Hunting alone in the big woods.........

[ron w]

How many of you guys and gals hunt alone in big tracts of land. I went yesterday, as I have for years, hunting in the Adirondacks by myself. I found myself "back in" a ways and started to think what if. What if I got hurt, what if I did get lucky and shoot something, I'm all alone and couldn't drag a deer or bear out by myself. I'm 59 years old in pretty good shape ,but my knees are not what they used to be. Just wondering on your thoughts of going it alone in rough country! By the way, in this area there is NO cell phone service, so calling for help is out of the question! Thanks for your input!!      ron w

[Tater]

Hunt alone a good portion of the time in the Mountains.
  My wife doesn't like it but I have done it for years. Don't usually worry about the "what ifs" but as I get older (58) I try to plan better. I have to give some consideration to where I take an animal and can I get it out by myself.

[dirtguy]

That is a good question.

For years I have been working and hunting alone in remote areas. I'm 51 and still do it, and hope to continue for some years.  But each time I'm asked about it, I wonder more.  I'm lucky that almost anywhere I go, I have cell phone service.  I leave my location in writing, for my family when I'm hunting.  I make sure people at work know where I am. There are also a number of things I do for safety's sake.

Carry a first aid kit. Carry a compass and a GPS.  Carry a cell phone.  

Beyond taking measures like those, it is s personal choice as to what level of risk you are willing to assume. I see myself in coming years as staying closer to home when I'm alone, and only going "back in" with a buddy.

[longbowman]

I am, by nature, a loner in the woods.  Here in PA I hunt the big woods alone all the time.  When I lived in Montana I hunted alone 99% of the time.  It's something you either do and feel comfortable or you don't.  In this day and age there's the cell phone thing but I usually don't remember to take it.

[JamesV]

At 69 I still hunt large tracks of land alone but I do have cell phone service. I am more into hunting than killing these days but still love the solitute and peacefulness of being deep in the woods.

[straitera]

Rare to have anyone else deep in the woods where I go. Been lost many times day & night. Fell out of a stand once & others fell under me. Always cautious but you never know. Never worried 2 shakes about it. Suits me.

[Warchild]

I just returned from a hunting trip to the Upper Peninsula where there are hundreds of miles of wilderness. I prefer hunting alone as it relieves me from being a guide or following a partner's schedule. It means a little more work around camp but it is worth it. Only downside is retrieving killed deer. As I get older, dragging deer gets harder.

[Gregg S]

I hunt in Pa. and although I don't hunt "Big Woods" like out west I do hunt alone. I carry a cell phone these days and There is service jsut about anywhere I go. If I did have an accident I would have to call one of my buddies who would be familiar with our nicknames for different places we have hunted. I'm 56 and I may give up using the climbing tree stand. The deer population is not what it used to be around here so it's hard to judge if I am seeing as may deer from the ground as from a tree stand. I'm more comfortable on the ground these days and falling from a stand is probably the biggest risk when hunting alone.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I llove hunting alone in the big woods.  I don't worry about what ifs much.   If you are worried,  get a personal emergency locator beacon.   Just hit the button and help is on the way.

[Ron LaClair]

In these modern times with the portable communication systems that are available, I think that anyone that does not take advantage of it may sometime down the road wish that they had. Satellite phones can be carried where cell service is not available.

We had a discussion in deer camp just recently about the subject. There were 8 men in camp and they were hunting in 8 different directions. One morning one of the guys didn't come in when he was expected. Finely by 1:30 in the afternoon one of the guys went to look for him. He had decided to sit long that morning and had told the person that dropped him off of his intent. The person wasn't paying attention and didn't hear him say that so no one knew he had planned to stay out longer. He was hunting from a tree stand and when he didn't come in we were concerned he might have fallen from his stand.

I called his cell and it rang in the cabin. The guy who went out to check on him sent me a text message that he found him and he was OK.

We talked in camp later that day and I suggested that everyone should carry their cell phone so this wouldn't happen again. A couple of the guys didn't like the idea of having to carrying a phone. I told them it was as much for all of us for peace of mind as for themselves. Phones can be set on vibrate so loud rings wont alert game. Text messages can also be sent. It just makes sense to me when you have the ability to communicate, why not use it.

[Over&Under]

I still hunt alone in the elk mountains most of the time.  Doesn't bother me too bad, but like Pat said, you do need to plan for certain things.

Not that you are not carful in general, but I try to be extra careful when alone.  I like the solitude and the not having to worry about anything else but hunting.

[Shedrock]

I do it all the time. Many miles into the wilderness. No cell service here either. The only thing I'm afraid of are the grizzly bears. But, if I die, I die doing something I love.

[Tom Leemans]

ALWAYS ALWAYS! Leave your plans (including a map) with a loved one or friend. Let them know when to expect you back. Don't deviate from your plan. If it's possible that you won't be where you said you would originally be, then you better include that info too. Consider getting some good two way radios and give them one of them. Take everything you need to help you be found, or don't go! All boy scouts know these rules. Take back-up. Extra water or a way to purify it, sharp knife, batteries, cordage, compass, a way to make fire, more than one way to signal for help (mirror, whistle, flares, large bright ground cloth, etc). Use your head. Be aware of everything around you. Listen to your inner voice if it says "This is a bad idea".

[Whip]

I've done it plenty of times and I'm sure I will again.  But it is something that crosses my mind now and then.  There have been times where I have avoided going into places because I didn't think I could get an animal out.  And I've been extra cautious and think through things carefully.  But stuff can still happen.

I've been thinking about looking into one of those "SPOT" locator beacon things.  With as much time as I like to spend hunting alone it might just be a good investment for peace of mind if nothing else.  

I understand the thought of "if I die at least I'll die happy", and have had that same thought myself.  But then again, if carrying a piece of technology could prevent you from dieing, that isn't all bad.

[Night Wing]

Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
I llove hunting alone in the big woods.  I don't worry about what ifs much.   If you are worried,  get a personal emergency locator beacon.   Just hit the button and help is on the way.

I second the above.          Where I bowhunt and if there is no cell phone service, I worry more about stepping on an unseen rattlesnake.

[ron w]

When I asked this question I wasn't concerned about dieing in the woods....lol.       I always leave a map and or a note of my location with my wife. I was more interested about getting yourself and or game out of the woods if you got hurt and if you shot something. Being retired it's hard to have someone to hunt with because they have to work or in my case a lot of them have quit hunting.....I'm not ready to quit just yet...lol! It's also hard to get guys to hunt where the deer populations are low, where I hunt very low. Hunting alone is a wonderful thing and I truly don't want to stop.

[Dave Lay]

as Tom said.. i have laminated topo maps of my hunt area and will circle in dry erase marker where i will be. I will either leave it with my wife of in my vehicle. carry a whistle, good map, and compass.and a first aid kit.  i almost always hunt alone and in very large tracks of woods, usually with no cell service, sometimes camping up to a week at a time  to me its a big part of the over all adventure and using woodsmanship skills...the buck in my avatar was killed in a wilderness area, several miles from any kind of a road

[Ken Taylor]

I live in a relatively isolated area, so besides a few visits south years ago, I have always hunted big woods/wilderness areas.

The outdoors is my life and I would say that I am alone in the bush about 1/3 of the time for periods of up to a month at a time.

You learn to do things more carefully and deliberately when you're on your own.

[dave19113]

I did it for years.... I just make sure to have emergency gear.... I tell ppl where Im going.... I never had a problem.... I also carry a cell with me if needed.

[Stumpkiller]

Not as big as I used to, but I can walk out of cell phone range easily still in the valleys.  The woods behind my house are about five square miles without roads or structures.  Big enough to get in some trouble.  There are a few state or Federal forests nearby where it's pretty easy to disappear and I used to go there alone.  Still, it's pretty much a given that if you walk straight for two hours you will hit a road of some type.