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Have you ever took a year off from hunting.

Balance is key. An old timer said this to me a few years ago when I struggled with the same conundrum. When you're old you won't regret not hunting, but I can assure you that you will regret not spending more time with your kids, especially when they are young.

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Hunting 7 days does not count as taking a year off. I think half the people who wear camo these days probably hunt 7 days or less.

This year i may dial it back, and only hunt twice per week until November.
 
Hunting 7 days does not count as taking a year off. I think half the people who wear camo these days probably hunt 7 days or less.

This year i may dial it back, and only hunt twice per week until November.


I hunt like 30-40 days a year. My dad hunts did solid 3 months. No work straight hunting. So only hunting about a week or two to me is taking time off from my usual hunting.
 
I grew up in a family of bow hunters. My dad, grand father, older brother, uncles and cousins all got together every weekend of the archery season at camp and hunted. From the age of 16-26yo I hunted hard. After that last fall at the age of 26yo I hung up my bow and put archery hunting deer behind me, Many factors came into play that caused me to do this.
3 years ago (33yo) my brother who at that time I rarely ever spoke to basically said “get your ass to deer camp”. I dusted off the old bow, squeezed my thighs into my old camo and hunted. That first morning hanging in the tree I watched the sun come up and actually cried. For the first time in a long time I felt at home, I felt like I was where I belonged.
I’m not going to say I regret the time I took off. During that span of time, I built a better relationship with my children, repaired my broken marriage, and made huge advancements in my career. These are all things I wouldn’t have done when in my selfish younger years.
Now 3 years later I’m “back in the saddle again”, I hunt hard, I’m heading out west to do hunts I never even dreamed possible and I have a great life. Also my relationship with my brother is better than it’s ever been.

As a couple previous posters have stated, you have to find that balance. Sometimes it takes extremes to do so but once you do, life and hunting become a pure pleasure.


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Well, I did go on an all expenses paid, one year trip to Southeast Asia in the early '70s, courtesy of my Uncle Sam, so I did miss one entire season. If it weren't for that, I'd have a perfect record!
 
Have any of you guys taking a year off from hunting to reset. I have a 4 year old and he likes to go when he can. But I know his fine will eventually expand to longer sits and more time in woods. Next season he will be 4.5. When I am hunting by myself, Normally I hunt at least 20-30 days worth of the season. This is burning vacation time from work to make hunts. Weather there out of state or draw hunts that last 2 to 5 day periods. Some stacked on top of each other. My wife has grown to hate hunting. Mainly due to the spending money and being away from home. I really love hunting. But trying to fix my wife. Will this move help or will this something she will think as a permanent thing that I just quit hunting all together.

Thoughts guys. I am thinking of just knocking my time in the woods to my favorite week of the year and that is it. So just 7 days of getting after it.
Yes. But it was life that caused it. Stuff happens. Sometimes you can plan all you want and things out of your control happen.
The return to hunting was sweet and I appreciated it very much.
 
Well. After some time and talking with wife it’s pretty clear that she is not a fan of hunting season. She used to be ok with it. But since my son, she is not a fan. Money is not the problem. The problem is I get time away from the real world and She does not. Why because she want make that time. I did send her away for a weekend with her friends but it’s just not enough. I do date nights and such. We do vacations. But I have a hobby and she does not.

My work does not allow me to be a weekend warrior and get after it. So I normally just do draw hunts on state land and some out of state land.

Draw hunt can very from oct 1 untill dec 31. Most of the time it’s 2 or 3 two day or three days hunts. Usually have to burn a vacation day for each hunt. Then out of state is a week on the second week of November. And then I will spend 2 weeks in the woods from dec 31 untill Jan 14 getting after it every day I can in between work. Which I usually just stick to the week days because the crowds are gone and the weekends a swamped with more people. And then my season is done. So I spend about a month in the woods of our 4 month season.
 
My wife would not be ok with me having a month of hunting days. I think that's an unreasonable request unless you give her a month away. Also, I doubt she would be willing to sign up for a month away from the kids.

I don't hunt as much as I did before kids and I try to save most of my days for early to mid November.
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My wife’s dad he hunted every weekend. But my plan this year is too just do the home hunts which maybe 2 weeks. Which it will be hard to fill freezer that way. Only thing will be legal is bucks during the hunts I will pick. Has to be atleast 16 inch wide or a 20
Inch main beam. One week the second week of December and the second hunt will be first week of January.
 
Guys are right you can’t get that time with your kids back. But, you can get a lot of quality time in the woods between daylight and 1000, with most of that before the wife and kids even get out of the bed. So, hunt the mornings and give the rest of the day to your family.
 
Guys are right you can’t get that time with your kids back. But, you can get a lot of quality time in the woods between daylight and 1000, with most of that before the wife and kids even get out of the bed. So, hunt the mornings and give the rest of the day to your family.

My son is awake every mourning by 6 am. I don’t generally hunt weekends. I hunt during weekdays when she is at work and he is at school.
 
I’ve been married 22 years this week. The other day my wife walked into my office and asked me when hunting season started. Said she was tired of me being at home. Hahaha.

Seasons for everything. And that’s the dichotomy. We work a lot which makes us not around as much (I’m grouping most of us hunters as the men-folk. Apologies to Stacey’s mom if she’s in here). So then we catch flack for not being around more. So we work less…earn less…and are able to be home more but the fun stuff isn’t as easy to pull off. So back to work we go. Etc. I used to be in the chef world. 60-80 hours a week. I was an every other weekend as for a long time and would only see my kid for a few waking hours most of my weekends with her. Sucked.

That part of life has passed. Now I work extra to keep busy. To earn money to buy crap in here I don’t need and my middle daughter has a pa$$ion for travel volleyball.

I have, as of yet, to hear the “you’re going where?” From the wife and kids. They know that it’s my therapy time. A couple seasons back I was running late. Got out of the jeep and had 2 other trucks there in the early stages of getting ready. I wanted to be first down the access. So I grabbed all my stuff. Threw it on and scooted. Got to my planned area. First stick on the tree. Backpack back on, went to hook up my bow………. Left it in the jeep. So. Walk back the 1.5ish Mike’s and blow the am hunt. Or climb the tree. Sit and watch Gods great land and do nothing for the rest of the day. I did not come home with anything to put in the freezer. But it was a great day.


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Well. After some time and talking with wife it’s pretty clear that she is not a fan of hunting season. She used to be ok with it. But since my son, she is not a fan. Money is not the problem. The problem is I get time away from the real world and She does not. Why because she want make that time. I did send her away for a weekend with her friends but it’s just not enough. I do date nights and such. We do vacations. But I have a hobby and she does not.

My work does not allow me to be a weekend warrior and get after it. So I normally just do draw hunts on state land and some out of state land.

Draw hunt can very from oct 1 untill dec 31. Most of the time it’s 2 or 3 two day or three days hunts. Usually have to burn a vacation day for each hunt. Then out of state is a week on the second week of November. And then I will spend 2 weeks in the woods from dec 31 untill Jan 14 getting after it every day I can in between work. Which I usually just stick to the week days because the crowds are gone and the weekends a swamped with more people. And then my season is done. So I spend about a month in the woods of our 4 month season.

I feel you there.. my wife is “ok” with me hunting, usually early in the year but as the season gets closer that does get thrown up when she’s pissed.. That “You get to go off & do your own thing while I’m stuck at home”. I’ve also tried to get her into a hobby or at least offer for her to go out on the town.

That seems to be the underlying issue, that she doesn’t get the “free time”, even though you offer. Small toddler here too. I’ve gotten to the point that I basically ignore her, within reason, and hunt. I have cut back a lot now that I’m only hunting public, versus the days of spending the winter doing land management & food plot maintenance during the spring


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I feel you there.. my wife is “ok” with me hunting, usually early in the year but as the season gets closer that does get thrown up when she’s pissed.. That “You get to go off & do your own thing while I’m stuck at home”. I’ve also tried to get her into a hobby or at least offer for her to go out on the town.

That seems to be the underlying issue, that she doesn’t get the “free time”, even though you offer. Small toddler here too. I’ve gotten to the point that I basically ignore her, within reason, and hunt. I have cut back a lot now that I’m only hunting public, versus the days of spending the winter doing land management & food plot maintenance during the spring


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Yea I have always been on public land , so I have never spent my summer time working on land for seer season. I also have never ran trail cameras or anything that involves Time away from home before the hunt. I am with them beside deer season and work. But I do work a lot. And I work on the outside of my house. We bought this house where in last October.

Since in it I have formed and poured 24 yards of concrete. That added steps going to down the hill to my pond. And added some feet to my back porch and my driveway. Last week I laid 6 pallets of sod and have 2 more pallets coming Friday. That finishes just one side of my yard.

I do all that why be a full time firefighter and laying brick on my days off. The brick work pays for everything really but that’s the first job she will bash because of takes time away from home.
 
I set the bar with my wife when we first started dating. Don't try and stop me from hunting/fishing so we can spend "more time" together. That was the only thing that kept me sane. I dont know if i would go a full season without hunting. When i lived in south florida i only hunted a few days each season, but i was always spearfishing (which is basically hunting underwater) so i still got that "hide and blast something when it gets too close" rush. I broke it off every time a girl gave me a hard time when i chose to go to bed early for a trip the next morning instead of go out with them.

This one always respected my time in the woods or on the water so i married her lol. Now we got a little boy on the way (due dec 25th) so this will be my last hunt hard season. until little dude can come with me, i'll probably only hunt once every other week. Thats what im telling myself now at least...
 
Have any of you guys taking a year off from hunting to reset. I have a 4 year old and he likes to go when he can. But I know his fine will eventually expand to longer sits and more time in woods. Next season he will be 4.5. When I am hunting by myself, Normally I hunt at least 20-30 days worth of the season. This is burning vacation time from work to make hunts. Weather there out of state or draw hunts that last 2 to 5 day periods. Some stacked on top of each other. My wife has grown to hate hunting. Mainly due to the spending money and being away from home. I really love hunting. But trying to fix my wife. Will this move help or will this something she will think as a permanent thing that I just quit hunting all together.

Thoughts guys. I am thinking of just knocking my time in the woods to my favorite week of the year and that is it. So just 7 days of getting after it.
I’m gonna be blunt at the risk of people hating me (I don’t care). I have 4 kids and 1 on the way. Probably the last kid. I get to hunt maybe 10 days a year with very little scouting. I love bow hunting and the wife knows it. I have two points.
1: You cannot fix your wife. She is another whole person. The only person you can fix is in the mirror. And 9/10 times fixing the dude in the mirror causes a change in the wife. Change one element and the whole chemical reaction changes.
2: Hunting is obviously important to you and you should be able to do it. You and the wife need counseling. Sounds bad but in all honesty, most people do regular checkups at the doctor. Does that mean they are sick? No. It’s smart. Same for marriage. Having a mediator/doctor helps. It will be to your benefit.


Bonus question: How many days does your wife get to leave you and the kiddo for days on end?

kindest regards
D
 
I hunted about 2 weeks in 2016 and then got seriously hurt at work and missed the rest of that season and the season the next year. Still limited to what I can do.
 
I hunted about 2 weeks in 2016 and then got seriously hurt at work and missed the rest of that season and the season the next year. Still limited to what I can do.
I know how you feel. I got knocked out of the season with the same injury the last 2 years in a row. Thank God I shot a doe the day before I got injured the 1st time but that venison is long gone now and I'm gettin real hungry so them deers better beware this year. :tearsofjoy:
 
I’m gonna be blunt at the risk of people hating me (I don’t care). I have 4 kids and 1 on the way. Probably the last kid. I get to hunt maybe 10 days a year with very little scouting. I love bow hunting and the wife knows it. I have two points.
1: You cannot fix your wife. She is another whole person. The only person you can fix is in the mirror. And 9/10 times fixing the dude in the mirror causes a change in the wife. Change one element and the whole chemical reaction changes.
2: Hunting is obviously important to you and you should be able to do it. You and the wife need counseling. Sounds bad but in all honesty, most people do regular checkups at the doctor. Does that mean they are sick? No. It’s smart. Same for marriage. Having a mediator/doctor helps. It will be to your benefit.


Bonus question: How many days does your wife get to leave you and the kiddo for days on end?

kindest regards
D

I second this advice. As a husband and father myself, although we only have one currently, I honestly think counseling is a good option here. It sounds to me like hunting isn't the underlying issue here my friend. If a second job has the same effect on your spouse as you say hunting does, then I think its nothing to do with being gone hunting as much as being gone in general and feelings of unequal investment. My advice is scale it back, work on your relationship, and work on developing a positive outlook, but don't lose your identity in the process. From your posts, I get the feeling you are feeling very tired and frustrated. I think you need to realistically consider that a full month of hunting days, with two busy jobs, and a family is a lot to bite off. Something needs to give, but it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Best of luck to you as you figure out your next steps.
 
I’m gonna be blunt at the risk of people hating me (I don’t care). I have 4 kids and 1 on the way. Probably the last kid. I get to hunt maybe 10 days a year with very little scouting. I love bow hunting and the wife knows it. I have two points.
1: You cannot fix your wife. She is another whole person. The only person you can fix is in the mirror. And 9/10 times fixing the dude in the mirror causes a change in the wife. Change one element and the whole chemical reaction changes.
2: Hunting is obviously important to you and you should be able to do it. You and the wife need counseling. Sounds bad but in all honesty, most people do regular checkups at the doctor. Does that mean they are sick? No. It’s smart. Same for marriage. Having a mediator/doctor helps. It will be to your benefit.


Bonus question: How many days does your wife get to leave you and the kiddo for days on end?

kindest regards
D

She may do it about 3-5 days a year but it’s some volunteer stuff she does. Or work related. I have recommended consultation a she says yes. But she did it for herself. I haven’t talked with them yet. She has been depressed since her mom died 5 years ago. Life has been different since that happened. Her whole attitude changed.
 
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