Venting

the nikster

the nikster

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As I grow older my desire to hunt hard and often has not decreased an iota. I have more responsibilities and less time so I cherish each chance I get to go afield.
More and more often I find myself left at the alter by friends who cannot seem to keep commitments-or just simply failing to prioritize the commitment as I think it should be.
I understand we all have jobs and families but it is alright and even preferable to be selfish once in a while. Do yourself and your hunting buds a favor, look deep inside yourself and determine if you REALLY can go on this trip before you commit. Most of us would prefer to be let down months ahead when we can find a suitable replacement rather than finding all your lights off at 3:00 am when I come rolling in to pick you up.
 
Or, the ones who commit to hunt with you and you have to keep hounding them to put in for their permits. Big promises at the end of a hunt that they will go for the full week the next year and ends up being BS. Pay their share of cost for food and are lucky to end up the evening of opening day and totally unprepared.
Why bro and I set up camp buy groceries and take all of the other sundry stuff. We have had too many, "Oh crap, I forgot, was I supposed to bring that?" These guys are good hunters, hard hunters and good at taking care of game. But, they just can never seem to get their stuff together prior to arriving.
End of rant.
 
I've broken my hunting down into about 3 catagories.

1. If its a hunt I really want to do, a once-in-lifetime, good trophy area, etc. I either get a 100% commitment, or I plan it on my own. Those types of hunts, you just dont need dead-heads dragging you down.

2. I plan the above hunt, make an invitation, and if the other person shows up, great, if not, I'm still prepared to hunt on my own. If I have time, I'll agree to go on someone else's hunt. It works best if you both dont have tags for the same critter. On these hunts, when I'm the guy with the tag, its my way or the highway and I wont be slowed down. If its my partners tag, I'll do whatever they want and not run any static on their hunt. If they want to sleep until noon...great. Hike 3 hours in the dark, thats great too...whatever.

3. Fun hunts. No expectations of anything other than FUN. Antlerless pronghorn tags, cow elk tags, or even an OTC buck/bull permit in a new area, etc.

What flat wore me out is researching units, making sure applications were sent in, doing all the scouting, using all my gear, planning all the logistics,...and then "splitting" gas money. Thats not a 50-50 deal there.

If all its going to "save" me is $50 in gas...I'd rather just hunt alone.

Now, if you can find a partner thats equally dedicated...it can really work, but thats damned rare.
 
I get to elk hunt, at best, every other year. So when I do hunt, I am all in for both the prep and the hunt. I live for it year around. I have only one friend locally who I can depend on to put in the same effort. When we can't hunt together, I'll hunt alone. I like it and would much rather go solo than be let down.
 
I was more of a do it alone guy but the last 3-4 years I have changed a lot. Maybe from age, maybe from just not so gung ho on getting a spot all to myself. I have done a few hunts with guys here from OYOA and this is a great place to find guys who will hunt as hardcore, or laid back as you are and that is important on a hunt IMO.
 
Same Problem

I am finding my desire to hunt locally and in other states is growing and growing. I have different guys who want to hunt turkeys with me in the Midwest and a few guys who say they want to go out West hunting with me too. I basically run into 2 main problems. The first is the guys who always say in January of February that they're all in on the hunt out West the next fall. Then they say to me, "just let me know when to apply, and what zone or region choice to apply for." I can't stand that. I don't have a lot of free time, and I don't have a lot of disposable income to spend, so when I am going on a hunt, whether I am the group leader or not, I do as much research as possible, and prepare as thoroughly as possible. I understand everybody is taking the time off work and spending money, so they can hunt however they want, but I expect nothing from them and I certainly do not count on them for anything.

The second issue I run into is during the actual hunt. The guy who is sleeping in by the third morning or naps and sleeps through the evening hunt. We planned a turkey hunt that completed about a month ago. Of the 4 of us, 2 were sleeping in by the 3rd morning and didn't want to hunt the second afternoon/evening. The third guy and me (both shot turkeys opening morning) were the only one's getting up the last 2 mornings and hunting all day. Then a week after the hunt, one of the 2 guys who slept and basically didn't hunt after the 2nd morning acted as if he was upset he didn't shoot a turkey and didn't understand why he didn't have an opportunity to shoot. Needless to say I had to same something.

After that turkey hunt I decided that will be my last hunt with 2 of the guys. I'm done with it. I am slowly figuring out I'm probably going to be doing most of my hunting on my own.
 
I'm more than willing to do more than my fair share when it comes to planning a hunt. What kills me and what I ask of my partners is that when you commit to go you stay committed. not just committed to attend but committed to keep pace and work as hard as possible for success.

I've come to realize that hunting is more important to me than my partners, which is why I'm willing to do the heavy lifting for logistics, planning, etc.

here in California it is tough to find great people to hunt with. which is a shame because we have more wilderness areas than anywhere else in the country and most of them are OTC deer tags with some great bucks hiding high in the alpine. Not to mention our seasons are early and a great way to get in shape for fall hunts.
 
I hunt alone most of the time.

Last year I did a 3 week, 2 state hunt, with 2 other hunters. It went OK. Everyone put an equal amount of money into a pool, and all group expenses(fuel, ice, camp supplies, camp meals)came out of the pool. The one guy was just 22, some of his decision making was questionable, but we worked it out.

This year, I'm doing 12 days alone in Montana, and 1 week in Alaska with a guy I met here. So far, so good with my partner from Hunttalk. He had done most of the logistical planning before we paired up.
 
I'm proud to say that if I tell a guy I'll meet them at the airport in Vegas, the Walmart in Laramie or a toll plaza in Cleveland then by God I will be there ready to go hunting. There's a couple guys here on hunt talk that can vouch for that.
 
Lucky I guess...started out 11 years ago with two hunt partners. one fell out after 3 seasons when he decided it was too expensive of a priority. The other, Craig, missed 2 later seasons while his wife fought a losing illness battle..but he's hung in for the other 9 of 11 straight. Pulls his weight, amiable, ethical, loves family and God. and walks far & hunts hard. The two seasons he missed I went solo to Colorado...great experiences and would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
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I have been hunting with a family member for a few years that had introduced me to hunting out west; but ever since the first year I have been making all the plans and researching where to go and what to hunt. He is somebody that you count on to be there and carry his own weight financially; but am finding that his priorities and effort he is willing to put forward is not on par with mine. I am basically at a cross roads as what to do because I feel somewhat of an obligation to him; but I am ready to start making plans for some very strenuous hunts, I will prolly start going solo. He has also shared some of the honey holes with his buddies when he did not have any time invested into finding these.
 
Like friends, good hunting partners are hard to find.

I only go hunting with people I'd trust with my life and my family. All others, I go fishing with.

I learned a long time ago that I don't like playing guide, being used, or babysitting. I'll give most people one chance, if they don't make the most of it and are ungrateful...
 
I have painfully discovered that I am the one difficult to be around. So packing out my elk solo is the price I have been paying for my shortcoming(s).
 
Our list of partners we can depend on gets shorter and shorter the longer we do our thing. We weed them out, or they cease being tendered the idea or invitation. The posse factor that "younger" hunters and fishermen are enamored with is a great way to commence the weeding out process. The 3 strike rule never applied on anything I orchestrated. 1 strike (chirping about where and how, heaven help taking someone else to a "spot" in your absence, lame excuses or not making the rendezvous time, being cheap or not putting forth any work when a critter is down) is all it has taken to be removed from my list!
Yep my list is fairly short, but it's nothing but people I can count on. Period, no exceptions.
WD
 
I have had one consistent hunting partner since I was old enough to walk. Year after year, my old man has been the best partner a guy could ask for. That being said, I do occasionally hunt with others (some here on HT), but none that have been consistent hunting partners. Most of the guys I hunt with on occasion are like myself, busy with family and life in general to make our hunting ventures consistent.
 
For me the consistent hunting partners are my dad and my uncle, and now that my eldest daughter is old enough to hunt she is with me most of the time. Hunting with friends is for sure enjoyable, but it's hard to get on the same schedule with so much going on with everyone.
 
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