Should it be this hard?

AKaviator · Nov 20, 2012

I have several relatives on my wife's side of the family in Eastern Oregon. I deer hunted it once but I didn't see a buck, not even a spike. I read the Oregon hunters magazine and they almost always paint a dismal picture of their deer/elk herds. I drew a tag this year and didn't bother to even buy it, the hunting there isn't worth the cost of flying from Alaska and buying the tag.
I know at least 2 different guys there that admit to herding elk off of public land using airplanes and ATV's and onto land either owned or leased by them, many thousands of acres. They call and report anyone for trespassing that might try and pursue the elk.
I can still find some birds to hunt there and still get preference points in case I change my mind someday, but I sure won't be spending much of my money to hunt big game there, at least not anytime soon.

Fink · Nov 20, 2012

Sometimes, I think a guy can get in a rut, and when you're continually not seeing game, you start getting down on yourself. Then, when you're hunting, you stop looking as hard (cause you're not gonna see anything anyways), which, or course means you're not gonna see anything.

Last year, I had a brutal year, going about 6 straight days of not seeing a deer, which is completely unheard of around here. Then my season hadn't been very good up until the point that I killed my nicest bow kill to date, with 2 days left in the season. The night before I killed my deer, I went back home and spent the evening with my wife, just to get my head back on straight. I got back in the woods with renewed energy, and a better view of what was really important, which is the time we get to spend in the outdoors. Then, while just enjoying the woods for what it is, I smoked a giant 8 point.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and enjoy the hunt for what it is.

Bitterroot Bulls · Nov 20, 2012

Think of it this way:

You got 18 unsuccessful days out of the way to your next buck. You are 7 days closer to your next bull.

The poor times make the good times that much sweeter.

AKaviator · Nov 20, 2012

Perfectly said Bitterroot, Thanks!

CrimsonArrow · Nov 20, 2012

I think we all need some tough seasons to make us appreciate the good ones.

Eberle · Nov 20, 2012

Every seasoned hunter goes through a tough year. Six years ago I was pumped about getting to take the whole week of muzzleloader off here in OK. My work schedule has never allowed that. It turned out extremely hot & windy most of the week. I saw very few deer seven consecutive days. On day 8, (day before it closed) I killed a nice 8 point right at sunrise. I was walking back to the house to get my truck & there was 5 does standing behind my shop. I snuck up there & shot the biggest doe she ran toward the house & died about 50 yards from my backdoor! If you stay hooked up it will pay off.

mav_7mm · Nov 20, 2012

I hear ya stalker. My dad, brother and I hunted two weeks for elk this year and saw two cows. While my brothers boss road hunted the area around where we were hiking and shot a spike. We hunted hard and got nowhere. But Bitterroot said it best, we are that much closer (hopefully).

RUTTIN · Nov 21, 2012

I look at it this way, any day out hunting is better than a good day at work. Sometimes the areas we know the best the animals are just not there that year. Some areas I have hunted for years that produce year after year just don't have game in them any more. I don't know why, so I have had to learn new areas. Maybe you just need to move a little and see where they have gone.

Doe Nob · Nov 21, 2012

Animals move around, weather patterns change, fires burn, every year is different. Could just be an off year, but if its getting worse year after year consistently, its time to move to some different areas.

Last year was my worst year ever, ate tag soup for all 4 non-resident tags in 4 different states. This year I only picked up 2, but have filled them and am itching to find something late season to go do next month. The droughts make it that much sweeter when you get back on a good stretch.

Old Hunter · Nov 21, 2012

When my dad was teaching me to hunt he always told me................"Son, the hunt is everything. Enjoy it more than the kill. The kill is just a bonus."

You need to relax, and enjoy the hunt more. To me, shooting a trophy doesn't mean I had a good hunt if it wasn't fun.

btw An easy hunt is never a good hunt for me.

Fish · Nov 21, 2012

Timber,
I had the same kind of season as you up here in WA. I hunted 6 days of the reg season and 2 of the late whitetail with nothing to show for it. What made it even worse, I saw very few deer and just one buck in all those days. I was thinking my hunting MOJO was gone or old age, 62, has dulled my hunting skills. The hunting here in WA is getting worse every year. When I moved here in 1984 I had great success and killed a buck alsmost every year for 6 or so years in a row and thats with just my upstate NY whitetail skills. Never hunted the mts or big clear cuts or packed in any whare to hunt back there. This is the third year in a row with no deer in WA. I don't know why I'm so bumed not getting a piss poor little 3x3 in WA, but I am. The bright side is, I killed my tallest antelope in WY along with two does and I hope to fill a leftover cow tag in WY this Dec.
I hope this will renew my faith in myself as a hunter.

jenbickel · Nov 21, 2012

I agree, I think we all occasionally go through a rut. This year I made a stupid mistake and didn't put in for my tags on time and have hunted general all year. I too hunt harder than most people. I'm not afraid to go above and beyond for what I want. I saw two elk this whole season. One was the bull that I shot and never found and the other was an injured calf right before I shot my bull. I never saw another elk and I hunted almost all month. It makes me frustrated as a hunter but as I look back on all my pictures from the hunt, it was a great time. I saw country I have never seen before and got in some AMAZING workouts! Lol. I heard a wolf howl which is an awesome thing to hear but also a little creepy. It was my first time of hearing a wolf howl in the wild and it's one of those things I will never forget. Kind of like the first time I had an elk bugle in my face. (Although as pretty as his howl was it would be much better to be getting him mounted right now.. Stupid wolves) I've learned that it really isn't the kill that makes the hunt.. It's everything that goes along with it and the kill is just an added bonus. This year I didn't get my bonus.. Lol but I know that if I ever have to hunt general area elk again, I know the area so much better and I will hopefully be successful in killing something.

Old Hunter · Nov 21, 2012

jenbickel said:
I agree, I think we all occasionally go through a rut. This year I made a stupid mistake and didn't put in for my tags on time and have hunted general all year. I too hunt harder than most people. I'm not afraid to go above and beyond for what I want. I saw two elk this whole season. One was the bull that I shot and never found and the other was an injured calf right before I shot my bull. I never saw another elk and I hunted almost all month. It makes me frustrated as a hunter but as I look back on all my pictures from the hunt, it was a great time. I saw country I have never seen before and got in some AMAZING workouts! Lol. I heard a wolf howl which is an awesome thing to hear but also a little creepy. It was my first time of hearing a wolf howl in the wild and it's one of those things I will never forget. Kind of like the first time I had an elk bugle in my face. (Although as pretty as his howl was it would be much better to be getting him mounted right now.. Stupid wolves) I've learned that it really isn't the kill that makes the hunt.. It's everything that goes along with it and the kill is just an added bonus. This year I didn't get my bonus.. Lol but I know that if I ever have to hunt general area elk again, I know the area so much better and I will hopefully be successful in killing something.

You've sort of got it, but why did you get frustrated? You should have had a smile on your face the whole time you were hunting. It's suppose to be fair chase hunting. The animals have a right to win too.

Some should get a job in a slaughter house if all you want to do is kill animals. (not pointed at you Jen)

Old Hunter · Nov 21, 2012

Timberstalker said:
I'm not saying I didn't enjoy every day I got to hunt. Some of my best days hunting in my life I never squeezed the trigger. But I always strive to at least have an opotunity, that doesn't mean I will take it. I think I set my expectations a little to high for the areas I hunted. I did learn some new deer hunting for the future though which is something I was hoping to find. I will admit, I want to get a deer or elk when ever I have a tag, but I also want to hunt for it. I'm not all about the kill, but after working so hard I guess I get a little down on myself wondering what I did wrong to go without an oportunity.

Just keep in mind the animals are trying harder than you to stay alive. They have more at stake.

When an elk/muley out smarts me. I give them a wave and a smile, and say....Good job. You win this time.

So, don't get down on yourself. Enjoy the whole experience.

Whisky · Nov 21, 2012

Something I was reminded of again this year is to just try to have fun, enjoy the moment, keep a positive attitude as best you can, all that stuff. A guy can't control the weather. You can't control other hunting pressure. You can't control the rut. You can't control many things. But you can control your attitude, to a point. I've been down. This year we were down. Had a horrible week in Wyoming. Mid way through the trip my brother and I were ready to kill each other. Finally, enough was enough, and we tried to salvage the trip and changed our tune and tried to make the most of it. I was going to frame the tag as a reminder, but we went back 2 weeks later, with a positive attitude, and filled our tags.

Just because you hunt the hardest, hunt the longest, hunt the smartest, spend the money to hunt out of state, etc, you are NEVER guaranteed success. TOO HIGH OF EXPECTATIONS WILL RUIN A HUNT REAL QUICK!!! That's why it's hunting. Enjoy it for what it is.....Something I was, again, reminded of this year.

RUTTIN · Nov 21, 2012

I learned a valuable lesson this year. My son was old enough to hunt this year, he chose to rifle hunt and I am a bowhunter. I took him to every spot that we ran into elk on the archery season and did not see a single elk in 10 days of hunting. He hiked my but off, going at least 10 miles a day. Elk were killed around us, but we never saw one. At the end of the hunt I told him I was sorry his old man couldn't find him an elk. He smiled at me and said dad I had the best time ever just getting to hunt and spend time with you. Sometimes it is the little things that remind you how much fun it is to just be out hunting. (still would have loved to kill something.)

Kevin Root · Nov 21, 2012

We are trying to kill an animal in it's home and that's not always easy. Many times they win. They're outside in the rain 365 days of the year, trying to survive. While we are inside on couch or watching TV they're outside in the rain surviving and they're tough. If killing them was always easy they wouldn't call it hunting, they'd just call it killing.

I'm really thankful just to have the oppertunity and privlage when I'm able to just get out and try to hunt them.

I hope you all have an awesome upcoming Thankgiving everyone. It's good to reflect and reflect often on all that we are thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Should it be this hard?

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