If you ever wonder why young people don't get into hunting..

[MichelD]

I was hiking up an old logging road opening morning last week in the dark and two guys in a side by side and a third on a quad ripped by me.

I knew that I was on a road of course but I was still hoping they didn't know about the short dead-end road I like to hunt opening morning.

I have another little dead end road I go up there though, that is obscured by thick alders so I went there for a while and then up to "my" spot. Sure enough, one of the buddies was there. He doesn't know how good that spot usually is opening morning. If I go back next year I'll be there when they get there if I have to sleep there.

But it's on a road, I don't expect otherwise.

Nobody shot anything that day but shortly after those guys burned by me, as daybreak broke I saw a doe down in the first cutblock I came to.

[KBC]

To answer the thread title, it’s because there’s no one to take them and teach them.

To expand on that a bit, here’s some observations from someone who stated in his 30s;
Its really tough to get into. For an outsider just getting a gun license is a big step. The hunting license is another big step. Then where do you go? How do you do it?

There is such a learning curve, it can beat you down pretty quick if you don’t have someone to teach you. Fortunately I’m dumb enough to keep going so I’ve kept at it. I’ve been at it about 7 years now and last season I finally shot my first deer. Along with a couple close calls with elk, it’s taken that long, almost all of it solo to get to this season where I feel I have a half decent idea of what to do.

I don’t know what’s harder, figuring out how to hunt on your own or finding someone who knows how to hunt to teach you.

Personally I want to have a bit more success so I know I’m ok at it and then I’ll start reserving one trip per year for taking someone new. Honestly if I would have had someone to teach me at the beginning what I know even just now, I would be at least a couple years ahead.

If you want hunting to end, just don’t teach anyone how to hunt.

[bruce44]

Exactly KBC! I’m glad I’m not the only one. I started hunting back in 2014 and have only shot 1 moose. I’m glad I’m not the only one learning by myself.

new hunters are just like our kids. You can either teach them to be respectful or you can teach them to be pricks. It’s up to the experienced hunters to stop the dbaggery. Telling people to just suck it up will do nothing to improve the experience.

once I get good enough, I’m going to bring my wife along.

[303savage]

vast majority of older hunters are complete pricks.

Age has nothing to do with being a prick, they come in all ages.

[vladthepes]

...kids do not go into hunting anymore because our country is going far left and tree hugger ecolo-communists teachers brainwash them to be sandal-wearing bleeding-heart vegetarians afraid of their own shadow. Then, we bring millions of foreigners who settle down in the city for which hunting is not in their culture. You will have your wish. Us, the red neck founders of this country will slowly disappear all hunting will stop. Excepted for the elite in the politburo!

[quadrakid]

5 pages and no one has mentioned all these idiots are from Vancouver Island and the LML!

On a side note. I solo hunted for elk in the Sparwood area many years ago and bumped into the local hunters daily. A great bunch of guys that dropped by my camp when i was not there and left some elk backstrap in my cooler. Most people are good.

[Aaron600]

Last year a couple hunters on a sxs pointed out an area they just saw a buck. My wife got her first buck because of them. There are a lot of dicks in the bush but not everyone.

The year before out ATV broke down (holeshot didn't screw the oil filter on correctly) and a group of Bear hunters had no interest in helping us out but a big group of sxs off roaders towed us 24kms back to our vehicle with no questions asked, even offered us a beer. Tried to offer them some gas $$ but they said "just return the favor if you see someone broke down"

[RyoTHC]

Well,

To update this thread I've spoke to the local CO and forwarded pictures of the offending camps with GPS locations, he assures me by the time we get back up there those camps will be taken down and they will have either moved to a rec site or vacated the area completely, and he's going to be looking for open containers and any other ticket offenses, he was disgusted when i told him what was going on and was elated I could provide pictures and GPS locations of the offending camps and their license plates... if it happens to be someone on HBC, maybe you will read this thread and give your God damn head a shake

[bruce44]

...kids do not go into hunting anymore because our country is going far left and tree hugger ecolo-communists teachers brainwash them to be sandal-wearing bleeding-heart vegetarians afraid of their own shadow. Then, we bring millions of foreigners who settle down in the city for which hunting is not in their culture. You will have your wish. Us, the red neck founders of this country will slowly disappear all hunting will stop. Excepted for the elite in the politburo!

That’s not true and you know it. It’s not about being left or right. It’s about not understanding hunting. Instead of putting your political spin on things, educate people. I have a brother in law who is very left. He loves hunting and shooting. He used to hate guns because he was a doctor in the USA and has seen so many shot children.

Myself and my other brother in law showed him the difference between being a gun owner and a gun nut. We showed him how hunting moose and elk every year was more environmentally friendly than eating beef. Se also showed him how ungulates that aren’t shot don’t die peacefully. They get too old, too hungry, or too sick to run and they almost always get torn apart by predators.

Educate the ignorant to our ways instead of putting them down. Stop with this divisive mindset. I’m an immigrant and people that think like you is exactly why it’s so hard to get non Canadian born people into hunting. You act as if you have to be a conservative redneck to be a hunter.

[Redthies]

I can barely hunt my way out of a wet paper bag, but I would never disrespect someone else.
I think the issues arise with generalizations of different generations and then they approach that type differently.
I have yet to come across someone’s camp blocking an entire road but I have been very disappointed coming across shit left by useless individuals.

My situation too. This is one reason I like turkey hunting. They’re “just” birds, so no egos involved really, and usually not too much competition.

You need to realize that a lot of humans really suck. I’m often embarrassed for other people and their “ethics”.