Keeping the Fire in your belly...

[2rocky]

For those of you in your 40's and older, with a career and a family...

..Did you experience a dipping in your excitement about hunting when you started achieving some of those goals you had when you were younger?

How do you keep motivated after you fill that long shot draw tag, go on the hunt of a lifetime, achieve what seemed impossible, eclipse your goal?

It is tough when looking back seems brighter than looking forward...

 

[NoWiser]

My key has been a consistent diet of tag soup...

 

[glass eye]

I'm 52 and knowing that time is not my friend, I try and do at least 1 once-in-a-lifetime hunt every year. I'm far from rich but I'm very frugal. I'm trying to do the more strenuous alpine type hunts first while I still can.
Waterfowling became boring hunting the same places for the same species, so hunting sea ducks in Alaska lit a fire under me.

 

[Rooster52]

At near 63 my back country elk hunting is getting tough to do. Doing more small game now days.
Doing more closer to home hunting now.This might be my last year of traveling from Michigan to the western states.
The ride alone is getting rougher.

 

[Zach]

Birthing coming up soon?

As I'm looking at my past goals, I'm now planning on accomplishing some of those with the kids.

 

[shoots-straight]

It seems that the times have been changing with or without me. So I go with the flow. I'm doing more archery antelope, more trapping, and taking more family members out than I use too.

I don't get as excited about white tailed deer hunting because access is harder for me. So I do what I can.

It seems that archery Elk hunting changes every year so I have to keep moving and reaching out to look for Utopia. (Still looking)

That's enough to keep me going.

Right now I'm matching wits with an ever educated wolf population.

 

[mixedbag]

I have the same problem with getting excited to hunt here in my home state.I do hunts in different states and try new animals as much as possible.That makes it very exciting for me.This year will be my dream hunt in Alaska for moose.How can you not get excited about that.When I elk/antelope or mule deer hunt out west,I tryand hunt new spots each trip.I know odds are way better hunting same units each year,but once I figure out a spot its no fun anymore

 

[SFC B]

The only real did I have had in my 13 years of hunting has been the 5 years I spent in Europe courtesy of Uncle Sugar. That almost did me in. First, in Italy there was ZERO opportunity and very few wild animals to even be seen. Then in England there was game EVERYWHERE and between regulations and cost I was SOL again. Now I have the excitement of taking the kids (when I can get them out of school) and looking forward to hunting with them and grandkids to come. I have come to love the west so much that just getting out is the majority of what is needed for me....filling tags and the freezer are just big bonuses!

 

[sbhooper]

I am 60 and my biggest problem is justifying the expense for the out-of-state crap. I can hunt out my back door and keep my freezer full. Elk get tougher every year, as that climb and pack-out gets worse all the time.

At least I am blessed to have lots of opportunity for fish, fowl and deer close to home.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

For those of you in your 40's and older, with a career and a family...

..Did you experience a dipping in your excitement about hunting when you started achieving some of those goals you had when you were younger?

How do you keep motivated after you fill that long shot draw tag, go on the hunt of a lifetime, achieve what seemed impossible, eclipse your goal?

It is tough when looking back seems brighter than looking forward...

Rocky.....I am 47 and my hunting has definitely slowed a bit over the years due to young kids and getting married.Has the excitement slowed....it's changed a lot. I look forward to taking my son and daughter, they both love to go with me. Here in NY we are not the promised land for whitetails so due to lack of access to good ground I'd say yea my excitement has dipped but again now it's about my kids so any deer we take we are thrilled. I have been out west a few times and again....doing my job as a father and living on eastern long island really has cut down on my out of state hunting. I have yet to draw my dream tag although I apply every year so that hunt of a lifetime still eludes me. ......One day I will kill an elk with my bow......

 

[hank4elk]

Rocky @ 60 I'm stoked still,living the dream. I have backed way off the stuff I used to do hunting,nuts stuff.
Scouting for mulies in the snow tomorrow and will probably put in for Gila Wilderness for elk and deer.
Each year is a possible hunt of a lifetime now...

 

[fulldraw]

At 65 I know my hunting seasons are numbered so I have no reason to not be motivated as your next hunt may be your last. Living here in Iowa I have some of the best whitetail hunting you could ask for and I spend roughly 30 days bow hunting each season and have for several years. I also go to Wyoming most every year to hunt muleys and elk when fortunate enough to draw. This year I am really motivated for Wyoming as I have 15 pp for moose and should be able to draw the area I want . I agree with Randy, hunt hard you are going to run out of health before you run out of money ,

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Now that I have small kids it's tougher than it used to be to go. Health care alone costs an arm and a leg for a family of 4 when you're self-employed.

I'm under 40 and wish I had a friend or 2 that would go do some archery elk hunts with me and I've got Alaska on the bucket list along with Barbary sheep. Not sure why I really want a Barbary so bad but those little suckers get me excited. The draw odds for most of the sheep hunts combined with shrinking odds have me less excited about sheep, etc then I used to be.

At some point I realized that big ones are great but hunting more often is higher on my priority list than trying to get the best tag in every state and missing opportunities so I try to mix opportunity hunts and trophy hunts to some extent.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

At 48 I feel like I am just reaching my peak as far as hunting ability and appreciation go. We had our boys young and they are all grown now. I spent many years mentoring them and putting my own goals aside so now I really appreciate getting some time to hunt for myself. I don't even feel guilty about it!

The one thing I have started doing is to pick one new and different goal each season to change up the grind. It does get old struggling thru the same old struggles every year.

 

[1_pointer]

Once I meet one goal, I just make another. I have quite the laundry list in my head. My biggest problem is there are too many things I want to try and not enough time/money with 2 young boys.

 

[idnative1948]

Luckily during my 40's, stressful job, two kids and wife; she always made sure I got away every year. I doubted spending $$ to do it and time away from family/work, but when the regs came out she always asked who would be going with me. I am one lucky guy. As always, it takes a day or so in the mountains to forget about all of the crap going on in one's life.

 

[BuzzH]

2rocky,

I think like SS, I try to help a handful of people out each year.

I also like to concentrate on the best available opportunities at any give time. Right now, elk hunting, IMO in a number of places is as good as its ever been, at least for me. So, I've tried to cash in on that with the hope that someday the deer and antelope situation here in Wyoming will change.

I was the least motivated hunting wise, that I have ever been this year...just never could focus on it 100%.

 

[Straight Arrow]

2rocky, do you have a 7mm08, a MR pack, or any Sitka gear for sale?

 

[2rocky]

I'm going to resurrect this thread as I'm looking at applying in CO and realizing I haven't done any research for a number of years.

Last year I helped a buddy fill a mule deer tag on a forky in NV. Never saw a legal buck in my unit in NM.

I'm going to to a 4 day trip to Western Oregon for Spring bear with a buddy.

I should draw a reduced price cow elk tag in Wyoming. Shooting for a hunt after the General Season.

Just looking for something to get my enthusiasm up.

 

[Happy Myles]

I am 82. Last Fall was the first time I can recall not hunting. The Covid virus complicated travel and then isolation occurred. Despite being ultra careful I still came down with the virus. This year i may not have the strength but we shall see. The fire is not as strong as it has been throughout my life, two years ago i was in Tanzania for 21 days and took eight head of plains game and four Cape buffalo one shot each, maybe that is a good place to stop.