What to do when you grow tired of the hunt?

On the short I would say go fishing.
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+1. Yep. Fishing for me never seems to get old. In fact, I've found it more and more relaxing as I've gotten older. And it's a lot easier to clean a fish than dress a deer.
 
I took the day off for first day of rifle season.
Got fed up enough with the lousy weather, and the other hunters, that I said screw it, and went to the range. :rolleyes:
 
I have a friend who reached that point. He sold all of his big game rifles and has only hunted with a longbow for the last 10-15 years. He says he really enjoys it a lot more now.
 
As far as being a great hunter I dont think I am. I have a really good set up for harvesting deer. So much that its not much of a challenge. Its my backyard.

My Back yard is about 200 yards long and 50 yards wide. I have planted a small rose bush every 10 yards. Through out the yard there are a few oak trees for acorns as well as 2 apple trees (great for smoking meat) a small garden and even a seasonal stream that runs through it till about late November.

I have made strict rules that I dont shoot at my house unless I am killing some thing.
 
After forty some years I too grew tired or bored with deer hunting, took a couple of years off went back to it this year.

I revitalized my interest in deer hunting by deciding to make it more challenging, so I chose to hunt with a handgun only.
By handgun I mean plain old open sighted revolver.

Doing so I got the chance to hunt with my son and one of his twin daughters.
So far none of us has filled a tag, but the hunts I've had with them are most enjoyable.

Age has brought me to the point of going at hunting at a different pace.
I no longer will tromp through muddy fields, hunt in the rain, or set in a stand freezing my back side off just to fill a tag.

On the dreary nasty days I'm content to sit by the warmth of the pellet stove, watching the flame dance around and recalling all the fond memories of past hunts.

If I fill my tag that's fine, if not I will not starve to death.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
Try hunting with dogs. I know alot of people hunt Hogs with hounds but you could also try incorporating them into other hunts, perhaps deer. I know hunting rabbits with a beagle is a LOT of fun:) If that doesn't do it for you you could try hunting with a spear:D Or just a camera.
 
get a hunting dog, you feel obligated to hunt with it. it is what they are breed to do. I've got two, a labrador and a jämthund (spitz type)

I was feeling under the weather last week, stressed out at work and I was not going to hunt during the weekend just relax, I had poured myself a stiff one. and I wasn't on call for any roadwork (help the cops with traffic accident with game) but the call came anyway and I was just about to down my drink and say: no I am not on call and have had a drink: but then I looked down to my dog and saw that she was ready to go (she thinks all phonecalls are work for her)

so I threw on some clothes and grabbed old betsy (I almost always use my old rem1100 on roadwork) got to the scene and released my dog and took of, the boar had trashed the car that hit it but managed to crawl several hundred meters, but she went for it. the happy look of the dog when she succeds changed my plans so I went out Saturday,

took it easy and just relaxed at a wind shelter we have, some friends released my dog, the try several patches and get some deer moving, shoot a fox that my dog got to retrieve but I stay at the wind shelter just stocking the fire and having a nice cup of coffee nad grill some hotdogs

the move closer to me and release my dog a final time and she got some deer moving, they call me over the radio and tell me to post at a road because its moving that way, I moosy on over and wouldn't you know it a nice small buck waltzes over and he eats 36g of lead.

So now I have New Years Eve dinner done:)
 
I don't think it is unusual for someone to lose interest in hunting over the years. When I was young and not married, I was hunting or fishing every free second I had in life. After I married and had kids, that changed because other things were more important in life. As I got older your focus changes again. The kids are older or out of the house, but your job has become more of a focus. You have more reasonability at the office or you are working more hours towards retirement. I am 58 now and will be retiring within the next 4 years.

I still enjoy hunting, but now I am not disappointed if there is not something on the ground by the end of the season. I enjoy the time with friends, the time in the woods and certainly the taste of venison if that happens.

Enjoy it for what it is, just another stage in life.

Jim
 
KraigWY-- I know where you are coming from. I am not a sitter and if it is a slow day I start walking. One year in WV, I found a chimney and fireplace in the woods. Nothing else, just that was left. I sat and tried to figure out what had made someone build a cabin in an out of the way place like that. There was a small spring, but everything else was pretty much rock. Once in PA I found an old section of road along the side of a mountain. It was hard to tell anything was there, but some places had been laid up with stones to support the road. I was hunting on the eastern shore of Maryland and was really back in and found an old overgrown cemetery in the woods. Small stones so weathered you could not read them. Not a road or anything near it. What really strikes you is how fast things disappear when nature takes over. I am getting old and beat up, but I still can't resist taking a look over that next hill.
 
I never got the deer hunting bug like some of my friends did.

Bagged an eight pointer when I was around 14, and have been content to just get a doe for the freezer since then.

Patience isn't my thing, so sitting in a deer stand is about as painful to me as sitting in a calculus class.

I got into duck hunting, where yes you're still sitting, but holy crap, you can move a bit and talk!

I guess I'm fortunate in the regard that I don't get to hunt enough to get bored of it.
 
If you can manage your deer hunting area...let the young bucks walk, till a big bruiser shows-up.

I like shooting reactive targets at our shooting range. You may not be putting meat in the pot --- but you don't have to endure the torture of dragging the beast out of the woods.
 
kraigwy - I'm in total agreement with you

Some of my best memories is when I didn't bag anything - hell just getting out in "da-woods" is some times enough for me.

The next time you're out (in the woods) take a camera; you might get some great pics!

Remember: A bad day in the woods beats a good a day in the office! :D
 
I switched to the old lever action 30/30 with peep sights when I turned 50 and started using grounds blinds and bring books out and just enjoy the day. No longer do i feel pressure to get something. Just a different frame of mind.

Mwal
 
I've found, as of late, that I enjoy just being in the woods with good company more than anything.

My youngest sister is going off to college in the fall, my older sister works more than I do, and Pop spent 35 years in the USAF, so generally, any family hunting expedition is more like a banking of good family time.
 
Although I always look forward to November elk camp, and opening days of archery season and dove season, I have always found the most enjoyment in small game hunting. A walk alone in the woods with a 22 rifle looking for squirels and rabbits for the stew pot is just plain relaxing. :rolleyes:
 
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