Ever just stopped hunting????

[98chevy]

Ive just lost all desire to deer hunt. My dad is devastated. I was super excited like always this year. I went as far as buying a 70' mobile home this year for the farm so we could have a nice place to stay finally. I spent days on end during the summer getting it nice. (ill get pics soon) I hunted every weekend during bow seson. opening weekend of gun season. Now I just get bored after the first hour whether I see deer or not. It has devasted my dad cuss when I go down I just hang around the house while they hunt. Its the only time we get togeather anymore and im sure he thinks ill soon stop going down all togeather(want happen i love the farm)

has this happened to any one else? I've just up and lost desire. I probly havnt missed a weekend my whole life(no lie) till this year. Now something I loose sleep over is ducks. Its my passion. I wish my dad did to but he doesnt. So in the mornings while he deer hunts I hit the river and sometimes stay on the water all day just playing around. But I usally duck hunt near my home not the farm so I dont make it down some weekends.

[The Kid]

i've never stopped hunting, but i have lost desire in other things, such as baseball, i played ball since i was little, since i could hold a bat, played ball in all throughout highschool, was lucky enough to play college ball, played two years of that, and one day i woke up and was tired of it, tired of all the pain and time it took up, still to this day i will get asked to play on a summer ball team, i even got asked to play on the college team that i'm at right now, but i just don't want to do it, i have no idea why but its just not fun to me anymore!!

[Steven]

I've lost it a few times. I haven't been out once this year and can count the times over the last 5 years on one hand. Partly because it's a hassle around here having to drive several hours to find a decent place and being surrounded by trigger happy morons whenever you find somewhere. I do have access to some prime land in Kansas but I can only get out there a week a year, if that.

I still shoot my bow regularly, but rarely at anything other than a target.

[hogwild63]

I haven't pulled the trigger on an animal in over 4 years as we lost our lease after 15 years on the same place when the land was sold. The last year on the lease was dedicated to getting my son his first deer, then getting invites for my son to hunt each year after that. I got on another lease this year and my buck went to my son. I can get a mature spike and 2 does. I went hunting this past weekend with my brother-in-law and he took a doe. We skinned and quatered it ourselves. I had opportunity to take my doe several times but I don't have the money right now to process it and did not want to mess with another deer. But, I sure did enjoy being out in the country watching the deer and helping my brother-in-law with his deer.

It's a 5 hour drive to the lease. Living in the city, limited opportunity to go to the country and plenty of wildlife to see, makes it hard to leave.

I don't know if going every weekend and deer hunting being slow paced has anything to do with loosing the desire for deer hunting and taking up the passion for a more exciting duck hunting. Maybe if a monster came out while you are in the stand would get your blood pumping again. The mere possibility of that happening keeps me wanting to go out again and again.

[OJR]

After 55+ years of hunting, I have lost all interest in it! The fire has gone out completely!

I didn't buy any tags at all this year and never missed going out one time!

I guess I have reached the point in my life where I have killed enough and I just don't want to do it anymore!

Wonderful memories of all those years. They will never be replaced or go away!

It is much easier to make one phone call and order a whole buffalo and I am going to be doing that in March!

[shockwave]

I`m like that when i have a rifle in my hands. But as soon as i get my Hoyt in my hand THWACK !!!!!..

[Guest Finn]

Honestly, no. I love bowhunting and hunt with my Dad, who's 65 years old with the same fire for it that I have.

Hope it comes back for you

BTW - I feel that way about rifle hunting deer....wouldn't buy a license, except I need that one for muzzleloader hunting.

[mrswtnhunt]

I sometimes get that way toward the end of season if I haven't had any luck but that goes away when the next season gets close. I love the anticipation of what may have "grown" over the summer. We have several game cams out in the woods and we get to see as the fawns are born and watch the bucks transform from bumps of velvet to huge antlers. I hope I never get to the point that I don't want to hunt anymore.

[wtnhunt]

Think everyone goes through different phases. Cannot say I have ever completely lost interest, but have certainly had phases where my level of interest was not what it is around the beginning of the pre rut when anything can happen and anticipation runs high.

[MCH]

Ever stop hunting?

Nope.

But I'm sure I will one of these days.

When my heart stops beating and I'm six feet under.:D

[jbeck]

That duck hunting can do that to some fellows. LOL

I have a friend that can't wait for the hunters to head to the woods so he has the river to himself. Nothing at all wrong with that, Hunting is hunting, Good luck on the ducks.

[ruttinbuc]

I get burned out physically if anything. Our season starts in September. It is just about now where I feel like I can take it or leave it. I missed my after Christmas ML hunt this morning because it was easier to turn off the alarm and roll over than it was to go through the same ritual I have been going through for months. I am sure I will regroup and get out this afternoon. Just won't push it so hard.

My heart is in it but my body needs a break.

[Turkeygirl]

No thank goodness. I look at my passion for hunting as a gift from God.

Sounds like you are plain burned out. I know during shotgun season, I start to get physically tired...I still get out there but it's hard. Nothing wrong with taking time off. Maybe you just need a break....take it.

[stevebeilgard]

i still love to hunt, but only take out others now. it's been 30 years since i've shot anything myself, and i do miss it a bit. i'll probably start getting licenses next year. seems i got more than enough meat each year with others doing the shooting.

[Tominator]

Occasionally, but not often.

[JoshM]

I dont get to hunt enought since im not old enough to hunt by myself. I get out during Shotgun and Muzzleloader and bowhunt some which I wish I could do more of because we have some prime land. Which I tagged out on in shotgun season. I cant wait till im old enough to buy my own land and manage it and produce some monsters =]

[nativetexan]

Seems as if we are on opposite ends of the spectrum. I can truly understand being burned out on something, but I have found that it is usually because of some outside force that has distracted me from what I was truly passionate about.

My story is I hunted as a kid, and loved it. But my family weren't hunters, I actually went all the time with a friend and his family. After growing up and moving away and losing touch with that family, I received word one day that the father had died of a heart attack. Reflecting upon his life as a hunter forced me to examine the tough times I was going through, and I realized that I had an outlet for those tough times all along. In essence, a gift that was given to me that I put on a shelf and let it collect dust. The old man had taught me to hunt, and reconnect with things that were important.

So many times I examine his life and realize that the saying "a family that hunts together, stays together" couldn't be more true. This family has seen plenty of tough times since his passing. The daughter, although successful in life and career, battles diabetes daily. The son, lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, and has since moved and started a new life in Florida with his job, wife, and kids. The mother, has been battling breast cancer for the last couple of years. One thing has kept them all together. That one thing is hunting. It's amazing the power of this heritage.

For me, it took the old man's passing to be reminded. I feel shame for that. But all I can do is do everything I can to learn over again, and teach my boys to do the same, and practice my heritage at every opportunity. I realize now that stopping hunting is truly dangerous to my well being as I know fast a stressful life can take over everything.

I have also fallen prey to all the sucker marketing tactics there are. Truly, there is no end to the "junk" one can buy to prepare themselves for a trip. Again, I reflected on the old man. The old man who used to sit in his deer stand and smoke cigarettes, hop out to take a whiz, and still manage to come home with deer. It helped me realize that I was getting lost in gimmicks. When all I needed was the basics. My bank card was put away. In the words of Ron Spomer "Just get out and hunt. Get out of the stand and walk around." I take this as an effort to become reacquainted with your senses and to feel alive. To feel success and disappointment again. I'm not knocking the products on the market because many of them do help.

Hopefully, it won't take too long for you guys to find what is holding you back. Because it came apparent to me only a short while ago that "have to" trumps "want to" in a big way. You have vast amounts of knowledge that you can pass on to someone also. Don't let it go stale.

If you want some good reading on this very topic also, pick up a couple of books by Steve Chapman. I read two of his books and they are really, really good. Religious in nature....but not bible thumping if that isn't your thing. I found two of the books very inspiring. Available on Amazon for less than $10 bucks.

http://www.steveandanniechapman.com/books.shtml

I know this was long, sorry! But again, I hope you guys can head back into the woods soon, refreshed.

[Randy]

nativetexan refers to a couple of Steve Chapmans books, I personally have read and own "a look at life from a deerstand". It is a good book and if you'd like to read it, PM me your address and I'll send it to you right away. The only stipulation is, you need to send it along to another forum member when you are done with it and so on and so on.

As far as your desire for deer hunting goes, I used to be an AVID waterfowler. I used to hunt 55-56 days out of a 60 day season! I just came to the realization that I am truly spoiled when it comes to having some excellent land to hunt whitetails. I made the choice to hunt deer and put in as much time every year doing that instead of fighting the public lands for ducks. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[buckee]

I've never been bored, sitting, waiting for a deer. There's always too much to keep me busy, whether it's a bug crawling up my leg, a cool spider on my sleeve, a little bird hopping around at my feet, or the sound of geese, pheasants or what have you on the wind. I just love being there period. I could never, ever tire of that.

It's also, a perfect closet to pray in

[LifeNRA]

Nope! Ill be just like my father, 67 years old and still loves to get out!!!

[98chevy]

A look at life from a deer stand is a great book. I enjoyed it very much. Ive been thinking long and hard about this and then went skeet shooting with my best freind and hunting partner today. Hes not hunting with me this year do to he had to move but he was home for christmas and we where discussing the old days and it hit me why it wasnt as fun. My old land we where running the last 4 years is was just me and who ever i gave a key to. This year where on new land with 2 other owners who are weird. There is a ton of rules all having fines when you break them. It seems are new place is more palitical bout everything. As in i can take guest on certin days with out certain people there. I can only shoot buck that scores over 125 and I have to mount it.(if it doesnt reach standerds $350 fine) The does' need to be 100+ l.b.s. etc etc. Its just changed from the old days. I like knowing if a unique buck came out or a good looking doe came out I could take a shot. And even if I shoot a buck over 125 I still worry bout what they say. I just need to take some deep breaths and ease into this diffrent way of hunting. To most its probly a dream club. I think i enjoy the relaxed clubs more but will learn to love this one. Thanks for all the comments.

[GobblerBuster618]

i guess ive never just wanted to stop hunting.. i have been burnt out of it a few times but that always goes away. when im not enjoying it anymore ill be done with it. Hope that never happens. Best of luck to you!

[rhine16]

I've seen several guys just practically stop deer hunting to duck hunt lately. Not sure what the deal is, but my theory is that in duck hunting you have a lot of action and you hunt with buddies. Therefore i think that someone that likes to be with someone else and is not very patient would much prefer ducks over deer. Just my opinion.

[shockwave]

Not that age matters but, 36 is kind of young to be tired of killing deer !! My dad hunted deer until he passed away at 65... He still acted like a kid for as long as i can remember with every deer he harvested, up until he passed away..Maybe everyones different.......

[buckee]

If I stopped deer hunting, this is what I would look like