Arbitrary Hunting Goals

My many goals are always evolving as I knock some off. I tend not to focus too much on the Ultimate, pinnacle goal until I’ve achieved numerous lower goals toward it or actually have the opportunity to chase it. One day I hope for MSG but I’ve never had the tag so not much focus. I’d like to kill a 375” bull but since I’ve only ever got one raghorn I have a goal of harvesting at least an average 5 pt for now.

Last year I knocked off goals for hunting over 25 days and going on an out of state hunt. This year my goals aren’t set since I don’t have all my tags in pocket yet (I’m believing for a few more!)

The goals I’m chasing that I can pursue year over year are:
-Get first archery kill
-lay hands on the gnarly muley who always seems to get away
-hunt over 25 days
->70” antelope
-dont give up on days in the woods early
-Kill em closer to the truck
 
Next fall, kill a bear with an arrowhead I found.
I've never killed a buck on opening day of gun season here in Wisconsin. I've had plenty of opportunities just like saving my tag for muzzleloader season. I'll just have to stop being so picky going forward
Hunt something or somewhere new every year
 
Kill, catch, or trap all legal game species (big game, fish, small game, fur bearers, etc.) in Colorado.

Hard to set a goal on wild animals; so many factors out of our control.
 
200 whitey
400 bull
200 muley
160” Unlimited ram

All diy public in Montana. Gross scores of course
 
Elky Welky said:
Because I am a glutton for punishment: solo archery mature bull elk, public land, done from start to finish by myself. Scout, call, kill, clean, pack out, process. No help from anyone. I want to do this once in my life while I am still healthy enough to do it. Almost did it last year, but could not find the bull after putting one arrow in him. Called it a season after that.

Afterwards, I will invest in llamas.
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Same, to the dot, minus the llamas.
 
Goals

Big Five (almost there)
Hunt six continents (need Europe and Asia...been to six, but didn't hunt those two)


As a kid I wanted a bearded hen turkey and an albino deer and scored on both. Now I live in a place where bearded hens are abundant.
 
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Forkyfinder said:
Curious - and im genuinely not trying to be a jerk - but is there a point when youd stop? Or when a person "should" stop?
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I think about this a lot. It should probably be its own thread. Do you stop when it stops being enjoyable? When you reach your “goal”? When your body can’t do it anymore? I think about the last one every time I put in for the goat tag. At some point that becomes plain stupid.
 
Forkyfinder said:
Curious - and im genuinely not trying to be a jerk - but is there a point when youd stop? Or when a person "should" stop?

Personally, I dont believe anyone should hold the keys to any gate to hunting - and it is expressly game agencies job to manage hunt pressure. More interest comes with benefits and drawbacks. However it seems strange to me that people are against new people coming into the hunting community but would have no problem with folks (who have hunted a long time) who have knocked down 100 big game animals continuing to hunt.

Dont get me wrong - you have earned every bit of it, by conservation work and everything else. Though - even if you hadnt - i dont feel like anyone should be able to tell anyone who is able/entitled to hunt. Just food for thought.
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When I physically can't do it anymore is about when I'll stop. I can't come up with a valid reason to not hunt elk.

Elk hunting will never be better for me than right now. I don't really care to personally support the beef industry and a big part of the reason I hunt elk is for quality meat, always has been. I don't like the way cattle are produced, don't like that they all but force feed them corn, don't like feed lots, and don't really want to eat cattle that are slaughtered in a meat packing plant.

That's for people that don't have elk to hunt, they can have my share of feedlot cattle.

If I get to the point that I can't hunt elk anymore, think I'll go to shooting a bison every year or every other year.

That said, my Grandfather died at 85 years old in September of 2000 with a pocket full of deer and elk tags he fully intended to hunt in October and November.

I reckon it will be the same for me.

Not sure how to answer your gate keeping point? I think States should prioritize opportunities for all Resident hunters first, if there's room for some NR's, great. IMO, prioritizing resident opportunity is not gate keeping.
 
BuzzH said:
When I physically can't do it anymore is about when I'll stop. I can't come up with a valid reason to not hunt elk.

Elk hunting will never be better for me than right now. I don't really care to personally support the beef industry and a big part of the reason I hunt elk is for quality meat. I don't like the way cattle are produced, don't like that they all but force feed them corn, don't like feed lots, and don't really want to eat cattle that are slaughtered in a meat packing plant.

That's for people that don't have elk to hunt, they can have my share of feedlot cattle.

If I get to the point that I can't hunt elk anymore, think I'll go to shooting a bison every year or every other year.

That said, my Grandfather died at 85 years old in September of 2000 with a pocket full of deer and elk tags he fully intended to hunt in October and November.

I reckon it will be the same for me.

Not sure how to answer your gate keeping point? I think States should prioritize opportunities for all Resident hunters first, if there's room for some NR's, great. IMO, prioritizing resident opportunity is not gate keeping.
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No disagreement there. Those are good reasons - ironically our baby prefers elk meat. Fantastic reason for me to stay in the field in the fall 😁.

The gatekeeping comment is based in folks on this forum and elsewhere not liking new people involved because of added pressure. My thought is that its curious they dont mind people who have hunted forever continuing. I dont mind either.
 
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Forkyfinder said:
No disagreement there. Those are good reasons - ironically our baby prefers elk meat. Fantastic reason for me to stay in the field in the fall 😁.

The gatekeeping comment is based in folks on this forum and elsewhere not liking new peopl involved because of added pressure. My thought is that its curious they dont mind people who have hunted forever continuing. I dont mind either.
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I get your point about the gate keeping. I don't mind new people, in particular youth hunters getting into the sport.

I think where most long-time hunters balk are with the bro hunters who treat hunting like more of a hobby or something they do because it's the new "cool" fad. For people with several decades into the sport, it's about as far from a hobby as it gets.

I don't think those types are good for conservation, good for the sport, and good for longevity of hunting. Takers mostly, who give little to nothing back. They don't do it for what I consider the right reasons, aren't respectful of the traditions, etc. They bitch and complain about license allocations, residents getting preference in tags, cost of the licenses, point systems, and how they're downtrodden, mistreated, etc. etc.

It's not all their fault, they just don't know because they didn't grow up around it and don't understand the traditional values, unwritten rules, etc. They just want quick, easy success and they'll cut any throat to get it.

I think those are the type of "new people" that many have a hard time with...and there's a lot of those types on every hunting board out there, including this one.
 
Anything I would have as a goal would be very "arbitrary" and likely change about once a week. My last goal, one that has persisted for over 40 years, will be met this August when I get to sit atop the MacKenzie Mountains and try to drink in what true "wildness" really is. If I get a sheep or caribou, great. If not, I will find a lot of other reasons to revel in being there.

If there is a goal in a traditional sense, it would be to hunt pronghorn for 30 days straight. Learn all I can, observe their crazy behavior, appreciate them for the amazing critter they are, close it out by shooting a mature buck on the last hour of Day 30, and eat half a backstrap on the grill that night.

Other than that, it is just spending as many remaining days afield that I possibly can with people who mean a lot to me.
 
rmyoung1 said:
Anyone else with some arbitrary hunting goals?
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A random or off the cuff idea as a goal? That's a step into personal whim defined moments!

Hmmm, I suppose my favorite aspect of hunting our Wilderness backcountry is the solitude the dark starry sky presents.
The off the cuff thought to lay back, look up into space, and listen to the distant sounds of the forest. The wolf howl, yote yelp, tree dog bark, and distant tree crack - all withing a dimming fire crackle it's final breaths before I hit the sack.
 
Hunt every year I can and see as many wild places as possible while doing it with my friends and the occasional family that makes the trip west. Tags filled obviously good, but nowhere near the end all be all. Also God willing take my son on many hunting adventures if that ends up being his cup of tea.
 
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Bongo and forest sitatunga hunt in Cameroon, Equatorial Africa. Wheels up one week from today after 3+ years of planning and preparation.

Gonna be miserable - the African jungle is hot, thick, and humid. Chance to see wild mountain gorillas on this excursion. Happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.
 
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