how do you challenge yourself?

Use a single shot - whether rifle or TC or XP-100; something about knowing you have one shot to make it good adds a challenge.
Use open sights in lieu of a scope
Use a BPCR with a tang sight
Use a bow (especially for turkey, antelope or elk)
Go after chukar/pheasant/quail without a dog
Hunt waterfowl with an old SxS
 
I take my kids with me. A 5 year old has a really hard time sitting still in a duck blind, try getting a limit that way. Then I took him elk hunting. It took 2 years to get him to walk quietly. It is fairly hard to sneak up on any big game with a young child tagging along. We both had fun and learned a few things along the way. Now he is 12 and is my best huntin' buddy. It was a challenge teaching him to hunt, but it was more rewarding than any successful hunt. And we still learn something every time we go.
 
One bragging animal I killed was an antelope 6 years ago with my 4" S&W 44. One shot at about 20 yards, but what made me feel good was the fact that I had to crawl over 400 yards to get to that range and was never seen. There was a very shallow wash that I was able to crawl up in, and it was a long stalk, but it was worth it.
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This is cool....I have a 4" 629..and have killed pigs with it..but never this kinda challenge....
 
I hunt with a number of different rifles....Open sights or scoped....
I hunt mature bucks only....They are the most challenge....
As far as pigs..I try to shoot every one I see....(I do try to line up 2 if I can)
 
Coyotes are a challenge here in Fl.........but I view them more as a PROBELM than a opportunity.

I've settled on hunting from the ground, not from a blind but rather by slipping VERY slowly through the woods. Thick woods make this hard but if you've not tried it it is very rewarding.

Pigs this way are fun.....deer surprisingly not all that hard to see if you move slow enough and if you work into the wind.
 
tahunua said:
how do you challenge yourselves on hunts when the same ole hunt gets boring?
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I'm never bored when I'm in the woods, and I've been hunting for five decades. When I'm in the woods, it's about relaxation. Taking it easy, going slow, seeking a more harmonious outcome. The venison is secondary at this stage of my life. It's also about exploration, seeing what's over that next hill, or watching the water swirl in a deep pool.

I remember challenging myself and others when I was younger, and it's right and proper that we do so. I hunted exclusively with a traditional caplock for ten years, for all game, fur and feather. Had a wonderful time doing that. I also actively seeked my legal limit for several years. Have you ever shot so many rabbits that it took two trips to get them out of the woods? Have you ever been so deep in a wooded swamp that it took two days to find the truck? I wasn't lost, but I was a mite confused. Have you ever limited yourself to one round of ammunition? By that I mean that you leave the house with a rifle and just exactly one cartridge?

Challenges are fun, but I'm past all that. But, oh, the memories. Nowadays I like to get out of the truck before daylight, test the wind, and slip into the woods. I might spend four hours and not go a hundred yards, or I might come out on the other side of the section and have to hitchhike back to the truck. I've got a box stand for rainy days, but that's mainly for napping.
 
That sounds like what I'd want to do, PawPaw... But my biggest challenge is getting the wife to let me out of the house that long.

I'd love to disappear into the woods for a couple days at a time.
 
Deer is getting boring for me, this year I plan on getting two, one with my Inline Muzzle loader, the second with my '98 30-40 Krag, in original USGI condition.

I didn't get my choice elk tag but I did get a left over cow tag. To be different I'm going to use my M1903A4 vintage sniper rifle.
 
I'm sure we've already had this conversation before but just in case, last year for elk season I struggled for weeks trying to decide if I wanted to take my 1903A4 or my 300 mag. in the end I erred on the side of practicality and went with the 300 but to be able to get my elk with a tried and true sniper rifle would be a great story to tell.
 
When I get bored of sitting in the blind i'll get out and stalk. Not the most productive hunting in the thick woods and swamps I hunt, but it gets the blood pumping seeing how close you can get without them catching you.
 
how do you challenge yourselves on hunts when the same ole hunt gets boring?
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Hunting is never boring, and always more challenging, as well as more rewarding, when you take along new young hunters with little to no experience.

I'll be mentoring two new hunters this November.

Niether has ever hunted.

Niether ever owned a gun before. One has already got her rifle and done some practicing.

I do not claim to know everything, but what I fail to pass on I may as well have not known anyway ......
 
Hunting is never boring, and always more challenging, as well as more rewarding, when you take along new young hunters with little to no experience.

I'll be mentoring two new hunters this November.

Niether has ever hunted.

Niether ever owned a gun before. One has already got her rifle and done some practicing.

I do not claim to know everything, but what I fail to pass on I may as well have not known anyway ......
Today 10:19 AM
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Good one Jim Bob....I have been hunting the past 6 yrs with my wife....Also a SIL that was not raised in the woods as I was....I have started hunting with my G-son now....It is nice to pass on experiences and watch them learn....
 
never did think of mentoring a new hunter... don't know anyone that want to get into it though so I guess I have to go befriend some open minded city slickers :cool:
 
never did think of mentoring a new hunter... don't know anyone that want to get into it though so I guess I have to go befriend some open minded city slickers
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There are many who want to learn, and have no idea who or what to ask ...... try volunteering with your State hunter Ed. program. I'd bet you have your hands full of young apprentices!

Our Hunting Heritage will not survive unless we grow it. Our time is short. Don't waste it.
 
Having only hunted deer for two seasons. Trying to put one in the freezer is my challenge/goal. I grew up hunting and fishing. And I learnt most of my outdoors skills from my Grandfather. But he did not believe in shooting deer.

My first deer season was in 2009 and my last one was in 2011. I know this seems odd for a guy that is 46. But that is the way it is.
 
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