Days out

[ishy]

So all you with young kids at home and work a fairly normal job how many days do you spend out? Sorry elknut but if running an elk hunting websight and writing elk hunting books is what you do for a living you have to sit this one out. My wife has already started the questioning my rational and her rational of putting up with my schedule in sept. Pretty sure I spent 12 days out last year, and she thought that was way out of line.

[ctdad]

Should be gone from home about 18 days this year

[ctdad]

My wife has her own hobbies. She'll be away as many or more days for her hobbies which I really encourage. Our kids are 5 & 7 years old. It was harder to be gone just a few years ago when they were babies. Only got about 9 days back then

[stringunner]

My wife and I have 3 kids between 18 months and 4 years old. During the season I hunt during the week and come home on the weekends. During the week, the kids go to daycare/preschool so my wife only has to worry about the mornings and evenings. On the weekends, its harder, thus I come home. My job allows for me to take as much time off as I want, so I hunt the whole season, just home on the weekends. I do generally go for 8 days strait in the beginning however, so I can be out over opening weekend. I also do a ton of scouting during the spring and summer, as long as I take one of the kids, my wife is generally fine with me going.

[Wyo67]

Now that I have a "normal" job, I typically spend 12-14 days in the mountains. Plus additional 3-5 day trips as needed to fill a cow tag. Back in my previous job when our kids were small, I was deployed for months at a time, that might have been harder to swing.

[TJB]

Last year being my first western backpacking hunt, we spent 10 days away from home. My wife was a little uneasy, but a text from the SPOT connect kept her somewhat at ease every night knowing we were doing fine. Planning on 10 days again this year. She is in what I would call the adjustment period. Otherwise my hunting and fishing consists of day trips around home which she is fine with.

[Hot Cow]

I have got it tough! My wife tells me to go golfing in the summer and wants me to go hunting in the fall. I wish I could convince her to let me do more but I guess I will stick with what I can get. She also had never tried any wild game until I met her and now she would easily give up beef for deer and elk ( her favorite is my grilled Canada Goose breasts).

[Washington Wapiti]

Typically, about 15-18 days for elk/deer/bear/grouse. 5-7 days the first week of September, only 2 hrs from home. 10 days the 3rd week of September, 6 hours from home. My fiance' (Yep, I'm finally making her an honest woman. ) comes with when we can swing a babysitter, usually his older sister. We try to get out a few days for spring turkey also, usually weekends. Obviously, the weekdays are better for hunting pressure, but ya gotta choose your battles, as they say.

[WapitiTalk1]

Usually averages out to a bit less than three weeks. A long weekend in early WA season (quiet elk); last two weeks of SEP in ID or MT (noisy elk); and another long weekend during the late WA season (wet elk).

[zpd307]

around 14 days

[Elkonthebrain]

20 to 25 days with deer and elk. When she grew up her dad was a hunter which makes it easier on me.

[Fridaythe13th]

I get 8 or 9 of vacation, last year I took 7 for elk hunting. the wife is not happy with that. but I make up for it in the winter when I get laid off for 4 month. This year was Vegas next year maybe Mexico. She want a summer vacation but can't do it no vac.

[8upbowhunter]

My kids are grown now but when they were young I never stayed at camp longer than a week and I was only about 2 hours from home so it wasn't much of a problem. I have always worked a 12 hour rotating shift so I have plenty time off to hunt and fish without taking vacation. My son and I leave for the mountains on Sept 10th and return home on the 26th hopefully with 2 elk.

[Toby]

I'm retired and have a very understanding wife, but my elk hunts usually depend on who else is making the 20+ hour trip. May be going solo this year for two weeks. Chase deer and fish whenever I have the urge. But, due to career, I didn't get my first elk hunting trip until I was almost 50, I plan on making up for that now.

[easeup]

mr ishy, when I was young with children at home , I took one week vacation including the drive time to go to CO to hunt elk every year.
that limit was based on employment and available money we could scrounge up.
Its OK if you don't get many days away, the Lord will bless you anyway at home and in the field.

[Steve G]

After about three days the wife becomes lonely and the dogs are inconsolable so 7 days is a stretch.

[stykbow67]

It's kinda funny, you think you would be able to go on longer trips if you didn't have kids but now that ours are out of the house the wife don't like it when I'm gone on extended hunting trips because now she gets lonely!!! Ha at least she's got the vizsla and the husky to snuggle up with!!!
To answer your question- Elk 7-10 days, Mulies and goats 7-10 days Whitetails to many to count!!!

Steve

[elkaholic]

I usually get about 12 days out during elk season. 7-9 in a stretch and then a long weekend. We have a 3.5 yr old and a new one one the way in 4-6 weeks so we will see how it goes this year. My wife stays home with the boys. Love that she chooses to stay with them.

[dreamhunter]

I'm usually gone 12-14 days and my wife encourages it.I'm a lucky guy.

[elkoholic]

I'm usually out in the elk woods about 15 days, but if I added scouting trips it would be, hmmm a lot. My son who is 6 tags along a few days...

[Solitude]

Elk, 2-3 trips a year, 5-10 days each. Sucks, but I have to travel. Each guys got to deal with different issues, but my advise is get your wife a trip away with the girls (not boys) each year and it helps you out in your trips.

[Deafirishman]

With 3 kids at home (13,5 and 1), I am pretty blessed to be able to go elk hunting 10 days, including travel time. The wife gets a little uneasy when I am gone that many days in a row and having to take care of 3 kids while working a full time nursing job. I give her the options of doing whatever she wants to do throughout the year but she never takes advantage of that so I did my part

[Indian Summer]

Before I answer I'd like a little background: How old are the kids? How old are you and how long have you been married? What do you do on the weekends? Maybe I'm on her side!

I find a lot of wives need hobbies. If her world is nothing but your world you're in trouble. 12 days is not a lot at all. Heck you need 10 to hunt and most people have travel time on top of that. So if you want to actually hunt elk my advice would be don't give an inch because an inch is a mile when it comes to giving up even a day or 2 of elk hunting.

If things don't improve you may have to go into reverse psychology mode. Tell her you booked a spring bear hunt in Canada. Let her have a fit. Stick to your guns for several months until she backs off. Then tell her you've been thinking and you feel bad about leaving twice in one year. Embellish. Tell her you wouldn't have fun anyway because you knew she was upset and you were being selfish. Tell her the hunting gods probably wouldn't let you get a bear either so you decided to do the right thing and cancel the bear hunt and just stick with the 2 weeks of elk hunting. Plus maybe tell her if she'd like you'll rent a sat phone so you can check in every day or so.

[timberland]

I've used Indian Summers tactic with good results. the problem is hunts tend to get longer and more expensive as one ages. Don't be a woulda, coulda, shoulda guy like me. Had an old-timer tell me one time "You younger hunters are like those young bucks running around crazy during the early rut. You gotta hunt, hunt, hunt until your wife is about ready to divorce ya before the good hunting even starts. When the bucks are running, you're in "lockdown." Me, I'm a big pain in the a$$. I do the honey-do list, I rub feet, I'm in her back pocket for a good month or two. I make sure she's so sick of me she kicks me out of the house for the first two weeks of November.

Pick your battles, but listen to the old-timers. I make priorities as far as hunt time goes, and after 20+ years of marriage I'm finally down to the eye rolling and head shaking, but she gives me the time I need.

[Olydog09]

I only get 2 weeks vacation at work. Usually I take one with the wife and one for a week of elk and then get out as much as I can on the weekends. This year I encouraged the wife to take her sister to Hawaii for a week and she did!!!! Now I have 2 weeks for elk hunting this year. Only bad part is I got to split them up. That should work out to 1 Montana trip and 1 Idaho trip. But usually I take a 10 day trip and some weekends. Probably around 14-16 days for elk.

[ishy]

Solitude we did a family trip that was all her thing last year to the Oregon coast with twighlight movie sights included. She does have a trip planned this year with friends. That's actually how this all got started so early this year they wanted to go in September! Seriously I think all of the stuff they want to do is open all year!
Indian Summer we have three girls 10,8, and 5. We also had a son that passed away three years ago that had a very severe form of epilepsy. So we've been through a lot. She also has no family support to speak of. We do have lots of good friends that she is getting better at asking for help, but she is pretty stuborn when it comes to asking for help. We have been married 16 years and this is a constant issue each year. Her Dad had more hunting stories than anyone you've met so you would have thought she would be fine with it, but after I brought home a coyote I shot she went absolutely ballistic after just a few months of being married. Come to find out her Dad had never brought one thing home-go figure. Everyone just kept telling me that she would get over it and actually come to enjoy me leaving. I thought once the girls all were in school it would be different...then when our son passed away I thought maybe now she can relax and be able to handle things...nope.

[stringunner]

Ishy, I'm sorry to read your response, sounds like you guys have been through it. Some guys will say a bunch of different things about this topic. What I have found and trust me, it wasn't easy in the beginning with my wife either, is that when I am upfront and honest with her about my passion to hunt elk in the fall and true need to be out there in the woods (not just to hunt but as form of rejuvenation for me as husband, father, etc.), again just humbly having that conversation with her, she is far more understanding and willing to compromise than when I took an approach of dominance, reverse psychology, putting my foot down, or shown the Its ALL about ME attitude. What is the underlying problem, that fact that you are gone? The increased workload? Is it fear about you being gone? Perhaps if you can define exactly what the base of the problem is, you can help her work through that. Just some thoughts.

[elk-n-walleye]

Days out for me = as many weekends as it takes (when I'm in state)
While I've been out of state for school = 1 week #can'twaittograduate

[elk-n-walleye]

Ishy, I'm sorry to read your response, sounds like you guys have been through it. Some guys will say a bunch of different things about this topic. What I have found and trust me, it wasn't easy in the beginning with my wife either, is that when I am upfront and honest with her about my passion to hunt elk in the fall and true need to be out there in the woods (not just to hunt but as form of rejuvenation for me as husband, father, etc.), again just humbly having that conversation with her, she is far more understanding and willing to compromise than when I took an approach of dominance, reverse psychology, putting my foot down, or shown the Its ALL about ME attitude. What is the underlying problem, that fact that you are gone? The increased workload? Is it fear about you being gone? Perhaps if you can define exactly what the base of the problem is, you can help her work through that. Just some thoughts.

+1
Ishy, I remember you bringing this up last fall at some point too. I don't know if I recommended it at the time but pick up a copy of "Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge. Some time ago my wife was having issues with the time I was spending away hiking, fishing, hunting etc. Fortunately for me this book was a best seller at the time and my wife somehow stumbled upon it. We both read it quickly because it was a good read and enlightening(I guess you could say). My wife was better able to except my desire to be in nature and my man characteristics more easily since the answer/reason was coming from a book and not from me. Warning: don't use this book as a weapon to say "see I told you so." It would be better to read it yourself and just put it on the shelf and let her check it out on her own.

Actually, I would recommend this book to every Man and Woman.

[stringunner]

"Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge.

+1. Own it. Have read it several times as has my wife. A great book to have. Definitely would recommend it!

[Deafirishman]

I just downloaded Wild at Heart onto my I Pad. Just started reading it and I must say it's an excellent book. Thanks for the recommendation !!

[Swede]

Reading about difficulties people have getting out hunting reminds me just how blessed I have been. Unless the Lord has other plans for me, I expect to be hunting/camping up to 35 days this next archery season. I could be finished after a very few days or it could last until the end. If my hunt is over fairly soon, I would like to spend some time scouting.

[elk-n-walleye]

I just downloaded Wild at Heart onto my I Pad. Just started reading it and I must say it's an excellent book. Thanks for the recommendation !!

You are welcome. I'm glad that you are enjoying it.

[ishy]

Thanks guys, I'll definitely get the Book, but I finally got North American Elk Ecology and Management from the library so I have to finish it first. I think getting to the bottom of why this is so hard for her is probably my best route.