Is harder better?

[gouch]

I never really thought about it in the terms of harder being better but I would much rather hunt with a recurve bow or my sidelock muzzle loader than with a rifle. Most of the time when I shoot an animal with a rifle I am left with the feeling that it just wasn’t very fair. On the other hand I kinda like having an animal die close to the road, especially above the road, rather than way back in the middle of nowhere. Also, it is much harder to hunt birds without a dog but I don’t really enjoy hunting birds much without a dog. So I guess sometimes harder is better but easy is kinda nice too.

I once met a man when we were surveying his property for him. He was a big man in his late 60s who walked with a slight limp. He asked that we take him around the 40 acers and show him the corners. My partner told him that it was kind of steep and he might not be able to walk it. The man looked at him with a cold stare and said in his strong British accent “I’ve climbed every mountain in the world, I think I can walk my property line.” He turned out to be a fascinating man who had indeed climbed almost every major mountain in the world. He was a medical doctor and once spent two years living in a small cabin at 16,000 ft. studying the effects of high elevation on the body and mind. At the end of our talk he said “I’ve spent my life cheating death while struggling to reach the tops of mountains but I now realize that taking a leisurely walk in the woods is a much nicer way to live. So maybe easy is better.

 

[JLS]

I saw heading on the article in Outdoor Life about a "harder hunt being a better hunt". It is unusual to me the way hunters always seem to think a harder hunt is a better hunt. By harder I mean bow vs muzzleloader vs rifle etc and long pack outs vs drop them near a road.

I admit I fish in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean a lot. You what know thought has never crossed my mind "if I could just find conditions rough enough to loosen a few fillings before putting these fish in the box, this day would be much more rewarding", lol.

I get the hard hunting, I have killed a dall sheep, shot a shiras moose in a hell hole in Idaho. I guess the article make me ask myself "why do we do it"?

Great post. I can directly relate to your questions, as I tend to drift toward the hunt harder instead of smarter camp for various reasons. The area I killed my deer in this year was much easier to access via ATV than foot, as I did. It was a fun hunt, but I’ll probably look for a different spot next year, unless I buy an ATV before then (this WILL happen, just not sure when).

I spend a multitude of days in spectacularly difficult country chasing a stupid little partridge. Why? Part of it IS the physical challenge. It keeps me in shape, keeps me young, and is good for the soul. Part of it is the solitude and the scenery. I could certainly do it easier. Hell, it’d be cheaper to pay for pheasants at the local preserve. Reference the previous sentences.

I don’t go out of my way to make hunts difficult. I’ve shot a couple of cow elk that died in the middle of a two track. I have no qualms about backing up to a deer in a stubble field. I also have no qualms about venturing into the most rugged wilderness in the lower 48. It’s about solitude, friendships, experiences, and introspection. It’s not always about the end results, sometimes it’s about the process itself.

Iron sharpens iron.

 

[midwesthunter]

I think it comes down to personal goals. For whitetail, it was more rewarding to shoot a mature buck with my bow then a gun because the degree of difficulty was harder. I had to be a better hunter to accomplish this. But as soon as gun season came in, the bow stayed in the case and the gun came out, but I usually already had my deer before then.

 

[noharleyyet]

I'm of a different mindset than most on here I guess. I'm going to put in exactly the amount of work required to get the result I desire. I don't waste time/money/effort/resources for marginal gains.

If I can shoot a nice buck close to the road, or hike in ten miles for one slightly nicer, you bet your butt I'm shooting the one close to the road.

I've gone through life following that thought process and it hasn't taken me too far off track yet.

Why bust my ass to get into med school, to bust my ass for years in med school, to bust my ass as a resident, to be on call all the time. Why not become an engineer? No one cares if you didn't get a 4.0 gpa in collage, they just care about the degree

Sorry man, obligatory

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Sorry man, obligatory

Haha! I got nothing back to that

 

[JohnCushman]

I miss @JohnCushman on here. With a title like that we could always expect a interesting response. I will try my best.

Is harder better? Not after 4 hours........Lol

It's all fun and games until you get t bagged in Wyoming.

 

[Addicting]

It's all fun and games until you get t bagged in Wyoming.

You trying to catch me would definitely make your hunt harder if not impossible. So are you saying yes to the OP? Lol

 

[sbhooper]

I hunted only with a muzzle loader for many years, just to avoid the center fire crowd and make it a bit "tougher". I then hunted with a bow for a number of years, to extend my season and add a bit of a challenge. I have had some very tough elk pack outs and I have never been able to drive up to one of my elk. All that was enjoyable, for what it was worth, but I really have no interest in killing myself for a critter anymore. I don't care to navigate the rough mountains anymore and just, plain do not care for a "challenge". I never have really been a trophy hunter (not that I dislike big antlers), but was always more about the meat.

Now, my "challenge" is using a shorter-range rifle, once in a while and picking the oldest doe from the herd, when possible. I have killed several does this year that were aged over 5 years and that to me is more satisfying than busting my ass crawling around canyons and mountains just for the "challenge".

My biggest challenge, now, is making sure that all of my permits get filled! Everybody has their own motivation, but for me, it is just the fact that I absolutely like to kill stuff and fill my and others' freezers.

 

[noharleyyet]

Hell, if I wanted to do it the hard way I wouldn't have a single Leupold mounted.

 

[Treeshark]

I don’t know that “harder is better” per se. I do know that there is no feeling better than accomplishing something very difficult yet very meaningful- lifting the pack off the back at the end of a brutal but successful pack out, cracking a cold one after dragging a big one out of the swamp, or crossing the finish line of a tough race.

That feeling of “wow, I wasn’t sure I had that in me but I did it!” cannot next replicated any other way than doing something tough.

 

[mtmuley]

That last load dropped on the tailgate of the truck is pretty sweet. I don't mind the hard hunts. mtmuley

 

[elkduds]

What do I remember from hard hunts? Cold, exhaustion, pain, adverse weather, cooperating w partners, vehicle challenges, equipment malfunctions, ones that got away, the intense rush when walking up to a trophy after days, weeks, even years of pursuit. What do I remember from an easy hunt? That it wasn't hard.

 

[Treeshark]

Yep very true. And as much as it seems to suck at the time, you always seems to look back at it fondly.

 

[JohnCushman]

We had a saying in the army when things seemed to have gone to hell.....embrace the suck

 

[Werty]

I've hunted and fished enough to appreciate an easy trip. They don't all have to be that way. Unfortunately, we tend to remember the tough one's.

 

[Bambistew]

I think there is a certain level of effort (difficulty) which equates to satisfaction and reward.

I will say that many of the most miserable hunts I've been on are some of my fondest memories. In addition some of the easiest were equally as fun. Can't say that they were better, but I surely remember camping out on the side of a mountain under a space blanket covered in blood, and no food where as I've forgotten many 'easy' hunts that involved little to no effort...

I certainly don't go looking for misery though. I will pass up a hunt due to shit weather. Why be miserable and have low chances of success vs just waiting it out? I've rolled out of bed many a morning, just to roll back in and wait for rain/fog/wind to settle.

 

[ida homer]

It's all fun and games until you get t bagged in Wyoming.

No corner crossing.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I think with "harder" hunts, you struggle more and that makes success that much sweeter. You feel like you have earned success more. I know when I listen to hunting stories, I like to hear about the struggle or failures because I can identify with that aspect. That's not to necessarily say that easier hunts are less satisfying, I will say the deer I shot last year and dragged out 4 miles and the deer this year that I dragged 100 yards both sure tasted good.

I enjoy hiking for hours, finding new places that so few people see. I enjoy that sense of discovery. I dont enjoy looking at maps for hours though, but I also think the struggles that we dont necessarily want to endure also add to the fulfillment.

Maybe harder isnt necessarily better, just different with unique aspects.

This also made me think of my great grandfather and how he would probably call me nuts for how far I hike for what little I get. He was definitely a road hunter and didnt really care for hiking, he just wanted meat. He didnt care for a challenge he just wanted food to feed his family.

 

[hank4elk]

Suck it in Gunga Din ,the chief would say after chow.
Been way back in the high country and got the buck out to the pack station, after 3 days solo.
Had a cow run right out of the salt brush & rock to the road my truck was parked on,and drop.
Been challenged by myself mostly.

Lately it was to get within 200 yrds of a bull with cows all around before they head to the trees at dawn,in the open. Unit wide tag. I stayed home,my honeyhole.
475 1st day,451 2nd,425 3rd day with a spooked cow right next to me.
3rd day he was 225 and behind a juniper for half an hour as the cows started headed to the neighbors ten minutes before shooting time. Nice 340 6x6,same one.Then they winded the road hunters that had spotted them driving on the county road and had put a stalk on them in the dark across state lands. Bark. Gone in an instant. I had a hard 600 yard walk back to the house for a cuppa.
Last morning I walked out with my binos & cuppa, sat against a pinion and spotted 5 hunters within a mile of my honeyhole and no elk by sunrise. Walked back to house for more joe.
Hunt successful,almost. Tag unfilled.
I've worked hard to hunt my way. Solo.

 

[rjthehunter]

I'm of a different mindset than most on here I guess. I'm going to put in exactly the amount of work required to get the result I desire. I don't waste time/money/effort/resources for marginal gains.

If I can shoot a nice buck close to the road, or hike in ten miles for one slightly nicer, you bet your butt I'm shooting the one close to the road.

I've gone through life following that thought process and it hasn't taken me too far off track yet.

Why bust my ass to get into med school, to bust my ass for years in med school, to bust my ass as a resident, to be on call all the time. Why not become an engineer? No one cares if you didn't get a 4.0 gpa in collage, they just care about the degree

I get people who ask me what my GPA is in college. I have no clue, does it matter? By the end of this coming semester, I'm gonna have a degree that says the same thing yours does. However, while you were studying everyday, I was in the field working. In construction, experience is king. They know that your ability to work is more important than your ability to get straight A's. I'm coming out on top, because I'm spending all my free time working and gaining experience. By the time I graduate, I'll have 1 years experience in construction management. Most of these guys have 3 months of experience as an intern. That being said, I have no issues paying for what I want/need. I've been self sufficient got several years now whereas most of these guys are still living off their parents credit card.

As far as the hunts... Difficult hunts are more rewarding when telling the story afterwards. While it's happening, it's not very glamorous but the end is the reward, when you get to sit down at a holiday and tell your family the story, or at a bar on a Friday night. You'll have a bigger respect for a 350" bull that you busted your ass to kill than a 360" bull you shot off the road.

Shooting animals close to the road doesn't make for a good story and half the fun is reliving the story everytime you tell it to someone new!