11-20-2018, 03:59 AM
Your attitude closely matches mine. No brag, just fact: I hunt very well alone, thank you very much, but it's nice to have somebody there to share the load once the elk is down. More fun around the campfire, too. Only problem is that I'm now 65 and, 
to say, I can't do a lot of things others can anymore. There should be a saying that goes something like this: "The beginning of wisdom is knowing your limitations." I still hunt alone but I always follow the usual precautions. My wife doesn't like it, though. So as much as possible I hunt over here while others hunt over there and we get back together for lunch and again for the hike out. "But what if you have a heart attack or break your leg?" she says. My answer is much like yours: what a way to go! I also try to hunt in places where I have cell phone contact and call or text several times a day. I also follow the Scout maxim, "Be prepared." I have carried a heavier-than-usual day pack full of possibles for so long I don't notice the weight anymore. Having said all that, in my upcoming antlerless elk hunt I will go out alone when I can't go with others. But I will stay close to roads and leave a detailed map of where I am going and when to expect me back. I will also leave a note on my dash when I take off on foot of where I am headed, when I left, and when I should be back. Oh yeah, I can call or text, too, if possible. And I'll have the phone numbers for the local authorities in my phone. And I'll have two lights and extra batteries, and ......
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to say, I can't do a lot of things others can anymore. There should be a saying that goes something like this: "The beginning of wisdom is knowing your limitations." I still hunt alone but I always follow the usual precautions. My wife doesn't like it, though. So as much as possible I hunt over here while others hunt over there and we get back together for lunch and again for the hike out. "But what if you have a heart attack or break your leg?" she says. My answer is much like yours: what a way to go! I also try to hunt in places where I have cell phone contact and call or text several times a day. I also follow the Scout maxim, "Be prepared." I have carried a heavier-than-usual day pack full of possibles for so long I don't notice the weight anymore. Having said all that, in my upcoming antlerless elk hunt I will go out alone when I can't go with others. But I will stay close to roads and leave a detailed map of where I am going and when to expect me back. I will also leave a note on my dash when I take off on foot of where I am headed, when I left, and when I should be back. Oh yeah, I can call or text, too, if possible. And I'll have the phone numbers for the local authorities in my phone. And I'll have two lights and extra batteries, and ......[signature]
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.