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Vacation days?

CSBowHunt

CSBowHunt

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
80
This is something ive done differently over the past seasons but im just curious how other guys use there vacation during the season. Starting to get the itch big time, cant wait to be back up in the tree
 
Where I hunt in MS doesn’t get good till mid December, so I’ll take a 7-10 day out of state trip in November to see some new ground. We have a two week shutdown at my job around Christmas every year so that’s when most of my hunting gets done in state.
 
I used to take the first or second week off of November around our rut. What I’ll do next time is take the last week of October off. I see a ton of bucks that time and the year and no hunters.
 
I typically take Fridays off thru October to give me a 3 day weekend to hunt remote. I then take my rutcation from Nov 1st thru the 16th. The last 2 days are the first days of rifle season here in Michigan. I'm not much of a rifle hunter anymore but I do enjoy that time with my buddies. Add in the Thanksgiving break and I typically only work 7 days in the month of November.
 
I take usually 8-10 days mostly from about 10/25 through the end of the season. I like to scatter them around, work a couple days a week, hunt a couple days a week. That tends to work out much better for my sanity than taking a whole week or two straight. I try to keep my meeting schedule light that time of year so I can flex those days around and hunt the best aka coldest weather. October I'll take a day here and there if we get a big cold front I really feel good about, otherwise just slip out evenings after work.
 
I work remote 3 days a week & our time is all logged online. I’ll take 1/2 days depending on weather ( usually mornings in late October early November) then if I can get home & logged in earlier I’ll save a few hours & sometimes can get 3 hunts out of 1 vacation day…. 9 sits for 3 days is a great return especially if they are the right days. Other than that a few long weekends here & there & that’s it.
 
Bowtie747 said:
I used to take the first or second week off of November around our rut. What I’ll do next time is take the last week of October off. I see a ton of bucks that time and the year and no hunters.
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^ This. Seems to me the last week of October is waaay more consistent as far as daylight buck activity from what I've seen.....they appear anxious. I was a first week of November guy. Mature bucks are already on the first receptive does by then.

I hope to have a big one down by the end of October. Last year I had daylight pics and/or encounters from about the 22nd on. Shot one on the 25th well before dark.
 
Typically a week at the end of October and the several long weekends in November. We’ve got a really long archery season tho so I can get a fair number of hunts in without taking time off
 
I think the closer to 1:1 the buck ratio is, the better peak breeding and the wind-down period is for hunting. The build-up period can be good if you hit it right, but a hot doe a mile or two away can also vacuum in every buck in the county looking for that first piece of the action. If you're not lucky enough to be in on that action, you are out of the action and the hunting can be totally dead. Low population, low ratios, you don't really get a lockdown. Individual bucks certainly lock down but over the terrain there are always some roaming looking for ladies.

As the doe ratio climbs higher and higher, that effect is lessened as there are more does to go around in the build-up period. Which I think makes that late October buildup period hunt better in those areas. Conversely, the lockdown component is magnified because if there are many does for every buck they don't have to look hard for the next one when the lady they are with kicks them out.
 
I pretty much make my own schedule so I watch the weather and try and jump out if I get a nice day starting around mid September. I do early morning sits due to heat and then try and move to afternoon sits towards mid to late season. However now that my kids are in sports year round I pretty much have to sneak out when I can.
 
I will admit to having a schedule that allows me to hit darn near every weather front and/or put in back to back days. As long as I've got a good entry and exit, I will sit an "area" more than once. I believe you have to be able to do this when the time is right for the given spot. That little stream bottom I hunt, 15 acres of chicken houses and thick/nasty edge....I didn't give it the time it deserves. Of the six bucks I saw in there over two days, the one I wanted didn't give me the shot. I need that week in October.
 
If I see the weather I like, I usually take the day off. Call in sick. I have taken most opening days off of gun season if during the week. Nov. 15th. I hope to reach out some more to public travel vacation. But not until the kids are bigger. So most of my vacation time is spent with the family.
 
MattMan81 said:
If I see the weather I like, I usually take the day off. Call in sick. I have taken most opening days off of gun season if during the week. Nov. 15th. I hope to reach out some more to public travel vacation. But not until the kids are bigger. So most of my vacation time is spent with the family.
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It happens like a switch. Years on end of beating myself up because I couldn't be where I wanted and poof.......a year or two later I'm worrying about over hunting my spots, planning hunts.

It'll come back.
 
Not to sound like a doush but, im very fortunate. I am able to take off and hunt whenever i want.
only real thing i dont miss is my kids sports games.
i refuse to miss them because once they are done they are done.
i am fortunate to be retired early in life and have a wife that doesnt care how much i hunt. so i can pretty much do what and when i want.
I do focus my time certain times and one would be in my opinion the best time to catchan old educated buck in daylight before the pressure gets to him.
thats early season, it has to be the most over looked time of year.
people hate the heat, bugs, etc,
What a mistake because man its a great time for deer hunting.
deer are up and moving off and on almost all day. Mostly close to food sources.
very few people are in the woods this time of year.
The first two weeks i hunt both mornings and afternoons.
after that and until the rut i only sit in the afternoons.
no matter whenever you can or cant take off.
take any time you can and get in the woods.
even if it is an hour driving around glassing ag fields or wherever.
Its very difficult to kill a deer behind a desk or on the couch.
i get it ya gotta work but the time you do have make sure youre learning something.
I diddnt work last year but missed most of the season with 2 bouts of covid and another with severe sinus infection.
Ya never know what the future holds.
 
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I’ve done it so many ways over the years but on average, I would say my most consistent success has been by hunting the last few days of October through the first week of November. Our peak rut period here falls between Election Day and Veterans Day every year so I target most of my all day type sits on and around this time frame. Early season I don’t take time off typically unless I have a good buck patterned out. I am blessed that I can oftentimes go in early or work late to take that time off at another date much like compensatory time but I’m salary so it technically is not actually time off in lieu of overtime but works the same. I don’t get overtime pay. Anyway, I’m closing n on retirement and I look forward to many more days afield then, God willing.
 
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