post .


NEVER pass on first day if you will whine on last.

 

[FLAK]

Did a 10 day fly in tent hunt for Brown Bear in 2011. 13 hr. days, daylight till dark. Covered 5-8 miles/day. Never fired a shot. Yes, I was whooped, both physically and mentally.
I would love to go back.

 

[weekender7]

Did a 10 day fly in tent hunt for Brown Bear in 2011. 13 hr. days, daylight till dark. Covered 5-8 miles/day. Never fired a shot. Yes, I was whooped, both physically and mentally.
I would love to go back.

It took me 5 trips, 51 days of actual hunting to kill a brown bear with a bow. I would leave tomorrow to do it again if I could. I can't remember a hunt I went on where I was ready to quit early. I live for every minute I can spend in the field hunting or fishing.

 

[Scooter90254]

I go on a couple 7-10 day Back country hunts a year.

It’s a struggle every time.

1. I really struggle to sleep. I can get to the point in delusional from lack of sleep. I wish I could figure it out.

2. Miss the kids after 5-6 days. Start looking forward to going home by day 7.

I think pushing yourself to the brink and then going home creates balance in your life. I enjoy and appreciate being home even more after a good hunt.

 

[16Bore]

Maybe hunting just isn’t as important as the internet says it is.

 

[jorgensen.travis]

You guys took the post wrong. I'm not challenging anyone's manhood - just curious what the issues are. Guarantee you that I could not keep up with any of you in the mountains - and I'm not gonna try. Just no desire to hunt along the spine of the world, as beautiful as it is.

Folks talk mental about for back country, but also for flat land & farm hunting too. What about the guys in elaborate camps who up & leave early? It is a widespread thing I'm asking about.

Maybe it is just as easy as whatever it is that has someone saying "this isn't worth it to me" and heading home.

It might also be that marathon runner type of mental that we are talking about. They say the hardest thing about running a marathon is keeping your head in the game. The folks who quit could have done it if they just would have kept their feet moving. (I work with marathon runners - again no desire)

So far I'm seeing:

Physical aspects - ability and endurance suitable to the situation.

Kids and family concerns - totally understandable - you never get that time back and kids are notorious for doing stuff.

Solitude - we are a communal species.

Trophy - some guys set the bar high and others just want to see things (mountains, artifacts, etc.) What if you pass the biggest buck you are gonna see and then can't find it the last day? Or don't see anything at all.

Maybe the "need" to get a certain level trophy. It's up to a guy to decide that stuff for himself.

Stress of the trip living up to expectations - "need" that trophy, or maybe too many other guys in the area, someone took your camp site, etc.

Survival - bears, slippery slopes, lose rocks, injuries, etc.

Temperature - comfort, safety.



The hardest thing for me is being deaf - life is basically visual for me. Glassing is fun - at least I'm not spooking stuff, yet I was raised hunting in eastern timber and routinely hunt very thick woods. It can get very frustrating and I usually hunt 7-10 days a year (game or no game) and then it is over. I have no desire to hunt more than 10 days if I'm not seeing stuff and likewise will only hunt about 10 days, even if I see stuff.

10 days is my mental shutoff. So we have a 3 week season, I hunt 10 days. Might go back for the last weekend but would not hunt the full 21 days.

Maybe do another kind of hunt and see what it’s all about? Hunting 10 days a year at the same spot every year is way different than trying new public land opportunities every year. You’ll see what it’s all about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Still Hunter]

Time, Age, Money.... that sums it up...

You got the money to Pay 14k for a 360 bull and sleep in a plush bed with meals cooked for you, whiskey by a fire with friends, over 40, why kill yourself... most of us do not have that kind of money.. so we rough it... the older we get the harder it gets

 

[Reburn]

If everyone was as tough and as they say there wouldn't be nearly the amount of articles on bonking and mental toughness as there is. (credit to Where's Bruce for keeping it real in a different thread)

I once saw a goat hunt that had an option to add a human packer (basically a sherpa) for $1200 on a 10 day hunt. For me that would be a no brainer.......I'll happily pay 1200 smackers to let someone pack my stuff up the mountain.

Life has a certian amount of misery associated with it. Usually anything worth doing is not going to be easy. If I can trade money that I make at work (which I'm very good at) to help get something done that I'm not so good at on my vacation and make my experience more enjoyable why wouldn't I.

 

[5MilesBack]

I wish everyone would go home after the first night. But the reality from my experience is.......there's a lot of guys out there hunting most of the season from what I see.

 

[Fullfan]

Elk hunting is not for Sissie's, maybe they should try golf..

 

[RockinU]

If everyone was as tough and as they say there wouldn't be nearly the amount of articles on bonking and mental toughness as there is. (credit to Where's Bruce for keeping it real in a different thread)

I once saw a goat hunt that had an option to add a human packer (basically a sherpa) for $1200 on a 10 day hunt. For me that would be a no brainer.......I'll happily pay 1200 smackers to let someone pack my stuff up the mountain.

Life has a certian amount of misery associated with it. Usually anything worth doing is not going to be easy. If I can trade money that I make at work (which I'm very good at) to help get something done that I'm not so good at on my vacation and make my experience more enjoyable why wouldn't I.

Not sure what part of Texas you're from, but I bet I'm not too far from it, and I'll never mind getting paid to carry stuff through pretty country...just in case you ever get short handed.

 

[Fatcamp]

Time, Age, Money.... that sums it up...

You got the money to Pay 14k for a 360 bull and sleep in a plush bed with meals cooked for you, whiskey by a fire with friends, over 40, why kill yourself... most of us do not have that kind of money.. so we rough it... the older we get the harder it gets

That does not sound fun to me at all. In fact, just the opposite. I suppose some folks are just wired differently.

 

[Still Hunter]

To Fatcamp, I did not say I felt that way, I don’t. However I have associates that do enjoy that and think I am insane to go DIY . I like the challenges. I doubt anyone on this site feels that way or we would not be on this site.

 

[Fatcamp]

To Fatcamp, I did not say I felt that way, I don’t. However I have associates that do enjoy that and think I am insane to go DIY . I like the challenges. I doubt anyone on this site feels that way or we would not be on this site.

I understood what you were saying.

The group of people who are drawn to this site were probably all that kid at the back of the playground, wading through the tall grass with a stick. I know I was.

 

[Dos Perros]

I have an anecdote to share. I'm not really sure what conclusions to draw from it, but, there probably are some related to this thread.

A colleague of mine became interested in my western hunts, asking a bunch of questions about it, and I was sharing my perspective that it's really easier than you think, you just get a tag and go and figure it out. So he and another colleague decided on a Montana mule deer hunt. I had killed a deer there last year and was going to help them out however I could. So, they buy packs, specific rifles, glass, etc--the gear that is the difference between midwestern deer hunting and western deer hunting. They apply. 90% draw odds. And they don't draw. My colleague is pretty bummed about it. I suggested a Wyoming deer hunt, there are low points/no points units that would be similar to the Montana experience. But he didn't even want to apply, he was so bummed about not drawing. He was even a little pissed that Montana kept some money in admin fees or something. Dude kinda freaked out, IMO. This is a guy who has the discipline to get up at 5AM every morning to work out, but couldn't handle the uncertainty introduced by not drawing a "sure thing" tag. I had hoped that maybe we'd be hunting buddies some day, but there is no way this guy can cut it. He'll give up at the first sign of bad weather, or two poor glassing sessions in sequence, or...whatever. He'll find a reason and quit, no doubt. I think some folks are just like that.