Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Backcountry Hunting => Topic started by: ian_padron on January 05, 2017, 08:09:01 PM

Title: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: ian_padron on January 05, 2017, 08:09:01 PM: Figured this would be an interesting question to post as I'm interested in hearing about all the hobbies and interests my fellow backcountry amigos pursue...

I hunt ducks just about every day before work through December and January, start looking for sheds in late February and do that until May. By that time the foothills are starting to open up and my scouting begins. I spend most of the summer backpacking in the ALW and GPW on weekends looking for trout to catch and bucks to keep tabs on. All of this while counting down the days to September 15th haha.

I've only been out here 2 years but man is this state fantastic in terms of variety for hunters and fishermen. There really is no "offseason" in this state, and as much as we'd like to see all kinds of changes, take it from a guy who moved here from Wisconsin...we have it pretty dang good in Washington as outdoorsman!

Well, let's hear it!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Timberstalker on January 05, 2017, 08:16:38 PM: Lift, run, scout, shoot, repeat.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Okanagan on January 05, 2017, 08:45:22 PM: There's an off season? :)
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: jrebel on January 05, 2017, 08:47:57 PM: Catch up on family stuff. :tup:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: ghosthunter on January 05, 2017, 08:49:57 PM: As soon as duck is over I teach a Hunter Ed class. Start shooting, Spring bear if I get drawn, Hunter Ed again ,Turkey , Hunter ed again ,shooting, dog training ,and than the season is here again.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: biggfish on January 05, 2017, 08:51:17 PM: I usually just fix all the things I broke during the season so it'll be ready for the next season.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: elkboy on January 05, 2017, 08:53:18 PM: Backcountry skiing, climbing indoors until Frenchman Coulee warms up enough in March, reading, dreaming about elk bugling in September and whitetails rutting in November... Did my first turkey hunt in 2016, and I don't ever want to miss that again!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: yum tag soup on January 05, 2017, 08:53:54 PM: Training time for the kiddos. Oh, and stupid work :bash:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: MtnMuley on January 05, 2017, 09:22:49 PM: Spend more money on upgrading things that don't need upgraded. >:(
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: huntnfmly on January 05, 2017, 09:32:02 PM: :yeah:
I'm afraid that's right on the money
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Reidus on January 05, 2017, 09:36:12 PM: :yeah:

Isnt that the truth!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Naches Sportsman on January 05, 2017, 09:40:33 PM: Working, so I can afford to buy more guns and tags for tag soup :chuckle:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: DaveMonti on January 05, 2017, 10:02:43 PM: Working in my shop and tying lots of trout flies.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Limhangerslayer on January 05, 2017, 10:08:06 PM: I'm planning for next season already. Figuring out Alaska for this August for deer. If we get drawn for bear its Alaska again spring of 2018. Lots of fishing. And I still have a damage elk tag, so I'm not done!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Lincoln4 on January 05, 2017, 10:12:42 PM: Work, reloading, shooting, gardening, RVing, working on the Honey-Do list...
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: cooltimber on January 05, 2017, 11:41:56 PM: spending time on Maui till april,pig hunting with a long blade.then drive to montana ,Idaho look over where ill go for this years hunt.back home fix stuff and reload and shoot..
Then with a couple friends will go to Cody wy for the 4th and then down to Tombstone on the Harleys.;.
Maybe go on a guided hunt for elk or go solo.?
repeat,repeat
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: N7XW on January 06, 2017, 12:43:31 AM: Metal detecting, just a different kind of hunting.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Bean Counter on January 06, 2017, 12:46:05 AM: Photography. I'll take a good photo trip over a low end or even medium quality hunt any day. :)
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: brush hunter on January 06, 2017, 04:16:17 AM: Sleep
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: ian_padron on January 06, 2017, 10:46:52 AM: Quote from: Bean Counter on January 06, 2017, 12:46:05 AM
Photography. I'll take a good photo trip over a low end or even medium quality hunt any day. :)

I agree with that %100 Bean. I'm just getting into the photography game and man I could take pictures of bulls and bucks all day everyday and never want to pull the trigger on one. The landscape makes it pretty easy to snap some real keepers.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: jackelope on January 06, 2017, 10:59:50 AM: With a really busy kid and family, I seem to have more trouble doing hunting related stuff during hunting season these days. The off season is just easier for me psychologically it seems. Stressing out about finding time to hunt is hard on the brain LOL. Need to learn better time management skills.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Squidward on January 06, 2017, 11:01:22 AM: shoot BP once a month starting in January - August, Steelhead fish from Jan - Mid April, make more arrows for next stick season. enjoy all 3 days of hot sun soaking in the river.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: WSU on January 06, 2017, 11:07:27 AM: Fish. There's a million fishing options all 12 months of the year.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Smossy on January 06, 2017, 11:23:06 AM: cry
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: predatorpro on January 06, 2017, 11:26:25 AM: Quote from: Okanagan on January 05, 2017, 08:45:22 PM
There's an off season? :)
I was thinkin the same thing? Whats this off season you speak of?
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: rasbo on January 06, 2017, 11:34:10 AM: save money so I can buy a license to fish and hunt.. :bash:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Skyvalhunter on January 06, 2017, 11:40:51 AM: :tup:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Southpole on January 06, 2017, 11:47:32 AM: Quote from: Smossy on January 06, 2017, 11:23:06 AM
cry
:chuckle:... I hope that was meant to be funny
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: cbond3318 on January 06, 2017, 11:50:50 AM: Quote from: Timberstalker on January 05, 2017, 08:16:38 PM
Lift, run, scout, shoot, repeat.

I do the same for January -February. Lift the cans to my face till empty, run to the store for more, scout out deals on tall boys and shoot the empties until they sink but, Pro Tip, come back in the spring where the empties sank , the bowfishing can be EPIC!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: huntandjeep on January 06, 2017, 03:56:23 PM: Shed hunt , coyote hunting , fish ( not as much as I used to ) , Jeeping , shooting , camping with the family .
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Woodchuck on January 06, 2017, 04:01:46 PM: .
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Oldguy on January 06, 2017, 04:48:26 PM: Volunteer with WTA building and maintaining hiking trails.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Oh Mah on January 06, 2017, 04:56:21 PM: Quote from: Okanagan on January 05, 2017, 08:45:22 PM
There's an off season? :)
:yeah:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Southpole on January 06, 2017, 05:47:35 PM: Quote from: Oldguy on January 06, 2017, 04:48:26 PM
Volunteer with WTA building and maintaining hiking trails.
Thank you
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: PLUVIUSWAPITI on January 06, 2017, 06:01:05 PM: Cooltimber stop by Leoda's and have a small banana cream pie for me.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: huntnnw on January 08, 2017, 10:29:57 PM: Lots of Steelhead and salmon fishing.. then scouting
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Oh Mah on January 08, 2017, 10:35:12 PM: Me personally i consider fishing still the season,and scouting still season. :dunno:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Caseyd on January 08, 2017, 11:28:26 PM: Coyote hunt, snowmobile, wake surf!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: redi on January 08, 2017, 11:34:01 PM: Shoot, scout and trap. Anything to be outdoors.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: pope on January 09, 2017, 04:23:23 AM: When I'm not working? A life goal is to take a nice blacktail buck with a traditional bow, so I continue to look for good tree stand locations and shoot a lot of arrows. Outside of hunting, I enjoy cycling, hiking, snow shoeing, occasional skiing and continue to dabble in mountaineering. Although I technically have summers off, I usually end up doing handy-man jobs for friends and family and/or teaching summer school. There are always bills to pay.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: ASHQUACK on January 09, 2017, 04:37:34 AM: Hunt till fishing season and then fish till hunting season.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: NW SURVEYOR on January 09, 2017, 06:21:37 AM: I'm self employed.
Need I say more?
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: pianoman9701 on January 09, 2017, 06:26:32 AM: Quote from: Naches Sportsman on January 05, 2017, 09:40:33 PM
Working, so I can afford to buy more guns and tags for tag soup :chuckle:

1. :yeah: 6 days a week so I can get good time-off in September.

2. Post in HuntWA.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Blacktail Sniper on January 09, 2017, 07:18:54 AM: :rockin:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on January 09, 2017, 02:46:46 PM: This... Plowing snow...shoveling snow....feeding deer & turkeys Must have 150 pesky turkeys and 65 deer here.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: JJB11B on January 09, 2017, 03:17:11 PM: I like to start Polls on Hunt-Wa
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: cooltimber on January 09, 2017, 04:19:06 PM: Quote from: PLUVIUSWAPITI on January 06, 2017, 06:01:05 PM
Cooltimber stop by Leoda's and have a small banana cream pie for me.
Will do know right where that is,maybe send a pic
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Timberstalker on January 09, 2017, 04:32:36 PM: Quote from: JJB11B on January 09, 2017, 03:17:11 PM
I like to start Polls on Hunt-Wa

:chuckle:
Pot Stirring SOB!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: hirshey on January 19, 2017, 06:24:52 PM: Quote from: Okanagan on January 05, 2017, 08:45:22 PM
There's an off season? :)
:yeah: :chuckle:

Work out, work, backcountry ski, test new gear, snowshoe, photo animals, etc.

Almost all year is SOME kind of hunting or scouting season though :)
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: hike2hunt on January 20, 2017, 05:51:53 AM: Steelhead fish, get ready for Springers, put a dent in the local predator gang, Honey Do's, Honey Do's, and do whatever the GIF (Good Idea Fairy) wants.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: bracer40 on January 20, 2017, 05:34:10 PM: Planning first IDAHO archery elk hunt! Just have to firm up the partner situation. While it's not my preference, I'll be prepared to go solo.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: swanny on January 20, 2017, 06:16:37 PM: Bike, hike, shoot, snowboard, house work, anything that keeps me outside really
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Buzz2401 on January 20, 2017, 06:18:22 PM: Reload, shoot, workout, fish, hike, camp, watch football, work OT allow for more time off during hunting season.
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: cvandervort on January 21, 2017, 09:02:24 AM: Going cat skiing in some montana fresh this weekend!!!

Winter hikes, snowshoeing, hanging with my kids, and gear/scouting research are pretty much my go tos during the dark months....

Id like to try my hand at predator/small game hunting next year though...

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: swisski on January 31, 2017, 10:40:06 AM: Run into other HuntWA guys in various wilderness areas... :tup:

Now that the season is pretty much over, I tend to check out lowland timbered areas for scouting, put up some cameras and just see whats happening in a few spots once and while. I'd like to start getting into shed hunting, any of the sheds I've found have just been coincidental, not on purpose. Also start looking into any out of state hunt opportunities right now for the upcoming season.

Hit up the spring turkey season while dodging the ticks. Start actively fishing quite a bit in the spring, hitting salmon in the rivers during the summer.

Once we are able to get up into the Alpine again, I love fishing any of the high lakes. Then comes back to Fall bear in the summer, just before September hits and the madness begins.

Try to just get in scouting, backpacking, camping and good ol fashioned summer fun as time allows. All that mixed in with work and physical fitness. Its a year round game!
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: JJB11B on January 31, 2017, 03:54:50 PM: Quote from: Timberstalker on January 09, 2017, 04:32:36 PM
Quote from: JJB11B on January 09, 2017, 03:17:11 PM
I like to start Polls on Hunt-Wa

:chuckle:
Pot Stirring SOB!
I like fishing so lets just call that Trolling
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: hirshey on January 31, 2017, 04:06:09 PM: Quote from: JJB11B on January 31, 2017, 03:54:50 PM
Quote from: Timberstalker on January 09, 2017, 04:32:36 PM
Quote from: JJB11B on January 09, 2017, 03:17:11 PM
I like to start Polls on Hunt-Wa

:chuckle:
Pot Stirring SOB!
I like fishing so lets just call that Trolling
:chuckle:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: Timberstalker on January 31, 2017, 04:22:37 PM: Quote from: JJB11B on January 31, 2017, 03:54:50 PM
Quote from: Timberstalker on January 09, 2017, 04:32:36 PM
Quote from: JJB11B on January 09, 2017, 03:17:11 PM
I like to start Polls on Hunt-Wa

:chuckle:
Pot Stirring SOB!
I like fishing so lets just call that Trolling

:tup:
Title: Re: What do you guys (and gals) do to pass time in the off-season?
Post by: CaNINE on February 02, 2017, 07:43:04 AM: I lift and do short, high intensity cardio circuits to stay tuned up. Struggling to eat right. Try to fit in some snowshoeing and Nordic skiing sessions here and there. Been doing a lot of load developing and range testing. Heading to Wyoming for spring bear this year.