Anyone ever lose the passion for something they use to love doing? That is me right now with deer hunting. Every year I would take 10-14 days off to focus solely on deer hunting trying to get that trophy buck. However I truly believe that trophy hunting has slowly ate away at my passion for deer hunting in general. Hard to keep the fire alive when you’re trying to get that trophy buck on sub par ground. Now I find myself having to force myself out of bed in the morning since I already have the permit bought.

Hunting in general. At one point I was probably hunting close to 100 days a year, this year I can't get excited about going. I helped my cousin shoot his first deer and that was alotta fun. I normally try and shoot 6 big game animals a year, this year I have shot two antelope does and the only reason I did that was because my buddy also had tags so I couldn't bail on the trip.

I can see how that might happen. Maybe embrace the challenge of taking a buck that would be a trophy for the area you hunt. I don't try to take a saskatchewan whitetail here in Ontario LOL and if I needed to get one to satisfy an urge, I'd look to travel

I think my plan for next year is to pull my grandpas old recurve I inherited out, restring and teach myself to shoot it. Then focus on the hunt with a family heirloom than the size of any deer. See if that can reignite the passion. If not may be time to stop deer hunting for awhile and focus solely back to trapping again as hunting has taken away from trapping the past 10+ years.

This is where I’m at.

Yeah it happens. If you notice it happening with more than just that one thing you should try to see a doctor. It’s one of the biggest signs that you might have a chemical imbalance in your brain causing depression.

Age catches up with you. I still hunt a lot because that is my years meat but it all hurts now and is not nearly as enjoyable. I enjoy going for a walk more then hunting because I am not carrying a rifle and all the processing equipment. Just my binoculars and a light pack. I used to be gung-ho now I am happy with a doe.

And sometimes a change in passions are healthy
Or some cases I look at things as instead feeling I have too , I get too.

Yup

I'm old now. I have trophy hunted for many species and have nothing to prove to myself or others. I took a spike buck bowhunting this year because we had a little tracking snow, I had help that day, and that is all the meat I can eat in a year. My wife doesn't eat venison. This gun season I will take a camera along and, unless I see a huge buck, I will take a photo. Camp will be quiet due to covid so I will probably close it down early. Every year the definition of success changes more from successful harvest to just enjoying camaraderie of camp and the solitude of the stand.

I know exactly what your talking about. Today is our Opening Day for Michigan's firearms deer season. I used to fairly froth at the mouth with excitement at the thought of Opening Day. My All Purpose Boy is sitting down on the south end of our place, in the wind and pouring rain, hoping to see another Mr. Big like the one he arrowed last week. Me, well, I moseyed on about 300 yrds south of the front door and sat for the first 2 hours of daylight......then came back to the house. As I sat out there this a.m. I was really hoping to see one of the tiny spike bucks we have in the neighborhood. Their antlers are about the size of cigarette butts. I would have been tickled pink to tag one. I'm just wanting to can up a decent batch of venison, as I ate up the last jar about a month ago. If a whopper strolled by I would absolutely shoot it, but I honestly would rather it strolled by my son. This afternoon, if my Bride is feeling well, I will likely just walk out behind the house for the last 90 minutes of daylight. Again, I'll be looking for any legal buck, and will gladly shoot one of those tiny antlered guys. I can shoot a doe if I feel like it too, but our local herd is still recovering from a low spell. If I tag a doe, she will be shot in a different part of the township than my immediate neighborhood.

It happens when the old gang is gone, age. Hunting area is also gone. There are many factors. JMO

Age changes a guy.
Priorities change

I used to hunt Oct-dec almost every day hunting a hundred mile radius. Then I got to where I was only hunting out back a few years. When I started taking my daughter I found I lost a lot of my former area. So I expanded taking her even across the river to ky.

Now I really don't hunt at all. I take my boys and I really enjoy that. I will shoot a late seaso doe or two if the boys didn't bring enough home and I like late season it's less crowded and I can stalk on our public ground that's to crowded during the openers.

I have a hard time sitting on stand more than 15 min just for me to hunt alone because I start thinking about all that I need to be getting done at home. If I'm hunting with my boys that's no issue because in spending time with the kids.

I love to be out and stalk and still hunt/ take my gun for a walk on new territory but Indiana is a little populated for that when the orange brigade has someone in every 200th tree.

Killing a deer. I still like going out, but I don't have a desire to kill one that I once did. I've killed quite a few really big bucks and simply rarely see one any more that tweaks my interest. I do like that my kids are all gung ho, maybe my drive and desire has went down because I'm living vicariously through them in some ways. I just got home from a tough mule deer hunt with brutal snow conditions. If it'd have been my tag, I'd have stayed home, but it was my son and I loved being there working hard to get him on a dandy.

I lost it a few years back for hunting as well. What got it back for me was going back to the basics.
I sold my compound and bought a longbow. Giving myself a new challenge got my passion back. I dont worry about the size of the animal anymore, just try to enjoy the hunt.

Interesting post. I too am not as gung ho about deer hunting. I have killed some nice bucks, tried to kill them with different weapons, the tag filling phase was fun,....

Now it is just about getting outside. I find myself looking for fur sign than looking for deer.

Same could be said for fishing - there was a time when it was muskies, northerns, or big catfish. Now I am just happy to catch something to eat.

BF

the way people got excited about being on a team , football, baseball , hocky , softball , something that is a team effort where you can enjoy the company of your team mates even if it is just a Rec or church league softball it isn't about the win as much as it is getting together with your crew a brew after and enjoying the company.

for me this was hunting , we would all get together at my great Aunts house the family home since 1888 we had hundreds of acres we could hunt even though there were only 2 of the original plot still owned by the my Great Aunt.

over time the number of places we could hunt slowly dwindled we still have hundreds we can hunt but only about 1/3 of what we could once.

My great uncle died the Tuesday before Deer season last year , we knew it was coming Pancreatic cancer but it still hit hard. I had hunted with him 26 of the last 28 years he had taught my dad to hunt as my dads dad was a city kid.

this year my Great Aunt is having health problems and the house in the woods is a long way from medical care for her heart you basically end up going to Green bay in NE-WI so she is spending the winter with her daughter about an hour out of GB.

my son and I will be headed out , on public land around home , we did this last year opening weekend then got up to a cousins place in Door county and each got a buck the day after my great uncles funeral last year.

it is sad , but it is good time with my son , was out pheasant hunting with my son and neighbor and neighbors father and realized I got much the same feeling of team hunting as doing deer drives , I think we may get some more of our hunting fix on pheasants this year as well as trapping.

Yeah I know what you are talking about. Two years ago I decided to get a buck with every legal method in Missouri (currently am on recurve and shotgun). That has made it more interesting.

Kinda funny reading the comments. I have never cared about deer hunting, and It has been that way since deer season first opened in this state. Got a bit interested a couple times, but trapping always trumpt the urge. Have seen some monsters while out trapping, and enjoy the view for what it is. Please understand, I would never try to keep anyone from doing whatever hunt that they wanted though!