How Has Your Hunting Changed as You Matured

[Dean2]

So we don't end up derailing what is an excellent thread on you, I thought I would start a new one to discuss this aspect of hunting.

Originally Posted by wildwoods

All good. I didn't take it that way. Good discussion

So if you rolled in on Day 1 of every hunt and stood over your kill the first morning, like clockwork, every single time, you wouldn't concede that close shaves and screw ups and retribution after a few days wouldn't enrich that experience? I had a cow elk hunt take 8 days to connect about 6 years ago. Full of drama and ultimately a cow on the ground. That trip was a blast- made better by the close calls the 7 days prior.
But we're not all that different. If you look up my old post history I could also be quoted as saying the kill is the primary part of the hunt. It's the main reason I go. Soooo, we're really not all that different.... had the script been flipped and I hunted 8 days and went home empty handed, that hunt would not be in my top 4-5 all time. Blood matters

For a lot of years, I did have my first big game animal down the first or second day of the season. I never saw an issue with that. If we were out for a couple of weeks we would hunt the next tag, help my partners or hunt grouse, ducks etc for the rest of the time. Early season we would even go fishing a lot.


How My Hunting Has Evolved

When I first started hunting it took me a couple of years to become proficient. Initially I was so cautious and conservative in identifying the animal, positioning the perfect shot and ensuring a safe shot that I never actually took a whole bunch of shots I would easily do today. All in, good learning and no accidents or wrong shot game.

As I got better at hunting I would generally have my game down in the first or second day of the hunt. I hunted hard from well before sunup to walk in to often well after walking out. I covered a lot of ground hunting and scouting getting to know every inch of the ground I hunted and I hunted well back from roads as back then, truck hunting was very common and there was a lot of game from a half mile to 3 miles back that never came near a road during hunting season. In the farm country, game stayed in the bush till after dark so if you wanted them you had to go in looking for them. Pushing bush was also still a very common tactic. Sitting all day on a stand was VERY rare.

That was also in a time where you could have 5 or 6 big game tags a year and most years I filled all of them. Friends and neighbours had a great supply of wild meat and most truly appreciated it as most didn't have the money to buy store bought steak regularly. We also shot ducks, grouse, and geese, though geese were far more rare than they are today.


In my early 20s I tried guiding for a few years. I quickly found out that was no way to make a living and while most of the German and American hunters were great guys, the Outfitters I worked for had a lot of Italian and English hunters. They were a massive pain to guide. The Italians shot everything that moved, from Chickadees on up, and the English thought you were there to be their man servant. Didn’t take me long to get out of that line of work.

The longer I hunted the more I tended to hunt with the same people or I hunted alone if they couldn’t come. I grew impatient with poor hunters, guys that wouldn’t pull their weight, sloppy gun safety, guys who would come back to places you showed them even though they swore on a stack of bibles they wouldn’t, guys that wanted to drink while hunting and on it went. I cut quite a few hunts short because I wouldn’t hunt with unsafe guys or guys that were lazy.

With my regular hunting partners and on my own, we were filling multiple tags each, every year. In my late twenties, I also started doing Bear control in northern Alberta and did that for a long time. Between hunting and that it got to the point where it became more interesting to help others be successful on their hunts and we now had a couple of newer hunters and a couple of older hunters as part of our regular group. For a number of years I still hunted 40 to 50 days a year but rarely pulled the trigger myself. About that time I started travelling a lot and got to hunt in many places. On those trips I ended up shooting a lot of game over a period of many years.

Then as I and my cohort of same age hunters all got older, we started adopting less rigorous methods of hunting. We knew our country well and tended to sit and wait for the game to come to us. We no longer shot game where we had to pack it out on our backs, preferring instead locations where, even with some work, we could get a quad in for removal. We also upgraded the mechanization tools to make hunting easier and recovery far less work. This still produced a lot of game but because we hunted alone for most of the day, I started shooting game more often.

No longer having a large group that wanted wild meat, we went down to shooting one large animal, Elk or Moose, and a couple of deer per year among 5 of us, because that was the amount of meat we would consume over the year. Still pretty much at that stage in the hunting career.

I would be very interested to hear the evolution of other's hunting careers.

[cowmanbob]

Back in the early seventies a 303 could be bought for 29.99. I longed for the day when I would be able to afford a proper hunting rifle. A bolt action in 270 and a 220 swift rounded out my arsenal. Life was good.

[wildwoods]

Started as a city dweller, green as grass as an 18 year old. Just wanted to get out and shoot stuff. First deer was a button buck fawn that I hit in the butt with my first shot. Insert facepalm. Lots of road hunting without a lot of knowledge or success. We would bag game, but it was a lousy way to hunt.
Mid 20s, diplomacy and relationship with complete strangers (ranchers up North) opened up some major opportunity. Learned a lot. Killed a lot. Had a blast.
Now I’m mid 30s. I’m way more selective. Experience has helped me become a decent elk hunter. Transferred that knowledge over into the sheep world where we’ve caught lightning in a bottle two years in a row now. Those two are the main items on the menu. I hung my WT tag on the tree last year (so to speak) as Mr Right didn’t appear.
I’ve heard it said:
1. Start hunting hoping to kill something
2. Get better, start wanting to kill lots of things
3. Mature and grow, only want to shoot Ole Hank
4. Sit in camp and let the young fellas kill stuff

#4 might not ever be my perogative. But I sure get a kick out of helping people bag their firsts.

[elkhunter11]

-I started hunting when I was 12, and it was kill the first legal animal, which I did for the next several years.
-Then when I was off working, it was hunting new species, like moose, elk, and pronghorn.
- Then it was becoming more selective in the animals I harvested, only mature, large bucks/bulls.
-Then it was off to other provinces and states to hunt, and for new species again, such as grizzly, mountain goat, and bighorn.
-Then it was taking out youths and new hunters, and a lot more bird hunting.
- I rarely kill big game now, as youth/new hunters have filled three out of my last four draw tags, with partner licenses,and I pass on all but mature trophy whitetails with my general tag. Most of my hunting is for birds these days.

[catnthehat]

I have been hunting since 1966 and my hunting style hasn't really changed at all.
Cat

[bucksnbears]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I have been hunting since 1966 and my hunting style hasn't really changed at all.
Cat

Kinda the same here Cat.
I'm 56 and I still like to shoot critters.
Can't know how many have been taken but 1000's.
I have toned it down a bit and enjoy mentoring the young kids and women.

[Smoky buck]

Grew up in BC hunting moose, whitetail, mule deer and black bear with family since I was 10. Mostly a trip or two a year that was for a week or 2 at a time. Hunted with both rifle and bow simple brown it’s down

18 years old into my mid to late 20’s. I wanted to hunt everything with every kind of weapon. Part of those years were in Alberta and part were in BC. I would go anywhere in the province I was in no drive too far and willing to hike in anywhere. All excitement and energy but not enough direction

Late 20s to mid 30’s I started focus on understanding the species I hunt and started being more selective paying attention to score with some species. Started doing less long trips and started paying attention to what was close to home

Mid 30’s to present it is now a year long pursuit gaining knowledge of my area and the animals I hunt. I prefer to stay close to home and don’t do many big trips. I don’t have a big dream list of species or focus on score. It is now a matter of trying to out smart an animal I would be happy to put a tag on or something interesting. The numbers don’t matter it just needs to catch my interest. I have come to the conclusion the challenge of the pursuit is why I enjoy hunting most. I also enjoy helping my friends/family to get out hunting

My hunting has evolved over the years for sure but I started enjoying it most when started focusing on personal challenges and stopped caring about numbers or what others thought. It’s no longer about just that season it’s about improving knowledge/skill for the future

[daveyn]

I started hunting in my early 20's. My dad bought a camp in New Brunswick and him and his buddies hunted out of it. I was never invited and always thought I might like to try it. I invited myself one year and right from the first minute I loved every aspect of the camp and the traditions around that experience. I hunted hard too, all day every day, dawn to dusk. I wasn't very good at it, made way to much noise and moved way to quickly thinking my deer was right around the next corner. after weeks of bashing my way through the thickets my Dad took me one day about 3:00 and said "sit here, don't move until after dark" about a half hour before dark the buck walked out about 10 yards in front of me and I had my first deer. that was the first and only time my Dad ever told me anything about hunting. After that I did a lot more sitting and killed a buck pretty much every year, the year was a failure without a deer down.
After I moved to Alberta I started hunting with some more experienced hunters and with all the tags available it became pretty much a killing spree. I remember driving back to Calgary one night with 5 deer and a moose in the back of the truck and we were going back for more later in the week.
since then its kind of evolved to hoping one of us gets drawn for something so we can hang out for a week in the trailer . We spend more time planning the menu than the hunt. As I look back most of the really good hunting stories I know have almost nothing to do with killing game and more to do with crazy things that happened or nutty people we encounter. I like hanging out with hunters, I like to go hunting, I like everything about getting ready to go hunting and I love being in the field, I am thrilled to take an animal but where that used to be the sole purpose of the trip, its now just something that happens when you go hunting. I find us much more respectful of the game and the congratulations on a successful hunt are much more sincere as opposed to trying to one up each other. Its fun helping your buddy or your buddies kid with his animal and its not much more fun (ok a little more fun) dragging your own game back to camp.
Hunting has changed from a goal oriented pursuit to an experience oriented pursuit in the company of good like minded people. I can't wait for fall.

[Moosetalker]

Can afford lots of effort lessening tool's. I sit more walk slower and kill or pass on way more Critters.

[Jerry D]

With our party hunting we have gone from radios to cell phone texts and can’t say it was for the better but the contact is much clearer.

For whitetail it’s party hunting. Share all the tags for a week. Pass on small deer early in the week that I would used to have shot and maybe take them at the end of the week to fill a tag. 5 guys hunting on 200 acres. Central cabin on the property. Walk in and out every morning and afternoon.

Everyone wants to shoot a deer. Once you get a deer, I’ll be honest there is a high and your happy the rest of the week cheering the other guys on. If another nice deer comes your way, yours your choice to pass or take it.

Some years you get 2, others years none. We have stands setup and rotate through then ever day or two so it’s a bit luck of the draw.

[Dean2]

Daveyn

Very well written response. I really like the last paragraph and particularly the last line.

I am really enjoying reading these stories.

[Big Grey Wolf]

There are 4 stages of hunter evolution.
1st Young hunter needs to shoot at everything that moves.
2nd Hunter starts to concentrate on volume hunts.
3rd Hunters want to only shoot largest trophy.
4th Self actualization stage. Hunter just enjoys the experience of being in the woods.

[6.5 shooter]

Hunting for me, always was and still is, more about filling the freezer than a blood sport. But I guess growing up in the country and seeing deer everyday it was more like killing a steer for the winter rather then a big deal, or a week long trip with buddies.

I still like the challenge, but I enjoy the one on one with nature more. I have never hunted with more than one person and now I hunt strictly with my wife. We pass on more game now, than we could ever shoot and if we do take a trophy home it is usually with a digital camera. (Getting to old to bother with the butchering).

[whitetail Junkie]

Used to be all about the head gear and now the quility meat in the freezer is more essential in my mind.even more important is spending time with my dad hunting and that on its own is a succesful hunt whether we get an animal or not because I know someday he wont be there with me.

[marky_mark]

What ive realize as ive got older is to just do it
Chase your dreams
Hunt the hunts you’ve always wanted to do
Don’t wait for your buddy’s to come along with you
It’s not a big deal to go by yourself
Anyone that you will be sharing a camp with is probably going to be just as passionate as you are.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

There are 4 stages of hunter evolution.
1st Young hunter needs to shoot at everything that moves.
2nd Hunter starts to concentrate on volume hunts.
3rd Hunters want to only shoot largest trophy.
4th Self actualization stage. Hunter just enjoys the experience of being in the woods.

Those stages however are not set in stone but a generalization, some guys I know have always been true trophy hunters , others never did care about the size of head gear and some never did kill everything they could.
Cat

[32-40win]

Main change for me is I won't hike into some of the somewhat goofy places I used to, often asked myself why I would shoot something in some of those places, lot of work to get something out of, still did it anyway, and hauled a few things out of some of those silly spots. More careful where I hunt now and hunt places that are better terrain and easier on the constitution. Little fussier about weather and snow conditions, too. Things you learn as you go,and some things forced thru aging.
I used to shoot the first thing I saw early in the season, at times have been a bit fussier when I had time to be. Always liked stalking something and seeing how close I could get, quite happy to go home some days with nothing and be able to say "I could have".
Last 12-13 yrs since I've had dogs, have done far more bird hunting, big game was optional the last few yrs, if I felt like it. Have a moose draw this year, so, I'll go and do whatever I have to for that this year, deer will be a by-product.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

There are 4 stages of hunter evolution.
1st Young hunter needs to shoot at everything that moves.
2nd Hunter starts to concentrate on volume hunts.
3rd Hunters want to only shoot largest trophy.
4th Self actualization stage. Hunter just enjoys the experience of being in the woods.

That’s what the AHEIA book says, I remember

I personally have moved to the mix of 3 and 4 within probably 2 years after I started hunting. Although, 4 was there since the beginning (being out there and self-growth, learning about the nature ways, appreciation, etc has been there way before I started hunting; I have been an outdoorsmen for many, many years prior). Never felt the need to shoot as much as I could. The chase and being out there was always most satisfactory. I haven’t hunted nearly as long as most of the people who posted in this thread, so it’s hard to say if anything will change (or perhaps has already). I definitely feel different when out in the bush, but that has to do more with being accustomed to the environment as far as hunting as concerned.

I would assume with age, unless I lose interest in hunting altogether, the main difference will be taking it easier. I definitely won’t be able to do what I do now. Even now the body feels it at times.

[bucksnbears]

I will elaborate.
After killing stuff for 40+ years, I still get a thrill .
May be the "good shot" the dog work, the weather conditions, the weapon used ect...
I'm a hunter at heart and won't apologize to ANYONE too why I do what I do.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by bucksnbears

I will elaborate.
After killing stuff for 40+ years, I still get a thrill .
May be the "good shot" the dog work, the weather conditions, the weapon used ect...
I'm a hunter at heart and won't apologize to ANYONE too why I do what I do.

Absolutely agree!
Never have and never will apologize to anyone for being pro hunting. Prro trapping. Pro fishing or pro guns !
Cat

[OL_JR]

There have been a lot of changes but it's hard to sum up in one catch phrase. I think the change has been somewhat species specific as time has gone on. At one time I wouldn't think about shooting a cow elk in archery season but now I wouldn't hesitate and kind of kick myself at how many opportunities have gone by that I let go looking for a bull. The meat is more important with elk same as moose.

At one time any sheep would do but won't shoot another in general season that isn't mature. I mention the general season as I'm about ready to pull a 410 tag and I'm honestly not going to be super picky with that one.

I don't think immature whitetails are a challenge anymore and I've gladly folded my tag more years than not. I love hunting whitetails and the season would be way to short if I shot an immature buck every year and I'm sure a lot of folks that have some time in would feel the same. At one time that was a tag that had to be filled but I think I would feel worse now putting potential on the ground. I'll gladly help my boy shoot whatever deer he wants and enjoy the experience though. As he ages I hope that he gets more selective as well but he's exactly one season in to his hunting career so he has some time to get picky imho .

I find we travel a bit more now and part of that is a change in work schedule where there is more time off. As experience and age and opportunity happen I do feel a better sense of the bigger picture and realize that burning endless miles around home trying to pull blood from a stone might be better spent planning a good trip where there is more opportunity. Kind of that "Hunt where the game is, not where you hope it is" mentality. As well I find more and more that just because it's hunting season doesn't mean you have to be out hunting all the time. Sometimes it's good to take a break, relax a bit and do some "in season" scouting.


Kind of a jumbled post I apologize but it's really a complicated thing that is going to be specific to every individual.

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by OL_JR

There have been a lot of changes but it's hard to sum up in one catch phrase. I think the change has been somewhat species specific as time has gone on. At one time I wouldn't think about shooting a cow elk in archery season but now I wouldn't hesitate and kind of kick myself at how many opportunities have gone by that I let go looking for a bull. The meat is more important with elk same as moose.

At one time any sheep would do but won't shoot another in general season that isn't mature. I mention the general season as I'm about ready to pull a 410 tag and I'm honestly not going to be super picky with that one.

I don't think immature whitetails are a challenge anymore and I've gladly folded my tag more years than not. I love hunting whitetails and the season would be way to short if I shot an immature buck every year and I'm sure a lot of folks that have some time in would feel the same. At one time that was a tag that had to be filled but I think I would feel worse now putting potential on the ground. I'll gladly help my boy shoot whatever deer he wants and enjoy the experience though. As he ages I hope that he gets more selective as well but he's exactly one season in to his hunting career so he has some time to get picky imho .

I find we travel a bit more now and part of that is a change in work schedule where there is more time off. As experience and age and opportunity happen I do feel a better sense of the bigger picture and realize that burning endless miles around home trying to pull blood from a stone might be better spent planning a good trip where there is more opportunity. Kind of that "Hunt where the game is, not where you hope it is" mentality. As well I find more and more that just because it's hunting season doesn't mean you have to be out hunting all the time. Sometimes it's good to take a break, relax a bit and do some "in season" scouting.


Kind of a jumbled post I apologize but it's really a complicated thing that is going to be specific to every individual.

I completely understand where you are coming from. Lots of good stuff here

[OL_JR]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

I completely understand where you are coming from. Lots of good stuff here

As an edit I will add that when I said "fold my tags" I should have said hang my tag on the Christmas tree or left the tag unfilled in other words.

[wildwoods]

Originally Posted by OL_JR

As an edit I will add that when I said "fold my tags" I should have said hang my tag on the Christmas tree or left the tag unfilled in other words.

Haha yeah I had to read that a couple times but I understood what you were trying to say…

[DiabeticKripple]

I have changed a bit over the past 8 years.

Before it was all about getting the deer. I was obsessed with just trying to fill the tag, I would often shoot the first doe I saw.

About 3-4 years ago I decided to stop shooting does in 330 because the population just gets hammered there. Coincidently the govt saw the same thing and reduced the supplemental tags. I was out there just looking for bucks. I started to buy some trail cameras to see what was around and try to hunt those specific bucks, even if they weren’t big. I ended up shooting a cool palmated 3x3 I had on my cams for a few months.

Now, I go for the experience. The goal is to still fill the freezer, but I also pass on smaller animals if I know I have the time to keep hunting. Going out to fill a deer tag will usually take me a few days before I’m happy to just fill one. I just like being out and about and checking new and old areas trying to figure them out even better.

This year is super exciting for me because I think I have a decent chance at a bull elk, bull moose and wainwright. So 2 hunts (moose, wainwright) that are new to me and this will be my second time trying for elk with a bow. I’m also taking vacation for the first time with the sole reason of hunting this year. Starting to get more serious about it.

[catnthehat]

I was thinking about this thread a lot since it was started , trying to decide if in fact my first post was off the mark.
I grew up hunting water spreads for geese and ducks as well as jump shooting , and although I still do put put a water spread occasionally, the majority of My goose hunting g has been field spreads for the last 30 years or so. Duck hunting hunting changed much ,
nor has my upland at all.
As far as changes go for big game ,nothing has changed in my hunting styles, the only thing that has changed on the whole is the fact that I cam no longer "go hard " like I used to . Old age is fast creeping up and gone are the days when I can grab my Hawlen and do the buck skinner thing like I used to love to do and take off for a week with a possible bag and a Trapper Nelson .
Cat

[starvin]

I hunt every dam day of my life. Wish my passion was investing I’d be warren by god buffet. Scouting satellite imagery, shooting and load development and wasting times on outdoor forums all part of it.

[nelsonob1]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

What ive realize as ive got older is to just do it
Chase your dreams
Hunt the hunts you’ve always wanted to do
Don’t wait for your buddy’s to come along with you
It’s not a big deal to go by yourself
Anyone that you will be sharing a camp with is probably going to be just as passionate as you are.

some good advice.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

Started as a city dweller, green as grass as an 18 year old. Just wanted to get out and shoot stuff. First deer was a button buck fawn that I hit in the butt with my first shot. Insert facepalm. Lots of road hunting without a lot of knowledge or success. We would bag game, but it was a lousy way to hunt.
Mid 20s, diplomacy and relationship with complete strangers (ranchers up North) opened up some major opportunity.…
Now I’m mid 30s. I’m way more selective.

Oh dear. You slept with strange ranchers for permission? No one will say you don’t work for your game!

[urban rednek]

Originally Posted by sns2

Oh dear. You slept with strange ranchers for permission? No one will say you don’t work for your game!

He was young and did what he felt was necessary to secure his hunting rights. Can you honestly say you wouldn't have done the same if the right situation presented itself?
Seems to have worked out well for him.