Loneliness and Fear

[jquarnberg]

A buddy, a brother, a son, a dad... one or two of those will combat loneliness. I would hate hunting alone. Sharing it with someone is half of the good of it for me.

 

[5MilesBack]

Ever since I could walk I've been trying to separate myself from the rest of the pack and society in general......so it comes easy for me. I spent more time alone in the woods/river bottoms as a kid than I did with anyone else. I'd disappear for the entire day even when I was 7 or 8. I will admit though........the first day I get up there and setting up camp, I do miss my wife and girls. But as soon as I hear that first elk bugle, it's like "family who?"........and I'm off into hunt mode and good to go until I decide to come on out.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

I haven't done any extended stays alone in the back country, so my experience is mostly limited to fear of carnivores. Some night time hikes into cat/griz country are pretty eerie. My solution is pretty simple; recognize the fear, admit it, and rack a cartridge into a high powered rifle. That said, a lot of my enjoyment in hunting stems from camaraderie and I prefer to hunt with others (unless I'm onto a big buck).

 

[Hardstalk]

90% of my hunting is alone. Its a mental game for sure. Especially when you have alot at home waiting for you. (Wife, new kid, or kids in general) I remember my first trip cut short due to talking myself into leaving. Second trip a couple days longer. So on and so on. You have to break yourself mentally to stay longer and longer. Not only does the lonely and fear get to your head but the guilt will chase you so long as the support isnt there from the ball and chain. Ive had trips where all is well and she is more than cool with 2+ weeks in the hills. Other times there is quite a bit going on and my help would make life alot easier at home. She wont admit it but leaving the casa on a tough note follows you. I realize most of use plan and prepare and pray for all to go smooth while we get to do what we love for a limited amount of time each year. Sometimes it doesn't always work like that though. I always appreciate the time I get in the hills and look back on it positively.

As for fear. I have a "if its meant to be its meant to be" mentality. You cant focus on what "could" happen. Just remember why your there and the strange sounds in the night seem to fade away.

 

[Jager]

The guys were all at a deer camp. No one wanted to room with Bob, because he snored so badly.. They decided it wasn't fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns.

The first guy slept with Bob and comes to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you? He said, "Bob snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night."

The next night it was a different guy's turn. In the morning, same thing, hair all standing up, eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you? You look awful! He said, 'Man, that Bob shakes the roof with his snoring. I watched him all night."

The third night was Fred's turn. Fred was a tanned, older cowboy, a man's man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Good morning!" he said. They couldn't believe it.. They said, "Man, what happened?"

He said, "Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Bob into bed, patted him on the butt, and kissed him good night. Bob sat up and watched me all night."

 

[Muledeernv]

Jager way to put some humor in to this. Goes to show you can make it what you want. I love. being alone in the woods it gives me time to think and really relax.

 

[Jager]

You hit the nail on the head there Muledeernv , amazing how much better someone will hunt and so enjoy themselves when they relax.

I think I would just move further round the hill instead of laying a kiss on my hunting partner though.

 

[2rocky]

Having too much time to think, and thinking too much tends to manufacture anxiety. The What-if's start creeping in your head. That is when you need to find things to do to take your mind off of stuff that isn't going to happen. If it is midday, go filter water, or gather fire wood or sort your pack alphabetically by height.

After dark when you have not seen as much game as the weeks of anticipation made you expect, and you are tired and cold, and thinking that hunting is the stupidest activity on earth, just remember how many people would love to be as miserable as you right now.

 

[scrubs]

My buddy told me a theory, they were licking our pee spots for salt, not sure if true or not

He might be right, I know mtn goats do this, witnessed it several times myself backpacking this summer.

Back on topic, I prefer to be alone so loneliness is not an issue for me. With that said, I do really enjoy my time spent in the bc with my youngest son, but other than him, I hunt and bp alone.

The one thing that concerns me with my preference for being alone is getting injured in the back country. Like others have stated, working out helps immensely with this but it surely isn`t a fail safe for my clumsy a**. I don`t sleep well at home, and it`s really bad in unfamiliar settings, so after a few days of very poor sleep, I am a serious danger to myself

 

[Boreal]

Try recording yourself talking about something that happened during the day that you want to remember. You can really crack yourself up talking into your smartphone about something that happened during the day; a slip into the stream, mistaking the sounds of a porcupine for a monster buck (don't ask), whatever. It also helps for when you are writing up the trip when you get home.

 

[T43]

I don't do much with electronics on hunts so music is out unless I'm singing and that has happened. I would suggest 2 things build a fire. Odds are you will be smelling bad enough the smoke smell from a small fire may actually help, it gives you something to do, can warm you up and acording to the people who study such things fire is supposes to be a natural mood lifter. Once you have a little fire going (keep it small it takes more attention to keep a small fire burning, is easier to put out and there is less chance of it getting out of control) take out a pencil and small note pad and write about the day. Include as much info as you want but the more you write down the better field notes you have to review for years to come. Put down all animal activity, weather, sunrise/sunset times, grass length, leaf color, how bad your feet hurt and how much you hated or loved the dinner you brought. If you get all that and don't have a hand cramp write a few letters to people, friends, family, even girls you had a crush on in school (use those to start the next fire or that could be hard to explain).

 

[Muledeerhunter]

I cry when I have to go home.

 

[justinspicher]

I have only recently started to do the backcountry hunting gig and its hard for me to find folks who want to go. So I started running in the morning, in the dark by myself. No music, no artificial noise. Just me and the dark. I am getting better, I will start to do local day hikes as well as time permits. I eventually will work to getting into an overnighter by myself.

 

[a3dhunter]

I don't do much with electronics on hunts so music is out unless I'm singing and that has happened. I would suggest 2 things build a fire. Odds are you will be smelling bad enough the smoke smell from a small fire may actually help, it gives you something to do, can warm you up and according to the people who study such things fire is supposes to be a natural mood lifter. Once you have a little fire going (keep it small it takes more attention to keep a small fire burning, is easier to put out and there is less chance of it getting out of control) take out a pencil and small note pad and write about the day. Include as much info as you want but the more you write down the better field notes you have to review for years to come.

I would also add taking a good book. Reading about something can get your mind off the things, for me I like to read westerns.
As mentioned earlier in thread, music can also help.
Mental toughness and overcoming fear is a process, by testing yourself throughout the summer you can increase your tolerance.

For me, in this order:
1. Book
2. Journal
3. Music (ipod nano)
4. Fire
If that doesn't work I'll head into town and get a decent meal, then head back up.

 

[7mag.]

Some amount of fear can be good. As long as you don't go into panic mode, use your fear or uneasiness to your advantage. Fear heightens your senses, and focuses your attention. I enjoy the silence and solitude, but my wife has severe anxiety, so I usually go with someone. When you cross the line and become comfortable with yourself in the back country, you will be surprised how much you enjoy it.

 

[littlebuf]

whats there to be afraid of?

 

[7mag.]

whats there to be afraid of?

The one thing I think about when solo is having an accident and severely injuring myself. I don't have a Spot, and I usually hunt where there is no cell service.

 

[MTbowhunter36]

whats there to be afraid of?

Good question, but I think it depends on where you are hunting. For me it's when I'm in griz/wolf country. Bugled on a ridge top in the early morning and deep within this basin a pack of wolves started howling - they were about 3/4 of a mile away. Within 6 minutes they ran to the sound of the bugle and were 150 yds. below me in a pocket of timber and began a set of very eerie howls. I was standing in sage brush with only my bow and I was feeling rather vulnerable.

Another time archery hunting solo outside of Yellowstone Park and ran into a fresh pile of griz scat. Kept walking as I knew they are in the area. Saw a second pile of scat, kept walking until I saw a third pile. This put me on high alert especially after seeing two griz the next ridge over a week prior.

I could go on and on, but when you witness the carnage wolves can produce on a full grown elk, my 175 lb. frame is merely a snack and makes me feel rather vulnerable with just a stick and string. While all alone in the woods with a bow and arrow and seeing and hearing wolves and grizzlies, it can certainly make you feel susceptible to their appetite and begin questioning who’s at the top of the food chain. Needless to say, but after encounters like those mentioned above it’s not easy getting a good night’s rest – even if Bob isn’t next to you snoring away.

 

[Bighorse]

I've done numerous solo hunts in Alaska for Brown Bear, Mountain Goats, and Sitka Deer. For me it is lonely,as I've got a wonderful wife and children that I enjoy returning home to. I'm scared often. The fear dictates my decisions. The desire to return back to my loved ones changes my tactics. I'm always striving for success and judging the cost of failure.

I still go hunting because it's in my blood and feeding my children wild game meat is important to me. Thats no guff. We eat deer and lots of em. We eat Mt. Goat every year. We eat other game as available.

Hunting solo is sometimes a necessary element of that lifestyle. Hunting isn't always a social event. Sometimes it's a lonely endeavor we do to provide, and you gotta man up and get to work. It's not all Eastmans and Jim Shockey. It's not all Muley Madness and Blacktail Country. Often it's just hunting for meat.

Get out there and feel the lonelyness and fear and you'll understand in a deeper more spiritual level what it means to be a hunter.

 

[phinneas_gauge]

I used to feel loneliness and fear when I got home.
Then I got divorced and everything got WAY better.