The Usual Suspects
Identifying hunters in the wild.
Come hunting season, you’re likely to see all kinds of hunters out in the field, but contrary to popular belief, there’s a lot more separating these folks than keeping ‘em together. Sure, they’ve all got hunting licenses, but the buck stops there. To help make sense of it all, we’ve compiled a list of the most common—and outlandish—stereotypes you’re likely to run into this fall.
Conservationist
Favorite hunt: Public-land mule-deer hunt, focusing on sustainable harvest
Weapon: .300 Win. Mag with copper ammo
Catchphrase: “You can’t eat the antlers.”
Essential cargo: GPS loaded with innumerable “secret spots”
Profession: Wildlife biologist
Beverage: Tequila
Transportation: 2005 Chevy Silverado
Off-Season activity: Gardening
Dog name: Gus
Bumper sticker: Public Land Owner
Hardo
Favorite hunt: Backcountry bull elk
Weapon: 6.5 Creedmoor
Catchphrase: “Train insane or remain the same.”
Essential cargo: Jetboil
Profession: Green Beret
Beverage: Protein shake
Transportation: GMC Sierra 2500HD
Off-Season Activity: MTN Tough
Dog Name: Achilles
Bumper Sticker: Rogan/Hanes 2028
Old-Timer
Favorite hunt: Pheasant on buddy’s property
Weapon: Browning double-barrel
Catchphrase: “Back when I was a boy…”
Essential cargo: Ka-Bar from Vietnam
Profession: Retired game warden
Beverage: Black coffee until 10am, bourbon thereafter
Transportation: Rusty F-250
Off-Season activity: Whittling
Dog name: Buddy
Bumper sticker: Cows Not Condos
First-Timer
Favorite hunt: Opening-weekend deer at nearest Block Management Area
Weapon: .243, never been sighted in
Catchphrase: “Is that a mule deer or whitetail?”
Essential cargo: Forgot it
Profession: Tech support (remote)
Beverage: Local IPA
Transportation: Subaru Crosstrek
Offseason activity: Watching hunting bro’s YouTube videos
Dog name: Bridger
Bumper stickers: YNP and BRR
Purist
Favorite hunt: Bull elk in rut
Weapon: Recurve bow with flint-knapped arrows
Catchphrase: “I won’t eat it if I didn’t kill it.”
Essential cargo: Flint firestarter
Profession: Leatherworker
Beverage: River water
Transportation: Vintage Land Cruiser
Offseason activity: Perfecting wilderness-survival skills
Dog name: Freyja
Bumper sticker: Politicians and diapers need to be changed for the same reason.
Transcendentalist
Favorite hunt: Taking the gun for a walk
Weapon: Marlin .30-30
Catchphrase: “Out here, we’re all animals.”
Essential cargo: Journal
Profession: Philosophy professor
Beverage: Homemade mead
Transportation: 1980s Toyota Tercel
Offseason activity: Finding zen at the Dharma Center
Dog name: Plato
Bumper sticker: Know Thyself
Water Swatter
Favorite hunt: Early morning in the duck blind
Weapon: Semi-auto 12-gauge with reed camo pattern
Catch phrase: “Spray and pray, boys.”
Essential cargo: Duck-call lanyard
Profession: Trustafarian
Beverage: Thermos of spiked coffee
Transportation: 2015 Ford Super Duty
Offseason activity: Infidelity
Dog name: Goose
Bumper sticker: LSU alumni, Geaux Tigers!
Hunting Influencer
Favorite hunt: Spring black bear in the Bob
Weapon: Custom-built .30-06 with Sitka camo stock
Catchphrase: “Welcome back to another episode of…”
Essential cargo: Portable charger for iPhone
Profession: Sales associate at Bob Ward’s
Beverage: Coors Banquet
Transportation: Lifted Tacoma
Offseason activity: Making TikTok videos
Dog name: Diesel
Bumper sticker: Bone Collector
Trophy Collector
Favorite hunt: $10k guided bull-elk hunt
Weapon: .338 Lapua with shiny, woodgrain stock
Catchphrase: “How much for that one?”
Essential cargo: Obsequious outfitter
Profession: Real-estate developer
Beverage: Margarita
Transportation: Private jet
Offseason activity: Africa has no off-season
Dog name: Rolex
Bumper sticker: Private Land Hunter
