No longer hunting?

[NorseNW]

Can we please, please, please, please stop with this line?

It has been beat to death on every forum, is not funny, and is divisive at a time when the last thing we need among American hunters is more divisiveness. We are 4% of the population and making facile fashion jokes toward people you've never even met is tired and unproductive.

I realize it's a free country and we get to say what we want -- especially on the internet where there are no real repercussions. But with freedom comes responsibility. So to every good man and woman on this forum, think about what your responsibility is to the hunting community -- do you want to damage or help? I vote help.

Lighten up Francis! It's a joke. It's well earned and darn funny. It's okay to have a sense of humor I promise.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Lighten up Francis! It's a joke. It's well earned and darn funny. It's okay to have a sense of humor I promise.

Sure is. How's life in the TPC?

 

[Doc Holliday]

6.5 creedmoor should also be a slur.

I believe the appropriate vernacular is 6.5 manbun

 

[NorseNW]

To the original reason for the post I can definitely see the reasons for people stepping away from hunting be it age or access. I have no intentions of hanging it up anytime soon. I'm really trying to ramp up my game because I feel like I'm running out of time. I moved a lot during life. I had trouble finding places to hunt when I kept moving. Turkey, rabbits, birds I have had success with. Medium to large game I'm way behind. I've taken 2 white tails, 1 black tail and a moose (the moose was just this year on a guided hunt in Canada) - I'm 50 years old been hunting on and off (military time) since I was 16. Working every season to try to get an elk and bear on my own. Willing to go guided hunts if money and time allow to get an antelope and Montana or Wyoming elk. Trying to stay positive but sometimes at the end of the season it's hard not to feel defeated with lack of at least seeing animals.

 

[roadrunner]

Maybe these people don't know they can easily become "INFLUENCERS" now. I don't think you actually have to hunt or know how to hunt to qualify.

You just have to be willing to wear a flat-brim hat is all.

Oh, and drink repackaged Kool Aid as [whatever performance drink that gives you Captain America abilities].

 

[JjamesIII]

Who knows people who no longer hunt that used to? And why have they stopped? I asked my dad this past weekend if he had bought this year's hunting license for his home states yet because I wanted to get it for him for his upcoming 70th birthday. His response caught me off guard when he said that he wasn't sure if he was going to hunt anymore?? That surprised me... especially after us hunting together for the last dozen seasons in multiple New England states and him being a lifelong upland birds and whitetail hunter. He's in pretty good shape for 70 and he loves hunting! He has harvested all kinds of game with multiple weapons in multiple states. His reasoning for losing motivation was that he was getting "too old" and no longer comfortably pull his vertical bow back and he didn't enjoy his crossbow as much. He said he now gets cold easier, there's not as many critters to chase as there used to be, it's getting way too expensive for tags ,gear, ammo and gas, and none of his friends from his local sportsman's club hunt anymore. I honestly didn't see it coming and actually thought we would try to plan more hunts together in the upcoming years now that travel restrictions are no longer a factor and he has more free time since retirement. I understand a little bit where he's coming from but I'm sure going to miss him in camp.

My buddies and I were absolutely obsessed until we hit 40. Now it’s gotten to be so crowded. The rat race of competition working your ass off for what? I’ve killed a ton of stuff. The journey of learning the way to hunt different animals was what drove me most. Now it’s old hat. The species that id be interested in chasing have become unobtainable, as far as tags go.
I still go out more than most, but now I wait for the prime times to go and don’t worry about missing a few days. If the weather sucks and the day seems marginal for success, I don’t lose sleep with fear of missing out. I spend time with the family more, bonus.

 

[Cooposo]

I've watched my dad (68 y.o .) go through a big change from deer and elk hunting every year and going on some international hunts to basically not hunting. In no particular order some factors:

• Physical endurance really falling off in the last 5 years even though he's healthy overall
• A lot more enjoyment out of less strenuous things like fishing, drives
• No need for the meat
• Losing access to our private land as siblings and cousins choose to sell off
• Losing access to neighbors' lands as they choose to sell off
• Not knowing good public land spots due to private land hunting his whole life
• Too many people on any spots of public land he'd want to try
• His super rich hunting buddy that took him all over on trips turning out to be a con man and getting thrown in jail ha ha ha

Maybe overall I could just say it's not the Utah he grew up in and between that and getting older it's not worth it anymore. It's hard for someone like me who's never been more motivated to hunt and really needs a hunting buddy.

 

[OregonSteeler]

Good thread. It's making re-evaluate why I hunt.

1. Love the meat more than anything else. Not necessarily because it tastes better, but I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment/reliance eating what I killed.
2. Every hobby I have involves being in the outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping, dirt bike riding, etc... Yet, I have zero desire to hike in the woods without "purpose". I need a weapon (or rod) in my hand for it to be worthwhile
3. The challenge of fishing and hunting keeps me coming back. I'm not overly-successful, but have been successful in the past. I have plenty of room for improvement and that drives me.
4. Hunting keeps me healthy. It keeps me out of bars (for the most part), gets me to the gym, and my work/family/life priorities in check.

If I had to stop hunting for some reason, it would be taken over by fishing. I'd have a hard time deciding between the two as they both are my strongest passions. I do not plan on slowing down on either. My 2 boys are getting older and one really enjoys it. That alone gets me more motivated so I can pass along my hunting/fishing knowledge.


Most likely nobody will feel this way, but I truly think that hunter numbers will start to dwindle over the next couple of years. COVID is fading away, there's only so many videos influencers can put out before they become mundane, and hopefully a lot of the newer hunters will eventually figure out that hunting is consistently HARD. Oregon bear applicants have given me hope! Every hunt had LESS applicants than 2021 except for 2 or 3 of them.


I's sad to hear about fathers who hunted all their lives and getting out of it; but not going to miss the fad hunters Kuiu'd out from head to toe, and $7K of optics and gear running around with 7 of their buddies in the woods.

 

[elkguide]

I stand and live by the saying......

"You don't quit hunting because you get old..... you get old because you quit hunting!"

Granted, as I have gotten a "few" miles on this body, I don't go quite as far or quite as fast as I once did. I definitely get way more pleasure out of watching my children take or retrieve an animal than pulling the trigger myself. You definitely do go through different phases in your life. We haven't bought any red meat in at least 20 years as I always try and fill a couple of tags every year but I don't feel the pressure to pull the trigger as much as I once did. I do like to pull the trigger but that's when the fun is over and when the work begins.

Yes. My children are my best hunting companions and that may be part of why I still do and plan on many more years of enjoying the benefits of spending time in the wild.

 

[Rick M.]

You just have to be willing to wear a flat-brim hat is all.

Oh, and drink repackaged Kool Aid as [whatever performance drink that gives you Captain America abilities].

Oh man the whole idea of "mountain supplements" kills me. It's the Joe Rogan gimmicks bleeding into hunting. Eat ALPHA BRAIN and "harvest" more animals!

 

[Nickofthewoods]

 

[roadrunner]

Oh man the whole idea of "mountain supplements" kills me. It's the Joe Rogan gimmicks bleeding into hunting. Eat ALPHA BRAIN and "harvest" more animals!

Can you imagine how the sales will skyrocket now that UT can't use trail cameras up to and including through a hunt?

How ever will they continue to shoot big critters unless they get juiced up with "Popeye Punch"?

 

[87TT]

I like Goofy Grape and Rootin Tootin Rasberry.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Can we please, please, please, please stop with this line?

It has been beat to death on every forum, is not funny, and is divisive at a time when the last thing we need among American hunters is more divisiveness. We are 4% of the population and making facile fashion jokes toward people you've never even met is tired and unproductive.

I realize it's a free country and we get to say what we want -- especially on the internet where there are no real repercussions. But with freedom comes responsibility. So to every good man and woman on this forum, think about what your responsibility is to the hunting community -- do you want to damage or help? I vote help.

Lol, tell me you wear skinny jeans and flat bills without telling me you wear skinny jeans and flatbills. Quit being a snowflake.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I still hunt, my favorite hunts used to be elk and deer, but if I don’t draw I usually won’t go out. All the non residents hunting OTC tags out west has been insane, I hate seeing hunters all over the mountain. My new favorites are predator hunting and pheasants. Hunting used to be a social event, now I would rather spend time with my dog over most people, maybe it is because I am getting old - just turned the big 40.

 

[WhatToHunt]

Lol, tell me you wear skinny jeans and flat bills without telling me you wear skinny jeans and flatbills. Quit being a snowflake.

I was hoping his response was in jest and if so well done, but now I'm not so sure!

 

[Rick M.]

Lol, tell me you wear skinny jeans and flat bills without telling me you wear skinny jeans and flatbills. Quit being a snowflake.

We're hunters. It's "Sitka fit", not skinny jeans

 

[fngTony]

I’m pausing hunting for myself, I’d still tag along though. Many little reasons but the big one being that I’ve been severely unhappy with work for years and I wouldn’t do anything about it because I didn’t want to loose my time off for hunting. It takes some dedication off season that just isn’t making the priority list. People that I hunted with have scattered around the country, age creeping up on them. Solo doesn’t excite me.

 

[Pocoloco]

I took a long hiatus while the kids were little, now we hunt as a family and I love it even more. We used to love skiing, the last couple years I am over it. Mainly lack of challenges and skied out terrain. Sometimes you need new challenges in life, but never stop moving.

 

[roadrunner]

I still hunt, my favorite hunts used to be elk and deer, but if I don’t draw I usually won’t go out. All the non residents hunting OTC tags out west has been insane, I hate seeing hunters all over the mountain. My new favorites are predator hunting and pheasants. Hunting used to be a social event, now I would rather spend time with my dog over most people, maybe it is because I am getting old - just turned the big 40.

You're not old until your feet hurt in the morning when you get out of bed and you hobble around for a bit.