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

[ron w]

I glad to see there are a lot of folks that are out there not just hunting in the local woodlot, Although they are most likely seeing more deer....lol!     When you have such good access to large tracts of public land, it just seems like it's easy to hunt there. To bad it's not always productive.....but still kinda neat!

[woodchucker]

I couldn't have said it better myself, Ron!!!!!  

[Stone Knife]

Ron, your no daisy  

[guspup]

Hi Woodchucker,
The Cedar River to the Moose River Plains have been a big part of my home turf for a long time too. Beautiful country that is more suited to black bear these days. Carrying a stick and a string in those parts sure makes a guy feel small :-)

[jax]

I do it all the time. I'm 55.

[jax]

I do it all the time. I'm 55.

[David Yukon]

I didn't read all the posts, but up here, as soon as we are in the bush, there is no cell phone coverage... That said I do carry a Spot(findmespot), and it is realy a great little device( sat phone are a little finiky up here!) It as all ways worked fo me and will never live with out it!

It is not a mather of age, but a mather of caring for the people around you that want you back hime safe!

Look into it, I realy think it is a great piece of gear!

[BigArcher]

Sometimes it is the lack of a safety net that makes me feel more alive.  I don't take silly chances though when out there because I care about my family.  I carry an emergency sleeping bag, lighter or two, extra food and light shelter.  I don't carry a phone to the mountains.

 In our camps we don't worry about someone till the next day because they may have just decided to spend the night on a nice ridge top.  
Btw I am 52, a husband, father and Grandfather.

[Fisherking73]

LOL wow I thought I was old     You guys give me great hope. Being new to the hungting game, I thought I had little time to work out the kinks and have been hitting it very hard. Compass at all times, and I am VERY mindful of my surroundings. Leave a return time and hike plan with my wife and the times I have gone in deeper I have left a hike plan with my hunting mentor who is very familiar with the area I hunted. I still have not gotten my first public land trad kill, but I think of pretty much all these things that have been mentioned. I am not even 40 yet, and hope I have lots of years left of hunting. Lots of milestones to get to in the hunting world for me and I love my new found hobby.

[Thumper Dunker]

Do it all the time.But now I stay close to the truck 1-2 miles from it.56 and bad knees.

[ron w]

When I asked about this when I started this post I never thought I would get this much response....pretty cool. I have hunted the area I hunt since 1971, also other areas in the Adirondacks. The Siamese Ponds Wilderness area is a vast piece of woods something like 15 miles X 30 Miles. No roads just a few trails [foot or horseback only] and just a lot of rugged country. I don't go as far as I did but I still want to feel that feeling of being out there! Thanks for the good response!    ron w

[MO Bow]

No cell reception, no roads, no trails where we hunt.  Most places we hunt, it's by boat.  I haven't gone out by myself up here in AK.  Part of the reason is my brother is my hunting buddy here.  

Even if we're out for just a day trip, we pack to survive for a few days.  Taking the boat out is tricky...weather turns bad out here quick and if the wind is howling, we have to hunker down until it passes.  We found out a couple weekends ago that the 19' jet boat doesn't like 8' seas.

We also carry a ResQLink EPIRB whenever we go out.  But the point is to not be a search and rescue case...that's why we hunt in pairs.  One is always there for the other to prevent stupid mistakes.  Out here, a single mistake could mean never coming home again to the family.

[ron w]

Mo Bow.....Just beautiful, there's Alaska and then there's everything else!

[ethan]

My Dad is my main hunting partner and we will usually always text each other where we are planning on hunting, or I'll let my wife know about where I'll be and about when I'll be back.  

When me and a buddy went elk hunting in Colorado we had a "SPOT" device with us.  It automatically sent an email each evening to our wives to let them know we were o.k.  My buddy took care of all of that so I don't know exactly how all that works but it was nice to have the peace of mind that our family wouldn't be worried about us.

[John Nail]

My thoughts:
Thank God we still have enough hunting land to call "Remote"

I've hunted alone for 50 years....but pretty hard to get "Remote" in Indiana...........I do remember a time in Wyoming...........

[Fisherking73]

Man, some of the pictures you guys are posting the scenery is just breath taking!! Sure beats my swamps and flat terrain lol I  might want to intentionally get lost in some of your lands as the beauty is very alluring!

[Two Dogs]

Ron, I hunt so far back in the Adirondacks that the deer run right up to me their just happy to see someone! LOL, I"m 56 & think about it all the time however, I still do it because it's in my soul, & I'm sure you & everyone else who hunts this way can relate.

[boznarras]

I almost always go alone. I am 57. My hunting partner got bad knees and quit on me a few years ago. (We still go fishing) It is hard to find another old fart to go with, but I keep looking. Meanwhile, it is hunting season right now!

Just like MO Bow said, usually cell phone reception is not there when you go out here in SE Alaska; too many mountains in the way of too few cell towers. I too carry an EPIRB, and try to be careful. I discuss where I will be and when I will come back, and what might change my plans, what I would do as an alternative.

On the other hand, it does bear consideration that staying at home where it is "safe" does not mean you live forever. I have attended too many funerals by now to have any illusions about how this all turns out. Carpe diem starts to have real meaning as you get older.

[Kelly]

Those of you that hunt remote like Ron W how do you get your gear back in there with you? I've thought about getting one of those two handled, wheeled cart/deer carriers.

My health is such I can no longer carry much on my back nor drag a deer very far so was thinking about those deer carts. Recently purchased a second home in N. WI where there is lots of Public land that one can get far from the roads-way back in so to speak. Guess one would need a trail to use those carts or on two track roads behind locked gates.

[woodchucker]

Kelly,

Actualy, This is not really "camp" hunting...

It's more like choose your gear wisely, travel light, and let your feet do the walking.....

There's really not much "gear" that we take in. Bow, arrows, knife, compass, firekit, maybe some food. Choose your clothing wisely, probly wool and if you want something for extra cover in sudden bad weather, a military poncho is light and hard to beat. Practice making a fire,under the WORST conditions untill you KNOW you can build a fire if you need to!!! The rest is knowledge. Where to look for cover, how to get out of the wind, purify water, etc. The most important piece of "gear" is your mind!!! The more knowledgable and proffitiant you get with your woods skills, the more confident you will become way back, off the beaten track!!!!!