My enthusiasm for hunting this year is well not very enthusiastic

[rob-c]

Can’t really figure it out, we scored a new lease and when we walked it it’s loaded with deer trails, lots of acorns , there’s a small creak at the bottom,  mix of hard woods and pine  etc. so it looks like it will be productive spot. But I just am not getting pumped about hunting this new property. Guess I have to many home projects that I need to get done and has me preoccupied. 

So anyone else ever has this problem?

Only other time in my life that I didn’t have interest was right after my dad died . I didn’t hunt for two years.

[Jeremy K]

The place I've been hunting one of my spots for the last 12 or so years and we never really take or see deer , it super convenient but the hunting Is really slow.

[NFA-ADK]

I have had ups and downs with deer hunting, last year was a down year for me for a few reasons.  One thing I really do enjoy is watching that sun rise and set and simply thinking about life and nature.  Just seeing deer makes me happy, probably why I don't shoot them so much but simply enjoying the woods and some good company sometimes gets your mind off bad things and back on track with being optimistic an in the right frame of mind.

Good luck this year, get out and enjoy, never know how many years you have left so take advantage while you can and get out!  One of my goals is to try and get a new friend a deer this year, I have found more enjoyment from teaching and helping others than actually taking one for myself.    

Sometimes all it takes to get you back into it is one good day in the woods, good luck, hope you get out often! 

[grampy]

I'm hoping as the season gets closer, I will get more excited. But honestly, since spring, I have been far too busy with EVERYTHING!  I really am not that stoked about hunting this year at all. Been out on the boat twice, that's it.  Last year health issues kept me down. Those same issues are starting to give me trouble again lately. Back to the doc's right after Labor Day. I hope to help my grandson get his first deer this year!! I do look forward to that! But other than that, if I go, I go. No big deal. Very difficult to draw my bow anymore as well. Just not feeling it.........

Hunting for me now is more about R and R, than killing deer.  

 

 

[wooly]

Not too pumped myself, but I've been feeling this way for quite a few years now.

If it wasn't for hunting with my sis, I'm sure I would have thrown in the towel by now and found something else to do with my fall seasons. I'm perfectly fine with never killing another deer myself, but still enjoy time in the woods with her and seeing her connect.

I think hunting was just a fad for me, and a phase I was going through for the last 30 years,lol.

I got other crap to do now besides freeze my balls off at natures shooting gallery! 

I lost my biggest, best, and closest piece of property to hunt this year as well, so that puts a damper on things a LOT!

I wasn't joking when I said I'd probably be running the saw all season,lol

[helmut in the bush]

Try mixing it up, give this a try, it gets my blood pumping. 

 

 

[Swamp_bucks]

Im that way this year. Ive thrown in the towel on bowhunting until november.  Except for taking my nephew out. Havent even given thought to my lease.  Ill get more pumped to go the closer it gets as long as i can keep knocking projects off my to do list.

[BigVal]

Once the cold nights start and the leaves turn I'll be way more into it, I'm excited for some good hunting in a few weeks for now!

[dbHunterNY]

hard to get pumped when it's 90 degrees out with 80% humidity.  i think a lot of people get burned out when they put in lots of time and can't get over not tagging deer enough for their efforts.  it's nice to commit to the season though and decompress, relax, and let things not be so busy or urgent.  how i keep my sanity.

[ny hunter]

Feeling the same way,Have not felt the itch yet..

[Doc]

Yeah.....The weather doesn't even begin to make a person think of hunting, As the temperatures drop and that magical time with the leaves turning, even those that have no intent of drawing blood will be out there just to be out there.

Some of us are getting older and a bit broken, and that does make it a struggle to work up the energy and enthusiasm. I am surrounded with "killer" hills, and legs and hips and such are starting to break down a bit. So it takes a bit of effort to head up the hill. Morning hunts are already very rare, but I still put in the best effort I can muster. No problems with the archery aspect. I an still pulling enough bow, and the marksmanship is still holding up pretty good. But the energy expended just getting to the good spots is waning a bit.

[CharlieNY]

I go through this every year until the weather changes. I have no desire to walk in the woods and get hot and sweaty, get attacked by every kind of insect that exists, and get a dose of poison ivy. As soon as the weather changes and I can get out on a cool morning, the only thing that bites me is the hunting bug and then it's game on. Then the bow and 3-D target come out in the backyard followed by a trip to the gun range. I have gone through this for 50 years now and it is the same every year. Be patient. The hunting bug will bite soon.               valoroutdoors.com 

[turkeyfeathers]

Lost our dirt , not sure what sections to apply for dmps , shot bow for first time ever yesterday, this year has been rough so can’t say really enthusiastic either. But .... freezer is empty   Hoping for first archery deer , my daughters second gun deer , , one with my dads 30-40  Krag.  

[Jdubs]

So much going on this summer that any thoughts of hunting have been limited.  I haven't even hung cams yet.  Heck, I still need to buy a new xbow and practice with it!  Ugh, I suck.

On the plus side, this small hunt zone requires minimal prep time and that 'hunting mode' switch will likely flip on as soon as the first signs of Fall arrive.  I cut my teeth on the xbow platform last year so a new xbow should be a short learning curve.  I can't see being "out of it" for much longer.  Besides, I really want to get my first xbow harvest this year.  We all need a "Why" to stay motivated.

[wolc123]

My enthusiasm increases as our venison supply decreases.  The grind has been going especially fast lately, and I hope it lasts until mid-October when northern zone crossbow and ML season open up.  The first deer this year will all go into grind, except the backstraps and tenderloins.   I have been ramping up the target practice, on the back deck with the BB gun, and hope to have the zero checked on all the real guns and crossbow by Labor day weekend.     

[jmark]

Well, jeez, maybe it's because I've only been at this for a few years now, but I am totally stoked about it this year.  My son (who just turned 14) and I got our archery licenses this year, and I have a new bow setup that I love.  The boy has had surgery and may not be able to draw a bow in time, but I'm getting him a decent crossbow.  We just bought property in Greene County that has deer (and turkey, and bear, etc.), and I'm already in the process of putting in a "shed" (12*24) for us to use as a hunting shack.  We both have good rifles, and muzzleloaders.  And each got DMP's in nearby units.  

Never felt better!  

(Maybe it can be a little contagious?)  

jm

 

[Lawdwaz]

You guys just send me your DMP............

I'll dole 'em out judicially to those in need.

[Daveboone]

I have an obsession with the fall, and wait eagerly for it ….from the time winter starts! I look forward to deer hunting, but not as much as when we had more folks to get out with. Summer is so busy, it is difficult to think about it too much, but as seasons go by the actual bagging of a deer is much less important, though I still want the venison. I am lucky enough to be going to Newfoundland this fall (September) for moose, and as a result I wont spend anywhere near as much time hunting as usual, but am sure I will spend as much time as ever up a the camp enjoying the season.

[GreeneHunter]

Years ago my hunting partner was my brother-in-law .... him and sis divorced and he moved and we have not hunted together since . We dragged alot of deer out of the woods together . That slowed me down for a few years but now my son hunts with me and he drags .

[moog5050]

Well I am excited.   Especially looking forward to hunting with my daughter and friends.   Fill the freezer, maybe kill a wall hanger but regardless enjoy the woods, peace and quiet.

I do become indifferent about fishing some years.  This is one.  Probably because I have been doing it so long and caught my fair share of great fish.  Who knows but that isn’t the case with hunting.   I probably did more preseason work than ever this year.  

Edited August 11, 2018 by moog5050

[Pygmy]

I'm looking forward to SQUIRREL season, just to get out and shoot something that is good to eat..

As far as deer go, I could give a hoot about shooting a trophy....I have  sold and given away many of my trophies...

I still want to go out and shoot a deer or two for the freezer, though.

I am spending tomorrow discing up a couple of my fall food plots...I'll be tickled pink to shoot a doe or perhaps a raghorn buck over them this fall..

[grampy]

I just reread my previous post, and it seems a bit down to me now. I'm very lucky to be busy the way I am! I'm working full time and keeping up with three different properties. Seeded the last plot tonight after work, before the next bout of rain moves in. So I am preparing for hunting season!Tomorrow will start hanging cams. Sometimes I'm just so busy, I don't take the time, to just sit back and and enjoy the fruits of my labor. It's always on to the next thing that needs to get done. How did growalot manage all the stuff she did? Hmmm...I'll have to ask her sometime! lol. Anyways, I just finished my biggest annual project at work, so things will start getting easier there.

No doubt when the leaves begin to change, and the first cool spell comes, with a hint of fall in the air. My thoughts will turn to the deer woods. It really isn't all about the kill for me anymore. As I have nothing to prove. It's all about sharing time with friends and family, seeing sunsets and sunrises, being alone with my thoughts. Its when I feel most alive. It's when I'm really me!

I know I'm closer to the end of my hunting time, than the beginning. But no doubt, when the time comes and my body can't make it to the hunting woods. My mind will always take me there. And a smile will crease my lips, as my heart warms my soul, thinking of a cool fall morning.

[moog5050]

13 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

I'm looking forward to SQUIRREL season, just to get out and shoot something that is good to eat..

As far as deer go, I could give a hoot about shooting a trophy....I have  sold and given away many of my trophies...

I still want to go out and shoot a deer or two for the freezer, though.

I am spending tomorrow discing up a couple of my fall food plots...I'll be tickled pink to shoot a doe or perhaps a raghorn buck over them this fall..

Don’t forget a trip up this way.  Raghorns are my specialty.  

[moog5050]

8 minutes ago, grampy said:

I just reread my previous post, and it seems a bit down to me now. I'm very lucky to be busy the way I am! I'm working full time and keeping up with three different properties. Seeded the last plot tonight after work, before the next bout of rain moves in. So I am preparing for hunting season!Tomorrow will start hanging cams. Sometimes I'm just so busy, I don't take the time, to just sit back and and enjoy the fruits of my labor. It's always on to the next thing that needs to get done. How did growalot manage all the stuff she did? Hmmm...I'll have to ask her sometime! lol. Anyways, I just finished my biggest annual project at work, so things will start getting easier there.

No doubt when the leaves begin to change, and the first cool spell comes, with a hint of fall in the air. My thoughts will turn to the deer woods. It really isn't all about the kill for me anymore. As I have nothing to prove. It's all about sharing time with friends and family, seeing sunsets and sunrises, being alone with my thoughts. Its when I feel most alive. It's when I'm really me!

I know I'm closer to the end of my hunting time, than the beginning. But no doubt, when the time comes and my body can't make it to the hunting woods. My mind will always take me there. And a smile will crease my lips, as my heart warms my soul, thinking of a cool fall morning.

You got plenty of years to go buddy and I have a blind ready for you too!

[philoshop]

I still enjoy sitting in the woods as the sun comes up and the critters start to move. It takes me about two minutes to walk out my back door and do that. Sometimes I'll take a camera but neither one that I own has an off-switch for the shutter sound, and often I just don't want to disturb the woods like that.

Things changed for me when I stopped focusing on "the kill" and started thinking more about the quality time in the woods.

I still hunt squirrels, Pygmy. As long as I don't have to walk too far. Hint, hint.