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