The Solo Traditionalist Hunter

[TxAg]

Not for me, but I appreaciate and enjoy the stories from those who do.

[Herdbull]

Kevin, I have great confidence in your woodsmanship and self-reliance, so it will come down to the mental side and comfort level you have in your own skin. If a guy has love in his life and love for the wilderness before him, loneliness may creep in, but it will not take over your daily activities. By that I mean, you will be too busy doing it and living your dream to let despair take over your hunt. You may reach for your phone every hour to check in on your long time hunting partner, but alas Bryan will not be there to answer as he had done on so many other Alaskan trips. You will have no one to worry about, and no one in the immediate area to worry about you. Does this mean no one cares about you? Absolutely not! But it does mean that loose ends need to be taken care of in your personal and family life before you leave your loved ones and venture out to your beloved wilderness alone. You need to create a peace and acceptance at home before you go, less you worry about the home-front, and loose the purpose for which you chose to be alone.

For others reading this, I mean to tell you that after taking dozens of extended solo hunts into the wilderness, I know it is not a time or place to run to or escape from depression. If you are depressed, do not go on an extended hunt alone.

So Kevin, clear your mind and let your soul swell with the experience, for it will be solely yours. Let the oxygen of rejuvenation fill your lungs and recharge your spirit. More than anything, this will be a spiritual encounter for you. Mike  

 

[Kevin Dill]

Mike...wise words my friend. Solo hunts into wilderness are not for everybody, and understanding the conditions one will face is important. Not just environmental conditions, but the internal condition...being alone and dealing with the silence, the separation and the doubts which can creep in. I'm no stranger to any of that, though this will be the longest solo trip I've done. Not having my usual partner around will increase the magnitude of difficulty and solitude over a 10 day hunt. Backcountry hunting is seldom easy even with a partner. It's images and times like these that make it worthwhile:

 

 

[Homey88]

Kevin love those pics especially the one where you are looking into the peaks with the snow in the pines! Do you mind if I save this pic? Awesome picture

[4dogs]

Very wise advise Mr. Mitten. Those considering an extended solo hunt should take heed....It can blow your mind.  One with the wilderness...in personal touch with your God....very critical introspection of your entire life. The games the human mind can play. Sometimes its very good. Sometimes its not.  Be careful

[Sean B]

Hey Kevin, I hoped to have done it sooner than later, however my life's gotten a little hectic the last few years. It seems the older I get, the less time i have!!  I have set a date for 2017, with 2018 as a rain date. I retired from one job and have started another, so my vaca time is back to the minimum. I've read One With The Wilderness a million times dreaming of when I can get the time!!  Good luck one yours!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

99% of the time I hunt solo. Even with a base camp set up like we typically do for elk, I hunt alone for the most part. Having a base camp with a bunch of guys makes it easier once you have a 1000 pound elk on the ground. I'm too damn old to pack in for elk solo any more, but I'll still do overnight trips solo from a base camp.

[fnshtr]

I have an outfitter available to haul out my animal should I be successful. It is very important to have a solid plan before venturing into the wilderness. That has been discussed on this site many times, but deserves to be mentioned.

When I was younger (and dumber) I did things without proper preparation, but no more.

Thanks for this thread. Good stuff

[Daz]

Solo wilderness hunting truly is an amazing pursuit, but definitely not for everyone.

The psychological piece is huge, and people who are not comfortable with the silence in themselves struggle immensely. Knowledge is power and knowing navigation,first aid and bushcraft is essential to being comfortable on your own. So is knowing yourself, and what your personal threshold for solitude is. The personal accountability is also a big part of it as well. All success and failures belong to me. No one else. I move at my pace, and dictate the destinations.

I will be spending the first two weeks this september (as i do every year) doing a solo elk hunt in a remote, vehicle restricted area. The only person in my life that "gets it" and doesn't make a big deal of it is my wife. Everyone else seems to think it is some hardship for me to do it. It's kind of like the old Harley t-shirt: "If i have to explain, you wouldn't understand anyway...".

[Jerry Russell]

I have done a number of these types of hunts in Alaska for moose and caribou. I LOVED it. It is a fantastic experience.

[Kevin Dill]

The reward after a long day of moose butchering.

[chinook907]

Kevin - hope you have a great time.

To your questions: I generally hunt solo, its practical but mostly I just enjoy it.  Simplicity, peace, solitude.

I have a 3 day solo trip for brown bear this fall.  A boat ride, then hiking in.

After that, if I still have a tag I'm hoping for the chance to hunt interior grizzlies on my own for a few days, while I'm already in the bush for other things.

Also will likely get a few day hunts in the mountains for black bear too.

I hope you're an introvert, it'll go a lot easier.

[Walt Francis]

Chinook, I don't believe anybody who has met Kevin would classify him as an introvert.  That said,  Kevin will be fine on a solo hunt.    

It has been a couple of years since my last solo, but the first five years I hunted big game, I spent 10 to 14 days each year solo in the Frank Church wilderness.  Spent a few years taking long solo hunts when Brother Bob moved to Alaska and then quit hunting.  My last moose hunt was planned as a solo hunt until my friend Dave asked if he could go with me.  My next moose hunt is planned for 2016, but that is mainly to introduce Hunter to the remote wilderness of AK. Maybe the following year.  Until then I will be satisfied with two-three day excursions into the Lee Metcalf (sp?).

[IndaTimber]

Kevin,  Blessings on your upcoming adventure!  I long to embrace the challenge and adventure of a long solo hunt, but it must be put on hold for a few years due to my current situation, raising and providing for six wonderful children!!  My plan is to do a couple 2-3 day solo hunts with the goal of working toward a longer hunt like you have planned.

Again, blessings on your trip and I look forward to reading all about it!

[Duckbutt]

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms".....Thoreau

[Kevin Dill]

Beautiful quote JT...very apt for those of us who go in search of a challenge which reaches far beyond the hunt for an animal.

Lots of good people and hard hunters weighing in here with their thoughts...really enjoying that. Tim and Walt...appreciate you guys as well as the rest who contribute a thought. Here's one I like:

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”  John Muir

 

[Dave Lay]

Kevin, great post, I have never had the finances to do a long western or Alaskan hunt that I have always dreamed of, and I devour books such as Mike Mittens book.  But I have used our local wilderness areas of 15-20,000 acres and have done several week to 2 week back pack solo hunts here in Ark. there is something really special about being alone and self dependant, a week is just enough to slow down and start really enjoying things.. 2 weeks to me was about right, and lets ya get in the proper mind set and to where you can take a day off if ya feel the need to lay in a hammock and rest, piddle around camp or whatever.. to me there is nothing like it, but with age I have a harder time humping the mountians than I did and recently my wife has insisted I get a INREACH unit in case of emergency and to check in now and then.
   I always think of the saying, that the best way to mess up a great deer hunt is to kill a deer. That really rings true on an extended hunt, my personal preference would to be to kill it on the next to last day of your planned stay, to enjoy the full experience and allow time to pack it all out.     Good luck on your hunt, hope to read about it here or in the PBS mag. or forum

[todd smith]

The bowhunters have spoken...  I must plan another Alaskan hunt. Solo. Special thanks to brother Dill.  

[amicus]

I went on a camping trip one year to the Gila Wilderness with an older gentleman that I met hear in my area. He had horses and and invited me to go. It was the best time I ever had. That was in my late 30's. From that time I went and bought to young colts and trained them from the ground up. Mind you, I did not have any horse experience at all but went to some clinics and read a bunch of books. Anyway, made my first solo trip to the Gila in my early 40s. At the trailhead I was a nervous wreck checking and double checking my equipment. Looking back, It was by the Grace of God that I came out Okay. A little thinner and real tired. But It was something that I just wanted to do. I wanted to overcome my fears. I was afraid of getting lost. That was my main fear. I had plenty of maps but still that fear was there. Also I had never been out in the woods over night by myself. It totally was a new experience for me. It certainly was very physical and mentally hard but It was on of my best experiences I have ever had. I loved the solitude and the peacefulness. The sound of hearing my horses munching on hay at night was comforting in some strange way. Eating lunch on the side of a mountain just can't compare. Anyway I did again the following year and had a better time. Its been a few years and I feel Like I'm really longing for it again. Maybe this Sept. From the beginning my family was against it and for good reason. My wife was not happy about it but she tolerated it. If your longing to do a solo trip. Just make sure your in the best shape you can possible be. Know the area, study the maps. I think for first timers a GPS and Satellite phone is must. One of the lessons I learned is that every action matters or can have some serious consequences. Pay attention to everything your are doing. That's my .02.

Gilbert

[LongbowArchitect]

I enjoy solo elk hunting in Colorado when my son and son-in-law aren't able to join me except for one thing. It is hard enough to pack 250# of boned-out meat 6 miles out of the wilderness area with 3 of us but to attempt to do it by myself is probably a little too crazy. Whenever I hunt solo I do it for the love of hunting but part of me hopes that I will not down an elk. So far so good because I've only killed elk when I'm not hunting solo.