110 Hunting Tattoo Ideas to Commemorate Your Favorite Pastime

From bow hunting to landscape designs, there are plenty of hunting tattoos for you to choose from.

I spent several years in Montana and during this time, I got to design a lot of different hunting tattoos - and hear many war stories along the way. While I have never hunted myself, meeting the hunters and seeing the various designs and concepts made me view this pastime in a whole new light.

In this post, I will share the top hunting tattoo ideas and give you some inspiration to find the right design.

The Best Hunting Tattoos

Here are the top hunting tattoos that you should consider:

Bow Hunting Tattoos

Did you know that bow hunting can be traced all the way back to the Stone Age? This makes it one of the first forms of hunting that modern humans engaged in. So, if you love hunting, then a bow hunting tattoo makes perfect sense to get.

A Pure Expression of Hunting

Over the last several decades, there have been all kinds of weapons and tools that have made hunting a lot easier. Despite this, you may have noticed that there are still millions of people who choose a bow and arrow to hunt.

Bow hunting is one of the purer forms of hunting. Even if you're using a fine-tuned bow and arrow setup, you still have to rely on your skills and experience to bag your prey.

Unlike with guns, you have to get quite close to the animal to hit them. This means that you have to take so many precautions not to get noticed. For many hunters, this can make the kill all the more special - you have earned it.

A Respect for the Old Ways

Another reason you may want to get a bow hunting tattoo is out of respect for the old principles of hunting.

Way back when people didn't hunt for sport - they hunted because they needed to survive. Since resources were scarce, hunters made use of every part of their kill - the antlers, the pelt, etc.

In doing so, the hunters respected the animals they killed. This meant immersing themselves in the circle of life and being one with nature.

By getting a bow and arrow tattoo it could be a reminder to yourself - and others - to continue with the pledge that those hunters made all those years ago.

Want a tattoo that tells the world just how much you love hunting? Well, these bow and arrow tattoo ideas will do the trick. If you want you can get a tattoo of a long bow or you can opt for a more modern crossbow.

Here are some hunting tattoos that you can consider:

If you want to commemorate the old ways of hunting, this tattoo is a great choice for you. First of all, the hunting tattoo consists of an old-fashioned arrow embedded into the ground. Also, there is a deer skull and scratches over the arrow.

This gives this tattoo a rustic and ancient feel.

In case you want to capture the thrill and adventure of bow hunting, these are the hunting tattoos to check out. It shows the hunters all kitted up and in the middle of aiming at their prey.

As you can see from these tattoos, you can choose a more classic or vintage style. Or, you can stick to something more modern.

Hunter Tattoos

If you're looking for a different kind of hunting tattoo, I would suggest getting a hunter tattoo. Here, the focus is on the person doing the hunting instead of the prey.

A hunter tattoo is great for many reasons - it's a very creative spin on a hunting tattoo. As a result, you get a unique and aesthetically-pleasing tattoo.

What I like about the hunter tattoo is that it also has the ability to be deeply meaningful. This is because most people use these kinds of hunting tattoos to commemorate a loved one.

This is usually a parent or a grandparent that introduced them to hunting or was simply an avid hunter.

Interestingly enough, this kind of tattoo can also be used to depict the bond between a person and their hunting dog. So, this kind of tattoo is a reminder of companionship, love, and loyalty.

There are a few different ways you can pull off this kind of tattoo. You can choose to get a portrait - this works well if there's a particular person you would like to capture in your tattoo. Just remember that you will need a talented tattoo artist to get this tattoo design.

You can also decide on a simpler route, where you just get the silhouette of a hunter. Don't be fooled - there are actually quite a few details that you can include with this kind of tattoo.

Hunting Landscape Tattoos

It isn't just the hunt that makes hunting such an enjoyable passion - it's also being in the great outdoors surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery known to man.

This is why landscape hunting tattoos are the perfect option if you would also like to capture the beauty of your surroundings. Not only does this make for a truly stunning tattoo, but there are also so many creative options to choose from here.

Duck Hunting Tattoos

I love the options available for a duck hunting tattoo. When most people think of duck hunters, they tend to have this rather classic or vintage image in their heads.

This is because duck hunting has been considered one of the more gentlemanly pursuits. So, you're likely to conjure up images of duck hunters in a tweed hunting suit, dog by their side, and gun in their hand.

If this is the kind of concept you would like to preserve with your hunting tattoo, there are plenty of ideas for you to choose from.

At the same time, there is no need to limit yourself. If you would like a more contemporary take on your tattoo design, there are just as many choices for you.

Deer Hunting Tattoos

As far as hunting goes, deer hunting is arguably the most popular. So, you have quite a selection of deer hunting tattoos.

If you would like a more minimalistic deer hunting tattoo, consider this one. It is more symbolic than anything else and looks great if you don't want your hunting tattoo to be too obvious.

Other subtle hunting tattoo concepts would be simply having a deer skull beside a deer and landscape.

If you're in the mood for more elaborate hunting tattoos, these are the designs you should check out:

Bear Hunting Tattoos

Bear hunting alone isn't quite as popular as the other types of hunting. Despite this, you can find your fair share of bear hunting tattoos.

In some of these hunting tattoos, the bears are surrounded by hunting dogs. In other cases, it is the bears and weapons. Or, you can also include a bear skull in the design.

Here are some of the ideas that may inspire your own.

Hunting Compilation Tattoos

For a lot of people, hunting is a sport - they don't just have one kind of prey. They enjoy the act of the hunt.

In these instances, a compilation hunting tattoo is a good idea. Here, you can include a host of different animals in your tattoo design.

Your hunting tattoo doesn't just need to consist after the animals you traditionally hunt. It can also include great predators and wild animals - they can serve as inspiration for your own efforts and skills.

As you can imagine, such an image can make for a pretty huge tattoo. So, you may want to consider a more expansive surface area such as your back for this design.

If you prefer, you can always pull off a condensed version and get a sleeve tattoo. It does depend on how much detail you want to include.

Some of these tattoos are done in black and grey ink, but there are also a few done in color. So, if you would like to branch out and do something different, you may want to try a colorful tattoo instead.

It doesn't matter what kind of hunting you do - you're sure to find a design that is just right! So, go ahead and check out these options and figure out which ones inspire you the most. This will get you on the right track to customizing your own ink.