Hunting has changed over the years. Many of us older hunters began chasing bunnies and bushytails. Small game hunting trained us for Big Game hunting. Most new hunters begin with Big Game.
My last elk hunt was in a remote hunting camp at 8,300 cold feet. The temperature never exceeded freezing. We were limited to branched bulls or bucks only. That meant lots of cows and does. The best hunting is early and late, when it is the coldest. The property meant standing and waiting.
I felt lucky since I knew there would be a warm cabin to return to. Having enough body left to hunt is a blessing. My hunting spot had a folding chair. No enclosed blind, box, or shelter. My chair did have a battery to heat it up. With so many layers of clothes on, I never really felt the warmth. Somehow the heated chair felt like I was cheating a little.
Late season big game hunting can be uncomfortable. Montana big game hunting is especially tough. You need to pay a price to tag out. Endurance, patience, and physical strength are required. Older hunters have a harder time. We have all the tools and knowledge but are limited from arthritis, surgery, age, and desire. When we retire, we have lots of time but not nearly as much energy.
Using modern gear means that today’s hunters never really get as cold as we once did. A lease fee, outfitter, or guide is the price to pay for comfort and better chances for a critter encounter. Wheelers mean less walking, rangefinders take away the guesswork, hunting apps show boundaries and topography. You no longer need to hike to the next ridge to know what’s there. So many conveniences and shortcuts. Modern hunters do not have to hunt as hard.
Modern hunting gear is warm, comfy, and specific for hunting. Back in the day we wore flannel shirts, jeans, and whatever boots were available. Most long underwear was cotton. Socks were also thin. Handwarmers needed lighter fluid, and our hunting clothes needed cleaned for work, or school, the next day. Toes froze, noses ran, and muscles ached, if you could feel them at all.
Modern deer hunters hunt from elevated boxes that are built like mini condos. Fancy windows, heaters, Wi-Fi, swivel chairs, and completely dry conditions make you feel like you are hunting from your home. Two hunters can chat and spend the day wearing T-shirts, during freezing conditions. If a deer shows up, they stealth fully lift a window, turn down the radio or tv, and shoot off custom rifle rests. A heated wheeler or truck is a perfect retrieval rig. Long drags, quartering, packing, or carrying are a task from the past.
Is this really hunting? Some hunters just want pictures and antlers. They just give away their “hard earned” bounty. They don’t want to get their hands dirty. Their wives and kids won’t eat Bambi but bragging rights, bucket lists, and egos need to be addressed. With so much money and time invested in tagging a critter, the price per pound of meat is huge. Hunters once hunted for food. Donating it to a soup kitchen is like giving away the finest cuts of filet and steaks.
Hunting is supposed to be about “fair chase” and chasing wild critters in their habitats. You need to overcome their noses, eyes, and ears. How is using a weapon that can shoot for miles, from a temperature-controlled blind, fair? The critter never hears the bullet, sees movement of a danger, hears a twig break, or smells a latte breathed hunter. Hunting is no longer just for hardy souls that hunt and gather food.
Modern hunting gear and advantages may be legal, but is it Fair and Sporting? There are still some hunters that know how to hunt and take pride in using primitive weapons and old skills. They can endure long hikes, freezing cold, danger from predators, frostbite, hyperthermia, and getting skunked. Hunters were once tough, and hunting was tough.
Oh, for the good old days!
Montana Grant
