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Lacking hunting motivation-never thought I’d get here!

I think the cure for a lack of enthusiasm is to add more challenge to your adventure. About 3 years ago I made my 1st self bow and vowed to not use my compound until I was successful with "my" bow. Needless to say that 50lbs. doe was one of my most exciting and rewarding hunts in my life. Come on fellers, the less you do the less you feel like doing!!! And videoed it!
 
What I started doing to help was only do half day hunts early in the season. Whether that was morning or evening. So I don't hit tracer burnout in mid November. I don't take a lunch with me on morning hunts that way I have to go home and eat. Seems to have worked for me, I was sitting all day all season long and it was tiring.
 
I understand how you feel. I deer hunted 3 days last year and 4 if you count the afternoon I took a neighbor to shoot a doe. My lease is an hour and a half away and love going down to camp and sit around the campfire but sometimes a nice warm bed is better. Now turkeys still have me hooked even though I don't get to go as much as I'd like.
 
fairchaser said:
Not worried but pretty much a given. The last 4 deer have been CWD positive.
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I hate it for you. It sucks to not enjoy what you once loved to do.

I suppose you could just hunt for the horns like most do. You could even process it to make you feel better about it and let it freezer burn and ruin. Thats not uncommon either.

At least you would have the horns to gush over like most do.
 
Levee Jumper said:
I hate it for you. It sucks to not enjoy what you once loved to do.

I suppose you could just hunt for the horns like most do. You could even process it to make you feel better about it and let it freezer burn and ruin. Thats not uncommon either.

At least you would have the horns to gush over like most do.
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It sucks for sure. It's really become more about an excuse to get outdoors and the challenge of chasing the occasional nice buck. Even those are getting fewer and fewer. I'm just glad I'm getting to the age of closing out my hunting career and moving toward other interests. I've had a good run. Killing a doe doesn't do much for me especially when I probably won't get to eat the meat.
 
For over 50 yrs I absolutely lived for archery season. My summer evenings were spent with a bow in my hands getting ready.

I haven't touched a bow this year, and haven't really missed it. My hunting partners have moved on to other things, and my desire to be out there just isn't there. My evenings off have been spent with a fly rod in the back yard trying to get my terrible tarpon casts to be a little better. I hope/think I may be a little motivated for the muzzleloader season, but that remains to be seen.

Things change.
 
I still want to go. What made me scratch my head was yesterday I had a doe come in quickly, I never got excited. She cut through the trees and I attempted a shot that clipped limbs. It just didn't get the blood pumping. Don't know if it was because of how quickly things happened, if it was because it was doe, I don't know. Hopefully soon a big buck will get me tore up!
 
fairchaser said:
Low 40's this morning with a NNE wind which is perfect for the spot. Slow at work, so I thought I'd take off and hunt. Yet, here I sit typing this.
When the alarm went off at 4:30, I started thinking about all the things required to get to tree and the possible reward and rolled over. Maybe when the rut starts, I'll get motivated. It's getting more difficult knowing.the deer is probably infected.
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Been there. Actually took a few seasons off from hunting several years back. Had a buddy pull me back in about 5 years ago. The break was what I needed at the time with all that was happening with the kids, my wife and just life in general. Didn't realize how much I missed it until I'd left it behind and then came back to it.
 
Happened to me on fishing about 20 years ago. Use to fish as much or more than hunting. 3 years on Red Man tournament trail did me in. The last 10 years that we lived on Wilson lake I didn't even own a boat, had as many as 3 once. Bought an older Bass Tracker from a member here last Nov thinking I'd get back into but it has not been in water or cranked since I bought it. Got a 12 year grandson that likes to fish so hopefully that'll motivate me
 
Andy S. said:
This is one piece of the puzzle that fairchaser did not include in his post. Deer density where he deer hunts has taken a dive over the last decade. Minimal daytime deer sightings (comparatively speaking) and high probability of CWD infection definitely has the potential to take some wind out of one's sail.
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This I have learned my desire has alot to do with the property I can hunt. Right now I have a great spot. I can't wait to go every day. Couple years ago before I got this place I could go or not. Didn't care.
 
While I feel sorry for those suffering deer hunting burnout, I'm comforted to know that I'm not the only one who has gone through it. For deer season 2021, I got a crossbow and hunted archery season for the first time in my life. Enjoyed it and how it extended my season. But I think I started my season too early (archery opening day). By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I think I only hunted one day that whole week. Didn't hunt again until last day of the season when I finally killed a deer. I was really burned out. Started and hunted too much too early. Hunting only public land and not seeing a lot of deer certainly didn't help. But something funny occurred. At the end of the season and looking back, I really like hunting public land and getting to learn it much better as the season went on. When I killed that deer last day, I felt like I learned a lot and especially about this particular piece of public.

I haven't been out yet this season. And that's intentional. My plan was to hunt my first day Oct 15, but will now be out of town that day. I'm tempted to go out one morning this weekend given the lower temps. This will be my third season on this public land and I feel I not only know where and where not to go, but I think I have a more realistic attitude of what to expect. I hope I don't get burned out come Thanksgiving because I'm taking that entire week off from work to hunt a lot, but not everyday.

Didn't do it this year, but next year I want to schedule 3-4 days to a week to camp and hunt bow or gun on public in another state and try to do that each year to mix it up.
 
Sasquatch Boogie Outdoors said:
I think the cure for a lack of enthusiasm is to add more challenge to your adventure. About 3 years ago I made my 1st self bow and vowed to not use my compound until I was successful with "my" bow. Needless to say that 50lbs. doe was one of my most exciting and rewarding hunts in my life. Come on fellers, the less you do the less you feel like doing!!! And videoed it!
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This.

Challenge yourself by changing to a more limited weapon. Try a recurve or longbow for archery, or a flintlock for muzzleloader. Use a peep sighted lever gun. Set reasonable goals per weapon type. Anything to get the motivation back. Maybe look at hunting outside your area. JMO. Hope you get your drive back.

I hunt in Henry county, (CWD county), but we aren't riddled with it yet. I'm dreading the day when it is.
 
I hunt occasionally but nothing like I used to do. It was a year round life style for me over 40 years. Food plots, cameras, scouting, moving stands, practice with my bow, and rifles. Over the past five years I just lost interest in it. Each year something usually gets me fired up enough to go hunting a few days. I don't live for it like I used to do.
 
I don't have much fire in me to sit and hunt and haven't for a long time, but my passion for deer is as strong as ever. So much that even though I truly hate doing so, this year I'm forcing myself to sit in the stand
 
With CWD and the dramatically reduced size of the deer herd in our area, my motivation is so low that I find myself looking for things to do that will keep me from going deer hunting!

I might go watch the Houston vs. Collierville football game on Friday night…I haven't been to a high school football game since I graduated high school in 1981 and don't know one kid on either team!

And then I told my mom I'd pressure wash her patio on Saturday….LOL…

I keep telling myself I'm waiting for November…
 
david k. said:
With CWD and the dramatically reduced size of the deer herd in our area, my motivation is so low that I find myself looking for things to do that will keep me from going deer hunting!

I might go watch the Houston vs. Collierville football game on Friday night…I haven't been to a high school football game since I graduated high school in 1981 and don't know one kid on either team!

And then I told my mom I'd pressure wash her patio on Saturday….LOL…

I keep telling myself I'm waiting for November…
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There's a lot of bass to be caught this fall and I have an open seat for the 3rd rifle in CO :)
 

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