Lazy Friends

[hank4elk]

I quit waiting for friends to hunt with a long time ago. I almost always have hunted alone. Did not like hanging in hunt camps with drinking & all either.I was there to hunt,not party or have a social event.
My one good friend who hunted was a warden & we could go together once in a while due to our schedules.
He retired after 35 yrs as a warden & he was coming to my place finally a couple years ago to hunt elk. He died from a heart attack mid summer eating lunch after we had made final plans for his trip.

Go hunt, alone if necessary.

 

[LWC55]

I've tried to get friends into western hunting and buy points, plan trips, etc... Most do not have the same goals, desire, mindset as me or my brother. We have just started planning trips for ourselves and the other guys can go too if they want. Our first trip was OTC CO a few years ago. Which anyone can go and get a tag and you don't really have to commit until the truck is pulling out of town. But I decided I wasn't that into OTC and wanted to start building points and have a "better" experience. It takes a little more planning and commitment, but so far, so good.

 

[brockel]

Same story for me. I have two friends that if they could get the time off from work would go every time but they can’t so I do most of my hunting solo

 

[JDH]

It's hard for me to even find people that can consistently go hunting locally with me. Most of the time I end up solo but I've started to build a network of people. I hunt ducks with one person, deer with a different one, and fish and dove hunt with my brother in law. Same for out west, as I only have one guy that really wants to go.

 

[PrairieHunter]

Lots of people are in your situation and can't find people to hunt with. There needs to be a "Hunters Only" dating service for lonely hunters, lol.

You will be fine hunting by yourself but it takes a while to get the experience to really be a smart hunter, especially if you only go a week per year. For antelope or deer hunting this will just take a couple of hunts to start to get comfortable with how things are done. Elk hunting is going to be a tall order for someone with little experience. You can probably get 2-3 years worth of experience going on one guided hunt if you make the most of it instead of acting like you are on vacation. Get up early and spend as much time with the guides as possible learning how/why they do things and watching how they act in the woods. Do your own field work with them supervising you through the process of breaking the animal down. That will give you a good base to start learning to hunt on your own.

 

[bushman13]

Hunting buddies are like old High School friends. The longer you stick around in this life, the less of them there are. They don't seem to be replaceable.

 

[bigdonniebrasco]

I only have a single elk point and it's in WY, I could buy a 2nd one this year, but I am not even sure if WY is where I should be building points. I just want to GO!! Even if I just shoot a cow!!

I'd go with you just so we could learn!

Don

 

[JohnCushman]

I would suggest a doe antelope hunt in Wyoming for a first 'Western' hunt. The tags are cheap and they are fairly easy to hunt and the meat is amazing. I also suggest it as a way to see what you need for camping and food and fuel expense...to see about planning the logistics of a real hunt out here. Then when you decide to bite the bullet and come out for elk, I'd suggest a cow tag to start with, and you have a streamlined list from a trial run to see what worked and what didn't work. And a cow tag is cheaper and not so hard to swallow if you don't fill your tag.

 

[HigdemHunter]

Most of my buddies are the same way and it's kind of a bummer but I understand that not everyone has the same desire to do these kinds of things. I usually plan to go on a hunt Solo but sometimes I can get one of my friends to tag along. As fun as it just to be out hunting and taking a break from reality, in my mind I think it is more memorable to have someone with to share the experience, but to each there own.

my advice would be to just go out there no matter what and learn as much as you can, see some great country and have fun. That's what it's all about

 

[LuketheDog]

You should never feel like you have to pull your friend's hair to get them to go hunting. If they flake out over buying preference points, imagine when they have to pony up for gas, lodging, etc...

...or packing an elk, or staying for the duration of the hunt, or hiking up that big mountain to that meadow you scouted on Google Earth, or, or, etc., those types aren't good guys to hunt the mountains with anyway. Just go man! Hire a guide if that's what you're comfortable with and you want someone to show you the ropes, go on your own if that floats your boat. Bring a fishing rod, maybe when you get here you'll decide elk hunting in the Rockies ain't your thing. But whatever you do, don't miss the chance just because your friends are lazy...

 

[rmauch20]

I ran into the exact same problem. Most of the people I used to hunt with, you would have to drag them out of the pick up to walk a creek bottom for whitetails.
Last year I went on my first elk hunt with a couple other guys. I’m very thankful for them letting me tagalong. I learned a tremendous amount and had a blast. One big thing I learned about hunting partners is make sure they’re putting in the same amount of effort as you are. It is extremely frustrating having someone talk a big game and when you get out on the mountain you’re having to carry their stuff or constantly wait on them. Another recommendation I would give you is test your gear before you leave and make sure your hunting partners do as well. It is also extremely frustrating having to head in to the main camp on opening morning because one of your hunting partners forgot a sleeping bag and the others jet boil does not work and of course he insisted on bringing his for the three of us to use. Even though he hasn’t tested it or used it since last year. Bad hunting partners can ruin a good trip pretty quickly.
Just heading to Wyoming this year for antelope but plan on heading to Colorado or Wyoming next year for elk or mule deer. I am building points in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. If you can’t find anybody local send me a message and we could talk to see if it would work out.

 

[Tradewind]

I quit waiting for friends to hunt with a long time ago. I almost always have hunted alone. Did not like hanging in hunt camps with drinking & all either.I was there to hunt,not party or have a social event.
My one good friend who hunted was a warden & we could go together once in a while due to our schedules.
He retired after 35 yrs as a warden & he was coming to my place finally a couple years ago to hunt elk. He died from a heart attack mid summer eating lunch after we had made final plans for his trip.

Go hunt, alone if necessary.

Sorry to hear it Hank. A good reminder not take this for granted and wait for next time....

 

[noharleyyet]

Longtime close friend and hunting partner (deer, hogs, turkey, etc) for 3 decades retired recently. Aside from a couple solo trips and one trip with just my son and I, we have also chased elk for the last 15 years. I did all the logistics and planning for all those elk hunts. The last couple of years I've been encouraging him to try the solo hunts and start making his own contacts and plans. He's in Arizona today for a bear hunt and has a NM and CO elk hunt planned in October and November.

I'm jealous.

 

[Stump jumper]

I had the same problem for a long time. The short of it and the best way to end that b. S. Go out get it done, then send them a pitcher of your Success. Weather that is a kill or a great view or whatever. If that doesn’t get your buddy’s on the boat it’s time to find a new dock.

 

[119bowhunter]

Lots of great advice here, I will say after several years of talking about it that last fall my hunting partner and I finally decided to take the leap and despite being intimidating trying to figure out where to go and what to do you just have to go for it...we had a great time and it was much easier to figure out all the logistics than I had expected...already planning future trips now!

 

[Millsworks]

I wish I hadn't wasted years waiting on friends to get on board.
I should have gone on my own long ago .
I agree that an antelope doe hunt is a cheap and great hunt to start a western hunting career.
But if elk is your goal, I strongly suggest buying points a few years for elk and getting a mule deer tag in regions you hope to elk hunt. This way you can learn the area and have fun hunting deer while you save up for a good elk hunt.
This is the way I will be hunting Wyoming from now until I feel I know an area good enough to spend my elk points on.
States like Colorado hand out elk tags alot more generously. But regardless, it's cheaper to buy deer and antelope tags and learn on those hunts what you can.

 

[OH->CO]

I am another who has wasted years trying to drag others along. I wanted to share the experience with somebody so I brought my brothers and brother in law for a few years. Their under preparedness would ruin my hunt more than it was worth. I go solo now. I had an agreement with my brother in law that I would call for him and he hunt one year and the next year we would switch. When we got to Colorado he was in such bad shape that we had to turn around and come home early. We never made it to the year where he called for me. I now go on my own and don't try to bring anybody along.

 

[dcopas78]

My dad and I had the same problem for many years. In fact, I would say we waited d 6-7 years on a lot of promises and "some day" I could have had a whole slew of points and hunts if I'd started around 2005 when I first got interested. Instead, it wasn't until 2013 on a trespass antelope hunt that we broke into western hunting. Lots of research and money later, I can't ever envision myself not hunting somewhere out west every year. My dad is getting up in years and I realize I'm going to have to go solo for a while until my boys get older. I'd say do what you have to to get your feet wet. I promise once you get a taste, you'll want more.

 

[Coach Chris]

FWIW - I have "lazy friends" or more accurately, less committed, right here in Wyoming.
I do all of my ruck training with my dog, most of my scouting and shooting practice with my lady and my dog.
I generally hunt alone.
I figure it's only a matter of time before I end up as grizzly scat. LOL!

 

[Gwknowles]

I’m hunting Colorado and Wyoming DIY style by myself this fall. After this years expense next year will be license and fuel cost. I’m set up to truck camp and/or pack in hunt to get the job done.
I’m from the Evansville Indiana area.
Man I’m so excited to be going! Just a few more things need to be done and I’ll be ready.

Thanks for the info. Im from Evansville too.