In no particular order.. Not finding a shot deer Feeling guilty for not going hunting to do other things that have been put off since season opener Pulling the all nighters before season opener cause i cant sleep THE ORANGE ARMY!!!!!!!! (may be #1.....yep....yep it is) Squirrels and chip munks breaking my heart every time i turn around expecting a deer
1) Wounding 2) Squirrels 3) Something moving out in the dark woods as you're walking to the stand 4) The way you sweat, then freeze 5) Unsafe Practices 6) Tag soup
That does not bother me due to seeing the money that it would cost going to a locker! I killed 6 deer last year and two on same day. I do it all by myself but will have a helper this year due to him wanting me to teach him how to do it himself.
This was one of the chats last year between PT and I on a thread. Here it is if you want to go look. Going out paid off BIG! http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?17858-What-to-do
1. Not being able to find a wounded animal. 2. Not being able to obtain permission on good private property. Blessings.....Pastorjim
When family and friends take advantage of you... As most hunters, I have my honey holes. All too often I find myself taking a friend or family member to one of them to help them fill a tag or in some cases bag their first deer or first deer with a bow. I don't mind helping like that but all too often it ends up that they expect me to do it every year. They refuse to scout out their own places, hang treestands or trail cameras. They basically wait until days before the season and want to go hunting with me again. It gets old quick! One time I took a kid to get his first deer (rifle). His dad was also the father of my daughter's best friend. Even though his father was not a close friend to me, I decide to help the kid out. He managed to fill both his buck and doe tag the same day. On one of our earlier hunts we went to an area I often archery hunt. He and his dad wanted to know why I picked that paticular area. I pointed to a tree we were sitting beside and told them that this one one of my archery hotspots. I told them that I have taken about 5 deer from that tree with a bow in the last few years. The very next year, I started getting phone calls about taking the both of them hunting again. I tried my best to brush it off that I wouldn't be able to. Wouldn't you know it, during the archery season they hunted out of the exact tree I pointed out to them the previous year. I saw them in their truck parked where I park. The boy started going offf telling me of all the deer they saw from my tree and how they saw this really nice buck and it ran when it saw himdraw his bow. The dad didn't sya a thing, but just glared at the boy, as if to tell him to "shut up" This area was about 100 miles from where we both live. It wasn't like it was some place just up the road. I am in a similar situation this year. I took my young nephew to get his first deer with a rifle last year. Of coarse his father and grandfather insisted that had to go too, with rifles in hand. It is already starting this year. They are making plans on us all hunting together this year with bows and rifles. Because these are family members on my wife's side, I find it hard to say no. I may resort to some big lie to get out of it. As I said before, these are people that refuse to scout, hang stands or cameras or to even practice much with bow or rifle. they basically expect me to do it all and they reap the rewards. It gets to the point I don't want to hunt with anyone because it always ends the same way. I start out trying to be a nice guy and introduce others and they want it all handed to them.
More stories of being taken advantage of.... As mentioned, I have taken several people to my honey holes to help them fill a tag. Now some of those guys were seasoned hunters too. I'd take them to my area and even let them hunt out of my stands. they usually bagged their deer and some have bagged many deer from my areas. The next thing you know, they gain access to a piece of property and refuse to let me hunt their new turf. It kinda irks me! Especially after they have probably bagged 10-12 deer out of my ares over the years but won't return the favor. I have at least 3 buddies that have done that too me. Its kinda funny now! One lost his hunting spot and now I see him trying to butter me up into taking him hunting with me again. I just laugh it off and tell him he should start knocking on doors and find somewhere to scout. Every time I see him he drops the hint that we should get together and do some hunting. I ain't falling for that again! Had another buddy that is a cop in another state. We grew up together in the same small town. Spent most of our youth as best friends hunting/fishing together. We use to hunt together in our neighboring state of West Virginia. It was a paradise, lots and lots of deer but all small bucks. After he moved away to be a cop in another state, I rarely saw him or talked to him except right before hunting season. He would always call to tell me how many buddies he was bringing back to go hunting. He wanted me to scout out a couple stand sights for him and those cop buddies of his. I did! His friends would comment that they felt like they were on a guided hunt and that I was their guide. They would usually fill both their buck and doe tags (rifle) I wouldn't hear from my buddy until the next year right before hunting season. Sure enough it was the same deal. He would have two buddies coming in and wanted me to find good spots for them. Many times they would load their truck up with deer and gear and tell me good bye as wew were parked in the farmer's field. Mean while I had treestands I had to go pull and my gear to load. They'd basically shoot their deer and just leave. This went on for 4 or 5 seasons until finally it all ended with the death of the landowner. After that, I haven't heard from my friend since and that was 8 years ago.
#1. Not being able to recover a deer #2. The $$$$ required to deer hunt. #3. Getting up at 3am. I am most definitely not a morning person. Not that 3am is really even morning.
The "grind" when it sets in hard. The entire process as the season wears on can break you down pretty bad if you get locked in like I do and most of you guys do.
Too bitter cold of weather. I must have poor blood circulation, because no matter what, on REALLY cold days, my toes will always get cold.
I see a sad trend here. There seem to be quite a few more posts in this thread than the "what do you like about hunting" thread. C'mon people. Since I'm here, I don't like my toes nearly becoming frostbitten and hot temps in the middle of November.
I would say slob hunters (don't practice shooting, don't know if their archery equipment works properly, take irresponsible shots, trespass on other peoples land, etc)
