I wish there were more friendliness

[Hunting Wife]

I think many times, the “experienced” get tired of feeling used. I know I have.

“Letting someone tag along “ is often code for:
Decide where to go.
Drive your truck.
Use your weapons.
Use your camping equipment.
You figure out the food.
You do all the spotting.
You do all the gutting/dressing.
You do all the meat care and packaging.

I’ve had less experienced folks ask to tag along several times, and I’ve let them. I have usually regretted it afterwards. Inevitably, I do all the work and they just don’t want to hunt like I hunt. Can’t be out all day, can’t hike as far as we need to, too cold, too wet, too muddy, etc etc. When they are tagging along on my hunting trip, that leaves me feeling frustrated about wasting most of the time on a half-assed effort. Not enjoyable for me personally.

Wouldn’t it be a novelty if someone said “hey, I have this trip planned to X general area. I have this equipment and weapon, part of a meal plan, we can take my truck. But I don’t really know what I’m doing. Want to come along and show me some things?” I know I would be entering that trip with a vastly different mindset. Big difference mentoring someone who takes ownership and initiative for their learning.

Finding a hunting partner you click with is harder than finding a spouse. If you don’t share similar ethics, values, commitment level and willingness to put forth effort, it doesn’t work very well and can be a crappy experience for everyone involved.

 

[woods89]

I think many times, the “experienced” get tired of feeling used. I know I have.

“Letting someone tag along “ is often code for:
Decide where to go.
Drive your truck.
Use your weapons.
Use your camping equipment.
You figure out the food.
You do all the spotting.
You do all the gutting/dressing.
You do all the meat care and packaging.

I’ve had less experienced folks ask to tag along several times, and I’ve let them. I have usually regretted it afterwards. Inevitably, I do all the work and they just don’t want to hunt like I hunt. Can’t be out all day, can’t hike as far as we need to, too cold, too wet, too muddy, etc etc. When they are tagging along on my hunting trip, that leaves me feeling frustrated about wasting most of the time on a half-assed effort. Not enjoyable for me personally.

Wouldn’t it be a novelty if someone said “hey, I have this trip planned to X general area. I have this equipment and weapon, part of a meal plan, we can take my truck. But I don’t really know what I’m doing. Want to come along and show me some things?” I know I would be entering that trip with a vastly different mindset. Big difference mentoring someone who takes ownership and initiative for their learning.

Finding a hunting partner you click with is harder than finding a spouse. If you don’t share similar ethics, values, commitment level and willingness to put forth effort, it doesn’t work very well and can be a crappy experience for everyone involved.

Very well said.

 

[Boarmaster]

I learned both on my own and together with friends who were no more experienced than me. We learned our skills together. One hunt at a time one year at a time. And that was back when there wasnt the kind of info out there like today. Find friends or get your current friends interested in hunting. Identify a place to hunt and get to it.
When someone mentions hunting with me I always think to myself, would I be friends with this person if it wasnt for hunting or fishing. If the answer is yes then I stick my toe in the water if its no then I go the other direction. Experienced hunters are a lot more likely to invite you along if you got some basic skills And a few stories to tell.

 

[EYJONAS!]

This is why you don't you find friendz in da wood or share your number on a public forum.

 

[gouch]

I may not be the best person to give advice on making friends, but it seems to me that you should get to know someone and become friends before you expect to get an invite to hunting camp. You wouldn't expect a woman you just met at the bus stop to invite you to move in with her, now would you? I apologize if I made any incorrect assumptions about your gender or sexual orientation with my bus stop analogy.

 

[Bullshot]

There are many people on HT I believe I’d love to hunt with. Probably fewer, but maybe still some, who’d reciprocate the notion. It’s something I’m bound to explore in the future when the solo gig becomes too difficult or just lonely. When I do, I’d probably gravitate towards linking up with either people I consider personal friends already (a little tough since most people on here seem to live west while I am east) or someone, maybe a NR newbie, with some experience but probably less experience than me - for several reasons.

First, since I am from the east, I really have no “secret” spots. Well, maybe I do, but nothing that would impress a local. I could probably get a buddy on elk, deer or antelope without much wheel spinning though.

Second, I have all my gear and don’t need anything from anyone, at least for basic camping/truck camping. Nothing too glamorous. No livestock, no SxS. I am happy to share what I bring, would loan a rifle if needed, etc.

Third, I love planning and for the time being wouldn’t want to be a drag on someone else's plan OR give up too much of my own executive decisions just yet. I like to move around a lot and try new things. Some people wouldn’t like that. A newer hunter probably would.

Fourth, I am a big believer in people getting a slight assist but then getting to experience figuring things out themselves. I don’t want to be be “told” how or where to hunt nor “tell” somebody. For that reason, I think it would be preferable to take a new buddy to a NEW spot altogether. Then you can BOTH or ALL figure it out and it should be a team feeling rather than charity.

Someday maybe, but as others have said, it’s a calculated risk and situation has to be right. Maybe ol’ Chad just wasn’t ready and I can understand that too.

 

[squirrel]

"chad's" instincts were correct, either because of experience or he is a quick study of human behaviour. It's not because you could get burnt, it's not because SOMETIMES you get burnt, it's not even because USUALLY you will get burnt...

It's because you WILL ALWAYS GET BURNT, or so close to always as to be the same thing.

But it gets even better. Because they didn't want to learn on their own neither do they want to be alone when they move on your spot, oh no, they bring buddies, usually quite a few.

And they don't even ask if you would like to go.

I believe in dozens of cases I can only remember one where the guy (to the best of my knowledge) never went back without me. That case was a shed hunting spot. For hunting spots I'm batting 1000 over a 35 year time frame.

A few years ago in camp my buddy was complaining about the guys camped on top of us (they tracked us in snow, after the previous year finding my truck, and told us so quite proudly). I just said remember 30 years ago when we camped here 3 miles from Jim's camp? Except for the 3 miles buffer, we joked we would outlast the old bastard (he was 60'ish years old) and he'd die and it would be our spot? My buddy laughed and said yep, and he did die and it's is ours... I said now they are over there waiting on us to croak so it's "their" spot. My buddy quit smoking just to spite them bastards.

 

[jlong17]

I'm sure I could dig up some of my very own post several years back making similar "complaints" about the world of hunting. I think I remember saying a hunting eHarmony would be a great idea hahah. However, I have learned and grown a lot in my hunting journey. I have developed my own set of principles, and blazed my own path. It's a very rewarding thing to come back to my campsite at the end of the day and build my own fire. When it's cold outside, people will gather around. Just be patient... it's still 90 degrees in LA

 

[RyGuy]

I’ve “mentored” two people when it comes to hunting. One, who I still hunt with, is a long time friend that decided to get into hunting as an adult after hearing my hunting stories over the years. On his first ever waterfowl hunt we shot a limit of geese, on his first elk hunt he shot a big cow, and he’s been to all of my best hunting spots. After a few years hunting together I had to have a conversation with him about how he needed to get his own gear and not keep borrowing mine. He seemed a bit offended but got the bare essentials. He’s never researched a new hunting area or tag. He only applies for tags if I repeatedly remind him of the deadlines. He only hunts weekends even if I take 3-5 days off work. He rarely leaves my side when we’re in the woods.
Honestly he’s one of my very best friends and I love the guy, but if he was anyone else I’d have stopped taking him hunting years ago.
The other guy was a work friend who I took duck hunting a few times and just seemed to be the same way. He was willing to buy the necessary gear but didn’t put any effort into researching new spots or scouting for birds. I stopped taking him because I already have someone to babysit in the woods, I can’t handle 2.
I’m sharing all of this so hopefully the OP can see that we (the “experienced” hunters) are willing to help new guys. But sometimes it’s a lot of work for very little returns.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

It's hard to show much goodwill when you're setting home because you can't draw a decent tag.

 

[Sagebrush1]

If you don’t want to hunt bad enough to go learn on your own, then you probably wouldn’t be the right type of person to mentor.

 

[old270hunter]

Well, this is spot on. Agree on all these points.

I think many times, the “experienced” get tired of feeling used. I know I have.

“Letting someone tag along “ is often code for:
Decide where to go.
Drive your truck.
Use your weapons.
Use your camping equipment.
You figure out the food.
You do all the spotting.
You do all the gutting/dressing.
You do all the meat care and packaging.

I’ve had less experienced folks ask to tag along several times, and I’ve let them. I have usually regretted it afterwards. Inevitably, I do all the work and they just don’t want to hunt like I hunt. Can’t be out all day, can’t hike as far as we need to, too cold, too wet, too muddy, etc etc. When they are tagging along on my hunting trip, that leaves me feeling frustrated about wasting most of the time on a half-assed effort. Not enjoyable for me personally.

Wouldn’t it be a novelty if someone said “hey, I have this trip planned to X general area. I have this equipment and weapon, part of a meal plan, we can take my truck. But I don’t really know what I’m doing. Want to come along and show me some things?” I know I would be entering that trip with a vastly different mindset. Big difference mentoring someone who takes ownership and initiative for their learning.

Finding a hunting partner you click with is harder than finding a spouse. If you don’t share similar ethics, values, commitment level and willingness to put forth effort, it doesn’t work very well and can be a crappy experience for everyone involved.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I wish some of the hunters that I introduced to the sport didn't:
1)Take shortcuts
2)Continually wound game every year
3)Show up in hard earned spots I took them
4)Fail to practice shooting their weapons

Live and learn; now I choose more carefully.

 

[old270hunter]

I will say most of the folks I've mentored hunting I had decent experiences with, but they were all friends/family prior to hunting with me. Most of them were already hunters, and had their own set-ups with everything needed, including vehicle(s). I'd say if you want to learn to hunt an area, grab a leftover or OTC tag and just go do it yourself. Odds are you will figure out a lot of things on your own. I say that because I was mentored by my Dad in general hunting stuff, and was shown some particular areas by him, but all were in a couple of game units near our family place in Paonia, Co. As seasons went by, I wanted to see different areas and states. (I'm sure glad I branched out too, because it's a challenge to draw tags I want in those areas my Dad showed me) My Dad was not really interested in learning new areas. So I started putting in for different game units and states, learned a few areas quite well, and then all of a sudden my Dad and a few buddies wanted to tag a long to these other places I was hunting in CO and UT. They ended up learning those areas too, and after a couple years we were all sharing info. So if you want to hunt an unknown area and you already know a bit about hunting, I say get an available tag and go do it alone. You will learn quite a bit, and you'll have something to share eventually. You might even fill your tag!

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I think many times, the “experienced” get tired of feeling used. I know I have.

“Letting someone tag along “ is often code for:
Decide where to go.
Drive your truck.
Use your weapons.
Use your camping equipment.
You figure out the food.
You do all the spotting.
You do all the gutting/dressing.
You do all the meat care and packaging.

I’ve had less experienced folks ask to tag along several times, and I’ve let them. I have usually regretted it afterwards. Inevitably, I do all the work and they just don’t want to hunt like I hunt. Can’t be out all day, can’t hike as far as we need to, too cold, too wet, too muddy, etc etc. When they are tagging along on my hunting trip, that leaves me feeling frustrated about wasting most of the time on a half-assed effort. Not enjoyable for me personally.

Wouldn’t it be a novelty if someone said “hey, I have this trip planned to X general area. I have this equipment and weapon, part of a meal plan, we can take my truck. But I don’t really know what I’m doing. Want to come along and show me some things?” I know I would be entering that trip with a vastly different mindset. Big difference mentoring someone who takes ownership and initiative for their learning.

Finding a hunting partner you click with is harder than finding a spouse. If you don’t share similar ethics, values, commitment level and willingness to put forth effort, it doesn’t work very well and can be a crappy experience for everyone involved.

So can I come hunt elk in WY with you next year…just to tag along?

 

[Hunting Wife]

So can I come hunt elk in WY with you next year…just to tag along?

Never hunted Wyoming. No one will take me

 

[Pucky Freak]

So it's so disheartening, specially in the hunting world, that the inexperienced only looks for experienced, and the experienced doesn't want to deal or mentor a newcomer. Even worse, sometimes, instead of inviting one to their fire, some feel like a newcomer is out to get advantage and steal their fire. It is truly sad.

In my observation, the majority of newcomers want to take your knowledge and give nothing in return. This has been as true on hunting forums as it has been in person/real life. Over time I’ve worked on changing my reaction from annoyance to one of being positive and generous. Am I going to be burned now and again? Yep, sure am.

True newcomers often don’t know what to ask, and a common question is “where do I go?” Then there are very experienced hunters who are planning on hunting a new area and don’t want to try and figure out how to find animals on their own, but would prefer to just have someone else tell them.

I believe the most rewarding hunting experiences are those in which you figure as much out on your own as you can, while getting just enough help where you’re not totally lost and frustrated.

I’ve reached the point in my hunting “career” where if some person I helped brings their buddies to my honey hole and it’s no longer a honey hole for me, it’s not that big of a deal because I can find and scout a new honey hole without too much trouble.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Tnx, and I am trying.
Ontario, CA or Canada?

Ontario, CA? Wash your mouth with soap!

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I asked to tag along for elk hunting on a HT thread once and all I got were laughs and questions like “are you and expert caller”…etc…etc. I get there is a large question of motive hence no one took me serious and figured I would just steal their spot and/or just wanted someone to show me the ropes and show up in their spots. I hunt alone 100 percent of the time and will never hunt elk due to that, because I personally think it’s unsafe. I would still love to just tag along for the experience itself to hear the bugles…experience archery elk hunting. I know that I’m honest , but they don’t and get they don’t want to take a chance. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

 

[millerkiller77]

I asked to tag along for elk hunting on a HT thread once and all I got were laughs and questions like “are you and expert caller”…etc…etc. I get there is a large question of motive hence no one took me serious and figured I would just steal their spot and/or just wanted someone to show me the ropes and show up in their spots. I hunt alone 100 percent of the time and will never hunt elk due to that, because I personally think it’s unsafe. I would still love to just tag along for the experience itself to hear the bugles…experience archery elk hunting. I know that I’m honest , but they don’t and get they don’t want to take a chance. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

You can tag along on a cow elk rifle hunt, won't bother me one bit.