Do you get bored while stand hunting whitetails?

[RedShaft]

I get really  frustrated not bored... cause I don't see many deer even though I put in tons of time.

[GreyGoose]

Not so much bored - there's almost always something interesting to see or hear.  Problem for me is getting stiff/sore as I age.  I hunt more from ground blinds these days, which helps me be a little more flexible.

[DanielB89]

It's so easy for me to get bored with hunting in a stand.  I used to not be able to sit for more than 2-3 hours max, but occasionally, I would drop in a 5 hour sit.  There are so many factors that go into me getting bored.  If i'm seeing some type of wildlife, I will have a higher tolerance, seeing deer, comfortable, confidence in an area, etc.  

I will agree that since I don't get to hunt nearly as much as I used to now, I don't find myself getting nearly as bored as quickly.  


After 5 or so long sits with no sightings(not uncommon), It's easy to lose confidence and start to question how much longer i'll sit in the stand.

[Orion]

Agree with Cyclic River and Grey Goose.  Boredom is a choice.  I don't get bored.  I do get stiff and sore more often as I age though.

[highlow]

No boredom for me. There's always that possibility and you never know when it's going to happen. That said, with advancing age it's more a question of comfort than boredom. The back starts aching, the butt likewise and then something else acts up. My stand time has diminished proportionately but won't give it up anytime soon. I do plan to do some more still hunting this year also, especially with the rut approaching. Might just manage to close in on one of those love-struck bucks roaming around that might be a little less wary than normally.

[actionjackson22]

I used to when I hunted everyday of the season but now with my girls and Im only going out once or twice a week I'm excited just to be in the woods and another big plus is I pay more attention and see animals coming before they see me now.

[dbd870]

Originally posted by GreyGoose:
Not so much bored - there's almost always something interesting to see or hear.  Problem for me is getting stiff/sore as I age.  I hunt more from ground blinds these days, which helps me be a little more flexible.

Yeah I'm finding I get stiff as well - just really became more noticeable the last few years.

[Bowwild]

I wouldn't call it boredom, but I've been far less motivated to hit the woods this season, and actually for about 3 years, than I have been in the previous 43 (46 total).

In fact, this year its really been bugging me - no "worry" is more accurate because this is a serious issue for me. Almost, as if "what's wrong with me"?  

My hunting situation; time and opportunity, is better than it has been my entire life. I see deer every day from my deck-window about 90-175 yards from the house.  I'm hunting my own property and that's something I've never been able to say until this year.

In the past if I didn't get in at least 25 sits (AM and PM usually) I felt guilty for lack of output.  I have never been one to sit more than 3-4 hours at a time, generally 2-3 hours after sun-up and same before sundown.  I'm mostly a sun-up hunter (80:20) I've been out 5 times this season, sitting about 2-2.5 hours each time. I've seen 10 deer - 5 bucks and 5 does. All 5 were seen from the same stand over a two hunt period.

I think after much self-analysis I've come up with the following, none very complimentary of yours truly:

1. I did not put up any new stands before season. I have 5 stands up and have hunted two of them. I'm sure I overhung one of them. Shame on me!

2. I've passed up a couple dozen small bucks since going back to recurves in 2010, only killing one for the wall and 5 antler less. As my effective range dropped by more than 50% in 2010, maybe I should have modified my goals.

3. I've had to pass 3 deer bigger than I've ever shot because they were too far for me with a recurve - 23-30 yards.

So, I sometimes wonder if I've become bored looking at the same shot windows for this, the 8th year with a recurve. My goals are too high. And I've not completely accepted the "limitations" presented by my choice of equipment.

I'm not giving up though. I'm determined to hit it harder from now through November 11th.

I'm making plans to do much better in 2017. (I know this sounds defeatist regarding this year.)  I have lots of work to do on my property.  Couldn't do it before because I only leased it.

[Jerry Jeffer]

There is always too much going on around me to be bored. The world is alive! I'm taking it all in and Praising The Lord! Oh, and I hunt the ground. No more tree stands for me.

[Michael Arnette]

I don't get bored, just frustrated if nothing is showing.

[GRAYBEARD]

What DamascusDave said.

[YosemiteSam]

I used to get bored with fishing.  So I took up flyfishing.  Short-range casting, constant attention to detail and frequent movement.  Problem solved.

On the stand, I get bored sometimes and nearly meditative in others.  I have young kids and run a business so getting away can be tough.  Tends to be concentrated in infrequent but longer time blocks (a full day once a month or a 1/season 3-day excursion).  So I'd agree that it's mostly frustration rather than boredom.  But I often pull out my phone and read a book while sitting if my concentration starts waning.

I also don't sit more than 3 hours at a time.  Sometimes it's less.  I do more stillhunting so I can learn a bit more about my area, too.  No small plots of farms out here -- it's vast wilderness and the limits of your legs.  There's a heck of a lot of territory to cover and the deer can be anywhere.

[Burnsie]

I don't get bored or frustrated.  I decided long ago that I was going to enjoy my time in the woods. I love hunting and being in the woods, but there is nothing about it that is worth getting frustrated or bored over.  I don't need the meat to feed my family,(even though we love eating it)so getting an animal isn't life or death.  I've killed enough animals in my life, so putting another notch in my belt isn't important either. So, at this stage of the game I just enjoy my time in the woods and know that my success or lack there of, is directly related to how much time I'm willing to devote to it.  When I was younger and putting lots of hours in the stand I always knew it was only a matter of time before I would get a crack at a nice buck if I put in the time.  And many times that's what happened. Now days other commitments don't allow as much time for hunting, but when I do go I 'm able to keep my mind busy knowing I could hear a snap of a twig at any time or that once in a life time deer could show up at any moment. I get a  lot of thinking done while on the stand as well and it is very relaxing and satisfying.  I usually have all the details worked out in my head of my latest building project, family matters, covering college tuition, faith..etc.

[IndaTimber]

Yes I get bored, but when I do I realize I'm not focused on why I'm there, has nothing to do with killing.

I'm there to enjoy the wonderful gift that has been given and sitting there being bored isn't enjoyable. I've learned much about the outdoors and myself by refocusing and taking it all in.

The hard thing for me is I'm not one to sit. If I'm at home I'm busy. At work I have a desk where I can stand up. So I must force myself to sit still and enjoy the woods.  Once I actually relax I enjoy my time much more, until an old doe bust me and blows every deer out of the area!!

[Sharptop]

The reason I took up trad hunting 8-10 years ago was because I got bored rifle hunting. I felt like a sniper. However, having started hunting at 14 (with a gun) when the season limit was one buck or one doe in GA and having killed a doe (which was surely a trophy to me), I have never taken to the idea of trophy hunting. I think, especially with traditional equipment that it is a beautiful thing to harvest a deer with a longbow or recurve. Don't care how massive it is and how the G 10's or whatever measure. Its supposed to be fun and if you start trophy hunting you are likely to fall into these kind of concerns.

[David McLendon]

I used too, so I quit.
I haven't climbed a tree in 7 years since I got a ghillie suit, got on the ground and got involved in the hunt.

[SuperK]

I found myself getting bored sometimes when I was hunting from a commercial ground blind.  I only had one window open and I felt like I was hunting through a  porthole.  I cracked opened some more windows so I could see around and now I don't get bored.  Never get bored in a tree stand.

[mangonboat]

"Bored" is something of a loaded term in this context. When I was younger, I was exclusively focused on deer and that led to frustration and boredom. Now, 40+ years later, I can identify over one hundred species of birds, every kind of squirrel, and most of the trees, so every sound, every bird moving overhead or in the underbrush, every falling leaf, is interesting. I've also learned to hunt with my ears, to discern the sound a squirrel makes  on the ground from a rabbit from a deer. I sometimes spend several minutes at a time with my eyes close, tracking the movement of many animals around me. On afternoon sits, I can read a paperback book while monitoring the approach of deer and the feel of the changing wind direction on my face. I love watching deer I am NOT thinking about drawing on. With so much to experience, its hard to be bored.

[IndaTimber]

Originally posted by mangonboat:
"Bored" is something of a loaded term in this context. When I was younger, I was exclusively focused on deer and that led to frustration and boredom. Now, 40+ years later, I can identify over one hundred species of birds, every kind of squirrel, and most of the trees, so every sound, every bird moving overhead or in the underbrush, every falling leaf, is interesting. I've also learned to hunt with my ears, to discern the sound a squirrel makes  on the ground from a rabbit from a deer. I sometimes spend several minutes at a time with my eyes close, tracking the movement of many animals around me. On afternoon sits, I can read a paperback book while monitoring the approach of deer and the feel of the changing wind direction on my face. I love watching deer I am NOT thinking about drawing on. With so much to experience, its hard to be bored.

 well said.

[Gdpolk]

Nope.  Boredom never forces me out of the woods or ruins my time outdoors.  However, getting uncomfortable and fidgety can mess up a good stand hunt.  Also bowel issues can run me out of the woods in a hurry sometimes.  Other than that, I'm pretty good to spend an entire day in the woods, by myself, watching and listening to God's country while praying and listening for responses.  Boredom is never an issue much like I am not bored when I sleep.  Both hunting and sleeping are relaxing, refreshing, renewing, and a time that while I may be physically inactive or close to it, mentally there is plenty to keep me engaged.