College Student Advice

[DunnCoHunter]

Let us know what you and your buddies decide to do!


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[JWLeastcoast]

I am a grad student and still in college, but graduated a couple years ago with my bachelors. You 100% should go, as stated above, you will likely never have more free time or ability to go. A week or two won't kill you, and with how things are looking right now there is a good chance classes will be online anyway (or have an online option), so if needed you could run to town to tune in for the class. Some of my greatest memories in my limited life experience revolve around hunting and doing crazy sh*t related to go hunting, only possible because I had the freedom and free time of college.

As far as states with OTC rifle, Idaho and Nebraska both have them, of the two for mule deer Idaho is by far the better option for public land. I would go the preference point route for an easy draw state/unit though personally, MT, some units in CO (not sure if you can still get a point for CO), some in WY.

Get out there and have fun!

I agree with that. thats how ive been viewing most oportunuities. With the possibality of getting into the PM construction game after i get my BS in MechE guys are always on their laptops till 9 at night after they leave work. Im not going to get into dividing up work and time at home because I believe most of us would be on the same page. Our school announced that we will be going online starting the week of thanksgiving. As of now we are planning on taking a week with the truck, camping equipment, shotgun, rifle, muzzleloader and driving. Thanks for all of the tips guys. A very supportive community here.

 

[JWLeastcoast]

I don't have a lot to add with regards to advice. I'd like to add a spring bear or turkey hunt could be a fun option, could make academic commitments less of a concern and may reduce distance and logistics if you're on the east coast as your name implies or it could provide an excuse to explore areas that appeal to you for a western hunt and find boots on the ground information to make future hunts more successful.
I commend you and wish you the best of success.

thank you, we are for sure going to make a trip for turkey this spring. the season snuck up on us last year when we planned to make a trip to Georgia. But managed to make a trip to the cranberry river in WV for an uneventful turkey trip but very exciting with the trout. WV has a 3 day doe rifle season in October and we are hoping to capitalize on this so we're going to take it easy on the does during bow season and refrain from tagging out haha.

thank you

 

[Will_m]

This probably isn't the advice you want to hear, but here goes. Concentrate on college. Get your degree and then a good job. You have the rest of your life to hunt. It would be difficult to hunt the OTC rifle hunts in Idaho mid October and be in class at the same time. I was in your shoes 30 years ago and too many hunting distractions led to the fact that I never finished college. Hell yeah I had some great hunts, but I have always regreted not getting that college diploma.

This is terrible advice. You didn't finish your degree because you lacked discipline, plain and simple, not because of hunting. Don't blame a particular thing for your own shortcomings.

The OP could walk out the door the day after graduation, get hit by a truck and be a paraplegic for the rest of his life. You will never, at least for the majority of your adult life, have as little responsibility as you do now.

You can hunt and do well in college. I did with both my degree and graduate degree. Do your work like a grown ass man. Don't ever listen to anybody that tells you can or can't do something without assessing it yourself.

Good luck on your hunt and I think it's a great idea.

 

[nabooska]

arizona OTC archery hunt for cous or mule deer over Christmas break

 

[Fatcamp]

How long can you hunt?

That’s the real question you need to ask yourself.

If you’ve got 10 plus days off, then it’s doable. If not, it’s a waste of your money. Focus on getting a good job out of school that will afford you the time off and the funds to hunt every fall. That’s what I did and I couldn’t be happier.


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Totally disagree. We have only spent one trip that needed 10 days total and we hunt, camp, and explore a lot. A lot. Nobody needs ten days to have a good experience.

 

[fatlander]

If you’ve only got 9 days, full week with the extra weekend, that’s not a lot of time to hunt driving from the east coast to Idaho.

30 to 40 hours or driving so call it two days one way.

There’s 4 days gone. From original 9.

Now you’ve got 5 days left to hunt for a trip you’ve spent well over a grand to make happen. That’s a lot money for not a lot of hunting on a college budget.


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[ZachP]

+1 on the Arizona mule deer. Just be sure to be on the binoculars at sunrise and sunset. For something different on the east coast maybe a Maryland Sika deer? You can also do some pretty cool backpacking hunts on national forest on the east coast.

 

[JWLeastcoast]

As of now i think we are going to go with an OTC muzzle loader state wide tag. Leave Friday after finals and show up the 12th of December to scout a couple days then hunt out the week. Any nebraska late season tips will be greatly appreciated, i.e temps, mandatory items. We're not looking for monsters, just looking to get that first long distance hunt under our belts. Meat in the freezer will be a bonus.

 

[Marble]

You'll never, ever, ever, have as much free time and freedom as you do right this second. Responsibilities stack-up immediately after graduating and don't stop until you're dead. GO NOW and GO OFTEN.

And ill add to this.... I'm not being fatalistic here either. There is not always a next time. Do it now, enjoy life the best you can without putting yourself into a regrettable position in the future.

I have plenty of friends that are in their 40s and hunt every year around home. They always have an excuse as to why they don't go to other stares and do the hunts i do every year.

I literally chose my profession partially because of the amount of time off I am afforded.

Don't let opportunity pass you. Be smart, make sound decisions and be intentional.

Some squandered their chance to do it with their dad while they were young. Now dad is too old or has passed.... there is not always a next time.

 

[Customweld]

Saddle up and ride! Life is short and time is tickin!

 

[the_bowhunter]

Finished my undergrad in 6 years. Hunted and guided and skipped school all through those years and still graduated with honors. Am now in grad school and guide full-time out west. Skip sleep in college and go out and live while you can!

Shoot me a pm if y'all want to talk hunting options!!

 

[kscreekguy]

Go now!

 

[Shrek]

Go this year and next ! Life is short and health isn’t guaranteed. Your next breath isn’t guaranteed !

 

[Scoot]

I 100% support the "go now, go often" advice. I got my undergrad, masters, and doctorate all while hunting as much as I could (and paying for it myself- and I don't come from a bunch of money) . Getting a degree and hunting don't have to be mutually exclusive options. In fact you can still hunt some and excel in college, but it's a matter of priorities and hard work. Good luck (if you believe luck really is a big part of it) !
Scott

 

[SigM1]

As of now i think we are going to go with an OTC muzzle loader state wide tag. Leave Friday after finals and show up the 12th of December to scout a couple days then hunt out the week. Any nebraska late season tips will be greatly appreciated, i.e temps, mandatory items. We're not looking for monsters, just looking to get that first long distance hunt under our belts. Meat in the freezer will be a bonus.

I go to college in Nebraska. Just for reference 2% of the state is public land. About 30% of it has mule deer. Idaho is 70% public land. We deer hunt it because it’s where we live not because it’s our first choice. The areas where the muleys live on public land can get pretty over run. I’ve been to both main different muley public areas. Even if you get deep people hunt there. Private land hunting can be pretty good. The public land opportunities can be there but I promise you it will
Be crowded. There’s also no areas you can backpack more than 4-5 miles without being near a road.


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[Elk300win]

I agree with the majority, do it now! You will never have as much "free" time as you do now as i have been in similar shoes as you. If you do not go ASAP, a couple years from now i feel like you would regret it. Shoot me a PM if you want to discuss opportunities in Montana.

 

[wjj605]

take it with a grain of salt, but you're only gaurenteed today and you'll never know what tomorrow brings. I say hunt now

 

[zacattack]

As a college professor my advice is to go and have a blast.
If missing school for a week to go hunting is going to cause you to fail you aren’t a very good student in the first place and probably shouldn’t be in college.

 

[JWLeastcoast]

As a college professor my advice is to go and have a blast.
If missing school for a week to go hunting is going to cause you to fail you aren’t a very good student in the first place and probably shouldn’t be in college.

Must not be an engineering professor but I’m not the best student I just try to make up for it with hard work. Thank you for the comment!