Why Hunting Alone Might Make You a Better Hunter

By Alice Jones Webb – MeatEater

ike most whitetail hunters, I learned to hunt with company. For me, it was my dad, his brothers, and a few of their buddies. Swapping stories around a campfire, ribbing each other about misses, backslapping over notched tags, and arguing about where the deer are moving have always been part of deer-hunting culture, but if you always have someone in the next stand over, you’re missing out on a different side of the game.

Hunting alone changes the way you move and make decisions. There’s no one to bounce ideas off. You have to look harder for sign. And when you finally get a deer on the ground, the long haul back to the truck is all up to you. But the flip side is, you don’t have to compromise on where to sit or when to move. You can slip through the woods quietly, leave less scent, and stay more flexible.

One of my favorite bucks came from a solo hunt. I slipped into the woods alone when it was still dark, made the shot just as the world was turning gray, and reached for my phone only to realize I didn’t have a single bar of service. There were no bragging texts, no calls for help, just me, that buck, and a golden sunrise weaving its way through the trees. I sat there in the quiet for a few minutes before pulling out my knife and getting to work. I’ll never forget how good that felt. Deeply satisfying, and all mine.

That push toward self-reliance sharpens everything. Hunting solo forces you to read the woods, and those lessons carry over into every season, whether you’re hunting with a few buddies or on your own. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE