Why did they quit?

[Lefty]

Why did your friends, family or hunting partners quit hunting? Elk or hunting in general!

The fellows I use to hunt with 15-25 years ago reason,.. Montana cost too much, and the wolves got them all
In reality the real commitment as hunters just wanst there, And the quest for making more money working seemed to be their big satisfaction.

My father -in law hasnt had a tag for big game the last few years, he announced ( 88 years old) that he is putting in for deer and elk with my wife.
His only hold back is my mother-in-laws health, or the guy would be archery hunting with me
Meet a fellow Saturday ( another long story) Out shooting rockchucks, middle of nowhere. The fellow could barely walk, he had a disabled Idaho hunters permit and it was apparent he was going to hunt until his death.

[elkhuntfever]

As a boy growing up in Central Michigan, going Up North to deer hunt was the dream. While my dad wasn't a die hard deer hunter, he did hunt now and then but it was at my brothers farm near Sumner or a friends place east of Ithaca. One group of hunters from town did hit the northern camp for the week. The story I heard was that one of the hunters stayed in camp one morning to do the dishes before heading out. He didn't return and they went looking for him. They found his body with a fatal bullet wound and tracks leading up to the body and then away from him. My Dad didn't hunt much after that.

[Swede]

Lefty, I too hear a lot of excuses for throwing in the towel on hunting. It is almost always someone else's fault. Blame the game commission or ???. The truth is they hunted an area for some time and it got difficult to get game, and the hunter could not adapt, change or move, so they quit.

[saddlesore]

My long time hunting buddy had to quit due to his wife's health. He couldn't ,leave her alone.
My other hunting companion is still going with me,but he is 68 years younger than me.
Another young fellow ( 40), I took three times but he said that was more work than he wanted to do to kill an elk.
Most of the younger fellows I have taken over they years have said the same thing.

I hear all this whiz bang stuff about getting in shape but when they come with me,they can't keep up.

I'm 72 + ,guess I just keep going at it myself.

[sasquatch]

Women!

[stringunner]

I put my bow down when I was in college, went to a school that started mid August and was in Southern California, as soon as I graduated I picked it back up. My time in the woods as changed from 4 weeks during the season to just two weeks now because of a change in job last year. I also foresee as my three kids get older (6,4,3) I will, for a time, have to limit or prioritize their needs above my desire to hunt, though I doubt that means I will quit all together. Life changes and priorities change sometimes to impact my ability to have as much time in the woods as I once did or desire. I also once held elk hunting up as an idol to an unhealthy point interfering with my need for Christ above all else.

My brother quit for past ten years only to return this past year. Our tactics have changed in the recent few years based upon what would be more successful in our area coupled with my dad not being able to run and gun. Age will eventually keep him from the woods all together, though that is a long way off I hope.

To each is own I guess. The Lord willing, I do hope I'm like several of the guys mentioned on here, hunting elk long into my 80's.

[Fridaythe13th]

TV is a big downer, after watching 2-3-4 300"+ being called in a day it looks fun and easy. But in reality to see a elk in a day is good day, to call one in is better day, to get a shot is the best day, to get a shot and hit and find it, PRICELESS.

Maybe that why people think it to hard to elk hunt. TV.

[Old school]

I've only been 4 years. Mine quit due to difficulty of hunt and other priorities. Will be taking my 2 boys with me this coming year. Hopefully they will be partners that will stick for a lifetime. At least that's my hope.

--Mitch

[Ilikefire]

My grandfather had to hang up his rifle this year at 85 years old a bad hip and 2 bad knees made it really difficult for him to get out and hunt, I believe he would still get out if he didn't have to take care of my extremely ill grandmother who can barely leave the house to go to dr appointments. It was a sad day hearing he was going to be his last season.

My newest hunting partners are my girlfriend and daughter, the girlfriend got into archery shooting last year after watching me shoot my bow for the last several years, and our daughter loves to watch us both shoot and she loves the outdoors even more.

Here are a few pictures of the modified meat hauling pack I use to carry her around shed hunting and on our short day hunting trips. [img]http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160406/20e57d2bb5d345c7ddc39f1c1f3a21c0.jpg[/img][img]http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160406/ada93cee6afb530652858aee2d6cf641.jpg[/img]

I can't wait for her to be old enough to get out and stick her first elk!