Hunting partners…Finding new ones, losing old ones.

[*zap*]

zero hunting partners here, I cannot even find anyone who will do an overnite camp out..lotsa talk and then no show.

 

[rodney747]

Zero as well. Either passed away or quit!

 

[E-Rawk]

I've got a couple hunting partners. My wife, it's her 2nd year hunting, makes a pretty great partner for a whitetail sit. My 9 year old stepson, not much for sitting, but he has made me embrace small game hunting again to help teach him the ropes. And last but not least, my dad. He and I haven't hunted together in over 20 years, but with me finally settling down, and him coming in off the road I'm really looking forward to more time in the field with him. I'd love to have some hunting buddies my age, but finding someone with the same availability and goals is extremely difficult.

 

[Bocephus131]

Hopefully my boy continues to have interest. I've hunted with my Dad 99% of the time over the last 35 years.

 

[TAArrowood]

I've been extremely lucky.. I've hunted with the same 3 guys every year (all over the east and west) for the last consecutive 32 years.. We are all cut from the same cloth and enjoy the same things.. All one of has to do is suggest a trip/hunt and the other 3 are ready/willing and able to get to
planning... Hunting partners are like wives.. Nothing better than having a good one and nothing worse than having a bad one...

 

[JasonWi]

I've been fortunate to hunt with two great guys since about 2012. We're all easy going, but very driven for each others success, same place with our hunt goals. All three of us are about in the same place financially/available vacation time. Nobody want's to let the others down via fitness, research or preparation so we aren't the weak link.

I've lost a lot of hunting and fishing partners over the years, and my sons are busy pursuing their careers and we haven't hunted together in years. Maybe someday they'll come back into it, but I'm not too optimistic.

 

[streetdoctor]

Lost my hunting partner this year after 5 years. Had too much other stuff going on but didn't bother to tell me so, so I hunted solo. Prefer it that way from here on out.

 

[thedutchtouch]

Same here, I'm in Maryland, have spent the last few years figuring out how to bow hunt whitetail solo (with some internet forum support) and am now looking to branch out into western hunts. My brother is in Juneau most of the year so I have had a few chances to finish with him but we didn't grow up hunting. He's shot a few upland game birds but (my opinion) doesn't have the patience for big game hunting in the way that I like-similar to the big moves/small moves post.

I've decided to just go for it solo instead of wasting more time. I'm 37 and headed towards being a divorced dad of two girls so looking forward to leveraging my impending solo lifestyle at home into more solo time in the field as well.

Also hoping the girls get in to it but at 5 and 7 with a borderline oppositional mom (I'm archery only the last 3 years because she's a "no guns in the house" weirdo, one of the details I am looking forward to fixing soon and it was a heck of a lot more difficult shooting the 3 deer-two does and a spike, I'm no expert- I've shot so far as a result of this equipment limitation but I digress.) My kids will fish for about 20 min or so but no real hunting interest.

I'd love nothing more than to find a hunting mentor and trade my labor for their knowledge. Feels almost harder "being initiated in to the club" and convincing people that I can be trusted to not be that lazy spot burning turd that most online newbies turn out to be (particularly the ones that claim they aren't, like I am now!) rather than someone in your shoes, because you almost have to be a successful hunter already for anyone to teach you how to be a successful hunter, but without that background it's very hard to form trust. but I'm guessing that's just a case of "the grass is always greener". good luck, if you're near Pike county let me know, my parents live in that corner of the state and I visit from MD though not as frequently as I'd like.

 

[WoodnotRust]

@Deucebump
Maybe looking for a younger partner to mentor is going about this all wrong. There are plenty of older guys than you who solo hunt and they probably shouldn't in all honesty. You could be the "Young Guy".

 

[WoodnotRust]

See what happens when you get old? I meant to add this link: https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/anyone-solo-backcountry-hunting-over-the-age-of-60.288397/page-3

I may be a bit slower getting there, but I save time by knowing where to go.

 

[Hansoman]

Old ones, the ones you can trust and suffer with!

 

[Still Hunter]

Update!
So back on Sept 1st I posted on this thread about taking a young man (33) along on my Archery Elk Hunt. Turned out to be an excellent trip. His first Archery Elk hunt. We did not bring home an elk but the trip was amazing. He pulled his weight. Hung in on all the steep climbs, blow downs everywhere and steep descents. Pulled his weight in camp. Solid young man. He got to experience just about everything. Raked a big bull in to 18 yards almost eyeball to eyeball. Got to hear cows, hear bulls, hear barks, hear good bugles and hear some really bad bugles LOL!. Saw old wallows, saw dry wallows , active wallows, rubs etc. . He saw more Bear sign than he ever wanted to see, and even got to see his first bear, at a distance. I know he can out run me so I just hope he sticks around on the first close bear or cougar encounter, LOL! He got to experience encounters and heard things it took me six years to experience. He is now totally addicted. He has a spreadsheet now with multiple states. Researching every opportunity he can find. He is shooting his bow every day. OnX , Go Hunt, etc etc. Every night watching video's. Going to be making his own arrows, clocking his arrows. Going to tweak his fletching. I created a monster. We are going back out 2023. I lost an old hunting partner and found a new young one. I am 30 years older than he is and we might as well as been the same age. We just had a great trip together. He now has his younger brother planning to come along with us as well, 29 I think. Nothing feels as good as passing down the torch and seeing the zest in their eyes. Hungry for knowledge and just loving to be in the forest.

Good Hunting Guys! Soak it all in while we still can.

 

[Customweld]

Update!
So back on Sept 1st I posted on this thread about taking a young man (33) along on my Archery Elk Hunt. Turned out to be an excellent trip. His first Archery Elk hunt. We did not bring home an elk but the trip was amazing. He pulled his weight. Hung in on all the steep climbs, blow downs everywhere and steep descents. Pulled his weight in camp. Solid young man. He got to experience just about everything. Raked a big bull in to 18 yards almost eyeball to eyeball. Got to hear cows, hear bulls, hear barks, hear good bugles and hear some really bad bugles LOL!. Saw old wallows, saw dry wallows , active wallows, rubs etc. . He saw more Bear sign than he ever wanted to see, and even got to see his first bear, at a distance. I know he can out run me so I just hope he sticks around on the first close bear or cougar encounter, LOL! He got to experience encounters and heard things it took me six years to experience. He is now totally addicted. He has a spreadsheet now with multiple states. Researching every opportunity he can find. He is shooting his bow every day. OnX , Go Hunt, etc etc. Every night watching video's. Going to be making his own arrows, clocking his arrows. Going to tweak his fletching. I created a monster. We are going back out 2023. I lost an old hunting partner and found a new young one. I am 30 years older than he is and we might as well as been the same age. We just had a great trip together. He now has his younger brother planning to come along with us as well, 29 I think. Nothing feels as good as passing down the torch and seeing the zest in their eyes. Hungry for knowledge and just loving to be in the forest.

Good Hunting Guys! Soak it all in while we still can.

Good deal!! Hope you guys have many more trips and can keep that lust for adventure going!

 

[Coldtrail]

It gets tough as you get older, you lose hunting partners to a variety of issues, health, added responsibility, financial limitations etc. I am admittedly not a social individual so I tend to lean towards solo hunts these days. The times I hunted in a group with a few people I didnt know, it turned into some pretty heated moments. My pet peave is the guy who starts to stress out and get mad when the hunt doesnt go well instead of knowing when to take a breather to regroup....basically the "harvest at all costs" type who starts chewing everyone else's a$$ over factors out of your control.

I lost my good friend and hunting partner almost 10yrs ago to a nasty diseaase that ultimately killed him and honestly am just now getting my enthusiasm back, we were able to be brutally honest with each other and keep each other in check...that's the guy you need. A good example is he and I had our own hounds and hunted alot, virtually full time. We were headed to run some lions and got stuck in a blizzard that closed the interstate and had to stay at a truckstop for about 24hrs. I wanted to sleep since we had been awake for a day or two prior to that. I had a regular cab truck with worn out seats and just could not get comfortable and was getting crabby, my friend was parked alongside sleeping in his truck. It was pretty much a Wyoming whiteout when I hear a knock on my window & my buddy holding 2 cups of coffee, he gets in my truck and says:

"I can't sleep, it occurred to me that all over the US right now people are working their ass off just so they can live like us a few days a year....how lucky are we to live that dream?!"

We chatted for a few hours about how lucky we were and went on to have a great hunt.....those are the guys you need to have along.

 

[Hoyt Ag]

Good to see so many people getting involved in western hunting. I live in Meeker, CO and am happy to share what intel I can of the area or to help others be successful. Its a lot of work to hunt out west but sure is satisfying.