Hunting Alone with Dog

I almost always hunt alone these days. Having a good dog out front working cover is a better experience to me then a hunter on each side or even in sight.
I don't look a bird hunting as being dangerous or taking chances. Your trip to and from is much more dangerous. IMO.
I wonder some times about my hikes into the mountains and badlands. But what the heck, when I go, might as well check out doing something I love. :)
 
I always hunt alone (with the dog of course). In fact yesterday was the first time I pheasant hunted with someone since opening day. I just dont like deviating from my plan of attack, and if I hunt with someone they always want to do it differently. Maybe that's being selfish, but I like to hunt the way I like to hunt.
 
Spot

I hunt alone more times than not and my wife is always concerned like any good wife :), So she found a Satellite Personal Messenger called SPOT it is great has great reviews I would recommend it for any outdoors-man. www.findmespot.com First generation will cost you about $99 and the much better second generation $150 if you buy the first generation in the next couple of weeks there is a $50 mail in rebate, you can find this product at almost any local sports store. Anyways this is what I carry for those just in case moments.
 
I also recommend the Spot if you or your spouse is uneasy about hunting alone. I am well into my 60's and almost always hunt alone. I have used a Spot for big game hunting and chukar hunting altho I do not usually take it for pheasant.

The location it sends is very precise. It seems to get pretty good communications links as long as you are in the open. It may not work if there is a heavy tree canopy, or in a narrow, deep canyon. It has an optional tracking feature which is interesting.

One nice feature is that it has two levels of alert. One is an all out emergency signal in which supposedly public search and rescue efforts will be started. The other is a "help" signal in which persons you have previously designated will be notified you need help but that it is not a life or health threatening emergency. Good to have for a chukar hunter with a hopelessly stuck vehicle miles from a major road or habitation.
 
'SPOT'-On!

Thx for the advice/heads-up Recon (leave it to a military man) - I didn't even know such a thing existed...I will be purchasing a 'SPOT' for myself ASAP!...I do a lot of backcountry hiking & hunting alone - and whether in pursuit of pheasant or elk or whatever other type of game, I keep moving with the animals and/or current sign thereof until I'm wadin in the middle of em'...To leave only one particular location for my wife or anyone else to start looking for me if-&-when I don't show up is basically useless in my case - cause if I don't find what I'm lookin for where I'm at, I am gone with the wind until I do! :) ...This will be an excellent & long-overdue back-up safety tool for me!

BTW, sure hope we can hook up once or twice again & do a little more rooster-chasin before you have to leave for training!...MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours!!! :thumbsup:
 
Bob,
I would say that at least half of the time I do hunt alone. I've had great hunts with friends and family and have enjoyed them very much. But hunting alone has never bothered me one bit. There is something special about spending time with your dog that never gets old for me. Had a friend that had to back out of our first pheasant hunt to Kansas. I went anyway and had a blast. The driving can get a little boring when your alone but it never was a problem. I do let people know where I'm heading and try be safe but I wouldn't never consider not hunting just because I couldn't go with someone.

Scott
 
Agreed. However in my late 60's I am not very nimble in steep country and the Spot seems a reasonable safe step. It also greatly reduces the static I get from the spounse. At least she has a good chance of finding the body so she can collect on insurance.
 
How does Spot work? Like a cell phone signal? Or more like a radio signal?
 
mnmthunting said:
How does Spot work? Like a cell phone signal? Or more like a radio signal?
Click to expand...

It's GPS-based with a subscription service attached.

I like the idea, but was put off by the cost of subscribing since I'm rarely out alone. I did read a thread on a photography forum a while back where it saved a guys life in AR.
 
Bob,
On the original question/post on this thread, YES I too often hunt or do other outdoor activities alone...In younger days the ratio was very heavily in favor of solitary pursuits, but as I age & have already had much success in hunting (particularly bowhunting) and fishing over the course of my lifetime - I am finding that the ratio is currently about 50/50 between hunting alone (or just me & my dog) versus hunting with friends and extra canines...I am finding that I enjoy a little comraderie/fellowship much more with each passing year, but when push comes to shove & nobody else is willing or able to go - I will never be found sitting at home twiddling my thumbs - I still often go it alone!!! :)

Have made some good friends & hunting buddies on this forum, but my best memory still this year is just my dog & I on opening day taking our very first limit of CO roosters together!

Glad to hear about the handy little 'SPOT' mentioned on this thread...I have wanted something for years to help counter all my foolhardy spur-of-the-moment solitary jaunts into some brand new patch of "middle-of-nowhere"!...Guess I still do like the ADVENTURE aspect of exploring places that I have never been probably more than all the rest of it!!! :D

I do not worry so much about pheasant country with a farmhouse or road almost always somewhere nearby, but some of the big-game mountain outback territory I have a habit of roaming is downright scary to stop & think about what would happen IF...A man does start to think about these things a bit more as he ages! ;)
 
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