Deer Hunting sure has changed for me.

[Gobbler Chaser]

Started at 14 coming up from LI to hunt in Dutchess County. We stayed at an Inn about 20 of us. Hunting camp was a blast and the memories and stories were something else.  We started in 1974 and did this yearly ritual for decades, seemed it would never end.

Well now at 66 it's down to me and my old friend Frank. We're the last two and hunt my property in Ulster Country now. We've hunted together for 50 yrs.

All the other guys are gone, many sadly have died off, many just lost interest, others moved south. 

My buddy Frank will be retiring come summer and his wife is going to drag him to Florida. We don't talk about it much, end of an era I guess.

Sitting out in the woods I can still hear the voices and stories of our long gone crew and think of the good times we had. Almost a bit erie when I'm out in the woods now.

Now I realize it wasn't all about the deer we shot or that new rifle, it was about the people. Those were some times.

[DoubleDose]

Unfortunately and sad, but same experience.  Grew up hunting with 2 generations of family and friends.  Had the same attrition and will add that the third generation has no interest.  None.  No ones third generation hunts.

[bugsNbows]

Same here. Our long time (since 1966 at least) hunt ritual at our cabin in Steuben is over. Only my wife and I are left. We both have some medical issues to be addressed, so no trip to NY this year. Maybe next year if I'm still vertical.

 

PS. On a good note, we did get to meet Pygmy and his bride a couple of times! LOL

[rob-c]

Agreed, I’m only 52 started at 16 at my cousins hunting camp. Used to be several of us at the camp for years and 8 years ago it was just my cousin, myself , wife and my oldest son.
My cousin had been retired for a bit and moved to NC and sold the camp 7 yrs ago now . So we started leasing hunting property and my son decided he didn't want to hunt anymore last year as he started a new job and was super busy. 

So now it’s just the misses and I , and I truly do love doing everything with her . But man how things have changed these past several years. It looks like our current lease we’ll  hopefully be on it for some time as our last  2 we’re sold. So now I hope we can make a few memories on this property . 

[Grouse]

Everything changes.  I always knew things wouldn't last forever.  What we need to do is keep things going with new blood.  Old friends go but new ones can be added. Change is inevitable, but we can make it work for us and maybe even find better times then we had in the old days.  I'm always looking for new recruits that are deserving of membership.

 

[Merlot]

Our hunt camp is still hanging on, and I will participate for as long as I can. Will be 69 next month and the clock is ticking. Had a dozen guys at camp for opening day some 50 years ago, and I was the young buck. Guess I'm the old guy now. 

Just a couple of us "Young" guys left from that time. Great memories though. Will keep pushing forward and see where things go. Good luck to all.

Perhaps hunting is going away sooner than we all expect...like the dinosaurs. Just not enough of us to sustain this wonderful pastime. 

[airedale]

Hunting overall has changed, I believe that the loss of small game hunting is the biggest single factor in hunting's downturn. When I was a kid everyone hunted and small game season was looked forward to back then the same as Deer hunting season. Put a kid behind a good Beagle running Rabbits or in a good Squirrel woods, in a blind overlooking a good waterfowl pond, whacking woodchucks at long range on a nice summer day, when youngster gets to see plenty game and get to fire their firearms more than one time a season it makes a big difference in the fun factor department. Sitting in a tree stand freezing your ass off all day, day after day is not fun for most newbies and easy to see why hunting is not their cup of tea.

Like little league baseball and peewee football start out small, get hooked and grow into it.

Al

Edited November 17, 2022 by airedale

[Grouse]

True.  I used to love opening day of small game season.  Pheasant, grouse, rabbit, squirrel, fox, quail and even ducks were there for the taking, so the day was full of promise.  I really miss the 1970's.

[TACC]

Unfortunately and sad, but same experience.  Grew up hunting with 2 generations of family and friends.  Had the same attrition and will add that the third generation has no interest.  None.  No ones third generation hunts.

Disagree, this year we are going to have 4 generations in the woods at the same time.

My dad is 83 and my grandson is 7.

And we will be having plenty of venison to feed all of our families.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[phantom]

I use to hunt with 6 guys now down to one  besides me , they  Either passed away or just not in best of health to go anymore. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by phantom

[Gobbler Chaser]

Seen too many of us head off to gated communities in the land of sunshine and lollypops or just get to a point where walking the woods or heading out into the cold are just impossible . And like previously mentioned the young generation has no interest. Maybe tomorrow I'll post pics of old rusted ladder stands and makeshift wood perches that are dilapidated and are the only remains of my former hunting buddies still on my property. I leave them there as kinda monuments. My son said dad let's get rid of that old crap. I told him wait till your dad's not around anymore and do as you please.

[GreeneHunter]

Back in the day I used the old screw in steps (private land) , now I'd be taking my life in my hands trying to do that (old geezer) so I'm sticking with the Ladder Stand . On my property there is a stream and on the other side of the stream (not my property) there was always the Pumpkin Suit Parade early morning , have not seen a Pumpkin Suit in over ten years . The Parade unknowingly kicked lots of Deer my way , now myself and Son and hunting buddy take turns driving them over !

[Nytracker]

Big changes . We use to hunt all day now its a few hours in the morning and evening . Someday I will sneak out and hunt midday. We don't drive deer persay as much as we will sit a couple guys on escape routs and we will still hunt  into an area for an hour or so then the the sitters will work towards the first group of pushers while they sit. Only do that one or two days a season . Back when I started hunting never heard of tree stands . Had a cousin that use to pull himself up into an oak tree. All the old timers would admonish him for doing something so unsafe. We use to cover miles while hunting now its hundreds of yards. Use to have drive days dozen hunters or more. Drive entire  hill sides. This year it feels off for me I want to hunt wife is going . We are not prepared like years past. I didn't get out for crossbow . New job and home things kept me out . The warm weather didn't put me much in the mood . I will be happy if I get 2 meat deer in the freezer. 

Monday I have a steelhead  float trip planned on the salmon river. Hopefully  the snow storm doesn't shut that down. 

[LET EM GROW]

I hope you guys can still reconnect a time or two each fall. Hope he can make the drive up or you can meet in the middle or possibly hunt FL deer? I know how you feel, I didn't get to enjoy it as long as you did. But my hunting camp weve owned for 30 years now. It was my dad, my b rother myself, my grandfather, dads best bud and his son. It was great times. good laughs, good memories, My dad passed in '16.. and his buddy did a few months ago. His son and I as well as my brother want to kind of get back to our roots as kids but its hard with life, I cant hunt a whole lot with my family needs. Id be lucky to stay the night at camp without them a night a year. It just doesn't feel the same anymore and its a bit sad to say the least. But i guess that's life for some.. I started hunting at camp before legal age and now at 36 my brother and I own the property together. ITs still my home away from home. I just don't get to use it as often as id like.. even though im only 30 minutes away at most. Drive over hunt quick, head home.. Kind of takes the joy out of hunting some days..     Probably why i rarely hunt solo anymore.. I enjoy the comradery more than the hunt itself..    

[heavuser]

On 11/18/2022 at 6:09 AM, GreeneHunter said:

Back in the day I used the old screw in steps (private land) , now I'd be taking my life in my hands trying to do that (old geezer) so I'm sticking with the Ladder Stand . On my property there is a stream and on the other side of the stream (not my property) there was always the Pumpkin Suit Parade early morning , have not seen a Pumpkin Suit in over ten years . The Parade unknowingly kicked lots of Deer my way , now myself and Son and hunting buddy take turns driving them over !

Hopefully you are still strapping in when going up and down your ladder stand otherwise you are still taking your life in your hands. Stay safe.

[suburbanfarmer]

On 11/18/2022 at 8:14 AM, LET EM GROW said:

I hope you guys can still reconnect a time or two each fall. Hope he can make the drive up or you can meet in the middle or possibly hunt FL deer? I know how you feel, I didn't get to enjoy it as long as you did. But my hunting camp weve owned for 30 years now. It was my dad, my b rother myself, my grandfather, dads best bud and his son. It was great times. good laughs, good memories, My dad passed in '16.. and his buddy did a few months ago. His son and I as well as my brother want to kind of get back to our roots as kids but its hard with life, I cant hunt a whole lot with my family needs. Id be lucky to stay the night at camp without them a night a year. It just doesn't feel the same anymore and its a bit sad to say the least. But i guess that's life for some.. I started hunting at camp before legal age and now at 36 my brother and I own the property together. ITs still my home away from home. I just don't get to use it as often as id like.. even though im only 30 minutes away at most. Drive over hunt quick, head home.. Kind of takes the joy out of hunting some days..     Probably why i rarely hunt solo anymore.. I enjoy the comradery more than the hunt itself..    

Its always the people and moments we remember that we strive to recreate, maybe expand the club and take in more members with annual fees in sweat equity.. just a thought

[First-light]

I think that story can be told by many members out there. I see that in my neighbors camp. Only 5 this year, 10 years ago it was 15 buzzing with energy. I have to say that tradition of camp must go on. My neighbor makes it a priority that the kids get out there and work the property so they can use it to hunt. I told my daughter this year while in stand that one day this camp will be you and your sisters. There are your cousins that come up here to help out and hunt. They and their children get priority to the property. Keep camp alive it's a family tradition!

[TACC]

Just an update to this, yes we had our family with 4 generations in the woods at the same time and we had 3 out of the 4 of us harvest does for the freezer.

Next year God willing all 4 generations will connect.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[suburbanfarmer]

53 minutes ago, TACC said:

Just an update to this, yes we had our family with 4 generations in the woods at the same time and we had 3 out of the 4 of us harvest does for the freezer.

Next year God willing all 4 generations will connect.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Congrats on the freezer fillers but your example is now an anomaly and sadly no longer the majority

[LET EM GROW]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:23 AM, suburbanfarmer said:

Its always the people and moments we remember that we strive to recreate, maybe expand the club and take in more members with annual fees in sweat equity.. just a thought

I joined a lease a 1/2 mile down the road with some other guys who were gracious enough to let me join. I don't get to spend the time with them that id like to but at least get to communicate and live through it with group texts back and forth. My son is my priority right now and he needs me. For now and the future moving forward, its all about the kids, mine and their friends, getting them involved and making smiles. I'm not to worried about me living those days again, but I want todays youths to be involved in the outdoors, with Time and as my kids grow, we will be able to get back to my roots and enjoy camp how it should be..   

[Doc]

This has been a very depressing topic. So many of you putting into words the thoughts that have been running through my mind for quite a while. I'll be 79 in less than a month. Just about 63 years of hunting. Damn, I have seen all kinds of changes in hunting. I have also seen hunting partners leaving the ranks with the few that back-fill lasting only a few years. I have watched a time when opening day of deer season was an excused absence from high school to today where we rely on special youth seasons to try to pry their fingers of the electronic gadgets, and even that has limited or very temporary success. It is a losing battle. The sport is constantly under attack and our adversaries are winning.

I am still hanging on to an activity and attitudes that have had top priority almost all my life, but I too have seen so many of my friends and acquaintances drop out without replacements. This core activity that so much of my life has been defined by is losing all significance in what this world is becoming. That is a sad thing, and this topic merely adds credence to the thoughts that have run through my mind in recent years. But as has already been mentioned, change happens. That is just a fact of life.