meeting new hunting partners online?
Equipment
Have any of you guys ever hunted with a guy you met through a hunting forum? I recently moved across the state from my hunting area, and I'm toying with the idea of trying to find hunting partners up here. I still travel to my old hunting spot and hunt it with my brother, but my state has an extended archery season up where I live now that goes from the time our general season hunts end in mid-September and goes until the end of November. I see quite a few guys on hunting pages on Facebook and the local hunting forum saying they are looking for partners to go with and I think about hooking up with them, but I am reluctant to pull the trigger. I always wonder if the guy will turn out to be a weirdo, or have poor hunting ethics, or some other flaw that would make me wish I had just flown solo. I guess I should just roll with it and try hunting with someone a time or two and maybe I will gain a great hunting buddy out of it. I guess if we don't really jive we can always part ways haha.
If you guys have hunted with people you met online how have you experiences been? Pleasantly surprised? Any horror stories? Let's hear them.
Only if I meet the guy way ahead of time, and we get together enough for me to know we will work as hunting partners. I have talked with a few guys on here that I think would be great comrads, but I would still want to meet them and make sure we are on the same page for hunting abilities and strategies.
Based on the dipshittery I've seen on Facebook hunting pages the last few weeks I'd pass, personally.
Bowsiters. Pretty much all my hunting/scouting buddies were met on Bowsite.
I have met 4 different guys on hunting forums that I now consider good friends. I had a thorough vetting process with many emails and questions, then spoke on the phone, and finally met in person. I had to make sure we were compatible with the same goals, ethics, morals, and drive. It can work.
Kind of like finding a wife (only a little more serious). Ya gotta "date" a few, spend some time, get to know, then decide if they are worth "bringing home to mom". Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
What Lou said. I've hunted with several bowsiters, or BSers for short..... Good folks, every one..... so far.... =D
Course I'm not sure what they say on the other end.......
Not sure about facebook or any other forums and such.....good luck with it but I don't know if those folks are as serious about what we do or as committed. Have my doubts.....
I'll be honest, I've met more dedicated hardcore like minded bowhunters on here and a few other forums than I have in everyday life. Thankful for those friendships.
So of my best buddies have come from hunting sites. Enjoy the resource . Hunt
I've hunted with several folks from here, including inbowdude and bowfreak, and have met some good folks here, including Nvagvup and Bighorn, among others. One, Jaquomo, will be having a beer with me soon....
There are asshats everywhere but there are a lot of great folks on bowsite.
Yes. I met a fella over on the Leatherwall that has turned out to be one of my best friends. Invited him down four years ago for our annual buck season and he has joined us ever since. He's a brother for sure. Love's hunting the big country and has become one of us. There aren't many people in the east that like to walk 5-8 miles a day whitetail deer hunting in road less, remote country. But, he fits right in and, is a dang good hunter too.
In 2019 I'm headed to Montana or Wyoming to hunt with Hunt Man for elk. I also hope to hunt with deerslayer one day too. I'm sure we will all end up being just as good as friends.
I've met and plan to hunt with elkstabber one day. Great guy and an absolute killer. There are just a bunch of guys here I'd like to share camps with one day. Some I've told that. Others I've never said a word but, I'm certain we are people that would just get along. The key to any hunting partner success is having guys that pull their weight. So, people like Brotsky, Embry, Nick, cnelk, Lou, Idlly, Paul, Hunt Man, deer slayer, Midwest, etc.... all hit me as great people that I have a lot i common with. I could post three paragraphs of the names of the people here who I feel the same way about. So, if it feels right, by all means get you hunting bud from a forum. The one thing about bowsite that most other forums don't have, is such a large pool of great, friendly people that love to hunt a bunch of things. Good luck and God Bless
WV, if you're taking I70 to I25, you're welcome to any help I can bring here.
I've hunted with four different guys from Bowsite and all were winners. I'll be hunting with three of them again this year Lord willing.
Yep, been hunting with one buddy that I swapped a hunt with when I lived in Iowa. We have been hunting together across the country for almost 20 years and was the best man in his wedding. Gave the speech and told everyone that we met "online." Was good for a laugh, we still hunt together, and our hunting camps are still going and the marriage is not.
Moved to Colorado five years ago and hunt each year with great friends that I connected with on the Bowsite. That has grown into year around fishing and trips to just hang out/bs. The Bowsite has been good to me and I would encourage you do to the same.
Yes. And more importantly Ive met what I consider lifelong friends.
Im not going to list them because they know who they are
Back when the MHH hunts were held, I met 5-10 new BSer each year for the better part of a decade and some have become life long friends. I've hunted with various characters in AK, AZ, CA, FL, HI, IA, OR, TN and Canada and none of that would have happened without this site and a leap of faith.
Then again, you could just wake up sticky and confused...
#chickenhawk
Always bring unscented baby wipes.......
Back in the early 90's I was frustrated when I had several hunting friends here in the Midwest back out of western hunting trips. In 1996 my sister told me about this new thing called the internet and the first website I found was Bowsite. Posted an inquiry and met a guy in Oregon who was interested in teaming up on some applications. Our first hunt was a Wyoming lope then Nevada mule deer. Got along just fine. In 2002 we drew Arizona elk unit 1 and had a great hunt. This year, 15 years later, we drew it again and will be meeting up next month. I guess over the 20 years we did maybe 6 or 7 hunts together, always good. Most of my hunts are solo, but I think as we get older it's safer to share a camp. I got a pacemaker and other wheels fallin off.
I have on many hunts over the years.
I can honestly say I have learned something of value from each and everyone of them.
Good luck, Robb
PS--I have some real good spots here on the WF that you stated to in your OP
Bowsite and P&Y Club gets me introduced to the finest bow hunting folks in North America but remember it takes years to cultivate. Also keep in mind that 97% of the readers on Bowsite NEVER post but over time know you by your words. At my age many hunting friends have retired for various reasons so the internet has been very helpful in keeping me bow hunting around North America. Good luck!
PS: I'm working on a new sponsor named "FarmersOnly.com". If they come on board will have a nice solution for us all:)
To date, I've shared western hunting camps with three Bowsite members. Soon to be at least four (next month)....possibly another. That's excluding local Bowsite members I knew before Bowsite existed.
Back in 2005 I did a 4 or 5 day waterfowl hunt with guys from a waterfowl forum from all over the country. There were probably 20+ guys. It was an amazing trip. Some are good friends to this day.
The story at the link says what we think...this will be our 3rd year to connect in the mountains.
I've hunted with a handful of Bowsite guys, they've all been top notch. Some of my best friends to this day I met online through hunting forums 10-15 years ago. I wish Al Gore had invented the internet sooner. :)
HAHAHA... I think Al Gore invented GoreTex as well; and I hear he has some pretty killer socks out now.
I've also hunted with a handful of BS guys. Met them through here, and then a couple of them I met at the P&Y convention too. Great guys, all.
There's also a bunch of folks on here that I would hunt with too, if I ever get the chance.
Try explaining that to your wife. . . . Wife: "Who are you hunting with?" Me: " A guy I met online. It's not weird, I promise." :) :)
Wife: "Who's staying 2 nights at our house?" Me: "A guy I met online. It's not weird, I promise." :)
I feel more comfortable hooking up with a bowsiter for a hunt than a guy that I know from my hometown. My bet is the bowsiter is more serious, more fun and not a turd if we don't kill anything. I have hunted with some great guys from this site and others and there is not a one of them I wouldn't love to share camp with again.
LOL Bake....Try telling your wife you are taking your 15 year old daughter to California to stay with some dudes you met online. :) That turned out great for us but she had some serious questions at first! Ha!
I've met several of you. Haven't got to hunt with any of you yet. But I did plan an antelope hunt next week through a bowsiter (Rock)on here. Who I met at P&Y convention in Phoenix.
I planned it with another bowsiter(chief419) that will be there the same time as me. He hunted musk ox in Greenland the week before I did which is what got us talking on here.
Always good to talk to the person a lot, and meet if possible, before hunting together. But I feel you can tell a lot about a person, not everything, but a lot, by the way they act on here. If they come across as an argumentative jackleg on here, I wouldn't even consider it. But there are many, really good, genuine people on here. I hope one day I can share a camp with some of you.
I've met a number of guys on BS I'd love to hunt with. Maybe one day. Distance is a killer.
I haven't yet, but I have extended an open door invitation for a couple of guys on here. I am pretty much a loaner, and I have hunted with the same buddy nearly every single year for close to 20 years I would guess. We typically do a couple hunts a year. But I think there are a lot of great people on here!
God Bless!
Scar.
I've taken one and really enjoyed his company. Then I agreed to him bringing others. It was a big mistake since to a significant degree they all didn't have what I was looking for in a hunting partner and the hunt turned into an endurance test and I don't mean physical..
Im 27 and literally have maybe 1 friend around my age who I would consider a serious bowhunter in my area. I have met a few great guys on the BS and some of them have been an invaluable resource. Exchanged emails, phone numbers, ETC, but have never met them. (distance being a huge reason). As I grew up in Eastern PA, many of my friends gave up hunting or found new hobbies. I actually connected with a guys in Central PA on social media and since then we have hunted in Wisconsin 2 times and Northern Colorado another time. Finding someone with a passion for bowhunting can be hard depending on your location and situation, but the internet has really helped me forge connections that would not have been possible in the past. Just my 2 Cents...
We met a total stranger on a hunting forum when researching WY. Turned out he was hunting the same dates as us and his plan was to camp on the same FS road we were planning. He offered to get the resident guide license and we could hunt together and go into the wilderness. Had a great time, stayed in touch with him and we all drew the same unit last year and hunted together again. He is now a friend and not just an internet hunting partner.
I've hunted with a few guys I've met on BS - on my state page. Both are great and I'd say are friends still - though due to life we mostly "meet" on here or via email.
The rest of you. Ugh ;)
Ha - very much kidding. This site has a really good batch of folks. I can see how a number of you have made great connections.
Good luck on the sponsor Charlie!
After the annual manscaping thread, I decided alone might be better. :>)
Bake and Brotsky- LMBO! Another Bowsiter and I were talking about this back in May! After "talking" to each other on our State Forum, thru PM's and then on the phone for several years, we finally got together on a hunt. I drove about 5 hrs from my home to bowhunt turkeys with him this Spring. He graciously offered for me to stay in his home, but I kinda felt a little weird about it and I love to camp, so I suggested I set up my tent in his backyard. We had a blast and the one night got to cook some backstraps over the fire with his family. We are already making plans to do a small game hunt with some of his buddies this winter. I have a feeling we will be getting together several times a year from now on. But we still laugh about "meeting" on the internet! :)
Haven't met a bad Bowsiter yet. I get the same weird looks from friends and coworkers when they ask how I met so and so and I answer, "On line". lol
Looking forward to a CO elk hunt in less than 4 weeks with a couple of Bowsiters and I already know it's going to be a blast.
Spent some time in the same camp in Africa with some fellow bowsiters. Wouldn't hesitate to share a camp with any of them again. Going to hunt with a couple of other BSers this year as well on a couple of different hunts. Looking forward to it!
There are also several on here that I think I'd really enjoy hunting with as well, and Lord willing, probably will.
I've done hunts with 3 guys I've met online. good times with all 3. they've introduced me to some other good friends. 1 of the 3 has passed away. my wife and his widow are good talking buds now. another has gotten in poor health and doesn't hunt much any more. the last one has cut me off on his own accord but several of the guys he introduced me to are still friends.
My buddies and I just say we met on Tinder. The questions seem to stop after that.
I discovered one of my main hunting partner's on a hunting site when he helped me out on an archery Wy elk hunt with info, then invitited me out to hunt the rifle season with him after not tagging out. We killed two bulls the first 5 minutes of season within sight of the packed in camp and have been hunting together since( NV deer, Wy moose, Co deer, and soon to be Nv elk). People ask me how I knew he wasn't an ax murderer and I just said he hunted so he couldn't be half bad. Worked for me, good luck.
Unpicked cornfields haven't yielded any partners for me as of yet. Hunting partners that is. Online may be a better option. Good luck at finding a comrade.
I've hunted with one Bowsiter and it was a great hunt. There are a lot of you guys I would hunt with if I could keep up with you. :-)
I'm forever indebted to Bowsite for a partnership I formed here. There are some top class hunters using this forum.
You can find anything you want on line and that includes hunting partners and women...
Had hunted at Shiloh with Matt and Cheryl a couple times and decided to go down on a group hunt with a bunch of guys from the internet. Hunted with INbowdude for the first time at Pork 5. We just had Pork 11 this past June. Since that time Hunt4life has come into the group. We have hunted at least twice a year together since then. Been to Hunt4life place turkey hunting twice and he even invited INbowdude. We text several times a week and email. Going to try and work in a hunt with Bad Karma someday. Met Lone Bugle through a mutual friend and he has been to Kansas deer and yote hunting several times at my place. I did miss not seeing those guys at the CBA Jamboree last month but due to circumstances beyond my control (wife) I couldn't make it. I don't think a guy could go anyplace to find a better group of individuals to share or gain information about bow hunting than this forum right here. I've made lifelong friends because of Bowsite and thank you Pat for allowing us all to use it.
2 years ago Ike and myself hunted together in Ne chasing whitetails. It was such a bad experience we started planning a Wyoming elk hunt during that hunt. 2 weeks from today I will be heading to Wyoming to meet up with Ike.
I have talked to a number of different bowsiters. I would hunt with each and every one of them. A lot of great people on bowsite.
Yes, and have no regrets. Just back from Alaska where Peyton invited my daughter and I up for a hunt. Met him on this website and talked on phone countless times before and after the hunt. Hunt experience and friend experience, both a ten out of ten. Also, Buffalo1 has been a good friend. Met him via this website, talked on the phone for hours, and met he and his wife in Dallas last year at the DSC. Haven't hunted with him yet, but would love to one day. Those are my archery contacts. Have hunted hogs on many occasions with people I met on hog dog websites. Some regrets, but most were great experiences.
You guys are going to give Pat a big head. I wonder if he envisioned this kind of thread when he first started Bowsite.
I'd never want to be a part of any Hunting Camp that would have me as a member. Those guys would have to have some seriously questionable judgment!
Actually, I have hunted with quite a few BSers. Several of them from right here in CT, and few from further afield. A couple of others I have invited to share a hunt, but I've usually been turned down :-(
I met a guy on here that shared a wealth of knowledge with me before I ever met him in person. I had posted a what elk unit I drew and he contacted me about it. Actually sent me his gps with and untold wealth of info on it.. I hope to hunt with him again someday. Thanks DARRELL.
I haven't had the pleasure yet, but I will say this... I'd rather hunt with a guy that I regularly quarrel with on Bowsite than a guy not willing to better himself on an informational forum like this. (Yes, even TBM.)
The "worst" guys on Bowsite are still better than "most" who are not.
There are many good hunting companions on here. I am not one of them, a total loner.
The unibomber and David Hasselhoff??? Thank god you didn't say Pamela Anderson.
Got to share elk camp with Bigdan and Cityhunter once....that was priceless!!
Also a few guys here have a standing invitation to hunt blacktails with me here in Oregon.
Anyone else wondering which one is The Unibomber and which one is David Hasselhoff?
Or Maybe we don't want to know.
Sometimes I wonder if I am socially acceptable because no one has invited me to a premium piece of property but I am hopeful...
A few years ago I met a couple online. Was on another forum. Was our first Mule Deer hunt out West. My wife was pretty "Concerned" about hunting with total strangers. She made me do research on them online, and give her the info in case we "Disappeared".
They turned out OK. A little odd, but nothing dangerous. They introduced us to a rancher where we still hunt every year. So in the long run, it was a good deal.
"The unibomber and David Hasselhoff"..... great, now I'm gonna be stuck the next few days trying to figure out who was which.........
Bake, I get the same kind of treatment as you!!! My wife makes fun of me to our friends, calls Bowsite the "hunters dating website". I just smile and nod my head.
Fact is there just aren't a lot guys to be found with the same level of interest and passion. Gotta come to a place like this to find that. Lots of folks hunt, and lots of folks bow hunt, but few and far between are the ones that really, really emerge themselves in the sport and have it as part of what makes up their DNA.
Yeh met a few on Bowsite
About half of them I was worried about falling asleep before them!!!!
