Hunting alone

muddycreek · Post by **muddycreek** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:57 pm

Does anyone else look forward to hunting alone? Each year my loving wife allows me to give myself a present of a 3 day weekend of myself and the dogs hunting. We head out of town, hunt our way out to where I want to stay hunt for a day or two if its good, otherwise relocate to another area, then hunt our way home the third day. Most every other weekend is already booked with hunting with friends/co-workers/family. For some reason I look forward to those three days all season. There is something about not having an itenerary, worrying about others getting shots, keeping the dogs working a line or area, etc.. we just hunt. Then there is the eating at small town cafe's and flirting with the waitress's so they will give me a treat for the dogs (I'd pay for it but I like the challenge), sleeping in a cheap motel (after I sneak the dogs in), and getting a six pack of Milwaukee's Best and toasting our success or forgetting our failure.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hunting with friends but this is special, just for me and the dogs. I think they enjoy it as much as I do, maybe it's being able to sleep on the bed. Anyone else do this?

kbshorthairs · Post by **kbshorthairs** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:11 am

Absolutely! I always flirt with the waitress!

nj gsp · Post by **nj gsp** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:41 am

I almost always have hunted alone. Just me and the dog, or just me and no dog. Last year my wife had such a good time up in Maine hunting birds with me within weeks after our return she had taken the hunter safety test and gotten her license. So while I expect that she will be coming along with me on more hunts this year, it won't be every time as she has a pretty busy schedule. I also expect I will be hunting with a few friends a little more often this year.

But, I have always enjoyed my time alone in the woods and in the fields. There's nothing wrong with a cheap and cheerful beer either, but I do prefer something with a little more flavor...

Sandy Meador · Post by **Sandy Meador** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:40 am

I almost always have hunted alone and I do love it. You can do whatever you wish, at your speed. Now, I do have 2 lifelong hunting buddies that I get together with many times a yr., but those hunts are only about 10% of my total hunts.

westexasrepublic · Post by **westexasrepublic** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:30 am

when I first started hunted I hunted by myself everyday since I was 15. (state of texas hunter safety thing is young) anyway, my dad has always bee a big Bass fisherman, and so have I. Untill the day I was able to take my hunter safety. Of course I enjoyed ever bit of it, but sometimes I would catch a colorful song bird, or amazing sunset and wish I could share that moment with someone. Then I met my wife and have been enjoying all those things with her. So like people say its not the hunt or the fish that make a good out, its the people you are with while your outdoors. Though I do enjoy the outdoors with my friends and family, I too now look forward to getting out alone, just to remind me of the good ole days trekking around without worrying about anyone but myself. It's a nice sense of freedom and break from the normal routine of calling up friends, waiting for them to show up, running to wal mart for supplies.....you get the idea.

Post by **topher40** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:46 am

I train by myself ALL the time, when the season comes around I would rather share the experience with someone else. Atleast half the time I hunt with others and have since I was a kid. No sense not sharing the beauty of the dogs, wildlife, and the outdoors with other people, IMO.

sjohnny · Post by **sjohnny** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:58 am

The first time I deer hunted was with my dad. Since then (25 or so years) most of my hunting has been alone. I've bird hunted with someone else two or three times and my wife went deer hunting with me when we were dating (I didn't get a deer but it was still a good trip). It's not that I prefer being solo (sometimes I do) I just don't know many people that hunt. This year I've started taking my 4 year old son (almost 5) with me when I go dove hunting. He seems to have a good time hanging out with daddy and I'm trying to have him be a lifelong hunting partner. I'm going to have him with me as often as I can to get him started out right. When my daughter gets a little older I'm going to try to get her out with me as well but so far she doesn't like being out in the field too much. She wants to be carried or at least hold daddy's hand the whole time and it's hard to hunt that way (I don't really mind that much though).

John

GSPVIZ · Post by **GSPVIZ** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:43 pm

I am a newbie to hunting/bird dogs and I will probably do most of my hunting alone. I don't have too many family or friends that hunt. I do all of my training alone too. It is something about walking through the fields watching my dogs do what they love that just puts a smile on my face. I like the peace and quite of being by myself with 2 great friends (my Viz and GSP)!

I have a feeling that my Viz is going to teach me a lot about hunting - not the other way around.

She is coming along nicely.

Kevin WI · Post by **Kevin WI** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:46 pm

Mostly I hunt grouse by myself and my dog...actually I hunt because of my dog...I just enjoy spending time with him and watching him work

Duck hunting is different as I like to have a buddy along....makes it tough though as all my buddies have their own dogs and two dogs in a skiff plus two adults is just too much, so typically I go alone there also.

Ditch__Parrot · Post by **Ditch__Parrot** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:15 pm

I hunt alot by myself. Not that I don't enjoy the company of a few friends every now and then. It's just that with my work schedule I am able to hunt just about every morning and my days off are during the week. So with all my hunting buddies at work it's just me and the dog. I've come to really appreciate the solitude. It's quiet and peacefull. Hunt at my own pace and no disagreements about where to hunt next or when to stop for lunch. I just wish I would remember to take more pictures. Usually I have a camera but never remember to use it.

fishvik · Post by **fishvik** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:55 pm

I have hunted both alone and with some old Forest Service buddies every fall since I left a forest in N. Idaho almost 20 years ago. We hunt a variety of birds, and sometimes whitetail deer, drink some beer, play some pool and discuss the old days and how the land management agencies have changed. The rest of the guys are all retired and I'm the only guy still working in the field. It is the trip I look forward to every year. I've hunted that area since I was in college up there and in alot of ways is a homecoming experience.

I also like to hunt alone sometimes. It is just more relaxed and it is easier to train/work the dogs.

muddycreek · Post by **muddycreek** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 8:56 pm

Don't get me wrong I's not anti-social, I hunt with others every other weekend of the season and do enjoy it. However, I do enjoy those few days by myself so much. Of course I not alone, but not many people seem able to intrepret the tired happy look in my dogs eyes. Not that they'd rat on all the birds I missed

, they know who buys the food! To me the days alone are about the dogs. They set the pace, direction, and course rather than adjusting to a party. To me that is bliss.

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 6:55 am

I enjoy my time alone with the dogs weather it be duck hunting or grouse hunting. I am with folks all week year long that I have to talk to debate with, negotiate with, instruct etc. It gets old. It sure is nice to be with a buddy that just wants the same thing you do. Will go at a pace you want. Have the same goals.Enjoy the challenges of wild grouse and ducks. To sit on a hill side looking over the landscape in all its color and grandour no talking no arguments just some snacks and a drooling hunting partner and they usually feed me when I drool.

To sit in duck blind over a little pond watching the sun come up or the snow come down with ducks and geese coming in alwasy sets me to ease.

tdhusker · Post by **tdhusker** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:22 am

I enjoy hunting alone and have always done a great deal of it because I want to get the dogs work as well as myself. However, I enjoy hunting with friends who have good dogs quite a bit more. You are usually much more successful when there are several dogs and a couple hunters. The problem I have anymore . . . many of the guys I hunt with have crappy dogs that are couterproductive. Those guys I just don't hunt with more than a couple times, so I end up hunting alone. Kind of a vicious circle. I do have one reliable buddy with a great dog but he lives far enough away we only get two or three hunts in a season.

Good pointing dogs are a rarity where I live, most guys (95%+) have labs. I've been thinking about rounding up someone on GDF to hunt in our area with.

naperdog · Post by **naperdog** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:30 am

I started hunting 9 years ago. I hunt mostly pheasant and have always gone with my uncle who has a GSP. He has taught me everything i know about hunting. If I havne't hunted with him, it has been with buddies and we hired a guide to provide dogs. Two weeks ago I bought my first dog, a 4.5 month old yellow lab (Kona). Again my uncle has stepped up and is teaching me how to train Kona (to which i am very grateful, i think i would just screw him up on my own). WHile i don't plan on hunting with my uncle any less (we may even hunt more now), I do look forward to the first hunt with just myself and Kona. ONce or twice a year I think this will be a treat, but overall i think i would enjoy the comapionship more.

Scott Linden · Post by **Scott Linden** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:42 pm

muddycreek wrote:Does anyone else look forward to hunting alone? Each year my loving wife allows me to give myself a present of a 3 day weekend of myself and the dogs hunting. We head out of town, hunt our way out to where I want to stay hunt for a day or two if its good, otherwise relocate to another area, then hunt our way home the third day. Most every other weekend is already booked with hunting with friends/co-workers/family. For some reason I look forward to those three days all season. There is something about not having an itenerary, worrying about others getting shots, keeping the dogs working a line or area, etc.. we just hunt. Then there is the eating at small town cafe's and flirting with the waitress's so they will give me a treat for the dogs (I'd pay for it but I like the challenge), sleeping in a cheap motel (after I sneak the dogs in), and getting a six pack of Milwaukee's Best and toasting our success or forgetting our failure.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hunting with friends but this is special, just for me and the dogs. I think they enjoy it as much as I do, maybe it's being able to sleep on the bed. Anyone else do this?

Go where you want ...
When you want ...
Nobody hacking your dogs or criticizing their work ...
Getting all the shots, even if you miss ...
Sleeping in or getting up early, your choice ...
Eating what you want, when you want ...

PRICELESS!

Of course, a good friend cancels almost all of the above ... sometimes.

Gun Dog Forum

Hunting alone

Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone

Re: Hunting alone