Define a "Good Day Hunting" when you don't kill.

[2rocky]

A good day hunting for me is when my clothing matches the weather perfectly. I'm not sweaty and I'm not cold.
The visibility is good and I can see game a long distance away.
I am not wiped out tired by the middle of the day. My feet are stepping softly and quietly and I'm not out of breath.
I'm seeing game but it is not seeing, hearing or smelling me.
If I'm elk hunting, or in elk country hunting deer I'm hearing bugles
I'm having close encounters with non target species. Maybe a moose along the trail or a sow bear with cubs crossing below me on a hill.
I'm fully appreciating nature because I'm a part of it, not an observer.

 

[Irrelevant]

Sun
No wind
Large vista
Clear air (no smoke)
Seeing critters
Skittles

 

[Deleted member 52098]

A good day hunting for me is when my clothing matches the weather perfectly. I'm not sweaty and I'm not cold.
The visibility is good and I can see game a long distance away.
I am not wiped out tired by the middle of the day. My feet are stepping softly and quietly and I'm not out of breath.
I'm seeing game but it is not seeing, hearing or smelling me.
If I'm elk hunting, or in elk country hunting deer I'm hearing bugles
I'm having close encounters with non target species. Maybe a moose along the trail or a sow bear with cubs crossing below me on a hill.
I'm fully appreciating nature because I'm a part of it, not an observer.

This is quite the timely post. As my hunt approaches I've been second guessing all my e-scouting, etc and stressing a bit because I want to achieve my goal to get an elk. But sometimes it's not always about the tag.

 

[noharleyyet]

No missed calls...

 

[fowladdict]

Personally I can't recall a bad day. I've accepted the fact that something may break or something will will get lost and I try not to get bent out of shape.

But if I had to pick, a good day would be any day it is not smoky or a day I didn't forget my tag at home/camp.

 

[texwest44]

1: Seeing game you're after
2: See other interesting animals or events
3: No cattle

Example: I was "grouse hunting" the other day (woods walking with a 22) and got to watch a solid 4x4 whitetail chase a forky down the hillside. It was pretty funny to watch actually. And the whole day, I never saw a sign of cattle being ranged there this summer. There was nice tall grass with lots of good clover and strawberry patches, draw/creek bottoms weren't trampled out, and there were no plops to step in. If you hunt USFS land in Montana, you know how rare this can be, lol. Not a bad day, all things considered. It's just nice to be out, sometimes.

And possibly 4: finding gold. More than once I quit hunting to collect gold, instead.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

1. Not at work
2. No phone calls or texts
3. Not at work
4. No phone calls or texts

 

[Werty]

A good nap and a fire.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Tired dogs

 

[Bowhuntrben]

I'm spending time with loved ones
I'm enjoying God's creation
I'm not at or thinking about work

 

[MThuntr]

Sun
No wind
Large vista
Clear air (no smoke)
Seeing critters
Skittles

replace skittles with Walmart Smiley Gummy snacks

 

[jtm307]

1. I spent more time hiking than driving.
2. I saw the thing I was targeting.
3. I saw lots of other wildlife, including game species I may be able to target at another time.
4. The weather was not extreme.
5. I have no major or minor injuries, including blisters.
6. I saw no other hunters.

 

[Cav1]

When you get to see a grizzly bear chasing a bunny-hugger.

 

[SaskHunter]

Good weather, good mid day nap, seeing some wildlife and good snacks!

 

[Irrelevant]

A good nap and a fire.

Hard to have the first on a day requiring the second.

 

[DouglasR]

Little bit of chron, some sausage and a midday nap.

 

[mdcrossbow]

any day I can get out. The old saying,
"Any day in the woods is better then a day in the office"

 

[JLDemo]

Can't echo others loud enough on the no work, missed calls or texts.

No noise from roads, quads or any other man made machine and lots of noise coming from screaming elk.

Turning whatever I was after into a grouse hunt after accidentally flushing a few. Happens often and I usually jump out of my skin, possibly even tinkled a few times. But it always brings a smile to my face, especially when I see where they go.

 

[rke]

Time with one of, or all 5 of, my kids.

 

[Werty]

Hard to have the first on a day requiring the second.

Maybe for some people.