Post by: predatorG on July 26, 2016, 11:10:02 PM
I've always anticipated and looked forward to the first day of archery season. Something about the rush of waking up early and putting all your gear on just to get out early in the morning. There is always a magic in the air. Leaves are begginning to turn, and the weather is starting to get cool at night and in the mornings. I am always on high alert as I finally get to walk through the woods hoping to get a shot at a branch antlered beast. I've always wanted to have a shot at being one of the lucky guys who tags out a toad opening day. I prepare for this day months in advance, tuning my bow, buying arrows, and dialing in my proper shooting form. I am always pumped full of adrenaline and my blood courses through my veins like floodwaters. I live for this day and this feeling.
However, as I got ready for the first of September and started talking about it, I was notified of something dreadful. Something that I had never had happen before and never thought would happen. School got scheduled to start September 1. Normally they wait unill after labor day, and I can almost always count on at least a few days of hunting. But this year, instead of sneaking deep into the woods at 5 am, I will be waking up. I will be putting on clothes meant to be seen, not clothes meant to keep me invisible. I will be driving to school, only to stare out of a classroom window listening to a calculus lesson instead of listening for footsteps. I will be looking at a history book instead of looking for the twitch of a tail or an ear. This September 1st will be one of the saddest I've ever spent. Not because I had that realistic of a chance at a deer, but because it is symbolic. There will be many other days to hunt, many of them better than the ones I'm missing, but none of them as meaningful.
So to all of you that are able to get out there to your secret spot on the first day, good luck, and I hope you smack that 4 by 5 with eyegaurds you've been dreaming about all summer, mine will have to wait for the weekend.
Post by: fishnfur on July 27, 2016, 08:39:47 AM
The downside to that is: Your dad is a hunter and fully understands the your desires to hunt. If he has already made ruling on the opener, you may not be able to sway him. Also, unless you have a buck targeted and know where he will be traveling and have a reasonable plan in place to harvest him, more than likely, your day will end up as being a wonderful autumn day in the woods, but ultimately unproductive in filling your tag.
Good luck - Welcome to growing up and becoming a responsible adult and. :'( This will not be your last disappointment.
* impactful is not a word - (yet) http://www.business2community.com/communications/impactful-word-0762706#poieWqEO8cEEKtiR.97
Post by: pd on July 27, 2016, 09:02:17 AM
If your secret spot is truly secret, then 9/1 is no more important than 9/3 or 9/6. I will not matter a bit. Sure, there is something symbolic about opening day, and I understand the desire to be "that guy" who tags a monster at 0630, and posts it on HuntWa before lunchtime. But, honestly, isn't that hubris on your part? (Ask F&F for a link to that one, too. 8))
If you are underaged (a minor), and also attending public school, then I would have no issues with you missing the first day. My experience is the same as F&F's, in that it would have zero impact on your life. Go hunt, if your folks agree to the plan. But remember, all actions have consequences.
Post by: bobcat on July 27, 2016, 09:15:32 AM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on July 27, 2016, 09:21:59 AM
Post by: RadSav on July 27, 2016, 09:46:39 AM
But then again...I took night classes before graduation so I could get a diploma in that envelope. :chuckle:
Post by: predatorG on July 27, 2016, 09:49:02 AM
Post by: predatorG on July 27, 2016, 09:50:09 AM
I never met a school day that wasn't worth missing for a hunting day!
But then again...I took night classes before graduation so I could get a diploma in that envelope. :chuckle:
You ended up successful enough :chuckle: if I end up with half the knowledge you have when I die I'll be happy.
Post by: JDHasty on July 27, 2016, 09:54:48 AM
This was a recurring event every year. And no, I didn't forget, I never paid any attention to it in the first place.
Post by: kentrek on July 27, 2016, 10:03:42 AM
College is alil different....teachers all very in how much they are willing to work with you being gone...universitys don't cater to individual students much so you have to weigh your options on what's worth it....not passing a college corse is expensive and it only takes one bad exam to ruin a semester
Post by: RadSav on July 27, 2016, 10:07:49 AM
When I was in college @ Saint Martins they usually called my mother's house on the phone ~ the third day of class to ask if I had once again forgotten what day class was scheduled to start. She would track me down, usually somewhere in central Washington, and I would show up the next day.
I remember being at the bakery one school day, picking up maple bars to spice up a bear bait, when my father walks in. He gave the lady behind the counter a long list of pastries to add to my order. Then says, "I want to hear how much the principal appreciated you buying donuts for the teachers lounge." He never mentioned that encounter again! :chuckle:
Post by: jackmaster on July 27, 2016, 10:34:03 AM
Post by: jackelope on July 27, 2016, 10:35:48 AM
I never missed an opening day of grouse season do to school!! I thought it was a conspiracy , grouse always opened the first day of school :chuckle:
You spelled "due" wrong.
Just sayin...
;)
Post by: Jimmy33 on July 27, 2016, 10:40:57 AM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: jackmaster on July 27, 2016, 11:16:05 AM
:chuckle: yep maybe I shouldn't have missed so many days of school, haha . I had to miss 4 years of hunting the mighty blacktail when I joined the army after I gradiated, :chuckle:. That sucked :'(I never missed an opening day of grouse season do to school!! I thought it was a conspiracy , grouse always opened the first day of school :chuckle:
You spelled "due" wrong.
Just sayin...
;)
Post by: jackelope on July 27, 2016, 11:31:09 AM
:chuckle: yep maybe I shouldn't have missed so many days of school, haha . I had to miss 4 years of hunting the mighty blacktail when I joined the army after I gradiated, :chuckle:. That sucked :'(I never missed an opening day of grouse season do to school!! I thought it was a conspiracy , grouse always opened the first day of school :chuckle:
You spelled "due" wrong.
Just sayin...
;)
Just giving you crap...
:tup:
Thank you for your service.
Post by: jackelope on July 27, 2016, 11:32:04 AM
I had to miss a whole season due to military service. Finish school, get a job you like and that you can take time off to go hunting. Until then, suck it up. You'll be fine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Personally, I agree. There are priorities.
Post by: Rainier10 on July 27, 2016, 11:45:41 AM
Good luck on your decision, hopefully that buck is still there when you get time to get out after him. Hoping there is one there for my daughter as well.
Post by: Dhoey07 on July 27, 2016, 11:46:16 AM
Post by: boneaddict on July 27, 2016, 11:47:00 AM
Post by: JimmyHoffa on July 27, 2016, 11:51:15 AM
Not sure how far your hunting spot is to school, but the daylight hours for sept 1 are pretty long.Did a lot of before and after school hunting back in the day. But that was back when you could clean ducks or hogs/deer at school and leave guns in the vehicle. Science teacher liked it when you would bring stuff to put in the jars of preservative.
Post by: Rainier10 on July 27, 2016, 11:52:18 AM
Thankfully you still have choices and options. Many do not.:yeah:
Post by: fishnfur on July 27, 2016, 02:10:40 PM
When I was in college @ Saint Martins they usually called my mother's house on the phone ~ the third day of class to ask if I had once again forgotten what day class was scheduled to start. She would track me down, usually somewhere in central Washington, and I would show up the next day.
I remember being at the bakery one school day, picking up maple bars to spice up a bear bait, when my father walks in. He gave the lady behind the counter a long list of pastries to add to my order. Then says, "I want to hear how much the principal appreciated you buying donuts for the teachers lounge." He never mentioned that encounter again! :chuckle:
This was back in prehistoric times, when baiting was still legal. :chuckle:
Post by: RadSav on July 27, 2016, 05:26:38 PM
This was back in prehistoric times, when baiting was still legal. :chuckle:
'81 or '82. Back when you could take your gun to school, on the bus, as long as the bolt was removed. And the bus driver would drop you off at the logging road of your choice during hunting season.
Post by: D-Rock425 on July 27, 2016, 06:06:30 PM
never saw those days.This was back in prehistoric times, when baiting was still legal. :chuckle:
'81 or '82. Back when you could take your gun to school, on the bus, as long as the bolt was removed. And the bus driver would drop you off at the logging road of your choice during hunting season.
Post by: jackmaster on July 27, 2016, 07:52:06 PM
it was totally my pleasure, the army, especially doing what I did was just flat awesome!! Thank you!!:chuckle: yep maybe I shouldn't have missed so many days of school, haha . I had to miss 4 years of hunting the mighty blacktail when I joined the army after I gradiated, :chuckle:. That sucked :'(I never missed an opening day of grouse season do to school!! I thought it was a conspiracy , grouse always opened the first day of school :chuckle:
You spelled "due" wrong.
Just sayin...
;)
Just giving you crap...
:tup:
Thank you for your service.
Post by: fishnfur on July 27, 2016, 10:21:01 PM
This was back in prehistoric times, when baiting was still legal. :chuckle:
'81 or '82. Back when you could take your gun to school, on the bus, as long as the bolt was removed. And the bus driver would drop you off at the logging road of your choice during hunting season.
Now my kids need a permission note to get off at a different stop than normal - like to go to a friend's house. It would probably take a signed note from God to get a rifle on their bus......Nahh, that wouldn't do it either.
Life gets better and better as the years slip by, huh? :'(
Predator G - let us know how it all works out. Maybe you'll meet the girl of your dreams if you end up going to school that first day... (it could happen I guess :dunno: :tup:).
Post by: predatorG on July 28, 2016, 12:28:11 AM
This was back in prehistoric times, when baiting was still legal. :chuckle:
'81 or '82. Back when you could take your gun to school, on the bus, as long as the bolt was removed. And the bus driver would drop you off at the logging road of your choice during hunting season.
This sounds legendary.
And fishnfur, I go to a pretty small school and am pretty well known but it could still happen. That almost makes it worse tho, skip Friday to hunt or go to school so I can see some hot new girl? Maybe she hunts and I can bring her with!
Post by: fishnfur on July 28, 2016, 12:50:01 AM
Life is full of new paths for opportunity. Choose one that fits your desires, do your best, don't look back.
Post by: fish vacuum on July 28, 2016, 01:01:29 AM
Post by: Jpmiller on July 28, 2016, 06:39:47 AM
I wish I had taken school more seriously and attended more but perhaps taking it more seriously means missing a few days is less of a deal. If it's not going to make a difference on what you learn and your grades... hunt
Post by: RadSav on July 28, 2016, 07:41:14 AM
Thankfully it was not a Catholic wedding...had time for the evening hunt too!
Post by: Taco280AI on July 28, 2016, 08:20:37 AM
Suck it up and grow up. You're going to miss a day of hunting because of school? Get your priorities in line, school first and hunting second. Or school, job, family, etc, etc, etc, then hunting. I missed four consecutive years of hunting due to military life. Four full seasons, not just opening day. Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want to do, is a reality. Focus on school, do well, focus on getting and performing well at a good job. Then enjoy everything that comes with it, such as hunting and a comfortable lifestyle.
I might be becoming the grumpy old warrant officer that's often joked about in the Army. I got lucky (in a way) that I came home early from Afghanistan because a few of us swapped out with guys back home so they could come out and get flight time. I'm losing a lot of flight time by being back here and not there, but it really felt like getting out of jail in a way. It is so amazing being back here and so much I appreciate more after being deployed to areas where you carry a gun everywhere you go, every day. Where we have rockets shot at us on the FOB, one night four times! Where we have bullets coming up at the helicopters now and then. A few helicopters got shot up. The guys who are still over there won't get back for opening day. And that's after we left three days before Christmas - that was awesome for families.
You're missing opening day and you nearly cried. Must be tough. Know what is tougher? Watching a grown man cry before walking away from their bawling child because they don't want their dad to leave. To a combat zone. For up to nine months - or even ever.
Post by: jackmaster on July 28, 2016, 09:10:24 AM
Post by: jackelope on July 28, 2016, 09:14:51 AM
Taco, dude, he is still in highschool, not heading off to war. A lot of us spent time in the military , missing opening days for years on end, as long as the kid is getting good grades, who gives a rip if he misses school to go huntn :dunno: you get one life! Bad things happen most of us have watched a buddy die, but that has little to do with a highschool kid missing opening day!! Chill man
High school is where the rest of your life starts. In a lot of ways it forms the base for how one lives the rest of their life and the choices they make. I never skipped school for anything. I've never called in sick to work to go hunting or fishing or for anything other than if I was actually sick or had a sick kid and no childcare. I'm with Taco. There are priorities in life. This is a perfect example.
Post by: jackmaster on July 28, 2016, 09:26:03 AM
Taco, dude, he is still in highschool, not heading off to war. A lot of us spent time in the military , missing opening days for years on end, as long as the kid is getting good grades, who gives a rip if he misses school to go huntn :dunno: you get one life! Bad things happen most of us have watched a buddy die, but that has little to do with a highschool kid missing opening day!! Chill mani skipped as much as I possibly could and I hate to pat myself on the back but I turned out fine and so did both my kids, I don't think skipping school to go huntn shapes your life, now, skipping school to go get drunk or smoke crack well that's a different story. I let both my kids skip both days for extended buck every year, my son is in the 82nd airborne unit and moving through the ranks quickly, my daughter does running start, goes to highschool works as much as possible at McDonald's and is going into her senior year and is signed up for the early entry program into the airforce!! I think what shapes a kid is his or hers parents :twocents:
High school is where the rest of your life starts. In a lot of ways it forms the base for how one lives the rest of their life and the choices they make. I never skipped school for anything. I've never called in sick to work to go hunting or fishing or for anything other than if I was actually sick or had a sick kid and no childcare. I'm with Taco. There are priorities in life. This is a perfect example.
Post by: fishnfur on July 28, 2016, 09:28:18 AM
Post by: jackmaster on July 28, 2016, 09:31:40 AM
Post by: RadSav on July 28, 2016, 09:44:30 AM
Post by: predatorG on July 28, 2016, 10:51:55 AM
Might get flamed for this, but I don't care.
Suck it up and grow up. You're going to miss a day of hunting because of school? Get your priorities in line, school first and hunting second. Or school, job, family, etc, etc, etc, then hunting. I missed four consecutive years of hunting due to military life. Four full seasons, not just opening day. Sometimes life gets in the way of what we want to do, is a reality. Focus on school, do well, focus on getting and performing well at a good job. Then enjoy everything that comes with it, such as hunting and a comfortable lifestyle.
I might be becoming the grumpy old warrant officer that's often joked about in the Army. I got lucky (in a way) that I came home early from Afghanistan because a few of us swapped out with guys back home so they could come out and get flight time. I'm losing a lot of flight time by being back here and not there, but it really felt like getting out of jail in a way. It is so amazing being back here and so much I appreciate more after being deployed to areas where you carry a gun everywhere you go, every day. Where we have rockets shot at us on the FOB, one night four times! Where we have bullets coming up at the helicopters now and then. A few helicopters got shot up. The guys who are still over there won't get back for opening day. And that's after we left three days before Christmas - that was awesome for families.
You're missing opening day and you nearly cried. Must be tough. Know what is tougher? Watching a grown man cry before walking away from their bawling child because they don't want their dad to leave. To a combat zone. For up to nine months - or even ever.
Honestly dude you have no idea how much I respect this and your sacrifice. I understand that short of joining the military and making sacrifices such as you have, I will never be able to relate or understand. And I understand and respect that. I don't know where my life will take me, I may end up join the military, who knows. And there will be many years where I'm sure I will have to miss opening day. I understand that. But it is more of a struggle when it's competing with something as insignificant as the first day of my junior year of high school. I get straight A's and am taking three ap classes this year including AP calculus. I understand that sacrifices have to be made in school and life but this might not be the day to make them. This wasn't intended to be a post where I whine and cry but was meant to be more of a joke, and I'm sorry it wasn't clear enough for you to take it that way. That's on me.
I want you to know that I thank you for your service and for protecting our freedom. I respect that more than anything. I understand that many people on here have made sacrifices and had their lives changed because of it, such as Aaron, and this wasn't meant to undermine that.
Again, my sincerest apologies for making this seem too petty, but as small as it is I still have a decision to make about hunting while I can or atrending a day of school.
Thank you for your service,
Garett
Post by: birddogdad on July 28, 2016, 10:53:42 AM
One of my best friends scheduled her wedding on opening day. I changed out of my camo in the bathroom about 10 minutes before the wedding. I may or may not have smelled like elk piss... :dunno:
Thankfully it was not a Catholic wedding...had time for the evening hunt too!
clearly she didn't marry a hunter :chuckle: or he would have turned her down...
Post by: Taco280AI on July 28, 2016, 11:09:17 AM
No worries. Go to school and enjoy opening weekend ;) :tup:
Post by: Bill W on July 28, 2016, 11:12:03 AM
:chuckle: yep maybe I shouldn't have missed so many days of school, haha . I had to miss 4 years of hunting the mighty blacktail when I joined the army after I gradiated, :chuckle:. That sucked :'(I never missed an opening day of grouse season do to school!! I thought it was a conspiracy , grouse always opened the first day of school :chuckle:
You spelled "due" wrong.
Just sayin...
;)
I remember how strange it seemed to be applying suntan oil pool side on Christmas day. I had one late deer season that a day or so before being out it was 88 degrees and I was working on my tan. When I was home it was trudging thu 15 inches of snow looking at old deer tracks. Definitely felt colder than I was used to.
Post by: predatorG on July 28, 2016, 12:04:10 PM
... and maybe she has a mustache. It's Kitsap after all. :chuckle:
Nah man, thats north mason. I've never understood how you can be cousins with someone multiple ways...
Post by: predatorG on July 28, 2016, 12:10:17 PM
Garett,
No worries. Go to school and enjoy opening weekend ;) :tup:
Well turns out mom put the kabosh on skipping school anyways, thanks for the tips tho and some good life lessons :tup:
Post by: fishnfur on July 28, 2016, 01:59:07 PM
The afternoon hunt would be a great way to start. The days are way too long at that time of year to hunt all day anyway. I love evening hunts that time of year. No rush to get out there.
Post by: Rainier10 on July 28, 2016, 02:08:30 PM
Post by: BIGDOG253 on July 28, 2016, 02:11:06 PM
The afternoon hunt would be a great way to start. The days are way too long at that time of year to hunt all day anyway. I love evening hunts that time of year. No rush to get out there.
Do you hunt close to home/school? I would do the evening hunts and then get after it on the weekend if you can hunt close.That's what we did when we were in school over in Pullman :tup: the deer never moved until about 30mins before shooting time ended anyway.