What made you a great hunter? And other newbie questions.

[onewildsong]

I grew up in a family that hunted some but my dad had pretty much stopped by the time I was old enough, so I got my first deer this year (as a 35-year old mom of 4 kids, one a two-month old at the time...because I’m crazy and need one more thing to keep me busy!). I loved getting to get close to the animals, enjoying physical activity outdoors, & bringing home great meat. I would like to start hunting some public lands in other states mostly because we love the mountains, stand hunting isn’t as appealing to me, and I want to learn about more kinds of game and see more wild places.

I’m hungry to learn from anyone who doesn’t mind helping a newbie on the path. I have a few questions that I’d love to hear from you on:

(1) What’s the most valuable thing you did to to become a great hunter?

(2) Best hunt you ever went on? What made it so memorable?

(3) What do you wish new hunters knew or would do?

 

[genesis273]

I'll go with "consistant" hunter, nowhere near great!
(1) Learn from a lot of mistakes.

(2) Too many great, memorable hunts to pick one. But a challenge has to be part of a "best hunt".

(3) Take it slow and learn from experience.

Welcome to HT!

 

[onpoint]

The luck of being born an average, white, male, middle-class, American and the economic benefits that luck afforded me. One that was left a legacy of natural resources and access to them.
A legacy that I hope/wish no one else as fortunate will take for granted and/or squander.
I hope you can and your children have the same opportunities I have had and plan on continuing to have.
But that is truly up to the sportsmen and women in the same boat as you.

 

[406LIFE]

IDK about great, but confident that I will accomplish my goals:

1. Days in the field: you can't beat experience.
2. Quality Gear: doesn't help you hunt better, but longer.
3. No off season: Research and conditioning are happening right now.
4. Practice with your weapons: I trust my bow and rifle. That only came after many rounds down range.
5. Support and encouragment from friends and family: You need a happy wife and a no quitting hunting buddy.

 

[onewildsong]

Thanks! I am a wife, & my husband is my hunting partner, so let’s hope he’s the non-quitting kind so he continues to have a happy wife. ��

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

I don't know what a great hunter is but I enjoy hunting.

I just question everything, why is that deer doing that? why is it here? Why isn't it there? What does this mean? Etc.

I think if you get to a point where you believe you can't learn anymore then you're not a good hunter. Nature is infinite in variation and as long as you're willing to continue learning that's probably what makes a good hunter.

 

[375H&H]

Welcome!!

What made me better at hunting was failing and beating myself up for years over those failures. It sucks, but it really makes you want to get it right the next time.

I wish new hunters knew that the journey is the destination with hunting.

 

[nrpate05]

I'm flattered you think I'm a great hunter!

1) Perserverance. It's way too easy to get beat down mentally and physically during a challenging hunt. If you can keep your mind in the game it can make all the difference. Also, being comfortable in uncomfortable situations can really help.

2) There have been many great hunts in the past. My first big game hunt was for pronghorn in WY. A good friend and I both took our first big game animals and were over the moon. Also, this past season I was able to be a part of a good friend taking his first animal ever (elk). It was awesome to see him (and all of us) go from being beat down to ecstatic in a matter of moments.

3) That hunting is supposed to be fun and the kill isn't everything. It's hard with social media these days that all kids see is hunters showing off huge trophies and it's easy for people to think thats what it's all about.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Not a “great hunter” by any stretch....lots of room for improvement. But the hunters I really respect and admire are the ones who never rest on their laurels. They are constantly working to be better, to learn more, and they manage to hang onto that sense of awe and excitement from their first hunt to their last. That’s the hunter I hope to be.

Best hunt I’ve ever been on? Too many to choose from. My first entirely solo hunt where I killed something? Deer and ducks in Alaska? Turkeys running right at me? Antelope in a blizzard? Don’t make me choose!

I wish new hunters knew that, despite what some may tell you, there is more than one “right” way to do most things. You know where you are, and where you need to be at the end. Figuring out how to get from point A to point B is where the magic happens. Just jump in and don’t worry about doing it wrong. You’ll learn so much along the way.

 

[sneakypete]

I'm not a great hunter but I enjoy the outdoors and as I get older I'm more picky at what I shoot. I do agree better equipment helps me stay out longer and be more comfortable. I do believe you get what you pay for though. The most memorable hunt I've been on is this last September on a moose hunt with my oldest son he got one! Memories made!
As for becoming a better hunter as in life you learn from your mistakes and from others.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I'm certainly not a "great" hunter, but I love it. If you don't love it its just going to be another activity. If you love it, it becomes a life within a life.

This past fall I went on a deer hunt in eastern MT. I shot a buck that wasn't huge but the hunt was extremely renewing. I had been in a dark place recently with work being stressful and both parents getting diagnosed with stage 4 cancer within months of each other. Getting out and camping and chasing mountain mulies around by myself a few days really brought things back into perspective. I got some things sorted out and came back a better husband and father.

I wish new hunters would not watch hunting shows. Most of them are junk and give the new folks the wrong impression and focus on shooting trophies that are unattainable to the average public land hunter. Focus on the experience and friendships you'll develop based on those experiences.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I’m definitely not a great hunter, but always looking to learn. And I think that’s the big thing I’ve come to realize so far—be a student of the game. As soon as I think I’ve got one little thing figured out, another layer is pulled back and I see how little I know. But it’s not disheartening, it’s exciting. Read as much as you can, but like others have said, spend as much time out in the field as you can. Your husband and kids will love being out there with you.

My best hunt so far was the one in which I killed my second mule deer. Not a big deer, but a sort of milestone for me. I screwed up and took a bad shot on a deer the previous season, and I spent a year practicing and learning to prepare for that next hunt. It paid off and felt great. That really showed me I could do this if I worked hard at it.

I’m still a newish hunter myself, so the last one is hard. Comparing yourself to others will rob you of your joy—I think Teddy Roosevelt said something along those lines and I’ve found it to be true. Make your own adventure, and try to ignore the Johnny Badass types who make it sound like you’re a failure if you don’t come off the mountain with a B&C record every time you’re out. Have fun!

 

[ccc23454]

1) spend time in woods all year, its not about just hunting season
2) first western hunt: solo, against odds, weather and advice of others set out to fill elk and muley tag having never seen either in wild. 2 weeks later went home loaded down with a fine bull and buck!
3) watch youtube with sound off (90+% of what they are saying is garbage). Study animals vitals, learn different topography and its challenges(wind can be biggest). Dont over value horns, while nice the true trophy is the privelege of watching that sunrise. Get in woods on any tag you can get cow elk especially, if no tag go hike or hunt with a buddy. Above all else just have fun...

Best wishes
Chris

 

[Bambistew]

Great topic!

I'm not sure what it means to be a great hunter. Success? Luck? Patience? Knowledge? For me it's consistent success, by knowing exactly what to look for to find game. I can scout a new area from the internet and 3 out of 4 times hit gold. Matter of fact just today I circled a few places to check this fall for deer in an area I've never been, but know the habitat the deer like. I can usually do the same with elk, moose sheep, caribou, etc. I always have 4 spots to go at any given time or more for any animal I'm after. I would say that 30% of the game I shoot is in an area I'd never hunted before, maybe more.

More memories than I can count, but would say my first sheep hunt here in AK is near the top. My wife a shot a 7.5 grizz in camp the last day of our hunt, we skinned it and later that day I hiked about 8 miles solo and shot a ram that evening. Camped out under a rock and flew home that next afternoon. The 7 hour hike out with my kit and full ram was something I will never forget as I waded down a creek dor 2 miles to avoid the brush. That was probably about my 150th big game animal at the time. I have a lot of great memories, and most of them were on solo hunts. The least memorable hunts are always the ones that require the least amount of work.

I take new hunters from time to time. I would say they need to read more, do more research and not wait for a handout. There is so much information out there today it's not even funny. No excuse for not being prepared and informed IMO. I find it funny that so many new hunters hang on Randys every word and tactic. As some one mentioned there is more than one way to skin a cat, and skipping right to expert level leaves out so much of the why. Kind of like solving a math problem without showing your work.

I was lucky to grow up in SW MT with a family that lived to hunt elk. I punched an elk tag every year in MT that i lived there starting at age 12, as well as a few deer and antelope every year. I learned how to bow hunt on my own from reading books, and magazines, and managed to shoot my first archery animal at 15 (antelope) and killed a bull elk the next year. I had mentorship with rifle huntng elk, but learned how to hunt everything else on my own.

 

[1_pointer]

I'm not great, but I've been around a few that I'd put in that category so I'll answer with what I've learned from them and am trying to apply myself.

1. Perseverance as stated above. A good buddy of mine gets more critters by simply just not stopping until he does. Don't give up. Just keep after it. If one area/tactic isn't working try something new, but just keep trying.

2. For me it was a two week trip with the above buddy. We hunted a wide variety of critters in two states. Reason that's memorable for me is that I learned so much on that trip that's made a whole lot of difference in trips since.

3. Focus on the memory your making. Sometimes what sucks today is something you'll talk the most about later. Take lots of pictures and write down your thoughts experiences. I lost my dad when he was relatively young. In his last weeks we didn't talk about stuff, but stuff we did.

 

[Addicting]

I am not a great hunter, not really even a good one, but I do try hard.

The greatest is the next one and all of the anticipation building up to it.

I wish new hunters knew ethics and respect. Too often it becomes more about size or the kill and people seem to loose thier common sense. Try hard, take it one day at a time, stop to enjoy your surroundings, and most of all enjoy yourself while respecting the opportunity you have been given. If you work on those things you will find it is a successful trip afield.

 

[noharleyyet]

We barely average hunters have the advantage of reading and meeting great hunters because of this site. There are many I would categorize with the aforementioned adjective. Information disseminated generously, and more importantly, IMO, without boast at no charge,

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

1. Always assuming I am not, in fact, a great hunter, and as a result always trying to make myself better.

2. I am not sure on this, but I guarantee it ended with the satisfaction of dropping a heavy pack on the tailgate of my truck after a tough pack out. There is also a very likely chance it was a hunt where a buddy pulled the trigger rather than myself.

3. The new hunters I enjoy talking with, and helping out, are those that want to learn the "how/why" versus the "what to do".

 

[VikingsGuy]

Lots of great thoughts above shared by far better hunters than I, but after spending much of my free time over the last 40+years outdoors hunting, fishing, etc, I do offer two thoughts to newer outdoorsmen/women.

First is to embrace the entire experience, not just the kill -- it's like a great meal, rarely is dessert the best course. But, as said above, popular culture seems to turn everything into a made for youtube event - it is definitely killing much of the fun for many.

Second, while there any many many different ways to hunt, safety must always be consideration number one. Know your guns, be obsessive about gun safety (muzzle awareness, what is behind your target, etc), insist those you hunt with are also attentive to safety, be aware of your physical limitations, be aware of your surroundings (terrain, weather, predators), make sure someone knows where you will be and when you expect to be back, etc.

 

[Nameless Range]

Interesting thread. I am not a good hunter and in fact am probably worse than average. I enjoy studying chunks of country more than I do the habits of the animals that live on it. I do look up to hunters who I consider "great" though. As Bambi mentioned, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Some traits of the hunters I revere as great - disjointed with the caveat that I am thinking of mountain hunters:

1. Physical Condition combined with persistence - I know a few very successful and impressive hunters who just cover miles until they find success. Every mile increasing the probability they will encounter what they are looking for. It is rare to see a "great" hunter who is out of shape.

2. The ability to sit still and glass - There is strategy in what hunter's glass, but the adage of "Let your binos/scope do the walking for you" is accurate and advantageous, and in my opinion is boring as hell. That said, it is rare to see a "great" hunter who doesn't utilize optics.

3. A strategy of relentless consistency - Maybe this removes the "great" from some people's criteria. But I have known a hunter who shoots his mature bull and his buck year in an year out, hunting the same 3 or 4 slopes/bowls and doesn't deviate. Another interesting thing about this individual is he usually isn't on the mountain until mid morning. He has spots that have endured.

Those aren't recipes, just observations, but I think the one thing all hunters I consider "great" have in common is that they love hunting. They think about it all the time.

To your second question, The best hunt I have ever been on was a goat hunt in the Tobacco Roots. What made it great was the company of my friend the tag holder, and an ignorance of what it would take to be successful. It was an adventure. There was suffering and danger and joy.

To your third question, I'm not sure. I like to see people have fun.