doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hunting Alone

Sorry for your loss. Most of my hunting fiends are laying at rest, with their families. A few still alive, no longer hunt. But I understand exactly what you had, and what you have lost. A good hunting fiend is closer than a brother, needing few words and when you are with him much never needs to be said anyways. You both just know and are happy to just be there.

Virtually all of my hunting friends, and just friends have Gone Home. I have been blessed with one new one over the last few years. He and I are planning one more trip this year to my new land I bought in Oglethorpe County, 147 acres and the first place I have seen good numbers of turkeys in years.

So sorry you lost your friend and hunting buddy. I hope good memories of the good times together flood your mind the next time you hunt.

Hunting Alone.....It is seldom that I hunt any other way. Don't know how I evolved to that as a preference.....I enjoy the company of my son on any gunning outing, but business ambition, and a new family in the works obviously takes preference in his allocation of free time.
I dove shoot on almost every day of the long open season. Easy to do, since I live on the place. I selfishly know that it is easier to get quality shooting when only one gun need be served with opportunities. I have for years avoided the social revelry of the large "Party shoots" preferring opening days festivities with only Nic and the attendant gun dogs for company.
Planning for Duck shoots can be pretty spontaneous when one gun is involved. I can spot a water hole in use by even a relatively small number of fowl and know that I can probably set up quickly the next morning and get at least enough shooting to know that with a little gunning skill I can be presented with adequate shots to secure a limit.
Quail shooting has for several years has been a solitary pursuit almost exclusively, multiple factors contributing to this, including aging friends that I felt comfortable with afield, but mostly due to the multiple years of limited quail production . I selfishly guarded the resource for the past half dozen seasons and set my own limits and harvest quotas and have managed to keep myself and some old canine pals occupied right up to the final day of the season.
I have indeed been alone , but never lonesome, although I frequently pass a location on the ranch during these outings that bring back memories of a certain event at that spot., a double on the rise by a departed mentor, a great first point by a now infirm friend's young Pointer.... the list goes on with no outing failing to call up memories.

Sorry for your families loss. It seems I don't go more than a few months without hearing of a friend or former teammate passing. I get together with 2 friends from out of state for clays once or twice a year and we are heading to GA for quail shortly. My wife understands that we don't knw how many more times we get to share these days. Hopefully you cross paths with a kindred spirit, while hunting alone can be peaceful, it is good to have someone share the ride home and know where you are out in the woods in case of accidents

For me bird hunting is all about comaraderie but like any here as we age our hunting group slowly diminishes. I have a specialty goose shoot for the month of December. Something I pioneered about 25 years ago. At that time I had to turn people away but now I am searching for new blood. Upland is the same....a group of good friends, a truck full of dogs and it's a highlight to be remembered.

I was an Outfitter for waterfowl for 20 years and it was rare to see a single person show up in camp. It was invariably a company outing or a grandfather/father having a reunion with his family who had scattered due to work and family or a group of friends who had been hunting together for years.

On the other hand I hunt my big game alone. It is just me against the animal in quest. Just me absorbed in my environment. I abhor even seeing another person/hunter while I am out. Fortunately I live in a land where the population density is about 1.5 persons per square mile and I can avoid the popular hunting areas.

I don't get along with my brother. There is bitterness for a number of reasons between us. But I'd rather hunt with him than anyone else in the world. Speaking not needed.

Sorry for your loss FCF.

My small bird hunting over dogs partner is in need of a hip replacement which we hope will bring him back up to speed. As for spring gobbler season, I hunt by my lonesome which is my preference. One more person with me would be one person too many. I have turkey hunting buddies but we all prefer to hunt solo. Gil

I'm sorry for your loss. I wanted to say something, but Tamid said it better than I could have.

There's also an element of risk in hunting alone. I had a couple incidents. One was where I high centered my 4wd pickup trying to track down a young dog that went wandering. Had just enough juice in my cell phone to make an emergency call for a tow truck. Didn't find the dog, but he showed up a couple days later.

Potentially worse one was breaking a foot while pheasant hunting alone. Well, I wasn't entirely alone, but the Brittany and I were half a mile from the truck, and I couldn't convince her to go fetch the truck for me. Didn't have my cell phone with me that time. Managed to hobble back to the truck.
I always have the phone with me now, plus a charger in the truck to make sure it doesn't go dead on me. Simple stuff.