The Boss Has Spoken

[Swede]

You can only have 10 workdays off this year between the start of your first hunting season and mid December. You are needed at home and on the job. So how are you going to allocate your hunting days?

I would take off the first week of archery season, and if it works out right, I will get a bonus hunting day for Labor Day. That would give me 9 1/2 days of hunting before I needed to break camp and leave. I would try to hunt one weekend near home and return to camp for the last 9 days of archery season. If I work things out right, I will miss only about 9 days of the season. I used to work a 4/10 week, so if that is a possibility, I would miss only 7 hays of the hunting season.

If you really have a different situation, let us hear how you plan to spend your hunting days.
Actually I am retired, so I normally can hunt as long as I want to.

 

[iccyman001]

Great question, Swede and BOY.....this isn\'t easy.

For me I would be taking the first 5 days off for early season elk. ( I only have Sept 1-14th to pick from)
First legal elk would be taken. This also brings me into labor day too



Then my next 5 days would be Nov 12-Nov 17th for Oklahoma whitetail rut.
I do this because the 11th I am off for labor day.

 

[mtnmutt]

Opening week which leads into Labor Day accounts for 5 days vacation which allows for 9.5 days of hunting. Aug 29th-Sept 7th.

For the middle weekend, CO Muzzleloader opener, I always say I am taking the weekend off and every year I end up hunting it. I love opening day of Muzzleloader. Elk get pushed to me that morning. That is optionally, 2 more days of hunting. If I hunt ML opening weekend, I cheat and sleep in a hotel.

My final 5 days are taken for closing week which provides another 8.5 days of hunting. Sept 19-Sept 27th.

18 - 20 days of hunting using 10 days vacation. CO archery is 30 days. I am worn out by October 1st.

In reality, I am taking 11 days off. I take the day off before opening day to drive up Thursday evening to secure a camping spot. Camping spots are very limited on the Forest Service road. I don\'t like camping down with the hordes of RV campers, so I add the extra day off to get my camping spot.

 

[Don K]

Find a new job..........

 

[Lark Bunting]

If all goes as planned I will have 18 days in the field this year and I am only taking 7 days off work. Thankfully I have an OTC unit within 45 minutes from home so I can do some weekends, Friday evening -Sunday afternoon. I\'m planning about 10 days to hunt a spot with Atfrith.

I put my vacation on the calendar back in March or early April. If they decide that there is a crisis at work that is their problem. I schedule my vacation for hunting season and plan my life in accordance. I doubt the company will fail just because I am not around for a week. :lolno:

 

[atfrith]

I should have a pretty good amount of time in the field this year. I took 2 weeks off of work for the first time, the first will be spent with my Muzzy buddy trying to get him his first elk, then hopefully a few days recuperation before I meet up with Lark trying to get his first elk! All the time in between (weekends, etc) will be spent solo trying to fill my ES deer tag.

 

[elkmtngear]

All ten days Archery Elk beginning of 3rd week (and the weekends on either end/ middle).

Basically, I\'m taking off the last half of September.

Last Season, I shot my bull on (hunting) day 7...and got packed up and headed out on day 9. I still had a full week left! :upthumb:

 

[iccyman001]

Luckily the boss hasn\'t spoken and I have at LEAST 45 days of hunting this year....

:downthumb:

 

[mtnmutt]

Dan you read it right.

I only hunt elk & deer season. Work is busy September to May, so September is plenty for me before the busy work months. If I did eastern deer, I could do 4 days over Thanksgiving since I get 2 days off.

I can\'t get excited about Turkey hunting, so I don\'t do turkey. Hogs scare the heck out of me, so count me out on hog hunting.

I do have a small game license. I will buy a recurve in the Fall to have some fun. That hunting will be on weekends and holidays.

I have other hobbies other than hunting. Elk hunting takes up at least July-September between prep, shooting, scouting and actual hunting. This year, I want to do snowshoeing, x-country skiing and a hut trip. I also want to get back into doing races. More hunting is not possible when working full time and wanting to include other hobbies. Then there are my friends who keep asking me to attend events in late August and September. They are a little forgetful. I keep telling them October 1st, I am available after October 1st. I can\'t imagine trying to fit in more hunting.

 

[iccyman001]

Dan you read it right.

I only hunt elk & deer season. Work is busy September to May, so September is plenty for me before the busy work months. If I did eastern deer, I could do 4 days over Thanksgiving since I get 2 days off.

I can\'t get excited about Turkey hunting, so I don\'t do turkey. Hogs scare the heck out of me, so count me out on hog hunting.

I do have a small game license. I will buy a recurve in the Fall to have some fun. That hunting will be on weekends and holidays.

I have other hobbies other than hunting. Elk hunting takes up at least July-September between prep, shooting, scouting and actual hunting. This year, I want to do snowshoeing, x-country skiing and a hut trip. I also want to get back into doing races. More hunting is not possible when working full time and wanting to include other hobbies. Then there are my friends who keep asking me to attend events in late August and September. They are a little forgetful. I keep telling them October 1st, I am available after October 1st. I can\'t imagine trying to fit in more hunting.

In case I haven\'t said it enough, I am VERY excited for you this year. With both a deer and elk tag in hand, I hope you get both!
I just really want to see some hero pictures, that is all I ask!

 

[mtnmutt]

In case I haven\'t said it enough, I am VERY excited for you this year. With both a deer and elk tag in hand, I hope you get both!
I just really want to see some hero pictures, that is all I ask!

Thank you...Absolutely no pressure

If and when I am successful, it will be due to strangers who mentored me in my quest. I will have fun trying.

Last season was a big disappointment. My head was not in the game for opening week. I didn\'t even start to prep until after I sold my house in late July. Now, I am done with moving and done with ear surgeries. This year, I am ready. I feel good about this year.

You won\'t like this...I don\'t take pictures of myself unless required by law (IDs, Driver\'s license, Passport, mugshots). My friends have lots of pictures of my backside. I don\'t even like how races automatically put your picture up on the internet. I will put my bow in the picture. Heck, the archery range put my picture up for a workday picture. Fortunately, the pictures only show me as a blob. I look good as a blob.

 

[iccyman001]

You won\'t like this...I don\'t take pictures of myself unless required by law (IDs, Driver\'s license, Passport, mugshots). My friends have lots of pictures of my backside. I don\'t even like how races automatically put your picture up on the internet. I will put my bow in the picture. Heck, the archery range put my picture up for a workday picture. Fortunately, the pictures only show me as a blob. I look good as a blob.

That\'s perfectly fine! I prefer it that way too because I can\'t fake a smile.


I prefer staging a scene for my bow.










I enjoy hiding entry wounds or cleaning up blood prior to pics.

^^^^^
Those look better than....








notice the tight lipped \"smile\" roblem:

 

[mtnmutt]

Nicely done. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Swede]

Luckily the boss hasn\'t spoken and I have at LEAST 45 days of hunting this year....

That is if you are not home through September, fluffing up your wife\'s pillow, and asking how are you feeling now sweetheart. :lol:

BTW: You won\'t get it, if you have not followed Dan\' \"This Is Different\" thread on the Off Topic forum. Of coarse there is still a chance you won\'t get it Then the joke is on me I guess.

 

[iccyman001]

Luckily the boss hasn\'t spoken and I have at LEAST 45 days of hunting this year....

That is if you are not home through September, fluffing up your wife\'s pillow, and asking how are you feeling now sweetheart. :lol:

BTW: You won\'t get it, if you have not followed Dan\' \"This Is Different\" thread on the Off Topic forum. Of coarse there is still a chance you won\'t get it Then the joke is on me I guess.

You\'re absolutely right! My 45 days could just very few this year :crazy:
It that is the case though, I will do it with a big smile on my face :upthumb:

We will see in due time :dance2:

 

[ABQ_Chica]

I only wish my boss would speak this way...

Getting ten days off (much less consecutive days) during Aug-Sept is almost impossible between job and family, but this year I drew a 5-day November cow elk hunt that spans a weekend, so for once it should be no problem. September deer will be trickier, but the unit I drew is only 1.5 hours away, so I may be able to nab an occasional day hunt here and there.

Most years I\'d be lucky to spend as many as 10 days hunting, but anything is better than nothing!

 

[Jason Balazs]

First of all, being in the Military has its advantages. I always have use loose days that I need to take. I save them until the last minute when they expire (they expire October 1) For instance, this year, I had to use or loose 45 days of vacation. Leaving me with 60 left over that I can carry into next year (and add 30 to use or loose during the next year). So, I took some leave here and there to make it look like I was trying to use it all. This left me with 15 days that I have to use before October first. So, I am taking from the 15th of September until the 1st of October off and heading to Colorado.

As far as the family. My wife usually hunts with me, but this year she got a new job. She knows my passion for elk hunting and knows that I am not going to miss it. She wanted to take trips to vegas with her friends and back home to Colorado over the last year. I didn\'t say nothing and took care of the kids with dinners, school, etc. This way, when time comes to pack up and head out, I am good.

Leaving California Sept 16th and hunting until the end. Driving straight through to Durango from here (About 12 hrs) and meeting a guy that I was in Somalia with back in 93. He is going to purchase his OTC tag since he lives in Texas and has to open his wallet wide :crazy: Then heading up to our spot about an hour a way.

Getting excited for it for sure!!