Originally Posted by
Bocajnala
Bronko, I realized relatively early in my hunting life that if I wasn't enjoying it then I didn't need to be out there. For a period of time, due to work schedule, that meant I wasn't hunting in the morning. Getting off at 11 pm, sleeping 4 hours, then getting up to hunt just wasn't fun. So I adjusted, hunted my off days, and would hunt days I worked as well but just wouldn't start at daylight. Sometimes when hunting I feel like taking a nap.. so I do. My goal in hunting is to enjoy every minute of it, and if that means an afternoon nap with the warm sun on me, so be it (I'm only 25 but I do enjoy a good nap!)
It's rough when you're not seeing any game, but I can't really say I've ever had a "bad" day in the woods. I'm sure you know what I mean. If you're feeling burnt out then take a break. Take a walk for some squirrel, something different might help.
-Jake
Originally Posted by
redgreen
I can relate to the hunting not being as pleasurable as it was 50 years ago. Everything hurts, and walking is a real chore. A nap in the sticks is a great way to relax. I have woke up and had deer 10 feet away from me, and once a trophy antelope was about a foot away from me checking me out. Another nap produced a wild cat in a tree 20 feet away checking me out. Leaning up against a rock face having a nap, waking and looking up seeing a bear looking down is also a great way to get the blood flowing to the extremities of the old bones too. As long as I am still able to move, I will still get out as often as I can, but it is getting to be a torture test some days.
I still enjoy going out at my age. Its not torture as you put it. If it was I'd do something else. I like just sitting or walking in the woods. As for other hunters, I haven't seen one all hunting season other than my hunting buddy! That's likely some of the problem too. No one around to move the game. Also the fact that I am retired and get to go out a lot more has something to do with this burn out. When I worked I would go out 2-3 times a week and not the 5-6 times a week I did this year. That is an awful lot of hunting without seeing anything. And Jake, I do take naps when I feel like it. Especially in the afternoon when the sun is shining on your face and makes you all warm and cozy! I
I've shot so many deer in my life that that aspect doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the fact that I just don't see them to allow me the option to shoot or not.