Do you hunt alone for big game? If not what is your normal party size? How long of hunts do you usually do alone? Single days? Multiple?


-DallanC

I usually go for 12 days. The party size varies from 3 to 7. Usually there are a couple days there when I am alone, but everybody knows the general area I will be in. On the days I am alone I don't hunt overly hard. You never know when something could take a turn for the worst.

In camp there is anywhere from 2 to 4 hunters. I usually go off on my own from before sunup to after sundown. We usually have a head count after dark around the campfire and figure on a man hunt in the morning at first light if we come up short on the head count.

Interesting. I'm headed out in a bit over a week for upto a 11 day trip, solo. I'm going well prepared but my wife is more than a tad apprehensive about it. There is no way we could get a sitter for that long for our kid to allow her to come with and I refuse to have him along because no-one can sleep at night etc etc. Its just a major pain and with this being a very coveted hunting tag I drew, I didnt want to screw it up due to lack of sleep and whatnot. I'm going to hunt it hard and see how it pans out.

I'm probably going a bit overboard on the preparedness meter but hey the reason you bring along all that extra gear is so you wont need it... if you dont have something, THATS when you need it most. Plus I believe cellphones work out there on the mt ridges (which is ironic as its theoretically the most remote area in the continental USA, the Utah BookCliffs).

Should prove to be an interesting week and a half.


-DallanC

Howdy Dallan i do both sometimes there may be 3-4 of us but i have went for a week by myself just all depends. But like yourself when i go by my self i over pack ya just never no. I have always found when i go by myself and if i harvest my animal it seems more rewarding

Hey Dallan, None of us are getting any younger and some of the fun is red lining the preparedness meter. My duck hunting buds and myself call it a triple A (anticipatory anxiety attack) where family members know to stay out of the way hide under rocks and by all means stay the heck off the phones. (In case there is a last minute change of blinds because of wind conditions). You are talking about a possible once in a lifetime opportunity with your draw. You have more than demonstrated your attention to detail with this site alone, you know the risks and are prepared for them. Hope you have a memorable and sucessful.

I'm lucky enough to get 3 weeks of deer hunting this year (a VERY understanding wife ). The first week will be at my camp. There will be 3 of us for the whole week with others dropping in for a day or two here and there, probably as many as 8 of us at times. The second week I will be traveling downstate and hunting with just one other guy (staying at his house). The third week I'll be going over to northeastern Vermont to a hunting camp with 6 other guys. I hunt solo during the day, much like bushmaster. I leave camp 1 hour before hunting time and leave the hunting area after the last legal hunting time.

Blaine

I spent a 6 day fly in moose trip moose hunt alone one year and would never want to do it again. The bush pilot and I had to fly in alone because my buddy didn't show. The weather turned bad so I didn't see the pilot for several days. but it didn't matter because my friend didn't put in an appearance. I ran scared the entire week being alone. I was camped in a cabin on a small island, I found a birchbark canoe there which I promptly put my foot through. Kiss that one goodbye. A couple of rowboats were available but not one damn oar. Kiss that one goodbye too. I put my gear in an outboard with a 6hp engine only to hit a rock near shore and break the shear pin. Wonderful, no spares in the shed. Finally two days later, I found a spare pin but had run out of daylight. Mind you in the meantime I caught some nice trout, and bagged a few squirrel, grouse and duck. I finally replaced the shear pin and headed out after old bullwinkle. During that foray I slipped on some damp moss on a rock outcropping and tumbled down the backside of a cliff. Now I'm a mile away from the boat and hurting like hell. I ultimately made it back to the cabin to lick my wounds. I finally caught up with friend moose a couple days later only to find I had broken the firing pin in my rifle which was now useless. Snow and fog meant I had to spend an extra day in that godsforsaken place. Talk about a hunting trip from hell, that was it. Incidently my friends excuse was he had a toothache and had it for several weeks. I never hunted with him again. I never want to find myself in a similar situation again, too much room for error, bad error. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Damn Cal it doesen't sound like ya had a very good time but it makes for a good story.

hi Dallan i hunt alone and with friends i perfer alone gets me away from eveything (i love peace and quiet)just me and the animals .....gives me time to think 1 day 2 days or more the more the better. Altho i like hunting with my partner to almost as much fun ......hunt safe and have fun

We have those little 2 way radios and we know the general area everyone is headed radios on at dark, 10 and 2. Someone gets a deer, we might have to relay the messages, but, we all help with the drag.

Most of the time I hunt alone. I like the freedom to go where and when I want. This time is mine, away from every day burdens and conserns. The longest trip alone was for 10 days, I really planned this out and was fortunate to have access to a satelite phone in case of an emergency. We made a schedule up that I followed to keep them from worrying and it worked out well, I didn't have to talk to anyone for the whole time I was out. Unless some kind of emergency plans are made I don't think that long trips should be made by many people as they have no idea what they may be getting into. The other times I go out, I usually have only 1 other along and at the most 3 for a total of no more than 4.

For the most part I hunt with my son. Occassionally we add one of my friends but normally it's just us two. When he was just learning to deer hunt we hunted close together, now we hunt with in a mile of each other and keep in contact with radio.

We will still hunt and stand hunt.

longwalker

Sadly here in the west most all hunting is Draw only... and unless you and your hunting buddy draw as a party, you will be going solo. (and unless you and your party have the same points, the averaged is used which usually reduces odds).


-DallanC

How nice to not have to talk to anyone for days .. My wife says its so quiet when I'm at home , that when I do speak , dawg starts barking at the unfamiliar noise ..
I prefer hunting alone when its within a few miles of home on the one day hunts .. There is one or two people I hunt with when we go for several days .. Don't like BIG parties .. Alaska alone .. Oh Man .. We did a fly in with just two for ten days .. Way I like it .. He did OK for a Yankee ..
Jack