Trad Gang

I just can't seem to get myself in the mood to hunt.
It is like I am burned out. what can I do to get it back.        :(

what type of hunting do you usually do? maybe try out a diffrent style than your usual

any and every king, and mostly solo.

maybe thats the problem.....I always have much more fun when someone joins me

Don't worry about it.  Hunting is part of what you do.  At times it is a LARGE part and at times it is a small part.  Do other things and if you feel like getting back out you will.  In the mean time, it is not a big deal unless you make it one.
ChuckC

If you send me all your hunting stuff, I will make sure it will see enough feild time and is well taken care of. That way you don't have to feel bad.

It's just a slump your in, you will get the urge back again. If not my offer does still stand.

Well that is nice and all, but I got no one anymore. My buddy quite once he got married (his wife hated him hunting), and now I live in a new state. 22 hour away from friends and family. I am sure it will not change, since I found it impossible to find a new hunting partner, our group to drop into, every one is so...... no out-side-rs. I guess I am just going to get over it or quite.

I just felt like talking about it here, maybe I can talk it out of my system.  :)

That's one of the reasons we are all here....to talk.

Take some of the pressure off yourself.  At worst, if you totally quit, you are no less a person, you just changed your priorities for a while.  Give it some time and stay open for possibilities.  Join a club, go to shoots, meet with other people who like to do this and you will find another partner... or more.
ChuckC

DOn't worry about it.  I took last year off because I had all sorts of family stuff going on.  This year I'm more fired up than I can remember in recent times.

Start a thread looking for tradgangers in your area. There are probably quite a few. It shouldn't be hard to meet good people and potential new friends through Tradgang.

There is also nothing wrong with giving hunting a rest. Hang onto your gear; we all go through phases. You may find yourself at the other extreme next year, chomping at the bit.

Tim

Take a break.  Go fishing  :wavey:    :)  ...Van

Why force yourself? I've had the same urges now and again, just wasn't in the mood. So I didn't. Played a little golf   :scared:   and did stuff around the house. Fortunatly for me it only took a couple weeks and I was ready to go again. Now the urge is stronger than ever. When the desire returns, you'll find a way.

Good Luck.  :thumbsup:  

LD

Hey, just don't buy groceries for a while. When you get hungry enough hunting may sound good again!  :biglaugh:

Sent the post before I could finish.
I am just geting over the same thing. Had some relatives and three pets die quite recently and it just seems odd to want to kill some thing. I will be after bear and sheep soon and maybe even a late season moose. Harvesting is part of life for me, no joy in the killing but great satisfaction in harvest and the consuption. Just picked a big bunch of blue berries and some lowbush cranberries, YUM!! Harvest!
I have also gotten alot of joy out of getting a new bow recently and learning more about shooting and tuning from this forum. (thanks all)
I shoot every day now, even if it's only a couple of arrows.   :archer:

You could always invite me out for some pheasant hunting  :bigsmyl:  
Seriously I haven't really bow hunted for the last couple of years. This year I'm concentrating on losing weight and getting in shape. I'm waiting for the temps to cool down then I'm going out again.

It will come around and if it doesn't it's not the end of the world.

I may not just be the hole hunting thing, I can't seem to motivate myself, I must be feeling home sick or something.

Take a break, maybe watch Primal Dreams. I try to hunt as much as I can, but sometimes I just dont feel like being in a tree, not a thing wrong with that either. You could take a drive, glass a few fields, take some photographs or knock on a few door. Take a drive to the nearest big city that might be just the ticket your looking for. I personally enjoy my time alone, but if you enjoy hunting with a buddy maybe someone on this site would be willing to. You might even start a new thread.
Good Luck, grt

well I called a guy I meet on her and we are going to chase some rabbits on Monday, so I hope that will do the trick.

I'm a gun nut and a passionate coyote hunter at heart.  Yet, ever since I've been a little kid that watched my Dad pick up his bow only a couple times the desire to be a true bare bow archer has always been there.  This year due to a number of factors I have shot firearms so little that the neighboring farmers must think I've died.  Truth is I've done more shooting this year than ever, just with arrows.  I'm sure my powder burning days are not near over but for this time in my life and with the encouragement I find on this forum it just isn't the thought that consumes every waking moment.  Archery is.  Right now for you it is not.  But that is ok.  Find something that helps you in the deepest recesses of your soul to fill the void you are experiencing at this present time.  If not bows and arrows then maybe a long walk, a hard game of tennis or pick up football at the park.  Whatever it takes.  But don't let yourself drop into a bluefunk so far that you don't think you can get out.  God's desire is for you to live an aboundant life (John 10:10).  Don't let any form of depression rob you of it.  My best friend allowed himself to be robbed and he robbed the rest of those who loved him dearly by leaving the scene.  So unnecessary!  Get out and find life where you are at and then share it with us.  
Christopher

If you have some of those big corn fed deer nearby I will come hunt with ya.never been to Iowa..I will even bring my bunny chasing hounds too...

some times we need to step back and reflect on why we do the things we do. sounds like you have reached a fork in the road and just need time to ponder over it. trust that a new challenge awaits you. the harder we try to figure things out some times the harder it is to find the answer. it will hit you when you least expect it, just give it some time and don't fret over it. if you enjoy being in the woods but just don't have the desire to hunt, maybe you could grab a camera and take some photos.

of course that's when that big ol buck will stroll by. they say a picture is worth a 1000 words.

good luck with your journey....

Hunting is only one aspect of archery...like 3-D competition, making gear, practicing, learning, scouting, going to club shoots, etc.  Sometimes the urge just goes away for awhile, sometimes for a long time, perhaps triggered by a bad circumstance or a hectic lifestyle or just plain getting tired or frustrated with old routines or the expectations or demands of others.  Like you, I'm lately finding myself becoming less interested in hardcore hunting, or 'clubbing' and conforming to modern mindsets about what archery and hunting is and isn't supposed to be.  Sometimes being a loner is the most satisfying aspect of this sport, because it teaches you to trust and live by your own perspectives and decisions, for better or for worse.  Sharing the experiences of hunting and shooting can be special if among kindred spirits, but sometimes the need to be true to yourself outweighs the need to fit in amongst the crowd.        

So don't worry, there's something to be said for independence and following your gut feelings, even if it leads you away from 'the norm' for awhile.  Hunt if and when you feel the urge, and in the meantime trust in yourself and your choices.  Though at times it can be enjoyable and fulfilling, you don't need the approval or direction of others to hunt, shoot, or decide whats best.  It is, after all, your life to live.  If and when the time comes that you want to revisit the hunt then so be it.  Until then, all the best and good luck in your journey...wherever it leads.

This Is A Great Site And The People On It Are Wonderful!!!   :archer:

... mike ...

Sometimes you feel like eating, and sometimes you don't. Relax, go wade fish on a steam in the hills. Go walking in the woods without a bow....you know what happens then.

I've been there, though for different reasons. I had a bum knee for years. It made getting around hell. I finally just lost interest in hunting because it wasn't worth the pain I had to go through to do it. Finally, I had knee replacement surgery. It took a couple more years for that to get healed up and feeling natural. Then I rediscovered traditional archery. Now I am almost as much of a fanatic as I was in my youth.

Laying off for a while won't hurt,nor does it make you a bad person. If/when the fire returns, hunting will be all the more rewarding.

Thanks guys, I feel a little better all ready.  :)

Wait for the weather to cool off. I am feeling the same way.. 90+ degrees is not fun to hunt in.

The first crisp cool morning it will come back.

good luck out there.

John III

XIA,

I must say, thanks for posting.  I have been struggling with the same thing this year and wasn't sure how to deal with it.  New State, new hunting areas, and no one to hunt with left me feeling a bit down about hunting.  Since then I have met some guys in my area (thanks to this site) and we are trying to get together for a hunt.  I am also going to be hunting whitetails for the first time in 4 years (since I moved from Wisconsin) in Montana AND Wisconsin and I hope that getting back to my roots and just sitting in a treestand will help me re-evaluate things.  Again thanks for posting, and thanks to others for their wise words.

Nathan

Last year i was going through a similar phase.  I had just moved to TN from Michigan where i grew up on a farm and only had to look out the back window to see deer at night.  Then i moved to Tennessee leaving all my hunting buddies my woods I knew like the back of my hand, every thing I was ever used to. So last season all I could think about was wanting to hunt but not so much where I was i had no one to go with deer are as no where as visible in TN as in MI and i just didn't think there were deer around.  this caused my motivation level to just plain bottom out.  And that's when for some reason i wanted to make a bow from a stick.  And found this site and by making my own bow and arrows i have found a desire to just get out there and enjoy the outdoors not so much the aspect of hunting.  just plain soaking up mother nature.  Thats what got me over it though.  It may have been the bow i made or just adjusting to somewhere where every one and everything is new.  I wish you guys the best of luck.  Just do what makes ya happy.

xia-sometimes you just need a break. I threw all of it out for almost a decade! Not recommending you do that, and I had a bunch of reasons to do so, but if that is what gets you straight as an arrow in life, then so be it.

As was mentioned before in this thread, perhaps you have reached a fork in the road. I did. It eventually led back to hunting and then back to traditional archery and now back to traditional archery hunting.

Take your time if you need to and don't be ashamed or confused at all. WE will be here, and your passion will always be there. Sometimes we just need something else to do.

I wish you well, and like all my true friends were......they understood, and never left.....even when I did.

Hey Xia I moved to Iowa about 3.5 years ago myself (from Michigan).  I know what you mean about no one to hunt with, I have a brother here but it still seems like its up to me to arrange everything and make all the plans.  I do enjoy my solo hunts but I have to agree having a good huntin partner around makes for a better time.  I had to start over with no contacts, no land, and no idea where to begin.  Now I have managed to secure 500 acres to lease and I hunt what public areas I can find that arent too crowded.

If you get the urge to give hunting a go again this fall maybe we can hook up on a weekend, I hunt about anything I can anytime I can.  Shoot me a PM if you are interested.

Id like to add one more thing , do not make the mistake of selling your archery gear . Im also dealing with a bad death in the family , moved to a new location , hard physical job and worries about making ends meet . I recently went through some physical problems that made just  shooting my bow a chore and wound up selling and trading a few thinking that it was the bow itself that was causing alot of my problems but it was just getting older and I cant push as hard as I once could. If you get rid of your bow you will regret it  when things level out for you so just take some time off and relax as others have already said .

Mike

It's hard to get motivated when it's so hot.  I just don't have the desire to mess with deer when it's in the upper 80's - 90.  I'm having the same problem.  Today will be a good time to sit back and watch a little football and shoot a little during the commercials.  There's a cool spell heading this way and I'm sure that will get the hormones in action, deer and mine.

If you (or anyone else, as far as that goes) get down to SE Iowa I live in Mount Pleasant and am always up for an adventure.  We don't need to go to anyone's private spots.  There is plenty of public ground around that doesn't get hunted that hard till the gun seasons.  If fact, if we could get a few guys interested we could organize some pushes and maybe get some action at deer, turkey, rabbits, or?  Get a couple people to stand and a couple to slowly still hunt through some areas and hopefully anything they bump, goes passed the standers.  It can be fun and productive and a good break from solo hunting.

Spoon, you miserable dog!  You leave us here in the desert with promises of big bucks and many photos and now you sulk on us>  your motivatiion is get out and provide us, your desert friends, pics of those big IA whitetails.  
get out of this slump or we'll send Kerry out to kick your sorry butt.  
That should be plenty of motivation for you....

I did hunt a lot of hunting on my own too.  I sort of bured out on it by the end of last year. This year, my girls are getting old enough to go with me.  I have been taking them squirrel hunting and I just don't have as much fun when they aren't with me.  We just use a shotgun or .22 longrifle.  My passion for white tails is still there, but not quite so strong.  I really like the campanionship,  I too was geting tired of going alone.  Heck, I'm still lookin' for someone to go trad huntin' with myself. I don't think my girls have the patience for it yet.

My advice is to take some time off and then find someone to go with you.  Regardless of who it is, you'll hav more fun.

JMO,
Charlie