Crossroads....

[4Falls]

Within the last year and a half or so Ive been considering walking away (quitting) hunting altogether. There are a few reasons why but not th least of which is how dirty and competetive its become. It seems that the "sportsman" is a dieing breed. As a matter of fact this website is probably one of the last places where sportsman can actually be found.

 

As Im reading through posts this morning the stories of the bull$hit that some good people have to put up with far out way the good. On the last few hunts ive been on it seems were over run with rude and unsportsman like "hunters". And Ive just had my fill.

 

This isnt the only reason why im considering quitting the pastime that I grew up with and loved soooo much. But it has been the straw that broke the camels back in a way.

 

Anyway, I hope that all you fellow CWT.commers have great seasons this year and Ill be checking in hoping to see some great buck. Good luck to all of you.

[stanley]

Hmmm...... No offense, but I suspect you are not REALLY considerding walking away from hunting. If you feel like I do about hunting, there is NO WAY you could ever do that!!

 

For me personally, I also see the stories here. I have never personally experienced completely rude behavior on a mass scale. I'm surprized that you have experienced this on your 'last few hunts....'. If you have really experienced rudeness in your last few hunts, then I would suggest that you change your hunting location. Then all will be good for you, and the rude guys can continue on their own personal miserable journey through life.

 

 

S.

 

[CouesWhitetail]

I hate to see someone quit what they love based on the behavior of some rude people.....I can say that most of the people I hunt with are sportsmen and most would go out of their way to help other hunters. But one good way to avoid other hunters is to do backpack hunts! Maybe that would rekindle your love for the hunt? Get away from it all and see all kinds of wonderful things in the outdoors....

[catclaw]

Sometimes I think about the same thing, you put so much into it and then you just get crapped on by others. I haven't given up yet, but I sure have been tempted.

[Broken Wheels]

Coueshunter and I were sighting in our weapons @ Usery for our upcoming bad a$$ antelope hunt in NM and we had a fella tell us a story about how he was dejected over a bunch of Rhino's (4 wheel kind) riding down the road through his unit which was over around Wickenburg and he just upped and stopped hunting and went home. Then this other fella must have overheard it and chimed in "sounds like a hunting story" and I quickly responded "maybe his kind of hunting but not ours". The perception from those that either don't hunt or don't like hunters/hunting is always as such and I wanted to make darn sure this second fella knew all hunts are not like this west side Sally that packed up and went home. We all have had bad moments out there but when I recall some of the good times it brings a smile to my face and I know, I just know I was meant to be out there in the mountains! My friends see a dramatic change in me as I drive further and further from the city and it is all positive and relaxed! I sure hope you reconsider my friend and continue to enjoy the outdoors as it is not something all can appreciate. Amanda was spot on when she suggested backpacking in on a hunt in Colorado or Utah, do a bow hunt where it isn't as hard to get drawn or you can buy an over the counter tag for not much and still do what you love the! Best of luck to you in what ever decision you make effenjeff and know that your fellow brothers/sisters on this site will carry the torch into the night!

[couesdiehard]

effenjeff,

This forum is great in so many ways but sometimes I get dejected too by what I read. It is discouraging to read so many stories about so-called sportsmen and outdoors enthusiasts lacking ethics and integrity. But every time it gets to me I read a story that encourages me about a true sportsman or woman through this site. Stories about great examples of ethics, conservation, camaraderie, and just plain caring about your fellow human beings and God's creation really bring it back home for me.

So even when I read something disturbing or that I don't agree with (usually politics), I take heart in the fact that there are still folks out there that care about the outdoors and the experiences they offer as much as I do, and hope that it continues on for many generations to come.

Hope you don't give up bud, we are already outnumbered and can't afford to lose another soldier in the fight.

Lee

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

 

 

Jeff,

 

Don't do it man... you let part of you die with it... Find the joy again, it is still out there waiting for you, Pal!

[NYAZHunter]

EffenJeff,

I do not believe you are looking to have your mind changed , you will do whatever feels best for you and whatever that is you will go forward. I don't write this so much for you as I do for me . I grew up in an area where the first day of deer season was an excused absence from school . I grew up when the deer in my little corner of New York were few . I grew up hunting because my dad did and his dad did and my uncles did and my friends did.

I hunted on 1500 acres that were owned in part by my family. Easy hunting, opening morning in a tree stand waiting for the deer to come by. Shoot the unwary on that morning cause unless a doe come in heat later in the season, you were gonna have to be a hunter and not just a 'trigger man' to get your deer. I remember that first kill , I think it was the proudest moment my father ever had of me.

I was an opening day hunter , maybe a one weekend hunter. I did not love it , had a good time but it did not burn a fire in my belly like today.

I was in my late 30's before i got the fever , when for me it was all about being in the woods , being with my friends , talking about , dreaming about and thinking about hunting. I have watched the evolution at my property in New York where the season is only about the kill .shoot, the guys are not hunters , just killers and trigger men. We do a lot of ' drives' in the east , not the ones we did in the old days with whoopin and hollerin , today they are just a few guys walkin and huntin at the same time , just trying to move an unpredictable creature in a predictable manner. When one of the standers gets his deer, he is reminded that he was only the guy on the trigger , he does not get that deer without the other guys.

I guess that I agree with much you say , effenjeff. It is sad , however , sadder for me will be the day that i can not get out into the woods,desert to hunt . I talk hunting every day , I have my days that get me ramped up even more , like the day the 'regs' come out , the day I bring the app to G and F , the day the draw hits the computer, the day my buddies make their airline reservation for the hunt , the day i make mine for the N.Y season. The two saddest days for me are the day I am finished with my 36B hunt and the day i close the N.Y cabin up and get on that airplane and come back to AZ .

There is so much more for me than the kill , I have made the best of friends hunting . That bond that 'hunters share' for me is a tight one. Hunting with a friend that you know exactly where he will be when you finish that walk. Cocktails at the end of the day, woodstove and campfire.

My best friend , the guy who I have hunted with for 40 plus years got cancer , gone to his bone and gotta tell you, hunting will never be the same without him , so , I am gonna enjoy every moment I can . Thanks for putting up with this rant and effenjeff, thank you for the provacation to tell you how I feel.

 

 

[ghost hunter]

I've been to that edge and looked over, then backed up, took a deep breath, and went back to hunting. I'm not a quitter but we may be all looking at this the wrong way.

 

Since this came out yesterday, I've been thinking. When I started deer hunting, you hunted with your Winchester 94 30-30 lever action gun. You headed out to go 'mono y mono' with that buck. Your hunting skills vs his survival skills. You either walked and walked and walked or you sat on a ridge. (no body ever hunted water holes) All you had on your side was your woodsman's skills and MAYBE a set of 7x35 binos.

 

Todays hunters have/use/rely on game cameras, 15x50 binos, ballistic scopes with adj. turrets, range finders, quads, blinds, etc. "Hunting smarter" they say. One day while out hunting, a friend asked my why I had X?. Out of my mouth blurted, "Ya, what I lack in skill, I make up for in gadgets". Really? I thought it sounded funny, but really?Now don't get all riled up, its not the gadgets its the attitude.

 

Contemplate the general theme of this tread: to quit or not to quit. Ya hiking in farther will probably get you away from the causes of your frustration, but it doesn't cure the problem. Quiting doesn't either. Like the old cigarette commercial used to say, "Id rather fight than switch". Really! So why should WE have to change what we do just because of a couple of knuckle heads. Why not make THEM change?

 

How you say? Education. Enforcement. Consequences. or ?

 

We probably can't require everyone to take hunter ed since we just made hunting a 'right' but we sure could do away with the on-line class. Just how much hunter ethics can you teach in that class. Make it part of the regs that you can't be acting like a jerk out there or you get your hunt priviledges suspended for a while. I'm sure there are other options available, these are just the two that popped into my mind.

 

If you think this sounds crazy, look at the top few reasons why people say they quit hunting, or don't hunt as often. Lack of access or a place to go is one of them. Why? Landowners cite vandalism and lack of respect for denying access. Sound familiar? We start acting better, we'll all get along better and maybe have a few more places to go.

 

So what say you?

[Coach]

The sport is changing. We are way more competetive, way more sophisticated, all that. I don't know you, or what motivates you...If I were to push hunting out of my life, something would be missing. I get the feeling that you would feel the same. Yes, we have to deal with all kinds of nonsense from anti-hunters, to slob hunters, to trail-camera theives to fights over water holes to regulations that seem outright stupid.

 

I think you are letting the darker side of things cloud your judgement. Instead, try to think about how you got started hunting in the first place. You've probably spent some early mornings waking up to the sights, smells and sounds of the desert opening up to you. You might have even pondered the old guys on mules who used to live out ther 365 days a year with nothing more than a mule, a rifle, and if they were lucky, some matches. You probably admired those old coots, as you explored deeper into the desert, hunting, exploring, and looking at yourself, why you were out there, instead of sitting on the freeway on your way to somewhere you didn't want to be.

 

Hunting is not a hobby. It's a conscious effort to get away from the world that sometimes makes no sense. I can't speak for you, but I spent years living in the valley, and I felt trapped. I felt like I was torn between providing for my family and actually living. I felt like my life had no meaning.

 

Breaking away from that grind opened my eyes, just enough to see something simple and true. When I take to the woods, I am free. The friends, the campfire, the sounds of laughter, the smells of fresh rain on aspens or a camp fire...

 

It's a special place, and I'd probably not be there nearly as much as if I weren't hunting. How much would I miss of the world happening around me if my hunting didn't force me to shut off the BS for once, and just live for a few days, as a human and a hunter?

 

I think a lot of people lead boring, dull lives. They are devoid of passion, ignorant of the simple pleasures of life, lonely, scared and wandering. I've been there, and sometimes go back to visit - that's part of growing older and dealing with our own demons.

 

To me, hunting brings the world closer. It makes colors brighter, sounds more distinct, my purpose more defined, my role here on this planet, as short as it is, more understandable.

 

I hope you won't lose faith. Hunting is a "source". It's a place where you can lose yourself and find yourself. If hunting has gotten stale because you don't have someone to share it with, PM me. I think one of the main causes of hunters losing interest, is losing the connection with the people who used to make it fun. I know what it feels like to go hunting solo, again and again, and lose the passion.

 

Just something to think about, I have a good friend who was extremely passionate about hunting, and ended up having his business ventures become really profitable. Here's a guy who now has the time and resources to hunt pretty much where and when he wanted to, along with being a skilled hunter. Eventually, he got really lonely on those hunts because his good friends had work and family obligations. The fun had somehow dissappeared. Hunting became work, or a prize to be won, or a hole on the wall left to be filled. While we envied him, he envied us because we had a life full of wives, children, stresses, all that noise that we sometimes take for granted.

 

I don't know exactly where you are coming from, but I would venture to guess that if you are truly considering walking away from hunting, it has more to do with the people who first brought hunting close to you, somehow separating their lives from yours.

 

If that is the case, there is a whole world of new faces, new places, and new adventures out there.

 

If hunting is truly part of your soul, you will never totally walk away from it. I admire your courage to come out here on a public forum and vet your concerns and frustrations. Don't lose faith. Reach out and meet new friends who share your passion.

 

Godspeed to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hunterdan]

Good Post Coach!

[4Falls]

I want to thank all of your for taking the time to read my post and for your wise words and encouragment. I did want to make clear that Im not quitting because of rude, slob 'hunters" there are some other personal reasons the slob hunter issue was just the straw that broke the camels back.

 

Its great to see all the nice deer gettin killed this year keep up the good work.

 

thanks again, Jeff

 

 

[Buckhunter]

Got any gear or guns for sale now that you quit?

[4Falls]

Buckhunter... sorry, almost all of the gear is gone.

[Whitesheep]

Coach, your post was right on. Thanks for taking the time to craft this response. I trust it was a cathartic for you as it was inspiring for me.