Hunting with a buddy, or buddies, is fun. It evokes the primitive in people, just a small human group out to find meat. The friendships you build with your fellow hunters are deep and last a lifetime.
If group hunts are so good, why would anyone hunt alone? Many reasons.
Perhaps your hunting partner, or partners, are not as physically fit as you and there is a remote area you love to hunt or always wished you could hunt. No offense to them, but you know they’d pose a risk to themselves out there, so you might decide to go it alone. Perhaps you live so far from “civilization” you have to depend on yourself to fill your freezer. Even more common, you have an odd work schedule and are seldom off the same days as your friends. Many locacarnivores are lone hunters.
Whether from necessity or just an urge to challenge yourself, if you decide to hunt alone, there are a few tricks to the trade, so to speak, which you won’t encounter on a group hunt. The LocaCarnivore staff have liked Steven Rinella’s MeatEater TV show since it debuted some time ago, and we find his videos well produced and informative.
If I had to add anything to the advice in this video, I’d stress the need to be extra-careful in the backcountry when you’re alone. Even with satellite phones and GPS, the fact remains if you get hurt, you are the only one on the scene to deal with the emergency. You may get hurt so bad, you can’t help yourself; even unconscious and can’t call for help. This means you must assess each situation for potential risk and develop and continually modify a “Plan B.” You can’t shake your fist at the wilderness and dare it to do its worst–you’ll lose every time.
Here’s Remi Warren from MeatEater to share his tips for lone hunting.
Other helpful stories:
Five Secrets to Spotting Game Animals
