Addicting
Well-known member
I’m 7 in a row with the last 4 with family. Not sure I want to break the cycle in fear of trying to get it started again.
Taking a year off
- Thread starter ignorethefringes
- Start date
WildWill
Well-known member
7 here too with no plan of skipping anytime soon. The goal is to reach 40 years in a row without a single missed year that'll only make me 65.
I missed going out in 2020. I will never let it happen again. We do 1 hunting trip out of state, 1 fishing trip out of state and 1 family beach vacation every year. 2020 we did nothing out of state. If I could figure out how to convince everyone to make the beach vacation an Alaska beach vacation I would be golden!
I "missed" going west this fall to stay with my newborn all through the month of September. The hunting gods granted me a great season at home... ducks, geese, bucks, does, pheasants, grouse, woodcock, coyotes, foxes... one of those years where I was always in the right place at the right time.
My wife wants a family hunting trip suitable for a 1 year old for this coming year. Looking at pronghorn tags for the most part- hotel accommodations, road glassing, short stalks, ect. We've got 5/6 points each and Wyoming and should be able to find something half decent.
My wife wants a family hunting trip suitable for a 1 year old for this coming year. Looking at pronghorn tags for the most part- hotel accommodations, road glassing, short stalks, ect. We've got 5/6 points each and Wyoming and should be able to find something half decent.
Johnny Bravo
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So you started a thread to let us all know you won't be going hunting out West next year, got it, thanks ! LOL
ignorethefringes
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Glad you got the message
Khunter
Well-known member
Definition of addicting I’d say.
Khunter
Well-known member
I would say he started a good thread that sparked meaningful discussion and comparison of the considerations many have as they navigate life and hunting priorities.
Sure reinforces what I already knew is that I have it very good as relates to being able to hunt here in the west each fall for a month or so even though I am not (yet) doing some hunts I sure want to be doing, AK etc.
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D
Deleted member 28227
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I’ve taken breaks from various hobbies and types of hunting over the years, it’s been interesting to see what I miss and what I don’t.
Mtn biking… if I never go again
Skiing, definitely a really important hobby for me.
Mule deer hunting… meh could hang that up entirely.
Elk hunting definitely hope to do it regularly.
Waterfowl… fun but didn’t miss it.
Upland, would love to do that every year.
Taking a year off hopefully will give you some perspective on why you do those trips, which aspects of them are most important to you and help you focus on those in the future.
OntarioHunter
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I was thinking about skipping this year but at my age it's probably not a good idea to put anything off. I'll probably go back to Africa one more time. May take my grandson. I will keep driving back to Montana as long as the dogs can still hunt and I can take the 24+ hour solo drive. I also hunt deer there with my brother but his health is breaking down fast so we're not sure how long that tradition will continue. Make hay while it's not raining. I'm an empty nester now so no family worries. The grandkids three blocks away do miss Papa when I'm gone hunting but they have grown up with the routine.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Have not missed a season since 1979...tagging along with Dad and Grandpa on hunts since I was 2.
I thought this year was going to be a challenge with blood clots in my leg and lung, but didn't slow me down a bit. Did miss hunting a cow elk the first couple days of September, but since the tag was good through January wasn't a big deal. Filled it in November.
I will find a way, no matter what, to do some hunting...its more than just hunting to me, way more than a hobby. It would feel like I were in prison if I missed a year.
I thought this year was going to be a challenge with blood clots in my leg and lung, but didn't slow me down a bit. Did miss hunting a cow elk the first couple days of September, but since the tag was good through January wasn't a big deal. Filled it in November.
I will find a way, no matter what, to do some hunting...its more than just hunting to me, way more than a hobby. It would feel like I were in prison if I missed a year.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
COVID and border closures imposed two years off from going South (Wyoming/Montana) to hunt. Those two years off reminded me of the importance of those trips, for myself and my overall mental health. It's my time to completely disconnect and do something for SaskHunter. My wife agrees, apparently I turn into some kind of gremlin when I'm stuck around the house for too long.
This year I forced myself to make a decision: go to Wyoming and take time off to go hunt elk and moose in Northern Sasky alone OR go South and take time off with my brother and FIL when they come for their NR whitetail hunt here. I chose to skip going North, while I love moose and elk hunting up Northern in Saskatchewan, I can also do without it and spend more time at home and hunting around the house/spending time with my family. So the choice was pretty simple, I went South and took time off hunting with family in my home zone. I also cut down on how many days I spend in the field hunting locally in Sept/Oct. My kids are young and both my wife and I have busy lives and it's not fair to dump everything on her every fall while I go do things for myself from late August to early December.
I have a lifetime of hunting ahead of me, I intend on doing as much as reasonably possible, emphasis on reasonably. I have 8 weeks to take off next year, most of that time will be taken off with the famjam.
This year I forced myself to make a decision: go to Wyoming and take time off to go hunt elk and moose in Northern Sasky alone OR go South and take time off with my brother and FIL when they come for their NR whitetail hunt here. I chose to skip going North, while I love moose and elk hunting up Northern in Saskatchewan, I can also do without it and spend more time at home and hunting around the house/spending time with my family. So the choice was pretty simple, I went South and took time off hunting with family in my home zone. I also cut down on how many days I spend in the field hunting locally in Sept/Oct. My kids are young and both my wife and I have busy lives and it's not fair to dump everything on her every fall while I go do things for myself from late August to early December.
I have a lifetime of hunting ahead of me, I intend on doing as much as reasonably possible, emphasis on reasonably. I have 8 weeks to take off next year, most of that time will be taken off with the famjam.
2rocky
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Well for me I have to go East to "Hunt the West" but I know where you are coming from. I did my first out of state trip in 2003 then 2005-2016 I never missed a year of going somewhere.
2016 was the year of my divorce. I'd drawn my Valle Vidal Elk Hunt and it was the first time my dad and uncle didn't come along on a great tag I'd drawn. I was remodelling my house while living in it too. I had a lot hanging over my head. I tagged out on day 3 just to get it over with (yeah I know). 2017 looking back was a lot of trail running, house remodelling, and time with my youngest 2 kids. What travel I did was with the new woman in my life. It was a year of different experiences. I got my Freezer eaten down from 9 successful years, and made sausage from the oldest remnants.
What I learned from that year was it wasn't the end of the world if I didn't go hunting out of state. I did miss it though. My middle daughter had an action packed senior year the next year and I got to support her in that. We are at that year in school for my youngest now. But I did fit in my Elk hunt.
I'm finding as kids and family begin demanding more PTO, I'm having to make my hunting time more efficient. Like scheduling 5 days of hunting with a weekend on each end so I have 2 travel days on each end that don't use PTO. Hunting places I'm familiar with so I don't have to learn the country over again. Having the flexible spending account to hunt the dream tag when I draw it.
2016 was the year of my divorce. I'd drawn my Valle Vidal Elk Hunt and it was the first time my dad and uncle didn't come along on a great tag I'd drawn. I was remodelling my house while living in it too. I had a lot hanging over my head. I tagged out on day 3 just to get it over with (yeah I know). 2017 looking back was a lot of trail running, house remodelling, and time with my youngest 2 kids. What travel I did was with the new woman in my life. It was a year of different experiences. I got my Freezer eaten down from 9 successful years, and made sausage from the oldest remnants.
What I learned from that year was it wasn't the end of the world if I didn't go hunting out of state. I did miss it though. My middle daughter had an action packed senior year the next year and I got to support her in that. We are at that year in school for my youngest now. But I did fit in my Elk hunt.
I'm finding as kids and family begin demanding more PTO, I'm having to make my hunting time more efficient. Like scheduling 5 days of hunting with a weekend on each end so I have 2 travel days on each end that don't use PTO. Hunting places I'm familiar with so I don't have to learn the country over again. Having the flexible spending account to hunt the dream tag when I draw it.
Kiwi
Well-known member
I hunt about 50 days a year here in New Zealand and often with my son. Did a 'once in a lifetime' hunt to WY in 2015 which is now an 2 - 3 week annual western trip My son will join me for 2023 now he is 15 years old and hopefully he will join me every year.
No plans to have a year off, but did miss the 2 years during COVID.
My son will join me for 2023 now he is 15 years old and hopefully he will join me every year. No plans to have a year off, but did miss the 2 years during COVID.
I’ve never missed a year but I’ve had a couple where the number of days was way lower than I wanted. I missed an Arizona trip last winter by choice, kinda looking like I might miss this winter even though I’ve got a tag in hand because of my wife needing to do a conflicting work trip. That one stings/annoys me a lot!
Dougfirtree
Well-known member
Taking a year's break from hunting all together? That would be unbearable to me.
Taking a break from traveling to hunt? I think that can be a good thing. I shoot to roughly go west every other year. The in between years can be nice, as I feel like I invest more in the hunting at home those years (and I feel like I've got more "political capital" to spend those years, in terms of ditching the family to go hunt.
This year, I took my middle son hunting out west. We had a great time, but the reality was that it meant I had a lot less time to hunt at home, later in the fall and that was tough (not that I'd trade the memories).
Taking a break from traveling to hunt? I think that can be a good thing. I shoot to roughly go west every other year. The in between years can be nice, as I feel like I invest more in the hunting at home those years (and I feel like I've got more "political capital" to spend those years, in terms of ditching the family to go hunt.
This year, I took my middle son hunting out west. We had a great time, but the reality was that it meant I had a lot less time to hunt at home, later in the fall and that was tough (not that I'd trade the memories).
Never missed a hunting season, always deer in WI.
Was hard to get a group together for western hunts. Alot of my friends are content with walking 100 yds and climbing into their blinds.
All they do is talk of going west. Now my wife hunts with me, every other year. Just can't get her to camp. I'll take it.
Was hard to get a group together for western hunts. Alot of my friends are content with walking 100 yds and climbing into their blinds.
All they do is talk of going west. Now my wife hunts with me, every other year. Just can't get her to camp. I'll take it.
geetar
Well-known member
This! ^ family is priority. My wife and kids come first and I would never want to be so selfish as to choose chasing animals over building healthy relationships but it is a battle to find the balance of being a good father and husband and getting enough time in the outdoors to maintain my sanity.
D
Deleted member 28227
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Banned... by the guy who routinely burns his deer tag every year on a whitetail... HA
forum ban. instant forum ban.
