Special Hunting Camaraderie

[WyoDoug]

I am going to put this here since no other place appears appropriate.

Something I notice over the years is that hunting buddies regardless of gender or background tend to develop a very tight bond or camaraderie. There is nothing I will not do to help one of my hunting buddies when they are in need. Whether it be helping them retrieve game, or raising funds because they are hurting, I would actually do that even if I am not hunting at the time.

This is very similar to the military. I am retired military and our bond was very tight and there was no one I served with that I would not take the bullet for if it came to that. (Lucky for me that never happened). I ran into a full bird colonel lady Marine that I once served with (she was a 1st Lieutenant, and I was a SSG E-6). She was wearing a silver star, bronze star, purple heart with a cluster and was missing part of her right leg. The feeling is very strong and would be the same if I met one of my hunting buddies that got shot up. She met IEDs in both Iraq and then again in Afghanistan as an MP commander.

This is why I want to get a small hunting group in Wyoming that I can fall in and can't wait to really get back into the sticks and shoot bull with my buddies.

 

[bushman13]

I think about this topic a lot. With my original hunting buddy (Dad) and my other hunting buddy (Brett) gone, are those bonds replaceable? I think about the years spent building those bonds and my cursory answer is no.

 

[WyoDoug]

I think about this topic a lot. With my original hunting buddy (Dad) and my other hunting buddy (Brett) gone, are those bonds replaceable? I think about the years spent building those bonds and my cursory answer is no.

They are NOT replaceable. What I say happens is you build NEW friendship and new camaraderie. That can be every bit as powerful if you allow it to happen but if you build a block between yourself and other prior hunting relationships, then true, you can't build new ones. You have to allow it to happen and I am in the same boat. All my uncles and my dad that I went hunting with are now gone and I am trying hard to find new hunting buddies to pal with and talk smack around the camp fire.

To add to this as Randy would tell you, you will always wonder what if you had done this or done that. Once someone is gone, you wish you had done it. You can't get the job done if you don't just get out and do it. Hunting buddies make the job a bunch easier and a whole lot more fun and that is what I am after. I aim to live life as full as I can for the time I got left and hopefully leave hunting stories and memories of my own behind.

 

[ntodwild]

Hunting partners as well as Military happen to be a very special bond for most. My hunting partner of 30 years now keeps telling me he's getting long in the tooth but I won't have any of it. He is 13yrs older than I at 66 but I refuse to let him slow down. I hound him all year just to keep him honest and in perspective. I don't like to think much about the days we don't hunt together anymore and very rarely do, just enjoy the time (both retired now) we have to get out (almost 6 months out of the year). I guess we all sit back and think what if or I should have done this or that.............I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to retire early and didn't hesitate despite all the horror stories and people telling me not to do it. I have not regretted a moment. The first few years were a bit slow but once I got the hang of being a free spirit so to speak it's all just fallen into place. I have a wonderful wife who supports all my silliness and my over 70 days in the field the last two years (73 last season to be exact) so that surely helps. Now that my longtime hunting partner retired last year it's really been a whirlwind. My son is in his first year of college and I can't wait for him to establish himself so we can be a team regularly (3-5yrs hopefully). I am hoping he takes over the "hunting" reins and pushes me into my late 60's and 70's. Fingers crossed.

It's always the highlight of my season every year when we all find ourselves around a campfire talking about "remember when". Rain or shine it happens, regardless of who's in camp (new guys or lifelong friends).

I think sometimes this stuff gets lost on the new generations who tend to look at hunting as macho, man against beast thing and forget to soak in the human elements of it all........