Stages of a Hunter

[Indian Summer]

When you’re young you don’t even think about this. You’re just doing what young people do. You’re a puppy running around without a care sniffing everything and anything. Shooting chipmunks and squirrels. Getting some successes under your belt and just having fun stomping around in the woods.

But then without knowing it you shift gears. It’s a slow process. You start hunting big game. Deer. At first you keep doing what has worked in the past. Covering ground and trying to make it happen. Before long you’ve racked up a few failures. Watching deer run off was ok at first but it wasn’t really helping punch tags. So now you learn patience. You learn how to sit and let game come to you. But where to sit? The answer should come from all of your previous experiences. You’ve seen the trails and rubs when you were running around. You’ve seen the beds where you chased the deer from in the thick stuff So you settle in on a place where you’re confident you can intercept them. At that point you start killing deer.

But then it’s starts getting easier. You know you can kill a little basket rack 8 point. You start to shift gears again. For the first time in your life you let a legal buck walk past without killing it. Welcome to stage 3.

There are several other stages in the natural progression of a hunter. It’s hard for the young bucks to imagine going from shooting the first chipmunk that moves to watching a bull elk walk away when he was an easy kill. To enjoying a sunrise as much as seeing a dead buck laying on the ground. From being proud of every kill to getting more satisfaction out of seeing a family member or friend finally getting their buck or bull on the ground and knowing that somehow you helped.

I’ll stop there for now. So tell me…. What stage of the game are you at? Killing machine? Still thirsty but more selective? Sight seeing? Or….. almost done??? I know guys who lost the drive and just drifted away from hunting. We all know that as life goes on priorities will change. Time becomes as important as money. And the reasons to kill change as well. I’m interested to hear what others have to say about their experiences with the big picture of life as a hunter.

[Jhg]

Probably my gear shift was when I decided to hunt with aperture sights and focus on old mature whitetails. Not their rack size. Body size.

I laugh when I think about how stupid we were in the beginning, my Dad and I in terms of hunt knowledge. Same with elk. Firstvyear I hunted with a 9 pound octagon barrel sharps 45/70.
Dude, that was a lot of rifle.

[saddlesore]

I am past "almost done" . My mind is telling me I can do it, my body says "What the hell am I doing".

My first few years were deer hunting. Camp was tarps on the ground and pulled up over our bed rolls. Cookng was on an open fire. We carried everything on our horses, and camped where ever were that night.We didn't kill many deer, but thought we were really living the life.

In my early years of elk hunting, I had a few good mentors and I was killing elk fairly consistently even then. In those middle years when I got to really killing elk, I started using different rifles in different chamberings just for the challenge.. Lever guns with open sights in 30-30, 44 mag, 45-70, .375 Winchester, or an M1 Garand. That 45-70 was 13 pounds fully loaded. I remember it kept my saddle shifted of to one side when it rode in the scabbard I killed elk with them all. Even got the magnumitus craving and went thru two 7mm mags. Then I tried muzzle loaders which let me hunt two ten day seasons a year. My passion was tagging elk. Although I shot some darn big bulls, I got as much challenge by sneaking up on a herd of cows and taking one without them knowing I was there.

During those years, I also started some hunters getting into the game. I built up my pack string. One of them was my brother coming from PA. We would pack into Wilderness areas and I always tried harder getting him an elk than myself. In a few years, we were both tagging out. He passed away two weeks ago. Others who had never been, I watched as they took it all in. From packing 4-5 mules, enduring a few pack string rodeos, setting up a wilderness camp, walking out of camp on those frosty mornings with ice glittering on the grass and hearing elk bugle. Then the skinning, quartering, packing out their elk and sending them back to the truck themselves to get the meat out with two pack mules and the riding one . They were in total awe from things I had been taking for granted.

The last ten years or so of hunting after reaching 70, I really didn't care if I punched my tag or not. I would go and give it the best of my ability, but didn't get that feeling I use to when I went home empty handed. I remember mornings of watching that thin line of light on the eastern horizon as as the day came alive and the sun coming up. Probably more so than the elk I tagged. As some cowboys say. I got the knots out my rope.

I had to sit this past elk season up do to health.That was really hard to do, knowing I should be out there. I will put in for a tag this coming year, and hope I will be able to make it. Even if I have to sit in a chair beside my camp .

[Swede]

I hunt deer for the fun of it but I don't hunt too long or hard. I am still serious about elk, but know the sun is setting on my hunting days. The Lord has blessed me greatly and I am satisfied regardless of how He wants me to end things. I prefer to take a good bull, but it does not matter much. Mostly I want it to be good eating.

[Indian Summer]

Currently both of my big toes have been in pain for a week. Both of my knees always hurt and I slipped on some ice at work yesterday and twisted the left one pretty bad. My left hip has been in pain for 2 weeks now. Pretty bad at times. Feels like sciatic nerve pain. No position relieves it. My left elbow has been hurting for about a week. Both shoulders bother me when I’m sleeping. I ran an impact screw gun for a month straight at work and now the pain in my right thumb, more accurately the large thumb muscle on my palm is in TERRIBLE pain. All of my fingers hurt 24/7. There are guys 20 years older than me still hunting elk. They win. I don’t think I’ll last that long.

I love the mountains. I wouldn’t bother me to die up there except for the fact that I’d feel sorry for whoever had to find me and pack me out. I can definitely see me one day just enjoying camp and doing my hunting through other hunters. Being like an NFL coach and sending them out every day with a really good game-plan. I enjoy cooking and taking care of horses. I enjoy having a camp that runs like a well oiled machine and with not one spec of litter on the ground. But as long as I can put one foot in front of the other I’ll probably keep hobbling around up there deep down inside having confidence that I can end up in the right place at the right time.

To a small degree I’m losing my desire to kill. I think the way God schedules things is so that by the time you lose your physical ability to go out and kill things you have also lost the desire to. I always pay attention to the progression of things. Some things run in cycles. I haven’t killed a buck in Pa in about 5 years or so. I don’t care. Don’t get me wrong I’m more than happy to drop the hammer on a big buck. But I won’t even think of shooting a small one and as of last year I’m done shooting does. I’ve always been a huge animal lover. I can be driving down the road with two dead deer in the bed of my truck but then I’ll see a young deer dead on the side of the road and think awe that’s sad. Haha. Definitely softer than I used to be.

No mercy on elk though. I can’t wait to shoot my next bull. That’s my annual physical/mental checkup.

I was talking to Tom the other night. Telling him how absolutely lucky we are to be able to hunt elk in Wyoming again this coming year. We found a guy on another forum with a bunch of points so Tom could draw for sure even with only 1 point. Lucky! But the conversation turned to who knows how many years it could be until we’re back. It’s to the point of taking almost 5 points to get a license there. At my age you start doing the math. A license every 5 years means I’ll be in my 70s in 3 more hunts! So no passing up bulls in 2023. But even more so we will really be taking the time to suck up every minute of our time there. That’s one thing about getting older…. You tend to keep things in the right perspective. No more taking anything for granted. Anyway…. Merry Christmas Vince! And same to everyone else. Enjoy the arctic blast if it’s in your neighborhood. Sub zero in Pa right now. I think I’ll have a bourbon. And to all a good night. Lol

[Jhg]

I never had a desire to kill. But have a very strong desire to grace the table with meat from free range game like elk. I have enough points to get a premium deer unit. But I don't really care and every year adds another point.
Don't mis-understand me. I try to focus on mature elk bulls. But it is what that age represents to me in terms of savvy and elusiveness, not rack size. But then again, there is pride in taking a good antlered bull. I am human.
However, when I walk up to an old wise big bodied deer or elk, I feel a sense of completeness that is hard to describe. In the ancient waltz between the hunter and the hunted there is a certain silent acknowledgment, a spirit nod if you will, of deep respect and appreciation for the quarry.
It is important to me the hunt is not made too " easy" by super optics or a bow that will drive an arrow into a 2" spot at 100 yds. I do not care for that and so for myself reject what that might offer in "success".
I wish only to hunt in a way that is less about roads, onxhunt and the latest super solution. I know guys who hunt like its going to war, or with a grudge. There is very little, if any, appreciation of beauty.
Hell is going to freeze over before you hear one of these "machines" express any opinion beyond where to park the truck as they design tomorrows assault.

I am a dinosaur.

Hunt like it matters how. Because it does matter, more than most people realize. To be able to hunt free range game on public land is a miracle. Defend it. Anti hunters will not take it away. Money interests will. Greed. Those who feel what we have is to be exploited. There is no more open land being made. What we have is all there will be. It is a gift well worth protecting.

93EF30D5-E436-4ECB-8B14-F1CA1984FF59.jpeg (217.77 KiB) Viewed 1876 times

[Swede]

Elk hunting is still a test for me. It does not matter how you view it: for me it as a personal test. I fail at times and will probably fail more often in the future, but I hope to always be in the game. I have arthritis and gout, but it is not too bad. Maybe I will need another cortisone shot sometime. Maybe the pain won't be too much. Maybe my strength won't fail. I am already looking forward to the 2023 season. If I can get out, I will do everything possible to kill another elk.
Any Oregon elk monitoring this forum is hereby put on notice.

[Lefty]

Im well past the gotta kill.
As a long ago fur trapper, I killed a lot and had lots of opportunities.
The years I didn't deer hunt with my dad I always got a big buck. Many times during hunting season I put the crosshairs on a few big bucks and squeezed the trigger guard.
Even since I was a kid we enjoyed stalking deer, just to see how close we could get, and just for kicks.

Even when trapping hard I would often take time to hike a place I had never been.
I also started hunting and trapping for specific trophy animals.
Or taking games in places only for the challenge.
And fair chase to me was just trying to take the game in harder means (that's why I got into archery. ) If some game was too easy I let it pass.
I do that all the time with waterfowl.
I've purposely challenged myself. One year I snared 38 foxes in one exact location, in the wide open

I've taken beaver on a challenge of a friend. in the middle of a large lake. I've snared fox on the Great Salt Lake Salt flats, just for kicks.
So it just isn't the kill for a long time.
As my daughters grew the challenge was given to them.
One day while retrieving the truck I heard my daughter shout " doubles" and dropped two mallards.

So the means of the taken game has been part of that challenge.
Where am I now.!

[Lefty]

What stage am I in now?
Well, my grandmother had a bunch of sayings.
“Every day above ground is a good day!”
“You can sleep when you’re dead!”
Every hunt is a good hunt, some are great. But I’ve also adopted something my Father in law said often. “Why ruin a good hunt by killing something?”
Do I enjoy making a good shot? Sure do!
Generally, would I rather take a huge bull over any bull,, absolutely?
In some ways most of my life I was a meat hunter. Meat has never gone to waste from any edible game. I killed enough game the only “meat” I was eating at home was a burger or hotdog bought on the way home. I was cheap and fugal most of my years.
My health and abilities had slowed me. And in some ways that has made me appreciate the life I have even more.
Ive been a student of the outdoors most of my life.
I’ve become a witness to things most will never even know exist.
I’ve sat in goose pits and layout blinds for days, never expecting to have a shot at bird. Ive sat over a bear bait for days knowing there wasn’t a daytime shooter bear. And enjoyed the moment.
The past two years I’ve easily spent 70 days in the elk woods happy to be there every day. I could have shot plenty of cows, even passed on bulls,
As my daughters were in grade school we spent more days in the field together than most avid hunters. As they became old enough to shoot. I let them do the shooting. I was thrilled watching them .
And today mighcrazy crazy example of my “stage” as a hunter. Today I shot two geese. Only two. I had plenty of geese under 45 yards.
But sitting all morning, instead of being home cleaning a limit of something I had never seen in nature. A goose dove in, and in the air chased off a small flock of geese then landed outside the spread 20 yards.
I enjoy seeing and doing things that I am fully aware of how rare some events are so much of God’s creation Ive been able to witness.

[7mmfan]

I'm not sure which phase I'm in. In the last decade I've experienced a lot of firsts. Passing my first legal buck and bull looking for something bigger. Forst backcountry backpack hunts, first multi-year string of succeses. Inwas talking with my hunting partners yesterday about how things have changed so much. I remember when getting a deer was a surprise not a likelihood, and the idea of killing a deer and an elk in a year was mind-boggling. I'm now at almost a decade of a deer and elk or more every season and it is how I primarily feed my family. My hunts are now far less stressed because I'm confident in my ability to find and kill animals. I'd say I'm a year or two away from consistently passing on elk looking for a higher age class of animal. I'm getting to the point where the hunt is too short to kill one right away so I want to stretch it out some. I also have to consider that my son is only a few short years away from hunting so I'm trying to learn as much as I can every year so I can pass it on to him. I know that he will priority number one here soon.

That was a lot of rambling. As you can see understanding your "phase" is difficult. I go hard, want to kill animals every year, and am successful enough doing that that I'm now becoming more selective. That's as concise as I can make it.

[Swede]

There is a stage in our hunting life that no one has mentioned yet: It is that point in our hunting life when we think we have it figured out pretty well and are good at elk hunting. We have posted on the meat pole and told others how they should do it. "You neophyte elk hunters should really look up to me" is our not so subliminal message.

Before we really get well settled in on this stage, God has a way of humbling us. We dine on tag soup for and make excuses for a season or two. But not to be deterred, at this stage we try to convince ourselves and our imaginary fans that we are successful just being out and enjoying nature with a $700 tag in our pack.

Of course, this never applied to me. My elk tags are well under $50.

[Old school]

I’ve past thru the have to kill something stage quite a while back. I’ve killed more deer with my bow than I can even remember. Then I started elk hunting - killed 2 with a rifle and decided to start bowhunting them - that’s been a challenge. This past year bowhunting elk with my son and we finally connected and he killed one. (This was our 4th elk bowhunt) I was way more excited in his success than I would have been if I killed it myself. I put in the work but get my gratification from seeing others with me being successful, especially when they are family.

[Tigger]

We teach the stages that a hunter goes through in Firearm Safety class. If I remember them correctly,

Stage 1 Shoot! Anything legal shoot it!
Stage 2 Limit. Gotta get that limit.
Stage 3 Method. A kill with a bow is better than a kill with a gun.
Stage 4 Trophy. The bigger, the better.
Stage 5 Nature. Just out to love nature and if you get one, great, but not required.

So where am I? Stages 4 and 5 depending on what I am hunting. I can pass up whitetail after whitetail until I find that really big one. Kinda trophy, but kinda Nature as well. For elk, I can pass a cow, but a bull is gonna get shot and right away! Birds, I like to shoot a few, but like it more when my kids shoot them.

I think there should be a Stage 6 where you enjoy others making the kill more than yourself.

[7mmfan]

The method or weapon phase is interesting to me. I get that people enjoy the challenge of pursuing animals with more primitive weapons and testing themselves. It does appear to be a natural progression.

I have bow hunted, and I am considering picking up a muzzleloader this year, but not because of the challenge associated with it. About 10 years ago I decided that I would exclusively rifle hunt for a couple of reasons. The number one reason being that I liked the decisiveness of shooting an animal with a rifle. More often than not the animal is dead within a few feet of where you shoot it. If you do your part, and take quality shots the animals should never suffer more than a few seconds. I think the progression to more primitive weapons lies mainly in having to get closer to the animals you shoot and take higher quality shots. I have begun doing that with my rifle as well, trying to get close and taking only the best shots. In doing so, I'm usually quite close to my quarry when I shoot them and with the rifle, it is over instantly most of the time, which is exactly how I like it.

The 2nd reasons is that I was also making the decision at that point in time to make putting game meat on the table a priority and here in Washington that is tough to do on a regular basis with any weapon let alone primitive weapons. The only reason I'm considering a muzzleloader is to get a better season here in Washington for elk.

I think that a lot of these progressions happen to people who live and hunt in areas that are more game rich and they have a lot of opportunity. We don't have that where I live so the progression rules change some I believe.

[Swede]

I think you folks have it figured out. I like Tigger's 5 or 6 stage sequence. I do not see it as a straight line 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5. It can go from 1 to 4 then back or forward depending on many different things. Indian Summer mentioned that this year he was holding out for a 6-point bull, but next season he plans to be less demanding. That fits now, but he can change his mind again even before his 2023 hunt. He mentioned the aches and pains he is experiencing as he gets older. That can quickly change your mind about what are reasonable goals to set for yourself.

[Lefty]

I think there should be a Stage 6 where you enjoy others making the kill more than yourself.

Stage ?? Dont shot because you don't want to pack it out, or handle the meat

Stage ?? Its too much work to pack game out alone

Stage ?? (Not my stage at all) an excuse to get away from the wife and kids, or buddy time or drinking time

[Thegreatwapiti]

Happy new year!

[MidwestHunter]

I am in the beginning elk stage of gotta get an elk down. I had a missed opportunity on a nice bull elk with bow my first year bowhunting. I had a handful of other opportunities that I wasn't comfortable taking. I still would love to get a bull, but I am happy with a full freezer of cow elk meat (not to mention saving $700 on a tag).

At 37 years of age, My mind is ready to go, and somedays my body. Unfortunately, I was in a car wreck a couple years ago that has caused me to have chronic neck and shoulder pain. I haven't picked up my compound bow since. I am in the don't know what body will let me do in the next few years stage.

[Swede]

I would watch out for Arthritis as it is likely to set in. I have Gout and Arthritis. At my age I draw back my bow at regular draw weight. I do it every other day because it gets ugly to draw if I don't keep at it.

[Swede]

Last September I set up my tree stands, retrieved and packed them out alone. I hunted about 16 days after camping and scouting for five. I killed a bull at age 75 and packed it out alone. My brother was with me in camp. Today I was talking with him about making an investment in hunting that would be good for at least ten years. He advised against it and said I need to consider my age.
I am scratching my head on that advise. I do not know if I have any time left or many years (over 10), but that was also true when I was 40. Should I just coast through the remaining season(s) the Lord blesses me with, or totally ignore my age. Is there something in between? When should I quit getting excited about the next hunt, and just kick back and harass you jerks?

[saddlesore]

Last September I set up my tree stands, retrieved and packed them out alone. I hunted about 16 days after camping and scouting for five. I killed a bull at age 75 and packed it out alone. My brother was with me in camp. Today I was talking with him about making an investment in hunting that would be good for at least ten years. He advised against it and said I need to consider my age.
I am scratching my head on that advise. I do not know if I have any time left or many years (over 10), but that was also true when I was 40. Should I just coast through the remaining season(s) the Lord blesses me with, or totally ignore my age. Is there something in between? When should I quit getting excited about the next hunt, and just kick back and harass you jerks?

Don't set an age or limit.Take it as it comes. Plan the coming year each year and don't worry about the year after that. At our age, every season is a gift. I took my last bull when I was 75. It was solo, but I had my pack mule. However 12,000 feet was just shy of too much. It about used me up. I have killed two cows since then. Although I missed the 2022 hunt, I am going to try hard to make it this coming year.
I will be 80. Anything past that is icing on the cake. If not, I have had a heck of a run.

[saddlesore]

I am in the beginning elk stage of gotta get an elk down. I had a missed opportunity on a nice bull elk with bow my first year bowhunting. I had a handful of other opportunities that I wasn't comfortable taking. I still would love to get a bull, but I am happy with a full freezer of cow elk meat (not to mention saving $700 on a tag).

At 37 years of age, My mind is ready to go, and somedays my body. Unfortunately, I was in a car wreck a couple years ago that has caused me to have chronic neck and shoulder pain. I haven't picked up my compound bow since. I am in the don't know what body will let me do in the next few years stage.

You might see if your state has a provision for using a crossbow in archery season for the handicapped.

[Lefty]

Ive mentioned this before, My father in law shot a desert Sheep at 79.
83 Was along for my daughter's moose hunt
At 89 he shot his last mule deer with my wife.
And was in elk camp at 90

[Tigger]

Last September I set up my tree stands, retrieved and packed them out alone. I hunted about 16 days after camping and scouting for five. I killed a bull at age 75 and packed it out alone. My brother was with me in camp. Today I was talking with him about making an investment in hunting that would be good for at least ten years. He advised against it and said I need to consider my age.
I am scratching my head on that advise. I do not know if I have any time left or many years (over 10), but that was also true when I was 40. Should I just coast through the remaining season(s) the Lord blesses me with, or totally ignore my age. Is there something in between? When should I quit getting excited about the next hunt, and just kick back and harass you jerks?

I think you should plan for elk hunting the next 10 years AND harass us, uh....jerks.

[Swede]

I can get by very well with just what I have, but to not do something or not to get something because of my age would be giving up. I am not ready to give in to the inevitable. I do recognize I am getting older, and it haunts me, but I am still working and planning to move forward hunting. I am satisfied the Lord will tell me when it is time to retire from the September mountains.

[MidwestHunter]

I am in the beginning elk stage of gotta get an elk down. I had a missed opportunity on a nice bull elk with bow my first year bowhunting. I had a handful of other opportunities that I wasn't comfortable taking. I still would love to get a bull, but I am happy with a full freezer of cow elk meat (not to mention saving $700 on a tag).

At 37 years of age, My mind is ready to go, and somedays my body. Unfortunately, I was in a car wreck a couple years ago that has caused me to have chronic neck and shoulder pain. I haven't picked up my compound bow since. I am in the don't know what body will let me do in the next few years stage.

You might see if your state has a provision for using a crossbow in archery season for the handicapped.

It has crossed my mind. Wyoming allows crossbows, we will be putting in for tags there. I just find crossbows a pain to carry around. I know they have all the new crossbows with short limb blah blah blah, but I am not willing to pay $1500 for a bow that will need limbs replaced in a couple years. I prefer compound, and hopefully my chiropractor will get everything straightened out (pun intended). I wouldn't be able to hunt w/ crossbow in Montana Missouri Breaks if lucky enough to be drawn.