How to Assess New Hunting Buddies

Hopefully, you have an opportunity to get to know someone before you commit to going cross-country with them, but that’s not always the case. Whether you get invited on a paid-for hunting trip or a friend of a friend tags along to help cut costs, you sometimes find yourself in situations with semi-strangers. Aside from these scenarios, you should have plenty of time to vet your hunting partners. Here are a few traits to look for in a good hunting buddy before hitting the road.

If you want a preview of how someone will perform on a hunting trip, then spend a day deer hunting with them in your home state. Think of this approach as the practice before the big game. However your buddy acts and reacts on a bad day of hunting close to home will only be amplified when half a day’s drive away.

Trust me, it doesn’t take long for the glimmering dreams of an OTC public land hunt to come crashing back to reality. Give your hunting buddy a “field test” and be mindful of any red flags. It doesn’t mean they’re a bad person, but maybe they’re not the best hunting partner.

If I could only pick one trait in a hunting buddy, I’d choose a positive attitude every time. I’m not talking about a naïve sense of denial or unrealistic attitude either. Hunters with positive attitudes tend to assess the situation and make the most of it, even if the conditions aren’t ideal.

They turn bad situations into potential opportunities. In the midst of slow, uneventful hunts, they adapt and change course. This doesn’t mean they never get disheartened, but they have an uncanny ability to bounce back and move on even when it gets tough. For these reasons, hunters with positive attitudes tend to put themselves in front of opportunity, instead of waiting for it to fall in their lap.

Hunters with a negative attitude tend to wallow in self-pity and make excuses. They shift blame on other hunters, “bad” hunting spots, or a lack of resources. If they only had what others had, they’d be lining the record books, too. They can take less-than-ideal conditions and turn them abysmal. They might not kill a deer, but they’ll kill the whole hunting party’s hopes and mood. I refuse to hunt with these types of people. It’s not worth the time or money.

If you hunt with a buddy locally and notice they bitch about every little thing, that’s a good indication of how they’ll operate on a trip. Unless they get lucky, hunters with poor attitudes rarely kill anything. They’ll find any excuse to not scout properly, not sit on stand long enough, or even go home early. Again, this doesn’t make or break someone as a person, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a week with them in the woods.

I can’t think of a more appropriate application of the golden rule (treat others as you want to be treated) than in hunting. Good hunting buddies aren’t selfish; they’re considerate. Of course, this goes both ways. If you want a hunting buddy who has both of your interests at the forefront, then you should do the same.

Considerate hunting partners aren’t just worried about killing something. Sure, they want to punch that expensive out-of-state tag, but they’re just as excited to see someone else find success. Good hunting partners will help you find success, whether they still have a tag in their pocket or not. They’ll congratulate you and share the excitement when you kill a big buck (and you’ll do the same!).

Bad hunting partners will sulk or whine about their struggles while they reluctantly help you drag out a deer. I’ve been in this situation. Man, does it suck. Nothing will rob the joy from your success like a moping hunting partner. It’s extremely selfish and unfair to the rest of the hunting party.

Of course, we all need to take an occasional self-evaluation before we point fingers at others. If your buddy kills a buck, make sure your first reaction is to celebrate their accomplishments. Otherwise, your jealousy and insecurity will rear its head. I’ve been guilty of this before, and it doesn’t do anything to help your success (or lack thereof).

This trait tends to naturally follow the other two. Hunters with a good attitude don’t shy away from work, and considerate ones typically go out of their way to find success for themselves and others. Hunting is work (most of the time). Good hunting buddies know this.

For this reason, they tend to have a positive attitude and realistic expectations, but they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They’ll walk miles in the dark, hang sticks and stands, or cover miles just to find some promising sign. When they don’t find promising sign right away, they keep going. They don’t take shortcuts, and they know that even the slightest success doesn’t come easy.

Bad hunting partners avoid work like the plague. They want the quickest, easiest path to success. They’ll cut corners or make compromises that negatively affect their chances. They “hope for the best” instead of putting themselves in the best situation. Yet, they’ll blame other factors instead of taking responsibility themselves.

In defense of “bad” hunting buddies, most of them probably have their ignorance to blame. Whether that’s from unrealistic expectations or misguided goals, they probably don’t see hunting for the challenge that it is. In that case, they might need to see someone set a good example for a “good” hunting partner. Just make sure you try that on a weekend, not a weeklong trip.