How much do you really hunt!

[Lefty]

I spent way more time scouting, and way too much time on the forums
I really only get 3-full days of hunting, 5 -7 last hour of the day hunts, and 3 or four mornings. I spend as much time driving than hunting

[eltaco]

I currently have two 9-day hunts planned for archery elk season. If I am unsuccessful after archery, I'll pick up my rifle and go after a cow elk for 3-4 more days. I will also go after pronghorn and deer with my rifle for 3-4 days each.

I'll try to squeeze a few days of bird hunting in there, but I haven't had great luck in CO for that... makes me miss ND when I think about bird huhting here.

[stringunner]

I have 24 days planned right now to be at elk camp.....

[easeup]

just a normal NR hunt here..a week in camp and the rest of of it is travel time.

one of these days I might just retire and hunt September to make sure I get a full dose.

[ElkManDan]

20 full days minimum. Any less than that and I get cranky Wife knows it too and is understanding and accomodating. I think my best year was 28 days but that included a rifle elk hunt that started Oct 1st.

[Freebird134]

I'm so jealous of these guys and their 20-30 day elk hunts! I want a camper with freeze and TV!!!!

When I get to elk hunt, it's only about 9-10 days. That's mostly limited by my partner right now, because I have a lot more flexibility with my work schedule than he does.

If we take into account all the hunting I do, it might be scary. Now that I live in the midwest, I take full advantage of convenient local hunting opportunities. I get in multiple days of dove hunting in early september (I shot 49 last year), I was out once for early goose with my bow (shot 2), I have whitetail stands within 15 minute drive of my house, so I get in more lots of morning or evening sits (killed 3 deer last year). I duck hunted 11 days (29 ducks last year) and a few days dedicated to goose.

Jesus. Writing that out suddenly made me realize how lucky I am my wife doesn't get pi$$ed off at me!

[Lefty]

,,...... Writing that out suddenly made me realize how lucky I am my wife doesn't get pi$$ed off at me!

My wife is really good about the rest of my hunting, I generally get 31-35 days goose hunting, a few evenings deer hunting , a few walks after upland However a lot of my hunts have included my daughters. and often other goose hunts Im home for breakfast And some she can yell from the house for me

Nice to have a good neighbobor that lets us hunt his field
Here my daughter picked up her goosw and is walking tot the house for something to eat

th_IMG_0300Smallcropped[1].jpg (4.94 KiB) Viewed 8373 times

[Swede]

My hunt time varies depending on if and when I kill my elk and sometimes a deer. This year I could be out for seven+ weeks.

[2OArchery]

Elk? 8-18 days per year, depending on a multitude of factors.

Deer and waterfowl? Add another 50 days to that. I guarantee I spend not less than 100 days per year hunting something.

[elkohalic]

August 25th to January 10th . with a couple days in there to get customers mounts done. LOL

[tracker12]

I am lucky for the fact that here in Maryland I can hunt from 7 SEP until the end of Jan for deer (limit 4 bucks unlimited does if you hunt gun, muzzy, archery). Duck, geese, squirrels, turkeys and varmints give me plenty of opportunities. The other nice thing is I can get out of work at 3Pm and be in a tree stand in 45 minutes. I average about 60 days in the woods but those may include days that I am only hunting a few hours. I ususally make a trip somwhere out West for another 5-7 day hunt. After that I'm ready for some warm days a a little time on the water fishing or on the course golfing.

[Goneelkn]

Elk, the whole season, CO. Deer at home goes Sept til Jan, with a bunch of waterfowl in there. Plus a bunch of trapping, and maybe some small game in there to, depends when ice fishing starts.

[cnelk]

Sept Archery elk hunting, Oct and Nov Rifle elk hunting, Dec ML whitetails in Nebraska, Jan/Feb/Mar coyote hunting, April spring turkey...
Fishing in summer, ice fishing in winter...

I think I covered all the seasons... yes?

[pointysticks]

i am so envious of people that can hunt out the back door. heck, even the same area!!

i live no where near hunting. i have that extra added PIA step of traveling to my spots..it truly takes steam out of my enthusiasm. i would love to get some hunting in before or after a day at the office. that would be living.

[erictski]

I will have 10 fun days in colorado to hunt/scout/find elk.

plus 2 days to set up and take down camp.

[CrazyElkHunter]

I'm so jealous of these guys and their 20-30 day elk hunts! I want a camper with freeze and TV!!!!

When I get to elk hunt, it's only about 9-10 days. That's mostly limited by my partner right now, because I have a lot more flexibility with my work schedule than he does.

If we take into account all the hunting I do, it might be scary. Now that I live in the midwest, I take full advantage of convenient local hunting opportunities. I get in multiple days of dove hunting in early september (I shot 49 last year), I was out once for early goose with my bow (shot 2), I have whitetail stands within 15 minute drive of my house, so I get in more lots of morning or evening sits (killed 3 deer last year). I duck hunted 11 days (29 ducks last year) and a few days dedicated to goose.

Jesus. Writing that out suddenly made me realize how lucky I am my wife doesn't get pi$$ed off at me!

Freebird134, I figure I'm the one your referring to with the freezers and t v's. I was only able to make 2 week trips for many, many years until I retired in 2003 at the age of 53. Forced retirement due to injuries. I promised myself, that when I retired I was going to spend the entire archery season. I've kept that promise, and this will be my 9th full archery season hunt. The down side is getting old sucks. The aches and pains are getting worse and getting up and down the mountains is getting tougher. I am lucky to be able to stay the whole season, but it took a long time to get there. I am lucky to have a supporting wife. The only time she gets upset is when I do not bring elk meat home. She loves it.

[Freebird134]

Hahaha... Indeed I was talking about you Crazyelkhunter. Nine season in a row with a wife that only gets mad if you don't kill an elk? I'm now more jealous. Maybe not of the age and aches (but maybe the wisdom and experience)! One day I'll be there, I suppose. But for now I'll be happy with my week long bivy trips, with no freezers and steaks, just wilderness, freeze dried lasagna, and trail mix

[CrazyElkHunter]

The great part is, elk hunting, is elk hunting, we love it no matter what we eat or how we get there, just as long as we are doing it.

[ElkNut1]

I try to get in 20-25 days of archery elk! I exist all year just for this time, I will not be cheated! (grin)

ElknUt1

[mongopino915]

If I could I would spend the entire archery season in the wood but still committed to work to support this elk chasing habit. This year, I will be in the elk wood for two full weeks plus the weekends = 19 - 20 days.

[elkaholic]

Normally I get 7-9 days of hunting in for elk. This year I am stretching that to 16 days with 13 days of scouting. After that wraps up maybe a few days for deer but definitely starting mid October as often as I can till May for coyotes. Love chasing coyotes, although not near as much as chasing elk!

[foxvalley]

Our elk backpack hunt will be 14- 19 days, looking forward to scouting some new area.
After I get back home, it's ducks for a couple weeks, then deer, QDM, 3 year old minimum,that will last till the first week in Jan. if needed, and then coyotes the rest of the winter. I've been blessed with a large piece of property( in my back yard)so all my hunting is at home.
My wife also hunts, so she understands......... she also has the largest deer taken off the property so far.....how that happened I'll never know.lol.(she doesn't let me forget it either!)

[otcWill]

Time in the woods may be the single most important aspect of a successful public land elk hunt. That said I am usually in the woods for the majority of the elk season here in Colorado. If I tag out then I help freinds. Once September is over I'll be heading to Wyoming with a cow tag. After this I switch gears to wh.tail and will get in about 8 days of that. I am also a turkey addict and have already got a few kills and about 10 days in 2 states this year! When 2012 comes to a close I will have at least 70-80 days in the field. I work 4 days a week and get good vacation and plenty of opps for comp. time. This is my passion and I am completely out of my mind!

[spyder24]

I kick off hunting with a 15 day archery elk hunt in Colorado the last two weeks of the season every year. I then return to West Virginia and whitetail deer season starts around October 1 and I will deer hunt almost every day after work and when off work (except Sundays) until the middle of December.

[Haulin'Quarters]

Early season archery whitetail almost everyday after work in the state land next to my house.....tree stand is only 317 footsteps away. 14 days no matter what for elk. This year I am also taking 7 days in November to chase mulies or whitetail, not sure yet.............................HUNT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

[Vanish]

Elk season this year will consist of 2 days, 4 days, 2 days and then 9 days. The CO archery season (Aug. 25-Sept. 23) is too early for my preference this year but nothing to do about it. Hopefully last year was a fluke in our area, where they didn't really start rutting until Sept 27th, but it has me nervous. I had been waiting to take a week's vacation all season long and it never happened. This year I'm just committing to it.

Follow that up with Rifle Pronghorn, Rifle Mulies and then Neb Rifle Whitetails. If we luck out we could even get a rifle Cow Elk tag, but I prefer archery.

Hope to get in more small game hunting this year, but the seasons feel so short when you have to work in family (TDay and Xmas), plus it overlaps ice fishing!

I do miss when I was able to hunt whitetails every day after work. I only did it for two years, and I never actually took a deer during those hunts (always got them on the weekend), but I had some great hunts, got to see the deer habits and had opportunities at the biggest whitetails I have ever seen.