Quitters

[BAKPAKR]

If you don’t start, you can’t be a quitter, right? Asking for a friend.

 

[Clarq]

I was a young college kid when I went on my first ever solo elk hunt (over the counter general tag). I arrived at the trailhead well before light and planned on covering several miles in darkness.

A short way into the hike, I bumped a herd of deer at close range. It was quite a startle. Then another herd of deer a short time later. At this point I was on edge and feeling a little jumpy, wondering what else was waiting for me in the darkness.

I rounded a corner and came face to face with a bedded cow moose inside 10 yards (back then I would have sworn it was within 10 feet, but now I wonder). I'm not sure who was more startled - me or her! We both ran in opposite directions, crashing through the brush as we went. Not in the mood to get trampled that morning, I stopped hiking and sat on a rock right there. I didn't quit hunting but I did wait until I had some light before continuing on.

I'll confess, I still get the creeps every time I hike the mountains solo in the dark. At this point I just deal with it.

 

[BirdManMike]

The topic that spawned this topic has made me think of some other instances of quitting...

Lightning storms or the possibility of them has ever-increasingly canceled many a plan in the mountains for me. Ive been caught in enough above the treeline that I never want to do so again, not without being somewhat settled. Not because it might storm while I am up there camping, but because it might storm while I am getting there. Meaning, Ive canceled plans for hikes or even weekends because weather is storms are predicted (confidently predicted, not some low percent) when I am on the move, on the move with a bunch of crap with me and with no plans for shelter. I hate worrying about this, and its the only real concern I have, but worry I do and I just cant help it.

 

[TwistedSage]

I quit on an amazing unit cow hunt one day early because everyone we saw and the weather reports kept talking about a major winter storm moving into the area. We broke down came and hunted our way out on the second to last day, before the storm was due to come in that evening. I don't regret leaving camp but I do wish that we just stayed in the closest town motel and saw if we could make it back in the next day perhaps? I don't know, could have been epic. Or we could have also not even made it up the road. I do wish I gave it a try though.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

I quit dipping, college football, and wild women. I regret one of them sometimes.

 

[rogerthat]

I quit dipping, college football, and wild women. I regret one of them sometimes.

Yeah I miss football too

 

[Kiwi]

I quit an CO early season high country deer tag a couple of years ago.

The altitude got to me and I didn't allow enough time to acclimatize, a lesson I have learnt. My buddy told me I needed to head to lower country and fortunately he didn't really give me a choice, not sure what would have happened if I didn't have his help.

I did return to slightly lower country a week later and had no issues (or deer).

 

[BAKPAKR]

an amazing unit cow hunt

Oxymoron?

 

[Hem]

Oxymoron?

Or just oxy?

 

[Gerald Martin]

Does staying in bed when the alarm goes off because it’s raining and nasty outside count as quitting? - asking for a friend.

 

[mtmuley]

Does staying in bed when the alarm goes off because it’s raining and nasty outside count as quitting? - asking for a friend.

Goat hunt, or just a whitetail B tag or something? mtmuley

 

[KipCarson]

I quit my first job when I was 15 as a dishwasher/busboy at a local catfish restaurant because hunting season started. I wasn’t about to give up all of my evening hunts every weekend for the entire season. They hired me back in February with the knowledge that I’d probably do the same thing come October. Which I did. Then they hired me back again. I must’ve been doing a good job for them.

As far as quitting on hunting trips I can’t say that I have. I’ve quit on spots and moved, but stayed hunting. I’ve always stayed the entire time I had scheduled for an hunt. It always seriously irks me when I see people who draw good tags and then only give it a go one weekend or not at all. If you won’t take it seriously why apply? I know this is likely an unpopular opinion but go buy an otc tag somewhere and don’t waste the limited opportunity that someone else actually values. I know life gets in the way sometimes and there are extenuating circumstances here and there but that’s not what I’m talking about.

I did quit applying for big 3 tags/points. Moneys always tight and I feel like I’m burning money buying something that’s about as useless as a poweball ticket. I’m feel I’m just being realistic and not kidding myself, by the time a drew I’d I figure I’ll likely be too old and physically limited to do a sheep or goat hunt justice. I simply started too late in life I think.

On home ground around here though, I LOVE quitters! The weekend warriors who go a couple of times and are over it by Thanksgiving, or would rather sit at home and watch a football game are the best hunting neighbors to have!

 

[OntarioHunter]

I quit moose hunting here almost twenty years ago. It just got to be such a horrible shitshow of money grabbing mismanagement and wanton resource depletion, I decided I didn't want to be part of the problem any longer.

 

[Derek44]

Goat hunt, or just a whitetail B tag or something? mtmuley

Work????

I want to quit every time the alarm goes off.

 

[Flatrock]

I've had a few hunts where I quit early or didn't give it my best. I kept those unfilled tags and now put them in my pack when I go on a hunt. If I'm starting to struggle on a hunt, I'll pull out those tags and look at them. They're damn good motivation to keep hunting hard and not give up.

 

[TwistedSage]

Oxymoron?

Lol maybe so. But when only hopes of a tag in the sate is through a draw yes cow tags can be amazing too. One of the prettiest places I've ever been.

It was still a once in a lifetime cow tag if that justifies the sting at all. Had a opportunity I blew opening morning too. Still hurts.

 

[hank4elk]

2years ago I had walked into the cows 3 mornings in a row. The 3rd time I just bust out laughing at myself.
My WI buddy showed up a couple hours later and I was still laughing at myself. We spent the next 2 days getting his cow tag filled and we listened to JP and laughed cutting up his cow the second day.
I just went to work getting his tag filled and passed the last 2 days of my hunt.
So I quit on my tag.
Makes me a quitter I guess.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

Yeah I miss football too

Yeah.. football..

 

[Gerald Martin]

Goat hunt, or just a whitetail B tag or something? mtmuley

Hunts with OTC tags that can be experienced every year.

I think hunting comes in two different categories for me. There’s the epic, OIL or destination hunts where success has a notched tag as a very high priority and discomfort, hard work and overcoming challenges are just part of the mix. I’ve never quit one of those kinds of hunts. The type 2 challenges are part of the package.

As I get older and have experienced quite a few of those kinds of hunts myself or in support of friends, I find myself also drawn to process type hunts where OTC tags or easily accessible tags are mostly viewed as an opportunity to kill an animal should it be encountered or should I be in the mood to when I encounter it. I’ve “quit” a lot on those types of hunts. “Quit” in the form or sleeping in, drinking another cup of coffee, sitting on a ridge BS’ing with a hunt partner or something similar. I’ve ended some hunts a day or days early to go spend more time at home before going back to work, and I’ve also canceled day hunts when either myself or a partner had a change of desire for going out that day.

I think I can confidently say that I’ve never been the guy that has ever held someone else back by not being willing to put forth as much effort as they wanted to when it was their hunt or something that they wanted to do.

One thing that I cannot fathom is how someone who draws an OIL type tag would burn vacation time hunting an OTC tag during the prime time of when their OIL tag could be filled.

I’ve heard of multiple people with Mountain goat tags going antelope hunting rather than using their time to make another attempt at finding a billy.
I can’t even wrap my mind around that. Especially, when the goat tag is in a unit that goes from difficult, to nearly impossible once serious snow begins to accumulate in mid-October.

In my experience, the most important part of not being a “quitter” on OIL type hunts when things get discouraging is to have done the relational legwork of finding the kind of hunting partners who will support logistically and keep you focused on the goal when discouragement or doubt makes you question your commitment to doing whatever it takes to succeed. On all of my “epic” special draw hunts I have been blessed with such partners.

I have also been that type of partner for a lot of those folks who accompanied me and that has allowed me to be part of even more amazing experiences without any pressure of being the tag holder. Many of those hunt experiences rank just as high in my memories as my own hunts.

 

[SwaggyD]

I’m a quitter. I have a whitetail buck and antelope buck in my freezer. Zero chance anyone could talk me out of quitting on my elk tag. #imquitting