If you’re like me, then you enjoy hunting with friends and family. We share the “when’s & where’s” of deer sightings and converse about methods we use to hunt them successfully. We sit around the campfire at night cooking and swapping stories from upcoming and past hunts. We congratulate each other when we score and then share in the labors of getting the animal out and cleaned. This is all fine and well, but the truth is, sometimes friends’ and families’ schedules get in the way, and they can’t always make it when we’re available. When this happens, there are only a couple options we have left. We can either reschedule our trip and wait on that hunting buddy, or man up and go at it alone.
Hunting solo isn’t a bad thing, but for some strange reason, most people I know steer clear of it at all costs. Is it the fear of injury that keeps them from it? Is it the fear of what lies beyond the shadows on the long walk out after dark? Perhaps it’s the dreaded thought of single-handedly dragging 160 pounds of recently harvested deadweight over hills, swamps, or creeks that makes them abstain. There are several excuses one can mentally concoct to avoid it, but the truth is, hunting will always remain a solitary endeavor. It’s you versus your prey once up in the tree, regardless if your buddy is 200 yards away or not. Once you overcome these mental handicaps, a new chapter will open in your life, and opportunities to hunt with your buddies will simply be lagniappe.
There is something that is very satisfying about hunting alone that, over time, I’ve really come to enjoy. You make all of the decisions, and you call all of the shots. There is no one there to throw the blame on if you fail or give you a hard time about your misfortunes; it all boils down to you and your skills. When hunting alone, you get to set your own pace, and you’re more likely to hunt harder and longer. There’s no thoughts of wondering what everyone else is doing back at the camp or how their hunt’s going.
The only pressure when hunting alone is self-induced, and focus tends to be more intense. You're on your own schedule.
To me, outings alone are some of the most rewarding hunts I go on. I feel very independent while hunting solo; it grounds me in my primal roots. There’s nothing like the feeling of scouring the woods, finding some smoking hot sign, and then methodically piecing together an ambush plan. When you’re alone and stumble upon a giant rub or scrape, it’s as if you’ve found a lost treasure that no one else knows about, and it’s very possible that they don’t! You have now found your secret hunting spot, and the thought of wrapping your tag around some bone from this location only makes it that much better.
