Re-entering society after hunting

[justinspicher]

I’ve never experienced this hunting, but definitely after a deployment.

I don’t do a lot of back country hunting, I live in a small town butted up to tons of NF so I’m out and about quite a bit. I don’t talk to most folks to start with so I don’t have to deal with them in the first place.

 

[hunt1up]

It has always been a problem for me. Once you're hunting for a couple days, reality sort of shifts to "this is what I do now." It's worst when I go somewhere remote, but it even happens to me when I deer hunt here in the Midwest. I took off a few days and deer hunted 5 days straight last week, all day, 5 days in a row. I'll get so immersed in it that the first day back at work is horrible. People irritate me quickly and I'm generally just foggy and disinterested with the task at hand.

 

[rileybassman]

Spending time alone in nature, especially hunting, we slowly open up - turning up the sensitivity on all of our senses, trying to draw in every sound and smell, to detect every movement with our eyes. The longer you do it the more alive you feel , the more you feel like a human being in it’s natural habitat, doing what a human is supposed to be doing.

Returning to society with all your sensors still set to their most sensitive settings, you get immediately assaulted with the sheer volume of stimulus- sensory overload. Over a few days you can readjust the sensors and deal with the noise, learn to fit in again, but it never feels like it did in the woods. The hardest part to overcome is not the overstimulation through. It’s the feeling that you’re now in the wrong habitat for a human being and that you have to do artificial things in this artificial environment for awhile before you can escape, get back to the solace of the woods and feel like a human again.

Man, this hits home... that's exactly what it feels like to me too! I noticed a bunch of things this trip... my tinnitus is not as bad as I think it is after 4-5 days of no real noise outside of the woods, my eyes are better than I think they are when I'm not stuck behind a computer screen for 8+ hours a day, my guts feel better on nuts, dried fruit, and jerky grazing throughout the day then massive calorie dumps, even my eyes adjusting to the sun - aka not wearing sunglasses for 4-5 days and they adjust and it's less painful.

The artificial things feel so real too... I work in Information Security/technology.... I move 1's and 0's for a living literally dealing with "AI" a lot of the time. Doesn't get much more artificial feeling then that lol.

 

[rileybassman]

Just spent 18 days in a remote wilderness hunting trip, 8 of it was solo.
Made me realize several things as these journeys always make me reflect and think.
About a month ago, I finally drew that line in the sand and came up with a date for retirement. This trip verified that.
And yes, "coming back in" sucks.

Randy

Congrats on your line! I wish I was there but sadly, will not be for 25 years or so.

 

[BFR]

I don’t have that problem, but I haven’t reentered society since 1969. I just kind of skirt around the edges enough to keep mama happy.

 

[Choupique]

Heading back from 11 days on the mountain right now.

I miss my wife and kids a lot. Can't wait to get back home to see them.

Screwed up and glanced at my work email and see that I have about 19 meetings scheduled all on top of each other for Monday. Evidently all kinds of crisis for me to deal with as soon as I get back.

Its really easy to adjust being in the woods and really difficult to adjust to being back at work.

 

[dtrkyman]

I can be gone for months so it’s a little different being away from home and the wife, can’t wait to get back, but that doesn’t last long and I’m ready to get back in the field!

Though I hate the cold more every year so I’m not too thrilled about the late season anymore!


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[Jimmy]

It get bugged by how people act with no repercussions for their actions. On the mountain, you don't show respect for the weather, or if you make a mistake, you could die. In the city, everyone is cutting each other off. Ignoring laws, treating others like garbage with no accountability.

 

[Gobbler36]

Absolutely
There is most definitely a low that happens when I return back to normal society

Only positive is returning to my wife and kids

 

[Fullfan]

Try spending all of Sept chasing Idaho bulls, then having to come back to the Eastern United States.

 

[COJoe]

I got off work an hour ago and I am now officially on a ten day hunting vacation. I just may cry when I get up to my glassing spot on Monday and sit back against my pack and start glassing my favorite mountain for 4th season CO elk. My buddy and I are scheduled for 7 days up there, so despite the cold temps coming in, it'll be the most peace I've had all year. There's one spot when I get back into town when the smells and traffic slap me in the face of reality.

 

[COJoe]

About a month ago, I finally drew that line in the sand and came up with a date for retirement. This trip verified that.

I am genuinely happy to for you, enjoy the anticipation of the up coming date. Wilderness wisdom is healthy for us.

 

[aks]

Yes, 100%. We were not created to live the type of life that most of us live.

 

[North of 60]

The readjustment is similar to what it is like after completion of thru-hiking a long trail, even with periodic food resupplys dropping down off trail.

 

[Ralphie]

I killed a nice buck on October 30, hit a town on the 31. First stoplight I come to a grown adult is crossing wearing a dinosaur costume. Im like what in the world has happened why I was out. Considered turning around and going back. I was still on a high from the buck and don’t have kids at home anymore so Halloween was not even on my radar…

Still think adults dressing up for it is a little weird but at least it was Halloween.

 

[BigCountry49]

4-5 days solo the in the mountains feels a lot like a psychedelic experience to me.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I killed a nice buck on October 30, hit a town on the 31. First stoplight I come to a grown adult is crossing wearing a dinosaur costume. Im like what in the world has happened why I was out. Considered turning around and going back. I was still on a high from the buck and don’t have kids at home anymore so Halloween was not even on my radar…

Still think adults dressing up for it is a little weird but at least it was Halloween.

People in dinosaur costumes is one of the better things about civilization.

 

[Schmo]

I agree. Except for some Roksliding, I’m not excited to turn the phone back on after being out. Town almost feels like a strange place when you’ve been away for awhile

 

[yoopshoot]

100% same feeling. I call it post-hunt depression lol


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[chasewild]

Reentry is brutal. It's so loud .....everywhere. At home, at work, at the grocery store.