When Is It A Grind?

[Swede]

I am gone for about five weeks hunting each year in August and September. In addition I go scouting and may go hunting later a little. Sometimes during the five week stretch, hunting becomes difficult. I enjoy it, and my body gets acclimated to the routine, but it is not all peaches and cream. Usually everyone is gone from camp, and things in the elk woods do not look encouraging. For me monotony and discouragement can set in. I miss seeing my wife and going to church. I just refuse to give up, but it is a grind.
What about you?

[Lonnie]

That's funny. At least most of us normal people know what you are talking about. I hunt alone. Some times I am out for to five days by my self. And not having no one to talk to just about drives me crazy. I would not tell most people this. But I do catch my self talking to my self. lol

[jmez]

Elk hunting? When isn't it a grind? I love it but it takes it's toll. So much different than hanging of the side of a tree for a few hours and then going home after the hunt.

[saddlesore]

If you consider it a grind, you are not much of a dedicated elk hunter. By myself or with a hunting partner, I go to get away from all the BS . A chance to get all the knots out of my rope so to speak. Out of the last 50 years I have probably not missed a half a dozen elk hunts. In the last 7-8 years,I have gone on two a year. I can't remember one hunt that I sat on top of a mountain and wished I were home. MY wife loves me to go hunting .She says it is a vacation to her. You don't need a church building to pray. The outdoors doors is a church.Look around, you can see all of Gods wonderful creations.

I'm not much of a talker anyhow,I can go a week or so without saying a word

[Swede]

If you consider it a grind, you are not much of a dedicated elk hunter.

I am curious. How long are you out? How many times do you get up in the dark and go out alone? How often do you come in to a dark camp? Ten days, two weeks, three weeks go by so quickly, but that forth and fifth week are more trying. Maybe I am just not dedicated enough.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

If you consider it a grind, you are not much of a dedicated elk hunter.

Given who you said this to, I'm a little surprised. I think most dedicated elk hunters consider it a grind at some point in every hunt. I've been so tired I couldn't lift my feet high enough to get into the truck at the end of the day. Getting up the next morning to go back at it? That's a grind right there. Every athlete who makes it professional will tell you there are a lot of days that were a grind to get where they are. And a lot of days during their season are still a grind, even as they are playing literal games for a living. Calling it a grind doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the experience. If anything, the hard times make success that much sweeter. Just my two cents.

[Roosiebull]

haha, tough crowd

the grind starts on day 6, the first 5 days, I can stay in fresh turf, and work on elk that are still not pressured (obviously it's a little different every year) but in my mind, the grind starts on day 6, I love the grind. the woods get quiet during the weekdays, people for the most part don't hunt as hard, and I like that time period, it's a period I feel I can take advantage of.

[Roosiebull]

saddlesore, I think you may not know what the term "grind" means....it certainly doesn't mean you want to be somewhere else....it's more like waking up at wee hours of the morning 5 days in a row, with no leads to follow, you have to self motivate, and keep hunting like it's opening day, even though you don't have any leads on where to start your day....you are sore and groggy, you get up anyways, not late...and hunt your rear end off....that's the grind.

[saddlesore]

For some reason,I replied twice ,but it won't accept. I do know what grind is,I hunt two 9 day seasons. I don't sleep in. I am up every morning at 3 am,ride 5-8 miles,hunt all day and usually hit the sack at 8PM. Besides the hunting and camp chores,I have mules to feed,water, saddle and such. I hunt every one of those days like it is opening day. However,I usually tag out midweek ,but have gone longer.. Some of those two seasons, I have killed two elk usually only one. I can't comment on hunting five weeks straight trying to kill an elk,because it usually doesn't take me that long.

I don't consider it a grind though. Not any part of it.Younger guys that have gone with me,say I hunt too hard and it's too much work.They usually don't go twice with me.

In 2016 I killed a cow elk, two antelope and a deer. In 2105 ,I killed a bull elk, a cow moose, two antelope and a deer. That takes dedication, IMHO at least when you are on the far side of 70.

In addition,I might do 2-3 pack trips in the summer.

We have a saying out here in the west "Cowboy Up"

[Swede]

Honestly, I know it has become a grind for me when I start thinking about going home during the later part of the hunt. My mind changes, and I want to see my wife. I want to sleep in my regular bed. That does not mean I have given up. I am out there and alert, and I do love hunting, but it has taken a mental and spiritual toll. The odd thing is, two weeks after I get home I miss hunting and am looking forward to going back. Maybe I am a little crazy, but I am just being totally honest.

[>>>---WW---->]

I'm with Saddlesore! When elk hunting becomes a grind for some of you young wiper-snappers, maybe you need to think about finding some other way to spend your time. I have been on hunts that lasted 27 days. Not one single day was a grind. The closest thing to a grind would have had to been when the alarm went off at 03:30. But that nap after lunch helped to take care of that problem

I think Both Saddlesore and Swede fall into the same age bracket as myself. And we all know that the biggest grind of all will be when we can no longer participate in the hunt. What a grind that day will be.

[saddlesore]

I think Both Saddlesore and Swede fall into the same age bracket as myself. And we all know that the biggest grind of all will be when we can no longer participate in the hunt. What a grind that day will be.

Boy, that's for sure. I am fighting very year to keep at it.

[Swede]

I think Both Saddlesore and Swede fall into the same age bracket as myself. And we all know that the biggest grind of all will be when we can no longer participate in the hunt. What a grind that day will be.

I agree. Amen.

I think we are talking about something slightly different. For me the grind is a loss of focus and the need to refresh and recharge my batteries deep inside.
I too am thinking about the time in the not too distant future when I will stay in camp and tell the "young whipper snappers" how it was in the old days. Hopefully I never become that nauseating. I hope I will be able to at least go to camp and chew on an elk steak.

[WapitiTalk1]

Hey, don't any of you seasoned hunters fall out of the game just yet; I have a lot to learn from you crusty old codgers . I'm not that far behind you cats at the tender age of 58 in a few days. I look forward to the next elk season starting the day the current one ends and have been that way for as long as I can remember. I absolutely get beat down during a long two to three week hunt but with the exception of the occurrence of an extended period of unnatural crappy weather (torrential rains, ridiculous high winds, etc., that really screw up any form of successful hunting), I always find a way to harness the fire burning deep inside to continue with the next day's hunt. Elk season "is" my vacation away from the yearly drudgery that is the rat race, work, and modern day life.

[Elkhunttoo]

I completely understand the mental part. I used to hunt without a thought of home, then I got married and had four kids. I absolutely love hunting! And in a few more years my kids will be able to join my wife and I on more and more hunting trips the older they get. My oldest two just finished hunters safety and the oldest went on her first archery hunt last year and helped do some calling with the hoochie moma ... we didn't have any success but she loved it... I absolutely find myself thinking of my wife and kids when I'm hunting and hunting can become a "grind" that splits family time at times. IMO that doesn't make me "not dedicated" it just means I love spending time with my family. When I'm at home I think about hunting and when I'm hunting I think about my family. As for the church part when I was a little kid I asked my dad how come he didn't hunt on Sunday and he told me, "after a week of waking up at 4 am and hunting all day and not going to bed until 10 pm or later when Sunday rolls around I need a rest and so do the elk and deer" ... so, I've never hunted on Sundays, and I don't feel like I've missed out on anything when I'm back at it on Monday rejuvenate and ready to go.

[stringunner]

I completely understand the mental part. I used to hunt without a thought of home, then I got married and had four kids. I absolutely love hunting! And in a few more years my kids will be able to join my wife and I on more and more hunting trips the older they get. My oldest two just finished hunters safety and the oldest went on her first archery hunt last year and helped do some calling with the hoochie moma ... we didn't have any success but she loved it... I absolutely find myself thinking of my wife and kids when I'm hunting and hunting can become a "grind" that splits family time at times. IMO that doesn't make me "not dedicated" it just means I love spending time with my family. When I'm at home I think about hunting and when I'm hunting I think about my family. As for the church part when I was a little kid I asked my dad how come he didn't hunt on Sunday and he told me, "after a week of waking up at 4 am and hunting all day and not going to bed until 10 pm or later when Sunday rolls around I need a rest and so do the elk and deer" ... so, I've never hunted on Sundays, and I don't feel like I've missed out on anything when I'm back at it on Monday rejuvenate and ready to go.

This is pretty much my same thoughts and scenario as well. This is why Swede makes fun of me (he uses a word like conjugal visit ) when midway through a 10 day hunt I take off (usually one afternoon and night, back to camp the next morning) and drive home for a quick visit/time with the kids and wife. It's good for me mentally and good for them. Has nothing to do with my dedication, but rather everything to do with what is truly priority even during the 30 day window of hunting season. I'm lucky we hunt mostly just a quick 2.5 - 3 hours from home otherwise that wouldn't happen and the 10 days of me gone would be very difficult for them and knowing that would make it difficult on me as the lead in the house.

[saddlesore]

For about 30 years, I worked 3 months out of every year working away from home in the desert. Getting to come home every other weekend. Wives get so they can handle things.You do what you got to do to make a living, put food on the table, and a roof over the family' s head. That is top priority. Same with military folks getting deployed. So a short 2 weeks away from home is nothing.
Once you younger guys get some age to you, you will cherish that time away.

[Lefty]

Cold tired and wet , a hot shower and a good nights rest and Im rock'in again

Honestly, I know it has become a grind for me when I start thinking about going home during the later part of the hunt. My mind changes, and I want to see my wife. I want to sleep in my regular bed. .

Have your wife show up in camp a few times. My wife will spend a night or two in camp( tent or back of the truck) And we both sleep better in the back of the truck . Last year my over 60 years-old wife spent 40 nights in a tent. Make a comfy sleeping location and all goes well.

I just drive to the nearest (Ward) congregation for church. We show up often enough that we aren't strangers.

I use to run extensive trap lines as a single guy Sometimes based from home, home once a week or every 4th night. It was a passion and a big source of my income. During those runs good food and a shower were important, in a rental, or motel. Getting enough sleep was important.

We I hunt now there are a couple of fellows that spend 6 weeks in deer and elk camp. They will stay 4-7 days , go home for a couple days then back to camp.
Nothing wrong with getting recharged

[Lefty]

,,,. I'm not that far behind you cats at the tender age of 58 in a few days.,,,,.

I just left 58 behind me yesterday

[Roosiebull]

For some reason,I replied twice ,but it won't accept. I do know what grind is,I hunt two 9 day seasons.

this might be a dumb question, but how does such a dedicated elk hunter as yourself know what grind is?

[saddlesore]

For some reason,I replied twice ,but it won't accept. I do know what grind is,I hunt two 9 day seasons.

this might be a dumb question, but how does such a dedicated elk hunter as yourself know what grind is?

By listening to other guys whine.

Try spending 10 hour days underground in a hard rock mining environment for 3 months every year. In the winter you go in when it's dark and come out when it's dark. In the summer it's 101 when you go in, and 104 when you come out. You work the shift in 90 degree humidity with water dripping every where. Make up air is provided from outside with big fans,but you are also breathing compressed air from jack hammers and drilling machines. Then the nuclear device is detonated and you spend another month recovering radioactive experiments. Now that is a grind.

[Swede]

This thread is kinda coming off the rails. Certainly elk hunting is not comparable to some work details, or even college. Yes, college can be a grind for some of us less than stellar performers. I remember fighting fire for weeks and some long stretches in the military. We all have experienced the grind, but when does elk hunting become a grind?
Another time elk hunting is a grind for me is at 3:00AM and I still have another load to pack out, or another trail to hike out before I can turn in for a few hours. I am going to miss the early morning hunt that day and get the afternoon evening one. I am beat and what I have left in reserve is running real low.

[Roosiebull]

that sounds like a sucky grind.

I think they come in all forms, I have been a commercial fisherman my whole adult life....same thing there, I enjoy it, but it's a grind sometimes....I enjoy that aspect of it, you either have to want to be there, or you will be completely miserable.

there is a certain satisfaction doing what most won't/can't do....hunting applies as well, but I have never experienced not wanting to be there on a hunt.

[Swede]

I have never experienced not wanting to be there on a hunt.

That is the point isn't it even when it gets to be a grind? Even Stringunner can hold out for five days.
Actually my hat is off to Stringunner. He has done some things I couldn't or wouldn't do. I won't embarrass him here, but I actually get choked up thinking about what he has done in the Lord's service. Life is an experience. We make of it what we can.

[Roosiebull]

I have never experienced not wanting to be there on a hunt.

That is the point isn't it even when it gets to be a grind?

absolutely, it's my drive to work hard all year, so nobody has a case against me when I want to take some time and hunt the whole reason I picked my career path was the inherent time off, and freedom to take time off. I look forward to it so much, I couldn't fathom not wanting to be in the woods. I spent 26 days in the woods during rifle deer season, and I killed mine pretty early....I was either going with friends and family, or just going to glass up some deer....go to places I "meant" to hunt. I cannot get enough of the woods, especially in the fall.

there are days it's tough to roll out of bed, or go hiking up some nasty ridge in the afternoon to check for elk sign when it's hot as heck. I love it all, I don't think I have ever missed a day of elk hunting unless I was working. embrace the grind.

I think sometimes a thread needs to go off the rails a bit to get everyone on the same page....and sometimes everyone will never get on the same page

[BrentLaBere]

When the weather turns to less than comfortable. Putting on frozen boots in the morning with little to no sleep, that day will be a grind. Being physically exhausted and you're pushing yourself to keep going is another time I try to grind it out. Changing the way I hunt takes away from the type of grind I put myself through.

[Tigger]

It became a grind for my team when I shot a bull in the last hour of the last day of our hunt and we were packing until 2:30 am. My feet were wet for 3 days and I paid for that for the next month. That was both a grind and one of the best evening/nights of my hunting career!

Curious about the guys that hunt that long of a stretch....do you take any time off? I confess we took off a morning when it was pouring rain outside and we were pretty exhausted. Probably shouldn't have, but it was really coming down. Another time I took a morning off for a thunderstorm. That one was on Day 1 and we wanted to be out, but that was a no brainer, you couldn't hunt in that weather (wind and rain).

[BrentLaBere]

It became a grind for my team when I shot a bull in the last hour of the last day of our hunt and we were packing until 2:30 am. My feet were wet for 3 days and I paid for that for the next month. That was both a grind and one of the best evening/nights of my hunting career!

Curious about the guys that hunt that long of a stretch....do you take any time off? I confess we took off a morning when it was pouring rain outside and we were pretty exhausted. Probably shouldn't have, but it was really coming down. Another time I took a morning off for a thunderstorm. That one was on Day 1 and we wanted to be out, but that was a no brainer, you couldn't hunt in that weather (wind and rain).

I am starting to take those times off. I dont like hunting days on end being wet every morning and night. Its not smart or safe when you are backpacking. I am looking at getting a stove and tent set up to hunt like that and be able to dry off during the day, thats the only way I will hunt like that. Taking a morning off or an afternoon off can be a good thing if you need to regroup and line your gear up. Have you tried to shoot your bow after 3 days of hunting in the rain? I did two years ago and I missed the target with the amount of water on the string. My arrow was dropping about 6 inches low at 40 yards. Something I hadnt considered.

[Swede]

I rarely take time off. I need to go and pick up groceries and do some laundry once in a while, but that involves just the midday. It takes about 4 hours, so I cut the morning hunt a little and the afternoon hunt a little. I will also wait out a storm for a short while, but it is less than a day. When I am gone, it is pretty much either scouting/setting up or hunting time, with 80%-90% hunting.

[Swede]

Just a thought here: Elk hunting never needs to become a grind. If you treat is as time off, or a vacation, it does not have to be a grind. It doesn't matter how long you are out hunting, it can be a time to socialize and relax. It will get to be a grind though if you push yourself hard enough for long enough.
There is no right or wrong answer. I am just out to get an elk, and even though I fail at times, I don't like it. I work hard to avoid that and the closer the season end comes, the more I am pushing myself. In the end it is all ok because I did all I could. Even mistakes are acceptable as they are a part of hunting, and I gave it my best.
That is probably what I expect from the others I hut with. I want no hero, no complainer or excuses. Just give it your best shot and live to hunt again.

[CurlyTail]

Interesting discussion

I feel like elk hunting can become a grind. You are working hard every day, probably over-exerting yourself, maybe having trouble locating elk, maybe the elk are quiet, sleep deprivation begins to catch up with you, you have the pressure of anticipation and expectations - and the hunt starts feeling like WORK instead of FUN. That is my definition of a grind. Sometimes the days are awfully long in September.

Sometimes I persevere and push through it , especially if down to my last day or two ; sometimes I do something really radical and take a "rest day".

I see nothing wrong with a rest day if you feel better physically, and it restores your proper state of mind. I just plan a few extra days up front to make sure we have adequate time to get the job done in case of inclement weather or a rest day or two. If I am seeing elk and having close encounters, then I almost never take/need a rest day. Unless you are fully engaged in the hunt mentally, your chances of success go way down anyways.

Just because you need a rest , it does not mean that you do not like hunting or are a less dedicated hunter. There is something to be said for pacing yourself.

[WapitiTalk1]

Interesting discussion

I feel like elk hunting can become a grind. You are working hard every day, probably over-exerting yourself, maybe having trouble locating elk, maybe the elk are quiet, sleep deprivation begins to catch up with you, you have the pressure of anticipation and expectations - and the hunt starts feeling like WORK instead of FUN. That is my definition of a grind. Sometimes the days are awfully long in September.

Sometimes I persevere and push through it , especially if down to my last day or two ; sometimes I do something really radical and take a "rest day".

I see nothing wrong with a rest day if you feel better physically, and it restores your proper state of mind. I just plan a few extra days up front to make sure we have adequate time to get the job done in case of inclement weather or a rest day or two. If I am seeing elk and having close encounters, then I almost never take/need a rest day. Unless you are fully engaged in the hunt mentally, your chances of success go way down anyways.

Just because you need a rest , it does not mean that you do not like hunting or are a less dedicated hunter. There is something to be said for pacing yourself.

I agree with Jim's thoughts. I will take a "recharge the batteries" morning or afternoon a time or two throughout an extended hunt. Elk season "is" my vacation away from the yearly drudgery that is the rat race, work, and modern day life and I want to enjoy it for the duration. Although I hunt hard most for the majority of my scheduled time in the elk woods, I do find it refreshing to take a strategic break or two.

[Old school]

Interesting discussion

I feel like elk hunting can become a grind. You are working hard every day, probably over-exerting yourself, maybe having trouble locating elk, maybe the elk are quiet, sleep deprivation begins to catch up with you, you have the pressure of anticipation and expectations - and the hunt starts feeling like WORK instead of FUN. That is my definition of a grind. Sometimes the days are awfully long in September.

Sometimes I persevere and push through it , especially if down to my last day or two ; sometimes I do something really radical and take a "rest day".

I see nothing wrong with a rest day if you feel better physically, and it restores your proper state of mind. I just plan a few extra days up front to make sure we have adequate time to get the job done in case of inclement weather or a rest day or two. If I am seeing elk and having close encounters, then I almost never take/need a rest day. Unless you are fully engaged in the hunt mentally, your chances of success go way down anyways.

Just because you need a rest , it does not mean that you do not like hunting or are a less dedicated hunter. There is something to be said for pacing yourself.

-My thoughts exactly. Last year we couldn't find elk and it was wearing on us after 5 days and 40+ miles of walking. We already had planned to take off Sunday to go to town, sleep in a bed, shave and have a hot shower and go to church. Recharged our batteries so to speak and hit it hard again on Monday morning.
--Mitch

[saddlesore]

After pondering this for a few days and making sure I don't go off the rails and having guys taking shots at me,I will offer this.

I think if you are into that grind thing,you might have forgotten why you are out there. It is suppose to be fun. Maybe younger guys feel they have to push themselves . They have to tag an elk. Especially NR's that travel far and pay that hefty NR tag feel. I don't need to kill an elk, but I usually do. Maybe it is because I don' t push myself, I know where the elk are and what they will do. I do the right things and they come easy, where as the wrong things make it hard. If the elk are in some God forsaken hole, they stay there.There are always stupid ones that aren't in that type of country.

I don't hunt in the rain or when it is blizzarding. I don't push myself to the point of exhaustion. I try to stay dry and warm and take the necessary precautions and gear to make that happen. I'm up early every day and out and about,but I don't hunt late afternoons.To me those hunts are less successful or rewarding in that there is more of a possibility of losing an elk in the dark ,even if it only went 100 yards, and I sure won't leave one over night and have it spoil.Then too there is the whole process of taking care of one in the dark.

Yes,I am dedicated to my elk hunting. Always have been. I do what it takes to kill an elk,but over the years have figured out how to do it successfully without killing myself in the process.

If you have to drag yourself out of bed at O dark thirty and feel miserable about it,or are too sore to climb that hill, etc., maybe you need to take a step back and figure out what you are doing wrong or why you are doing it. If you are sitting for long periods of time,maybe during that time,you get to thinking about how much you miss home or people there or ? If so,get up and start doing something else.If you didn't get enough sleep,take a nap.There are no elk hunter police out there that are going to come up and kick your butt and make you get at it. If you can't find elk, figure out why. If you have to move camp, do it. Wearing out your boots humping over mountains that have no elk you become a hiker,not an a elk hunter. Oldelkhunter( Mitch on here)that covered a lot of ground in one area last year, moved, took my advice on where to go and they were into elk the first day. another young fellow on here,I put into an area last year and he was into elk all week. I bet neither one of them got into that grind feeling

I remember one time just a few years ago when my lungs were giving me some problems,I couldn't keep up with two other guys. I didn't consider it a grind.I told the other guys to go ahead and I will get there eventually ,which I did. No big deal. I killed an elk that year. Times I did get cold, I built a small fire. I have shot a few elk while sitting at those small fires. Two years ago in ML season,me and my hunting partner sat for two hours under a tarp opening day because it started raining a few minutes after we got to our hunt area.Elk were bugling, but we took a nap.

It's all about attitude

[Swede]

I do not want to get in a position of rating people's posts. I may agree or disagree with your point, but that is different. That said, I appreciate Saddlesore's post immediately above. It is on track. Threads go off the rail when we claim other hunters are whiners, we question their dedication to hunting, or insinuate we are superior. I don't want to see threads going in that direction.
Truth is I really envy you twenty something rookies. I would trade, any day, a lot of knowledge, for the vigor of youth, the anticipation of the hunt, and being totally naïve.

It's all about attitude

I agree.

[Old school]

Saddlesore is right in that our second week wasn't a grind at all even though we were logging lots of miles, we were into elk every day. The end of the first week was starting to become a grind with all the walking and no elk - that's when we packed up camp and moved. If you're into elk it makes all the difference in my opinion.

--Mitch

[cohunter]

Elk hunting is a Paradox. Elk hunting inevitably becomes a grind. Those of us who really stick it out and become obsessed about elk hunting relish that fact. It's like the old Patrick McManus stories where you're tired, wet, smelly, exhausted... everything that can go wrong does and you LOVE it. Is that a grind? Well yes, it is and no, it isn't. It's a paradox; miserable and giddy all together.

[Roosiebull]

saddlesore, I hope you didn't think I took any shots at you, if you feel that way, it wasn't meant that way....things can be impossible to portray in text, that's the nature of trying to communicate through written words.

I agree with about everything you have posted, I think we all just have a slightly different meaning of words, but think we pretty much feel the same about the activity.

I think it was 3 years ago, I lost access to everywhere I had hunted to that point, because a change in policy, I had to start over, learning a whole new program on the fly...on top of that, I just couldn't catch a break for nothing...I was a day behind the whole season I felt like....every day it was like I was starting over....I didn't know the area, or how the elk used it, and everything was so vast compared to what I had learned to that point.

that was the first year in 10 yrs I had not filled my tag on a bull early season, and had to hunt the late cow season. I beat myself to death that year, trying to locate elk, and figure out what they were doing...in hindsight, I could have done things a lot different, but as it was, I only drew my bow once that early season, and never had a really good shot. I remember vividly the feeling of the last morning....no leads at all, had no breaks, and was beat. that evening at last light, I called a 4x4 into 54 yds, and wasn't going to take that shot, it came closer, but with the steep terrain, I couldn't see him....as hard as it was, I left the woods with a smile....really bummed it was over, but as content as any other season because of the effort I put in. I felt there were lots of ways that season was a grind....but I think the people I hunt with (when I hunt with friends) use the term grind jokingly. I love being there, and even on the days there feels like there is no hope, I would rather be there than working (and I have a fun job)

i learned a bunch through that grueling season, the following year i ended my season on the 6th morning, and this past season, i ended my season first thing on day 2, which was bittersweet. that one rough season was needed to learn how to hunt different habitat, and i knew that at the time. there wasn't a day i felt discouraged that season, i was optimistic every day....i know it only takes a second to turn the whole season around.

"attitude is everything" no truer words have ever been spoken about elk hunting (or hunting in general)