Hunting With Someone You Meet On a Hunting Forum...

[HuskyMusky]

Don't see it being much different from hunting/camping on public land and meeting fellow hunters who are there doing the same thing, usually is very easy/quick to make friends with those sorts of hunters, so I would think 2 hunters coming together with similar goals/interests would work out well in general.

It might be nice to meet and talk hunting prior to a trip, but if say heading to CO and 1 person lives in TN and the other in MN, may not happen.

I wouldn't force a hunt/trip with the wrong person though.

 

[hoshour]

I've been tempted to do this since living in the East I know so few western hunters.

The biggest things for me would be finding someone who likes to hunt hard, has good hunting ethics and is easy to get along with. PMs or emails and at least a phone call or two would be essential. You can also tell something about a guy if he has posted a lot here.

 

[CoHiCntry]

The biggest things for me would be finding someone who likes to hunt hard, has good hunting ethics and is easy to get along with.

I could add a few more things to that list too! I would be up to finding some hunting partners off a forum. You would think living in the west it would be easy to find guys to hunt with but it hasn't been easy for me! Most guys already have hunting buddies they stick with. I can always find somebody to go but lots of times it's like babysitting. Would also be nice to find someone that has things to offer in there state too. So both of you benefit from it. If anyone's interested in hunting together in Colorado or else where PM me and I'll send you my profile... Lol!

 

[tttoadman]

I hunted this year with a non family member for the first time in years. I was the one reaching out to a new area, and he is a friend of my brothers who happened to be a regular to that area. I understood it to be sharing some resources, not a hunting buddy thing. it kinda turned into him showing us around instead of me being on my own which was my intent. We had a great time, but i don't want it to turn into "where are we going this year".

I think my increasing passion to hunt solo is just one more example of my increasing desire to avoid other people as I get older. I am slowly becoming an anti-social people hater.

 

[JRice]

Not a forum meeting, but back in the mid 90s I couldn't find anyone to do an Alaskan moose float bowhunt with me with an outfitter who is now dead but was a big name in traditional archery. The outfitter knew a guy who wanted to do the trip so he hooked us up. Turned out the my partner was primarily interested in doing a multi-day interview of the outfitter for a traditional bowhunting mag. I hunted around the outfitters camp for several days while the interview went on, which was decent country, but once we got on the river where most of the moose were, it was clear that the best part of the trip was behind us for my partner. We each had a raft and when he would get ahead of me we would invariably float past excellent moose country. He wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't primarily there to hunt moose, which affected my trip.

 

[whiskeytango]

I hunt alone quite a bit b/c I have a tough time finding friends that want to go out of state or have the points built up to draw tags. My wife doesn't like it when I hunt 1000 miles away by myself, but i don't mind except it can get a little hairy out there when the weather is bad or I knock something down in no man's land. Sometimes I wish I had a hunting buddy or 2 that knew some good areas that I don't that I could trade out with. I've got a good amount of points in several states. I hunt montana, wyoming, colorado, arizona, nevada and anywhere else I happen to pull a tag. I put in for Utah too but have never pulled a tag in 10 years. I also apply in ID and NM from time to time as well but never draw.

I'd be open to doing a hunt somewhere with someone and seeing how it goes. I have no problem sharing info on the limited entry hunts b/c it's not like I'm hunting in there every year with the difficulty of pulling some of the tags. I just don't want it to turn into a camp full of people where it turns into a drunk fest or too many people to deal with. 1-2 people maximum. I hunt hard, am in good shape, and use quality equipment and have fun wherever I go.

 

[tdcour]

I guess I've never really thought of hunting with someone I've met on a forum. I laughed at the post about going on a few short dates with the person, but it is a valid point. I'm just getting into the western style hunting so I may not have a lot of knowledge, but I put a ton of effort into my hunts. I almost think it would be too risky for me because I don't have a lot of time to hunt in the fall with my job in agriculture. I can't plan too much in advance because the weather controls when I'll finish up, so I usually hunt on fairly short notice. I'm sure not a lot of guys would like that too much. I think if it just happened that we both wanted to hunt together for some reason I'd do it but I'm not going to force the issue by any means. I'm all for helping people fill their tags, but if I have a tag I'm going to want to hunt with someone who hunts very similar to me and works as hard as I do.

 

[humbletaxi]

I don't hunt with many people because I find it hard to find people who take hunting as serious as I do. It would be a big leap of faith for me that would be really hard to take... but odds are that here is where I would find a person as committed to this lifestyle as I. Maybe some day.

 

[BobT]

I have done it twice, both times for pronghorn in Wyoming. The first time was not so good, the second time was much better. Be sure to screen your potential partners carefully. I would suggest getting together for a local hunt or something similar before spending hundreds of $$ on an out of state fiasco.

Bob

 

[mnhoundman]

I have the same problem here. Hard to find people that want to hunt hard and take it as serious as me, but you also have to have fun I guess, got a few buddy's that like to go to the bar. I don't mind but I sure don't like hunting with a headache, and like to get some shut eye, and they don't!

 

[AT Hiker]

I went to WY with a guy this year that I met off another forum that is from my state. It went great, however I made sure he knew things about me up front and he did the same. We also did a couple fishing/turkey hunting trips to make sure things would jive between us. We have established a friendship and I feel very fortunate.

It is hard to find someone that has the flexibility as I do, let alone the passion/style I have for hunting and the outdoors, but if I meet someone on another forum that wanted to hunt I would give it a try in a heartbeat.

Some of my best friends and hunting buddies here in TN would likely become my worse enemies if we went on a couple week Western hunt together, actually I do not hunt with one of my best friends anymore because our two styles do not mix well. So its tricky to find a good hunting partner and if it takes a online forum to do so then I have no problem with it.

 

[graybird]

I consider three guys who I hunt with and another guy who I met thru them from Missouri very close friends. We all met each other via a hunting forum. I've learned quite a bit about hunting in the Colorado mountains from them. Now, it is my pleasure to host them in Oklahoma to allow their kids to hunt whitetails on our farm since they are not old enough to hunt in Colorado yet. It's also nice that our kids get along so well and love playing with each other.

 

[EZ7]

It took me 3 yrs to find a buddy to go out and elk hunt the west. I considered trying to hook up with someone off a forum but was uncertain with lack of experience on my part. As well as someone stated earlier, I would have needed to find someone from the east to make the drive out with as well. I would probably give it a shot if I found the right partner. What's funny is that I tried to get a couple buddies to do it for yrs with no takers, but now that I finally took my first step last yr and did all the leg work, all those guys now have an interest. Go figure!

 

[AT Hiker]

What's funny is that I tried to get a couple buddies to do it for yrs with no takers, but now that I finally took my first step last yr and did all the leg work, all those guys now have an interest. Go figure!

Been there done that! Same thing happened to me, its hard to ignore them or tell them no but I have put in all the hard work.

 

[ChadH]

This is a great topic! I've spent the last 17 years mostly hunting with my son... and all of the sudden I see college on the horizon and then wife and his own family, and while we are very close, the day is coming (as it should) that old dad will have to take a back seat to his own friends and wife and kids. Who knows, he may end up across the country or in ANOTHER one... And hunting once a year isn't going to work out for me... hahaha..... So, I find myself wondering who I will hunt with next. This year I did a solo Muley hunt in Hells Canyon (for my 50th birthday). I had a blast backpacked way in there. And for the first 3 days or so had a grand time. About day 4 I was kind of wishing for some company, and someone to bounce ideas off. Sadly, most of my friends that are my age aren't in the same shape physically, so they are at a point that they don't want to go. Either that, or since I am new to living in WA they have friends and groups they hunt with already and I don't want ot be a third wheel... So, I'm planning on more of those solo hunts, as I have points for several states that I haven't been putting my son in for (I put him and I both in for just AZ, WY) so I guess Nevada Antelope is going to be solo, along with Elk and Deer if I ever draw, and I apply in ID, NM, CO every year so those would be solo too. I guess it will be interesting these next few years to see what lies ahead. I guess all in all, I'd be open to hunting with someone I met on the internet. Especially somewhere in the lower 48, where you could always just head to the truck and go home if things went south. I don't know about a float hunt in Alaska though... you can't just "Get out" in that situation. Perhaps I will meet one of you out there in the mountains someday... that would be fun!

 

[B'tyne]

Regardless of hunting with friends or strangers...I think the key issue is to thoroughly vet the people you hunt with and know what you are getting into.

Over the years, I have seen people sweep others with the muzzle, accidental discharges, after two seasons of hunting...& riding up and down the mountain with them in the hunting vehicle...lean over and say; 'Do you know that if you unload your chamber before you remove the magazine that it chambers another round?', and watch someone shoot an elk 35 yards away with me standing 45 yards directly beyond. Everyone of those individuals...I no longer hunt or shoot with and the last example changed what I carry in my pack...added QuickClot and a CAT tourniquet.

There is a difference between having 50 years of experience and one week of experience, fifty times over. Know what you are getting into and have the courage to say, 'No Thank You.'

 

[ChadH]

Regardless of hunting with friends or strangers...I think the key issue is to thoroughly vet the people you hunt with and know what you are getting into.


There is a difference between having 50 years of experience and one week of experience, fifty times over. Know what you are getting into and have the courage to say, 'No Thank You.'

Welcome to the forum B'tyne!

I agree to a certain extent. A person does need to "Know what you are getting in to..." But if all of us with 50 years experience always say "no thank you" to people with 1 week of experience the future of hunting is going to be bleak. Not to mention missing out on the joy of teaching new (sometimes young) people, or of watching the joy they feel at just SEEING an animal... or even just having an opportunity... the simple joys that sometimes get lost with years of experience, as we start to take things for granted. Personally, there are a lot of new people I would OVER some of the more exerienced hunters I know. But I do agree that I would always make it a point to "know what I was getting in to...." before I commited to a huge trip, and with new folks I never let my gaurd down when it comes to safety.

 

[B'tyne]

Hi Chad,

Thanks!

I agree with your point and did not mean to imply that you should rule out a newbie. On the contrary...we took a young man with special needs deer hunting here in MN the day after we returned from CO on an elk hunt. My point was to suggest that you dig a bit deeper when someone says 'I have been hunting for X years.' There are people with no experience and I would hunt or shoot with them without hesitation, if they showed an interest. And, for those that are leadable and teachable...those that have the knowledge have a responsibility to the sport to pass it along to them. And I view myself in both of those categories.

 

[GOSHENGRUNTER]

Ive done it a few times. Started by planning a hunt for a local forum and since we have turkey hunted and are planning Wyoming this fall. Another guy Im friends with now I met on the same forum, we duck hunted today and are going again in the morning. Just do you research and hope for the best!

 

[velvetfvr]

Met some new local friends and have hunted with 1 of them. And it went well, right Tristan? Lol