Who hunts alone?

[spectrum]

Uck, peanut butter. You wouldn't have to worry about me eating any. One of the most revolting substances on earth.

Man there's something wrong with you.

 

[spectrum]

I have been hunting alone for the most part since I was 15. I sometimes hunt with my daughter but she's married now with a new baby so hunting with her is on hold. I always carry an inreach now and pistol if hunting archery especially if it's south of I10. Shoot there are signs here in southern Arizona warning you to stay out of areas for your safety due to drug running activity. They probably don't do that for grizzlies up north. Humans, one of the meanest creatures out there!

 

[Corvus Corax]

I’d say it’s something like 60% solo 40% with a partner or as part of a group. As much as I really do enjoy the camaraderie of a group, sometimes it is nice not to run decisions by someone else. I don’t have much of a problem with backpacking solo for a few days. I guess being armed and having an InReach do a lot for my confidence.

 

[Thebigbaby]

.

 

[Mt Al]

Hunt alone about 95% of the time, sometimes for years on end. When hunting with others it's usually bird hunting.

 

[TheGDog]

Pretty much always.

You can be more flexible about your plan and make changes on the fly. Whereas if you're paired up with others, you all have to sorta stick with the itinerary.

Going solo you won't be EFF'd over by somebody being douchey and flaking last minute on you. You won't have to first drive them to their vehicle or home either.

Just get an InReach mini, setup several pre-programmed messages (the ones you can send unlimited of) that can provide your significant other enough of an update about your status so they won't worry about you.

And I HIGHLY recommend getting a setup where your pistol holster hangs under your Bino Harness.

I like to do a screenshot of the overhead satellite view and annotate it using your favorite app like SnagIt to show your hike-in route and denote the general areas you intended to check on or make your sits at. And then email that to your lady, so in case something happens she can give that to SnR.

The one thing about going out Solo... is that once you make a plan and let someone know about it.. ya kinda need to stick to it for your safety's sake. Cause if you stray too far from the plan, and something happens, it'd be much more difficult for them to figure out where you are to come get ya. So you have to exercise restraint to a certain degree while you're out there. So if you spy some place that's a bit of distance away, save that for the next scouting trip.

Another plus of going solo is that once you get back to the truck, it's no big deal to give yourself a sponge-bath with a hand-towel and regular tap water, to get all the sweat off before the long drive back home, so you'll be more comfortable and not itchy on the drive home. Whereas, if you're with others, there can be pressure to hit the road right away. Also, I like to always have a change out of clothes back at the truck with some softer shoes for the long drive back home. It makes a difference.

Another nice thing about solo is that you're not being pushed to match someone else's pace. The older you get and more injuries you have, this starts to become a thing you'll appreciate.

If you're not already bringing a tripod with you, at the very least bring a lightweight skinny one for holding your cellphone for taking the pictures when you're successful, so that way you can set the phone on a timer countdown and run back and get into the shot. So that way it's more than just shots of the animal on the ground, and selfie shots of you beside it's face to prove it was yours.

You'll also need to really discern things like which meds you should always bring with you. For example.. I always bring Imodium, and I always bring Naphcon A eye drops, Acid Blockers and of course, NSAIDS.

And... if you're going out solo... make sure to pester your doctor to give you a prescription for an opiate. If you got one of those Ahole doc's that's leary of anything they deem unnecessary, try asking for just Tylenol #3's. The ones with codeine. They'll likely be more willing to give ya something like that. And with the stupid rules they've passed, they'll only give ya an Rx for like 15ct or 30ct. But that should last a long time.

Cause here's the thing, if you end up having a slip-and-fall and bust something up? It'll suck a WHOLE LOT LESS if you can at least dope-up before having to drag your sorry behind back outta the forest. (Ask my how I know.)

And while we're on the topic of accidents. When you're out solo? DO NOT choose to do anything that seems even remotely sketchy!!! ALWAYS err on the side of boring and cautious, you'll thank yourself later. (P.S. DO NOT trust walking upon any downed log. Sometimes you have to, but proceed carefully, sometimes thing will be fine and then uh-oh, you can feel it's got rot in it compromising it's rigidity)

Oh and definitely bring along a little Sawyer Mini Filter to filter some water. And for that matter, you should always overshoot it in terms of how much water you carry. Especially when an area you're going to is new to you! You DO NOT want to run out of water out there when you've got miles to return and lots of Elevation Gain to return back to your vehicle. That isht is scary as hell!

And of course... as soon as you're back outta the Mountains and get signal... be sure to send a TXT to "Mama" to let her know that you're back out and safe.

 

[Luked]

At home here in the midwest I hunt alone all through Archery Season. When it gets to our Rifle season my wife hunts with me.
Out west I probably wont be able to go untill '24 and plan to hunt alone as my partner i had last time and I did not have the same hunting strategys. But when I do head out my wife is going along to camp so I wont be compleatly alone.

 

[nphunter]

I prefer to hunt with a good buddy but often hunt alone. It really depends on the hunt for me, if I'm in thick forest country I'm a little more nervous hunting alone than in more open country. There have been times I've gotten onto a bull and ended up chasing it across the drainage, my only thought was getting on the bull. However, after getting there and having my opportunity and things calm down and I realize I have to walk a mile or more back through a nasty thick creek bottom in dark timber and brush my mind will start to wonder and freak myself out thinking about irrational fears, (lion, bears, etc). I never get freaked out hunting open country for some reason even though I'm probably at higer risk of injury in steep, hot, snake-filled open country.

I realize my fears are irrational but they are still there at times, for that reason when hunting solo I tend to hunt more open timber, sage, and winter range type of country. When I hunt with my hunting partner we typically hunt the more thick nasty stuff. It's hard to beat a good hunting partner but honestly when it comes down to it if you want to hunt a lot you're going to have to do a good portion of it alone.

 

[Still Hunter]

Historically share a camp but primarily actually hunt, alone. However, I have a new hunting partner and we hunted together most all of last Archery Elk season. Will have a third this year. Interested to see the new dynamics plays out. I probably prefer hunting alone as there is no debate on anything but we had zero issues last September.

 

[khavok]

So all of my family lives in Utah except for me. I’m curious how many of you hunt alone versus hunt in a group. I feel like I’m going to end up having to hunt alone at times if I want to hunt, but it makes me a little nervous for safety reasons.

I use a zoleo SOS button, OnX Elite, and carry a 10mm with hard casted rounds. I usually plan as much as possible and when ever I hit a peak, I drop a pin to my wife. It's eerie sometimes when the whole mountain goes quite and the hair stands up on the back of your neck.

 

[Boarmaster]

When I was in my 20-30s I hunted alone unless there was someone wanting to go. I never thought anything about it being all ten feet tall and bulletproof. At 60 I prefer to have someone around.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

70% solo day hunts for me. Otherwise it’s with my dad or brother in law. I want to hunt my whole life and hunting with people other than that doesn’t always match my morals or ensure they read the regs the same as me. I enjoy my time alone but won’t pass up hunting with my dad while I can. Hoping to buy an inreach this year for the outdoors in general. Not just hunting. Even coming up on a family that needs to get a message about a flat or something trivial.

 

[Mish-pop]

I hunt alone a lot. Most places I hunt I have cell reception as have not had the ability to do a hunt in the mountains yet. But for the few times I hunt where I have spotty or no reception, my wife or family/friend know where my general location is

 

[TheGDog]

I use a zoleo SOS button, OnX Elite, and carry a 10mm with hard casted rounds. I usually plan as much as possible and when ever I hit a peak, I drop a pin to my wife. It's eerie sometimes when the whole mountain goes quite and the hair stands up on the back of your neck.

I don't do overnighter very much anymore, cause of the lowerback stuff.. however... at first I used to get bugged by the crickets.. but then.. I noticed that they'd quite down or go silent if something moved outside (like a Rabbit or whatever) so then I was able to mentally change things around to where their constant sounding-off actually helped me relax and get to sleep faster. But when I'd notice mid-sleep they got quite... I'd perk-up and listen! Just in case.

 

[Juan_ID]

60% of the time I hunt alone every time…
Joking but I would say atleast half of my hunting is still done alone, it used to be about 90% just a few years ago. I tend to have better success when I’m by myself but do enjoy the company at times (especially my wife’s, she’s fun to have in the mountains) I just got a ZOLEO I think last year, which has been nice to be able to stay in touch with her while I’m solo… There have been times I thought I was in trouble while solo but luckily I’ve never been seriously injured. She seems to be a little more concerned since we’ve had kids so I try to be considerate of that.

 

[turbobrick]

I really love hunting with family, its a great joy. So I feel really bad that I also enjoy hunting alone, in many ways more than hunting with family. I feel like my decision making is better when I’m alone, like I have more clarity and less to think about. Taking my niece to get her first deer last year was awesome though, bunch of family out in the field, priceless. I relished every minute of my solo spike hunt the next month though, really fulfilling.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Yes always. Well, except for this grouse hunt.

 

[akcabin]

I generally hunt alone. Most folks have trouble getting time it seems. Or they are older and can't get out as much. They think.
We have the cabin so having a good base makes life easier.
I can do a month there pretty easy. Since most of the area I hunt has sketchy phone service so I usually don't have one so I guess that's a bit of a going alone situation in itself.
Hey just get out right, even for an evening walk down a trail. Getting outside is just good

 

[journeyman713]

I hunt alone almost entirely, but have adjusted my plan to include, telling someone where I'll be.

Years ago, had a co-worker, avid bowhunter, with lots of with secret spots in multi-counties.. One night he didn't come home, his wife reached out to friends, to help search for him. It took 3 days, before they located his truck on the side of the road, then nearly another day to find his body.

He fell out of tree and his broke neck, paralyzed. Autopsy report suggested he survived several days, before succumbing to the elements.

 

[mi650]

all the time every season

Yep, every time.

Might be cheating on the point, since I only hunt on my own land and my wife is usually home.

Somewhat off topic- The last time I hunted with someone else was about 6 years ago, and it was with my wife. She'd always said she had no issues with hunting, she just didn't want to do the killing herself.

Spring of 2017 she decided she wanted to give deer hunting a try. I had just ordered a new FDE Special 6.5G rifle from LaRue Tactical, and as soon as it came in, she claimed it! I usually have better luck during archery season, so I took her out opening day with my x-bow. An hour after sunrise we had 5 bucks around us. She shot a 5 point, and I got it on video. Great broadside hit right behind the shoulder, he went about 40 yards. He's hanging on our living room wall.

Now she thinks deer hunting is easy, and can't understand why I spend so much time in the woods.