Is it worth it?

[croix]

This is my first year for archery hunting elk and I spent some time during the early season in the Winston unit on Greene Mt. with some friends of mine. It was a great time and I learned a lot but we ultimately struck out. Now I'm looking at late season and I have a dilemma.

I've used two weeks of vacation time this year for a couple of surgeries for my wife. I'm delighted that I was able to do it since for 20 yrs I may not have even had the option, but it's left me with virtually no vacation time for hunting. I am therefore relagated to hunting weekends. I was thinking about going down for four days over the thanksgiving weekend but there are issues with that. First of all, none of my buddies have the stones to tell there wives that they are going hunting for thanksgiving or they have other plans, or they have family from out of state coming, or etc. etc. etc. so I'm looking at a solo trip. I'm not opposed to hunting alone but during early season we were hiking 5 miles in and I'm not confident I could get an elk out by myself from that distance in that rough country. Besides, I enjoy company back at camp. My second issue is that although I have the stones (maybe just lack of brains) to tell my wife that I'm going hunting, I'm not sure what the area will be like at that time of year and I may just be upsetting my wife for a weekend of no elk.

This brings me to my questions.

1) Is it worth it to make the trip for those four days? Will I have a decent chance of being in elk in that area during that time of year or will they have moved to lower ground? Or, would it be better to just stay home that weekend and make the best out of the following two weekends?

2) Is anybody else going to be in the 505 or 520 unit for those four days that wouldn't mind me joining their camp? Or, would somebody like to join me? I've got a 28' trailer and had planned on staying at Ike Kinswa state park since it's free for me, but I'm not opposed to camping off of dirt roads in tents. Have cot, will travel 

Thanks for the input.

[Austrian Hunter]

Go the day after thanksgiving   that's what I will do!

[croix]

Go the day after thanksgiving   that's what I will do!

i've considered that and may actually do that. it's about a 3 hour drive for me so i could get an afternoon/evening hunt in on friday and still get saturday and sunday. for the cost of the round trip i would like to get as much out of it as i can. i really want to get there wednesday night so i can get 4 full days instead of 2 1/2. i would also still be solo.

i would still like to know if my best chances of being in elk are at the beginning of late season or the end 

[Little Fish]

Personally I don't know that its worth it. I've hunted the late season several times in the Winston unit and others and although I got into elk on a regular basis I've never got into them as frequently as I do during the early season. One of the problems is that the gates are usually open on the weekend so every tom dick and harry who didn't fill his tag is going to be in the woods. Combine this with the fact that there are fewer areas open during late season and you will be hard pressed to find walk in only areas that don't already have people in them. If I didn't have lots of things competing for my time I would probably continue to hunt the late season, but for me its better to focus on the early season and then take the late season off.

[bobcat]

Do you also have a deer tag? Might be a good time to hunt deer close to home if you do.   

[jagermiester]

Leave Thanksgiving nite and bring your son or nephew thats what my dad always did with us growing up. I take my boys pheasent hunting right after thanksgiving and I think my wife likes that we get to spend that time together.

[Dan-o]

So, I might need to change my monitker to "Crusty Old Fart", but here goes....

IMO, it is NEVER worth it to upset your wife over such things.

I've been married almost 29 years.........   and the last 20 have been really nice.   That mostly corresponds to when I started treating my wife better.

Part of it would go back to your wedding vows.   Did you promise to "Love, Honor and Cherish" or something similar?   Then man up, keep your vows, and watch the world at home get a little brighter each day.  That doesn't mean no hunting, that means work it out like partners should.

Crap, I think I just started preaching.....

But you married her for a reason, and assuming the original reason was more than just sex and a warm bed in the winter, then the best way to go is to value her like you did early on.

I'm only a sample of 1, but it works wonders for me.  I'll get probably 25 hunting days in this year.......   Way more than I got in when we were fighting about it.

I hope you take this in the spirit in which it was intended, and that you two work it out and what the heck that you bring back a great elk as well.

Best of luck,

Dan   (aka Crusty Old Fart)

P.S.  I'll be hunting in Montana for 10 day in Nov, but I will make it back in time for dinner on Thanksgiving......   ;-)

[Little Fish]

Dan-o.......I think you are one wise man.

[flinger]

p.m sent

[croix]

Thanks for the input guys.

Dan-O that is sage advice and taken in the spirit you intended. Perhaps I made it sound more serious than it really is. My wife would certainly prefer that I be at home for Thanksgiving but wouldn't really be "upset" if I'm not. We've been married 15 yrs and she has always supported my hunting - even though she's a vegetarian  . She understands that vacation time has been an issue this year and that in order for me to make the most of a hunting season that I need to take advantage of things like 4 day weekends. She's a great wife and I love her to death.

So I still haven't decided how this is going to play out. Any more input on the 505 or 520 units during the late season?

[croix]

Do you also have a deer tag? Might be a good time to hunt deer close to home if you do.   

My deer tag is MF and late season will be over by then. Hopefully it will be over next weekend 

[THINK_N_ELK]

Both my wife and the in-laws know not to expect me for Turkey day, beings that I will be in the woods.  It has been that way for the past 15 years.  Maybe one of these years when I tag out in early season then I'll be there for dinner.

But you have to make the call.  No one can answer the question but you.

[400out]

Take her with you