Printable View
Just wondering who here has gone hunting with people that they have met either here or from other social media platforms? I've done it a few times, and with mixed results... have had some VERY good hunts.. so VERY bad hunts... and some hu ts that didn't produce, but was still a good time out... has anyone else tried it?
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
On one occasion I hunted with someone I met on line. We went out bow hunting together. Split the cost on Gas and accomodations. He took a nice big doe when we hunted together. I said cool how do you want to divide up the kill. He said "I don't share my harvest if I kill a deer it's mine if you kill a deer it's yours". Wow that was a first and last for me to hunt with someone I don't really know. Now I bow hunt solo most of the time or only with close friends...
I have taken out a few people off the board all with very positive results. With a few questions it does not take long to gauge someones character.
All questions/concerns/rules need to be addressed before you go hunting.
Really social media is no different than any other source. Basically your perfect partner is yourself. Not saying hunt by yourself but what makes you you is your upbringing and experience. So to find someone you click with has to have that same background. I've reached out to some mixed results from last minute cancellation, no contribution to expenses, and no quip per quo. Like anything always good to chat first and not be afraid to ask what if questions to get a sense of what the person is like. This site is good as you can follow the threads of members and get a good feel would be weary of the ones that have limited post esp if they been a member for a while. Trick always is finding a partner and not someone looking for a free ride.
I found for me that my best hunts are from older people who are more experienced. As I did not grow up in a hunting family I learn the most from them.
I've probably gone with 20 ppl from forums/Facebook. . About 4 of the people I will NEVER TALK to again..
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
I find it better to hunt with younger people as the older guys I have hunted with have relaxed on their idea of firearms safety.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
I like to meet people and do a hunt that is easily made safe and easily removed from, hunting for rabbits on public land seems to work out well, you can leave if you feel unsafe, always bring your own ride.
Understand that.. most of the young guys I hunted with just want to kill stuff. A rabbit/grouse hunt became them shooting at everything they saw move... now by young I mean 18-19 year oldsQuote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
I have hunted with a few guys, some had the 'if it flies it dies' attitude and we never went out again, some just were all talk, some did not like me (I follow the rules), whereas others I still hunt and fish with today and many good times shared.
One thing I do notice is that when going out alone its too easy to just roll back into bed at 3AM and change it to an afternoon hunt.
I am looking to set up a short duration bow hunt in S. Ontario over the xmas holidays, maybe 2 or 3 days. I have two so far (me and my son) and I have some decent county land scouted in 87 and 79 (I have doe tags in both) so we can meet near me or drive somewhere else.
With all due respect to everyone here,do you really want to go to a remote location with an armed person you don't know? Think about it.
After reading some posts no, others yes
By old I am talking about my 70+.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
One thing I cannot stand is unsafe handling, I do not want to be a statistic, nor have any of my friends end up in that category either.
I have met up with a couple of forum members , hunted with them and had a good time. Also have met another hunter online from an entirely different hunting forum that I will be hunting South Dakota next fall with. I will also be doing a breeding between my female and his male this month . Its best you find a common interest before you hunt with him or her and same political views always helps.
By older mean more experienced not really an age thing ;) I have 4 kids and a wife at home. And I like to go home to them. So I understand safety. And yes the 70+ guys (never hunted with one) but generally are stuck in their ways.. and safety for the most part is something that the union guys in the city worry about... (that was my grandfather's saying)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
I find it is not the age but if the person is a nervous type with ten thoughts all going at once are likely to forget or make an error.. I will take experienced over youth anytime. The old guys don't move that quickly and you can keep your eye on them easier.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
Since I left Ontario 7 years ago I spent most my time hunting alone. Most of the time it depends on the species and way I am hunting. I have taken out new and old hunters as well as one member I met on a forum. I find it rather easy to judge a character after you read a few of their posts you get a good idea of their judgement and character. A chat with them and you'll learn even more.
I have had better experience with people I met in person or online rather than a friend asking to bring his buddy along. That buddy often isn't someone I'd want to hunt with.
I am fairly easily to get along with and have good character, I don't think I have met anyone who didn't say like me. Before leaving for a hunt with anyone you haven't hunted with before its good to talk about safety, expenses and if your sharing the meat or not.
I also have guys who are quite older than me that I started hunting with, my dads age or younger. I find some of them I don't mind moose hunting with but at the same time I wouldn't want to bear hunt or go waterfowl hunting with. I tend to be gun ho and will do whatever it takes to get an animal. From nasty swamps in Ontario that will makes for hard retrievals of a moose to high altitude thick steep rocky bluffs in BC to hunt mature blacktails I go where the animals are. A hard retrieval is worth it specially if it means cutting a tag. Specially when certain tags are getting harder and harder to get.
Its always nice to meet new hunters. I find its harder to find a good hunting partner than it is to find a new friend. Different styles of hunting, different ethics and safety. Lots to consider.
The best part specially with meeting members is it really opens up Ontario and not to mention Canada to you for hunting. Its easier to meet members who live in Northern Ontario if you live in the south and vice versa. Hard to hunt all of Ontario and all the species if you hunt by yourself unless you have a lot of free time and money. Hunting buddies all over Ontario really opens up opportunities.
Well there's a criteria that's a new to me....not at the dinner table and especially not when you have a gun in your hands HahaQuote:
Originally Posted by yellow dog
There is also the other side to that story .Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
You would be surprised at the number of young guy's that do not think of gun safety when hunting or even shooting clays at the club.
Things at times seem to change when they get out and actually hunt or shoot targets , they tend to forget about what they learned by taking the hunting course.
I ran into a few guys out at the club's rifle range [young guys ] they were running around shooting from the hip with semi auto rifles , mini 14's at targets on the ground [rocks , bottles , tin cans etc.] when I mentioned to them the unsafe practice of their actions and pointed out the large sign with rules on it , I was told to eff off as they had paid their membership and could do as they pleased.
I just quietly left as there were 7 of them , took down the license plate numbers and had the ownerships traced through a cop friend, reported to the club executive and their membership was promptly dropped .
And then there are some old guys that also seem to forget , thinking "hey I have done this all my life so it must be ok"
This is very good point. But PAL holders are most screened persons in Canada. I do not think this is more risky than walking in Toronto downtown. I hunted with guys I know via social media only and I just prefer to have couple of beers with propect just to make sure I'm comfortable with that/those guy/guys and we discussed everything before we go hunting such as how we commute, who is buying what and etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
PAL is not an insurance that person is not a piece of s_h_!_t but it gives good level of confidence that person is not a crime.
Its all in the training. I have hunted with guys old enough to have grand kids with no weapons handling training (ie finger off the trigger, arc of fire, moving in bounds etc) and would never hunt again with them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Camp Red Maple
I have had many people up to my camp because as I previously have said the family gang has died or don't hunt anymore. Group hunting with dogs is a lot of fun but hunting by myself this year was a lot of fun too. Usually I would invite people to help defray the cost....they were never shared as I always paid much more in the end. With no one it is actually a lot cheaper lol.
I have met some really nice people and never had any problems or regrets. Nothing has turned out long term but simply put...its my camp...so my way or back to the highway. Just kidding but I usually find people ultimately want to run their own hunt do things their way with ego being a big cause of it (not a lot of team players) or simple cheap and or unreliable.
People usually wear out their welcome and if I am not having fun then unfortunately something is going to change. I have run this camp for 25+ years and look forward to 25 more but when it comes to guest I will be a lot choosier in the future.
Firearms handling course is very short, basic and theoretical. I think this is lack of habit, safe firearm handling must be kind of reflex. When I started taking my twin sons on range they were 7. We practiced in basement with their Savage Rascal like they were GI. Repetition and repetition to build routine is what really works.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee
Second on thatQuote:
Originally Posted by Marker
I;ve gone out hunting with quite a number of guys on this forum. Time to get back in touch with some of you and book some more hunts.
Valid point.. as a precaution I always take a quick snap of the guys license plate.. and text to my wife... if I go missing at least the cops know who to look for... but like everything it's a risk we take in life.. I feel it's a low risk personaly. In my experience I try now to hunt with family men. my wife doesn't like me hunting with women.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
No different than hunting public land...Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
I have been swept by family members who have not been properly trained but had still been legally hunting for 30+ years, safety is safety is safety. I know a lot of 10 year olds who are a lot safer than a lot of 60 year olds, but I also know that is has everything to do with how you learn. I grill people all the time over gun safety, no screwing around when you have a gun in your hands.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marker
Whomever happens to be hunting public land at the same time as you,you have no control over. Chosing with whom you hunt,you do. There's a huge difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by seabast
Helps to golf with them first. Less dangerous and if personalities clash everyone goes their separate ways at the end of the round.
I have hunted with close to twenty from the OOD forum here, mostly deer/gun and yotes, even a motorcycle ride or three.
Never had a bad experience, met a bad person or had a poor hunt. All were 1st class gentlemen, excellent hunters and now good friends.
You know who you are.........
I've gone out hunting/ATVing with one member from this forum a few times. It worked out well - he was a great guy. Sadly, he seems to have left the forum. I've also met some other forum members for breakfast a couple of times.
So far so good, but I agree that there could be some risk. Stalking their history on this forum is a good start.
If you worry to be shot by your new online partner you should also be worry to be hunting on public land. You hunt a land with strangers in both situations and you have no control about who's going to shoot at you......Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
But, I do agree there is a potential risk by bringing someone that you don't really know hunting with you.
I hear you never put up with unsafe gunhandling or huntingQuote:
Originally Posted by Fox
I have and still do...have met and hunted with many on this forum and other forums and have yet to have a problem...
You're way more at risk from unsafe handling than from any kind of foul play. In fact, you're more probably more likely to win the lottery than to meet foul play at the hands of someone you met on this board & went hunting with.
Not something I'd worry about.
After having hunted with quite a few different partners (during ~ 6 decades) I prefer to hunt by myself ! --- In general : Guys (~ 18 - 25) will take and adhere to advice . The 30s and up group seems to consider itself immensely experienced and mature and think they know EVERYTHING already . By 50 most have mellowed and are EXPERIENCED . --- Certainly , there are exceptions . --- In 1967 I carried an unconscious partner out of the bush (half-a-mile) . He'd managed to shoot himself through his lower right leg with his 44mag. handgun (while bear-hunting) . When I found him he was almost dead already (due to loss of blood) . --- Nov.1978 another partner had a heart-attack (while deer-hunting) . --- Oct.1979 I took 2 fellow-workers moose-hunting ; one "got lost" . It was a long cold night before I found him (shivering with fear and cold) . --- Let's just say that I had "my fill" . --- I definitely wouldn't take any-one along whom I didn't know (especially not a YOUNGSTER) . --- Should I decide to "partner-up" again it would be with an older fellow who'd have to be in at least as good a physical-condition as I am . --- I've been in competitive sports for decades and still work out daily .
Maybe I've been lucky so far, I've met four new people from a local fishing forum. I've hunted with one, fished with one, hunted and fished with one and plan to fish with another this winter. So far I have not had any bad experiences. Knock on wood.
I shot a duck and goose with one and offered to give him half and he declined. When we went fishing, we never caught enough to share all around. I hope this ice season will be better than 2014/15...
X2.My sentiments,exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by welsh
I've been out with 5-6 guys from this board and I hunt every weekend with 2 of them. I guess I've been lucky in that respect.
Damn, you are bad luck!!!! Knowing that I would definitely never hunt with you :moose::moose::moose:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gunner 38
Ive hunted with many from here, and still do with some. The others well, lets just say I wont be hunting with them again, but I see them in the spots I took them regularily. Choose wisely who you take where.
S.
x2 sick of my spots being our spots .if i invite someone for dinner that does not mean they can come every night .especially when im not home .Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinker
I have invited a few new hunters out They worked good still keep in touch. One came back to hunt my Inlaws farm while I was at work. He was told to never come back nicely. But one bad apple didn't ruin it for me I make it known I already had one bad apple come back without permission.
all in all I have hunted with great people and have met great hunting friends due to swapping hunts
I've hunted with at least three or four people I've met through hunting forums and all were great experinces.
I hunted a couple times with people i met online. worked out alright. i agree with alot of the safety concerns though. i have a couple rules. bring own vehicles, share in the what you get and safety is priority. i also pay attention to what's said on forums beforehand... if anything sounds violent or agressive, i dont want to hunt with them because i dont really want to be friends with them. knowing where they work and if they have a family is also a good indicator of responsibility for most of the time.
i like waterfowling or small game with others but bowhunting is always solo as you can't talk anyways. never been in a push before, but those are always planned out way in advance.
I've hunted with a couple of guys from this forum,had a good experience and hope to do it again!
wow. can't blame you for having a chip on your shoulder after that one. you likely call it in and other guy shoots it. good grief.Quote:
Originally Posted by bellerivercrossbowhunter
I haven't had that problem in many years but it does suck when it happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinker
It's a very sorry individual to do something like that and I know that neither of the 2 guys I yote hunt with would do that nor would I do that to them.
Although, it's sometimes worth the price of a hunt/fish spot just to really find out what kind of a person some folk are.
From what I hear, the hunting safety course I very minimal on gun handling. Being told or shown during one day and needing to memorize some acronyms is hardly "training"....
How much gun handling there is probably depends on the instructor. There was lots when I did the course, but not really supervised.
Yup, for my area we have hunting and chat of eastern ontario on FB. Met a few guys on there and gone out for hunts. No issues, but one. Took a new duck hunter out...once we had fired three shots...he continued to fire two more...No PLUG!!!!.
Have hunted with a few only one I didn't feel was a good hunt. I would hunt with others on here again. It helps to meet sometime before actually hunt with someone new so both can decide if it is a good match.
I met up with a fellow on here last year for a couple of coyote hunts and hope to get together again this winter. Great experience overall. He brought the caller and the know-how and we hunted on properties that I have permission on. Worked out great. All we need next time is for the coyotes to read and understand their part in the script.
We could call it huntingmingle.com LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
There are a lot of people on here who I would hunt / fish with some have invited me in the past, but the past couple of years I really just haven't had time. That will change this spring once I give up my weekend job that I keep pushing out further (March I'm done and I am holding to that).
Hunt N Mingle probably better then calling it a hunting date. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellow dog
Gotta hunt with you some timeQuote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
Not a chance this is okay for z and giggles and to hear others opinions and issues but when I'm in the woods with weapons i want to know the background and experience of people around me.
its kind of like going to a hunt camp, experienced members are okay to hunt with new people brought in are wild cards and always have to have someone who vouches for them.
if you don't know enough folks in real life right with you do it online that's concerning.
Met and hunted with a couple guys off the forum and are great guys. That being said I'm always more successful when hunting alone and much prefer solo hunting.
I would never hunt with anyone from FB...have you seen the posers there??? lol
Yup still have to get out. My schedule will not be as bad next Spring.
Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
IMO, that's a little heavy handed. Social interactions are mainly done online now, at least initially in many cases. Many people date people online, and in fact develop lasting relationships that way, why wouldn't social media be a decent way to look at finding kindred spirits with regards to hunting? Having dated extensively online before meeting my lovely wife ( also online) I can tell you that meeting people online is a very good way of getting some insight into them, before even meeting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Monster29/66
I've met a few fellows on here, all with great results. One guy I hunted deer with his group in camp 2 and 3 years ago. We are still in touch, and will happily join him out at my new place next year. We also made a point of getting dinner out when I was in Ottawa for a conference last year. There are several others who I've met and chatted with, who I really wouldn't hesitate to get out hunting with.
I also run a number of Facebook pages, one for my local Chapter of Delta Waterfowl, the other is for my Hunt Club ( which is really just a group of guys who like to get together in my area).
Now unless someone I know has in fact hunted with a guy, I usually meet for a beer / coffee whatever just to get a feel for someone. My BS meter is fairly fine tuned.