Solo hunting is a challenge, but greatly rewarding. (Photo submitted by the author)
March 06, 2026
By Colton Heward
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My crosshair slowly steadied on the shoulder of the heavy-tined Coues buck 402 yards below me as I exhaled an exaggerated deep breath and begin to squeeze through the trigger. The percussion shattered the deafening morning silence. Recovering from the recoil, I caught a mere flick of the waiving white tail as the buck dove off the ridge and into the depths of a deep, cedar-choked canyon seemingly unscathed. My mind raced. Did I miss? I surely didn’t hear the unmistakable audible report of my bullet impacting flesh and bone. I know misses happen, but my rest was solid, trigger break was clean and the rifle I was shooting consistently shoots sub .5 MOA groups. I shouldn’t have missed. The unknown flooded my thoughts.
Replaying the shot over and over in my head, I begrudgingly began to accept the harsh reality that I had most likely missed my one, and only, opportunity at a mature buck in six grueling days of hunting. Either way, my hunt was over with a hit or a miss. Pushing my somber notions aside, I bailed from my vantage to go check for blood before I made haste for camp and begin the long trek home from deep in the unforgiving mountains of Sonora, Mexico.
As I scaled down the rocky cliff terraces below my glassing point, I couldn’t help but ponder the potential mistakes I had made and how different things would be if I had someone there with me. Regardless, this was the second time this past season that I had found myself in this predicament.
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Solo hunting is not for the faint of heart but undoubtedly teaches valuable lessons and requires a uniquely different approach then when hunting with others. Below is series of tips and tactics learned through years of successes and failures for increasing your efficiency, safety, and success when hunting solo in the backcountry.
Safety Safety is of the utmost importance when hunting solo. Always prioritize your hydration. (Photo submitted by the author) I know this is blatantly obvious but must be said: First and foremost, your safety should always be at the forefront of your mind when hunting solo. You have no lifeline to bail you out of a bad situation. Always carry an InReach or another communication device that can be your last resort in case of an emergency. Avoid unnecessary risk taking. There is not a buck or bull in the world worth jeopardizing your life over.
Stalk Execution (Photo submitted by the author) When hunting solo, your approach once a worthy buck, bull or bruin is located is far different than with a companion on point keeping track of the animal while you cut the distance. In fact, I would argue that having a spotter that can communicate with you via hand signals or radios (where legal) increases your odds of getting within striking distance by 50 percent or more. Knowing this makes the following steps vitally important.
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Every scenario is different and brings different variables to consider, but patience is of the utmost important when stalking an animal without an extra set of eyes aiding in your approach. In most situations, especially when I know that I will lose sight of the animal for an extended period of time during my stalk, I wait for them to bed down when possible. Stalking a stationary target as opposed to one moving increases your odds of success exponentially.
Before you begin, take an extra minute or two to scrutinize your surroundings and take detailed mental notes. Also, take a photo of the area your target is located with your phone, open up the edit feature, and mark their location . As you get closer you will be able to cross-reference your location with various landmarks within the photo and get a gauge on your distance from the target.
Shot Execution Executing a precise shot is of the utmost importance. Take the extra time needed to scrutinize your surroundings before attempting to recover your quarry. (Photo submitted by the author) There are a couple of tips and tricks to avoid the exact scenario of uncertainty on shot placement that I found myself in earlier this year. First, we live in a day and age that the vast majority of us have the ability to, with the aid of our cell phones, use a digiscoping adapter paired with our spotting scopes and film the animals we view. Doing so gives us the ability to go back and replay the shot, confirming with certainty a hit or miss as well as precise shot placement when deciding how long to give the animal before we begin tracking. This knowledge is invaluable. Truthfully, I got so caught up in the moment on my Coues hunt that this didn’t even cross my mind. I had the time to set it up and it would have saved some serious heartache.
Second, be cognizant of your targets surroundings and quickly gather landmarks that will aid in getting you to its location. As mentioned above, once you have taken the shot, open up your cell phone and take a photo of where your target was standing and mark it within the edit feature of your phone. The first step in recovering your quarry, unless you watched them go down, begins by getting to the precise location the animal was standing.
Meat Care Getting the meat pulled, cooled and back to the trailhead in a timely manner is vitally important. Doing so solo requires an extra degree of attentiveness and haste. (Photo submitted by the author) Once successful, getting the hide off and meat pulled and cooling becomes your number one priority. This is a much more difficult task on your own then with the help of family and friends that you must prepare for. Paracord is a pack essential, especially when hunting solo, as it serves many purposes including tying legs to keep animals from sliding on steep hillsides, holding legs up to access hard to reach joints such as the hip, and hanging meat to cool. A lightweight tarp is also a valuable addition to your kill-kit to aid in keeping meat as clean as possible. For shear weight savings, I typically pull the bones from the front and rear quarters as well before loading the pack down and beginning the process of getting the hard-earned trophy back to the trailhead.
We should always be cautious when butchering animals with or without someone's help but doing so solo requires an extra attentiveness to blade control. Awkward cutting angles and positions that often result in a slipped blade puncture or slice are common. Slow down, take your time and always be aware of your blade direction and pressure.
Always Check for Blood (Photo submitted by the author) Nearly an hour later I finally made it down to the rocky outcropping the Coues buck was standing on when I squeezed the trigger. Immediately I found a splash of blood upon a beach ball-sized rock followed by another a few yards further. Both appeared to have small bubbles in them. Having all but convinced myself during the descent that I had missed and my hunt was over, my senses heightened, and hope rushed through my veins. Cautiously optimistic, I searched for several minutes in what appeared to be the obvious direction of travel for more blood to no avail. The buck was not bleeding much and the waist-high yellow grass made finding blood a tedious task. Doubling back to where I first found blood, the sun lit up a blood smear on a rock 15 yards below me, the opposite direction of where I thought the buck had gone. Five yards on the other side of that rock laid a hard-earned Coues buck .
Elation, joy, humility and gratitude filled my entire being as I soaked in every detail of that special moment. As much as I would have enjoyed someone there to share that with, there was an undeniable sense of appreciation and self-satisfaction that only comes from hunting solo.
The sense of accomplishment after successfully hunting the backcountry is amplified when on a solo mission. (Photo courtesy of Colton Heward)
Colton Heward
Managing Editor
Colton Heward comes from a multi-generational line of hunters and conservationists entrenched in the rich hunting heritage of the West. Growing up in Northern Utah, plentiful hunting opportunities lit a fire inside him that burns with more fervor with every passing season. For more than a decade, Heward spent his falls guiding mule deer, elk, pronghorn and moose hunters before taking on his current role as Managing Editor of Petersen's Hunting. Outside of guiding, his passion for hunting and the outdoors has taken him to the remote corners of the world from Alaska to Africa in search of adventure and provided some of his most cherished memories.
Prior to working for Petersen's Hunting, Heward was a freelance outdoor journalist with regular contributions to many Outdoor Sportsman Group publications, as well as several other major hunting media outlets. Preserving our revered hunting tradition through education and conservation is of the utmost importance to him in his role at Petersen's Hunting.
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