Honest opinion on taking the month off work for elk season? Please help!!

[Local577bowhunter]

OK so we have decided you should do it. But how you gonna structure it? Do you have multiple tags to fill? Things other than hunting you want to do in Elk country?

I think about some of the tags i have had over the years and the way I felt so worn out after just a couple days and multiple close calls or days when the elk aren't responding and are bedded in the deep dark timber. If I had yor situation, I would recommend:

Schedule some time as you travel to and from to explore towns and other points of interest .

Schedule a day off from hunting every 5 days or so. Wash clothes in town and get a restaurant meal.

Socialize with some people. You could make potential career or hunting contacts for the future,

If you feel burned out, take some time off. Mental stress has pushed more guys off the mountain than physical.

You brought up some great points and actually hit the nail on the head, after going there nine years in a row I’ve developed some friendships and met several friends. I always set aside a day to help an elderly couple I met a few years ago with things around the farm and to visit with other friends I’ve made during my time there.
About tags I’ll have two elk tags and a deer tag, I’ll also have the ability to get a bear tag if I end up needing one. If I get burned out I’ve done plenty of fishing in the past and plan on spending a day or two on the river bank catching trout.
I also have a couple new areas I’m wanting to get into. Whether I get in them before or after my tags are filled I plan to get in and scout for future hunts, they are within my zone though so if things are slow in my usual area I’ll head to one of the new areas.
As far as looking into jobs, I usually make sure to stop by the union hall on my way into town each year to show my face and get my name out, I think showing interest a few years in a row will show I am serious about a future there and hopefully helps make some future work contacts.
I plan to spent most of the month in the woods but like you said, a month leaves plenty of time to do and see things I haven’t had time for in the past, I think it will be a great learning experience in more ways than just woodsmanship. Thanks for the response!

 

[brockel]

I take damn near the entire month of November off. I don’t regret it ever

 

[tzone]

I take damn near the entire month of November off. I don’t regret it ever

As do I. I haven't regretted it yet.

I also have a VERY understanding wife. lol

 

[brockel]

As do I. I haven't regretted it yet.

I also have a VERY understanding wife. lol

Same for my wife. She also likes the full freezer

 

[Local577bowhunter]

Coming back to this post five years later with an update lol! Thanks to all of you who responded and all the positivity! Just to fill you all in. I ended up taking the month to elk hunt, I harvested a 333” 6x6 OTC bull and had the most stress free month of my life!

Since then I’ve continued working on the road and as of two weeks ago, I now own a home here in idaho where I spent that month hunting. I’ve worked ever since this post for that goal and it feels good to have made it! I am now married with a wife who elk hunts with me and have a fully paid for small home here in the heart of elk county! Thanks for the positive notes everyone!!

 

[44hunter45]

This is why you can't get a contractor anywhere in Idaho from August until January.

 

[Local577bowhunter]

This is why you can't get a contractor anywhere in Idaho from August until January.

Prertty good chance I’d imagine

 

[Mattff200]

Coming back to this post five years later with an update lol! Thanks to all of you who responded and all the positivity! Just to fill you all in. I ended up taking the month to elk hunt, I harvested a 333” 6x6 OTC bull and had the most stress free month of my life!

Since then I’ve continued working on the road and as of two weeks ago, I now own a home here in idaho where I spent that month hunting. I’ve worked ever since this post for that goal and it feels good to have made it! I am now married with a wife who elk hunts with me and have a fully paid for small home here in the heart of elk county! Thanks for the positive notes everyone!!

Congrats man your living the dream.

 

[ccc23454]

Coming back to this post five years later with an update lol! Thanks to all of you who responded and all the positivity! Just to fill you all in. I ended up taking the month to elk hunt, I harvested a 333” 6x6 OTC bull and had the most stress free month of my life!

Since then I’ve continued working on the road and as of two weeks ago, I now own a home here in idaho where I spent that month hunting. I’ve worked ever since this post for that goal and it feels good to have made it! I am now married with a wife who elk hunts with me and have a fully paid for small home here in the heart of elk county! Thanks for the positive notes everyone!!

Any chance your working on a contract for fall restaints at a online retailer facilty? Meet a guy in idaho this year with a simular story to yours. Either way, congrats on being happy!

 

[jpc01101]

Coming back to this post five years later with an update lol! Thanks to all of you who responded and all the positivity! Just to fill you all in. I ended up taking the month to elk hunt, I harvested a 333” 6x6 OTC bull and had the most stress free month of my life!

Since then I’ve continued working on the road and as of two weeks ago, I now own a home here in idaho where I spent that month hunting. I’ve worked ever since this post for that goal and it feels good to have made it! I am now married with a wife who elk hunts with me and have a fully paid for small home here in the heart of elk county! Thanks for the positive notes everyone!!

Hot Damn, that's the follow-up we all needed!!! Good for you man, you only get one chance to be young and it goes by way too fast.

 

[Khunter]

Coming back to this post five years later with an update lol! Thanks to all of you who responded and all the positivity! Just to fill you all in. I ended up taking the month to elk hunt, I harvested a 333” 6x6 OTC bull and had the most stress free month of my life!

Since then I’ve continued working on the road and as of two weeks ago, I now own a home here in idaho where I spent that month hunting. I’ve worked ever since this post for that goal and it feels good to have made it! I am now married with a wife who elk hunts with me and have a fully paid for small home here in the heart of elk county! Thanks for the positive notes everyone!!

Awesome to hear this! Now provide a photo of that bull and a hunt summary! If you are in SE Idaho maybe I will bump into you. LOL. I will be on my third Sept elk hunt this year. Love hunting in Idaho.

 

[Local577bowhunter]

Awesome to hear this! Now provide a photo of that bull and a hunt summary! If you are in SE Idaho maybe I will bump into you. LOL. I will be on my third Sept elk hunt this year. Love hunting in Idaho.

Yessir! Appreciate it! I just bought. Place in mackay. You can see it in the classified section under “Idaho fishing and hunting camp” hoping to share the place with other outdoorsman rather than it sit empty most of the year while I’m gone working!
As far as the hunt goes, I had glassed up the herd the evening before on their way down to private feeding ground. At midnight when I knew they were all below me I hiked up to a good punch point between them and their bedding area. At daylight I had 60 elk heading my way. Ended up shooting this bull at 5 yards as he passed by. He was flanking the herd after getting beat up by the herd bull

 

[Local577bowhunter]

Any chance your working on a contract for fall restaints at an online retailer facilty? Meet a guy in idaho this year with a simular story to yours. Either way, congrats on being happy!

Nope, I’m a pipefitter superintendent and work primarily in Wisconsin! Thanks for the positive comment man!

 

[AaronPMiller]

Hey guys! I’m stuck on the decision of whether or not it’s “okay” or “responsible” for me to take the month of September off work to spend it hunting elk. I know what I think and how I feel but the responsible side of me gets in the way and I’m looking for honest opinions to help me make the decision.
So I’m 21 years old and live in Ohio. I’m a union pipefitter and have been in the trade since turning 18. The pipefitters have a five year apprenticeship of which I have one year left. My goal was to have if not 100% at least 75% of a house saved in cash at the end of my apprenticeship.
I’ve spent the last three years working for a local contractor making apprentice wages, ($25-$36k annually) which makes it hard to put back money like I want to. However I’ve been blessed with parents who have let me stay at home to help save as much money as possible. Up until this January I had put back $45k towards my goal. At the beginning of the year work got slow locally and I was laid off. Three weeks later I was extremely blessed with an opportunity to go to a job out of town at an oil refinery. I was sent as a welder which means I’m paid journeyman scale and have now been here for three months working 6-7 days a week grossing 10k-12k a month. I’ve been told I can expect to be here 12-16 months which will put me at an estimated annual income of $130k. I have worked extremely hard to get this opportunity but still understand I’m blessed to have the opportunity to get ahead in life at such a young age, this year will change the course of my life by getting such a huge financial jump.
Anyways enough of that, I say all that to say this. My dream since starting my apprenticeship was to take the month of September off the year I finish my apprenticeship and spend it elk hunting. One great thing about what we do is that as far as vacation time goes they tell us to “take off what you can afford” there are no consequences for extended vacations but we don’t have paid time off, making the money we do they tell us we should be able to afford it without (I agree).
My hold up is after working 2500-3500 hours a year the last four years I’ve become somewhat of a workaholic and feel like I’m not doing enough or I should be at work when I’m not and get nervous about my future any day I’m not working and making money to build my future. However I know that considering I work 6-7 days a week year round that those 30 days are basically covered by all the weekends I work while friends and family camp and go on vacations during the summer. I just get caught up thinking that even though financially I can afford to do I catch myself thinking about what I could do for my future with that $10k I’ll give up by taking a month off.
What do you think? I have a lifetime to work but if I do the work now I can spend a lifetime hunting. Am I thinking too much or do I need to stick with my usual 2 week trip and keep focusing my time on the future? My thoughts are that by working like I do now I can buy a house in cash and by not having a mortgage I’ll be able to afford to do things like take month long hunting trips, but I also know that while I’m 21 with no wife, kids or house to take care of I need to take advantage of it and do things while I can.
I’m sorry for the long boring post but I’m torn between the two and want to hear from those who have been there and done that. What do you wish you had done at my age? What would you have done or done differently at my age to put you in a better position later in life. I chose to be a pipefitter for the freedoms to work shutdowns and money up then take time off so when do I know it’s time to start taking that time!?

I’m 56 years old, my wife and I raise two young men like you, hard working, smart and responsible. We hunt as much as we possibly can, and have other activities the rest of the year that we enjoy.

My advice to you is, you can always make more money, and save more. The things you can’t get back is time, memories snd experiences. There’s only so much time and you can’t make anymore.

As you move forward you’ll take on more responsibilities, a home, possibly a wife, a family. As you add those responsibilities they will demand more of your time and it will get harder to breakaway.

If you’re lucky you might be healthy enough in your later years to get out and hunt, but you may not. At 56 it’s getting harder to keep up with my boys and I can see father time working against me.

My suggestion to you is the same to my boys, do the things you love as much as you can, while you can. Work will always be there, the time will not. In the end, you won’t wish you worked more or had more money, you won’t regret the memories you made doing the things you love!

Wishing you the very best! You sound like an outstanding you man!

Good luck hunting!

 

[Dan-06]

In 5 years will you remember that time you spent working in September or that awesome adventure that you had in the elk woods???

 

[Khunter]

Yessir! Appreciate it! I just bought. Place in mackay. You can see it in the classified section under “Idaho fishing and hunting camp” hoping to share the place with other outdoorsman rather than it sit empty most of the year while I’m gone working!
As far as the hunt goes, I had glassed up the herd the evening before on their way down to private feeding ground. At midnight when I knew they were all below me I hiked up to a good punch point between them and their bedding area. At daylight I had 60 elk heading my way. Ended up shooting this bull at 5 yards as he passed by. He was flanking the herd after getting beat up by the herd bull

very cool! Thanks for sharing.

that is a friend on mine on cover of that magazine…