Do you hunt solo or as a group?

[timeskos]

I wondering which you guys tend to do, and the differences in your opinion of each.

I don't have a hunting group so few times I go, its exclusively solo and usually turns into more of a camping trip than hunting.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Solo-ish. Either by myself or with the wife. She calls me the pack mule.

 

[timeskos]

Solo-ish. Either by myself or with the wife. She calls me the pack mule.

Thats fair. What do you usually go for when solo?

 

[Wolfshead]

Both.
I mostly hunt alone now.
We used to get a bunch of us together to hunt and do drives etc…
But those times are gone now. I loved the comraderie and it was a lot of fun.
I hunt some with my Brother in-law, but now most of my hunting is by myself.

 

[Truck24hr]

Solo. Got tired of halfway through a hunt someone wanting to go home because of their lack of effort.

Now I hunt as hard as I want, and exactly how and where I want to do it.

 

[timekiller13]

Solo. I can hunt how and where I want and don’t have to worry about someone else.

Dad doesn’t hunt anymore. But he comes with me but stays at camp. He’s designated himself as “camp chef.”

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Thats fair. What do you usually go for when solo?

Usually deer but honestly could be anything. Going with the wife is pretty much a solo-ish adventure. I do all the planning, research, all the logistics and everything. Sometimes she has the tag and sometimes I do. I haven't done a lot of Western hunts without her because she wants to go whether she's got a tag or not so usually if I'm going solo she'll be tagging along. It's a blessing and a curse. Any hints with a group have been deer and I like it OK, but it tends to be a situation where I'm sacrificing my hunts to help others in the group. It's not on them, it's on me, I tend to prefer everyone else be successful before me so work hard to put everyone else in position to succeed. I've got deer honey holes on public here that I've never hunted myself because I always put other people there. One day I'll do a true solo hunt and I expect it to be glorious lol, or maybe it'll be boring I dunno.

 

[Fullfan]

Solo for archery whitetails, mid-west spring gobbler solo until I kill then help others. Archery elk, my son always has first kill, then I'm up. After that I hunt and help others.

 

[Marble]

I wondering which you guys tend to do, and the differences in your opinion of each.

I don't have a hunting group so few times I go, its exclusively solo and usually turns into more of a camping trip than hunting.

Do you have any regrets post-season? What I mean is, after season, of unsuccessful, do you look back and wish, "i wish I went in there" or " i wish did X", usually this revolves around not putting 100 % effort in when reflecting back. Not saying your lazy at all. But theb thought of a solo packout can be discouraging. I'm guilty of this. So I have to have the mantra of no regrets...

My solo trips are by far more successful than in a group. I enjoy it more also. But the comradery of the group in camp is really something special.

I would rather embrace the suck and deal with the worry of getting the pack out done than to be ticked at myself for not going all out for a year...

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[longspeak74]

Always archery solo and mostly rifle solo, with the exception of opening weekend.
I am usually in the woods long before the other guys even pull in.

 

[Pony Soldier]

The local elk herd has a cycle that encompasses about 10-15 miles. My first week is usually by myself, trying to figure out where they are in that cycle. Once I find them then I can focus on more detailed hunting in defined habitat.

The second week my long term partner shows up and we continue the search and often expand into other migration blocks dependant on weather. Some of that may expand into areas up to 30 miles away. A serious process of elimonation.

My son and wife start to come along by then and we spread out to cover more country. All of that is usually dictated by how much snow and temps which control migration.

By the fourth week I'm usually back to being by myself during the week with family on weekends. By then the migration has moved the elk off the summer range and my searches have tended to focus more into the margins of valley floors or foothills.

All in all roughly 5 weeks of daily horse recon of differant blocks of land and elevations dependant on weather and temperature over an area of 60 x 20 miles and 3000 ft of elevation.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

Big game solo.

Waterfowl is better time with friends but often go solo.

Upland solo.

 

[elkhunter505]

Started hunting mostly solo when I wanted to try different hunts than my friends and family. Used to hunt with my dad a ton and miss that a lot. I think you can be more effective hunting with the correct group of people and it can be more fun. Solo hunting is great for me because I get my alone time and can decompress without anyone there, but it limits what I am able to do, particularly with elk.

Spent some time hunting with new buddies that jive with my hunting style last fall and had a blast. Particularly hunting elk is much easier with multiple people because of calling set ups. Went on my dad’s elk hunt last year and did multiple calling set ups that could not have been successful without a second person. Calling elk solo is unbelievably hard in my opinion.

Hell I even took my buddies girlfriend out on the last day of season while he was at work and saw the benefit of a second pair of eyes. Even with her being inexperienced, she saw 2 or 3 deer that day that I would have never seen because I was tunnel vision on other deer. Didn’t end up getting her a deer that day but man we definitely had some fun.

I am going to actively pursue hunting with others again now that I have friends that match my hunting style. I will still hunt solo because inherently my schedule is different than others, but I have rediscovered the fun of having a group with you rather than just spending your whole time focused on killing something. Definitely have killed more animals solo than in a group, but I definitely missed out on the fun of hunting with others.

 

[Truck24hr]

I don't have a hunting group so few times I go, its exclusively solo and usually turns into more of a camping trip than hunting.

Man, the older I get, the less I want to regret.

It's so easy to make an excuse to quit something, or not give 100% to an effort.

What's worse, family and friends are always supportive, and between the bunch, you all say you did the best you could.

The hell you did

Eventually, you're gonna have to be honest with yourself.

Success in anything is usually hard, uncomfortable, and takes way more effort than 95% want to give.

Don't let your mind get in way of your success.

 

[P dog]

Solo for elk and deer. The daughter, my dad and the dogs for upland.

 

[Elk97]

Archery elk is 50-50, solo when my son has to work then the two of us when he can.

 

[TaperPin]

Solo is always more successful for me - having extra bodies along that aren’t as dedicated or knowledgeable helps them, not me. The one time I really hoped for a hunting buddy to get super excited and dig deep was after we scouted up the largest mulie I’ve ever seen in the wild before or since. Multiple people are much more likely to find a deer like that once the season starts.

But, life isn’t always about me me me me me, so having kids or friends along that enjoy learning and aren’t afraid of hard work is rewarding in a different way. At this rate, who knows, maybe I’ll be content hunting with lazy dipshits in a few years. One of the most rewarding things is helping someone bag a good animal, and it can be one of the biggest wastes of time. Either way I’m past my prime and not as interested in antler size above everything else in life - burning through two wives to be in the right place at the right time was enough.

After season regrets make no sense - at the time decisions needed to be made, with the information available at the time, a person does what they think is right. Water under the bridge. Sunk costs. Nothing matters except what you’re going to do to make things happen next season.

 

[Jonputters]

All my instate I do solo but everything else I have a few that I go with

 

[Seth]

I hunt both solo and with groups, depending on the season and tags. I love the solitude and mental reset that comes with a solo hunt. I also enjoy hunting with my wife and kids, brothers and dad.

We’ve had an annual mule deer hunt in CO primarily focused on youth and new hunters. It has been very rewarding watching my nieces and nephews, as well as my kids, taking their first big game animals and seeing their growth as hunters moving from shooting the first fork horn they see to wanting to hold out for more mature deer. I wouldn’t trade the memories of these deer camps for anything.

 

[RockAndSage]

Depends on the intent of the hunt, and the game. But definitely the harder the hunt, the more solo. If I have people I'm socializing with, or family I'm taking out, then the intent is more about a good experience for everyone and less about nailing game, and that's enjoyable too.

Chukar, mule deer, definitely solo, but for very different reasons. Antelope, waterfowl, quail, sage grouse, may include friends or family, but still mostly solo at this particular stage in life. If I want to hunt, I hunt, and don't wait to find anyone to go with.