How many vacation days for out of state hunt?

[Bowhunter50]

Hey guys,

I'm finally at a place in my life and career where I can take some vacation days to do some out of state hunts. I have 23 vacation days, weekends off, and normal holidays. My wife will let me use 10 vacation days to spend on hunting. My question is how would you split this up between hunts? Would you do two hunts that are each 9 days long - 5 vacation days + 2 weekends? Or would you try to break it up into more hunts?

I've always hunted close to home on weekends with a few days off here and there so this is all kinda new to me. I'm primarily a bowhunter and I'm starting to dabble with a rifle. I live in the salt lake area and have been building points for deer and elk in Colorado and Wyoming. I'm also thinking it will be fun to do some OTC hunts in Idaho as well. My plan for this year is to take a whole 5 days off for archery deer and I have a rifle cow elk tag that I'm taking 3 days off for plus a weekend. Next year I'm thinking general Utah deer take 2 days off + weekends, out of state archery deer take 5 days off + 2 weekends and out of state archery elk take 3 days off + weekend.

What are your thoughts?

 

[UtahJimmy]

Find a new wife and use your vacation the way you want...

But seriously; for out of state elk hunt, I'd recommend 5 days vacation (9 straight) at a minimum instead of 3 days + a weekend.

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[Nick Muche]

I use them all!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I use them all!

Plus a few sick days.


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[Danny Hoey]

My hunting buddies and I hunt Idaho OTC and it's about a 6 hour drive from our house. We break the hunt up into two trips. One 5 day trip and then a 9 day trip, so I use 8 vacation days total. I feel like that gives us some family time, refuel and reload on supplies and hopefully process an animal from the first trip.

I find it's hard for me to be on my A game for longer than 9 days straight.

 

[cnelk]

"My wife will let me...."

What is this word 'let'?

 

[PMcGee]

I use them all!

Same here


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[Bowhunter50]

LMAO perhaps I worded my original post incorrectly.... My wife and I have decided on 10 days off for hunting and using the remaining days off for traveling and family trips... My wife and I enjoy traveling together and I enjoy spending time with family too. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of using all 23 days for hunting trips

 

[Scoot]

Two 9 day hunts sounds pretty darn good if you can make use of other weekends too...

 

[Rob5589]

My schedule allows for multiple days off by using only a few pto days. This year I am doing two trips, one 10 day and one 6 day and need to burn 5-6 days of pto.

 

[BuzzH]

Depends on the tag and the hunt. If I draw NR tags with seasons of 7-10 days I plan on staying the whole season (Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado for example).

Draw tags like NR sheep...I'm hunting every day, plus at least 10 days prior to the season scouting.

Montana NR deer tag that I can buy OTC every year, fit it in when I have time, but usually at least 10 days.

I don't like the be rushed and its pretty rare when I have less than 400 hours of leave by the time hunting season rolls around.

 

[87TT]

Take her with you and use them all.

 

[Dos Perros]

Most of the time I’m able to leave on Thursday night (I get every other Friday off) and go for the full week, home the next Sunday back to work Monday. I’d rather do that two times than be gone two weeks straight, just too tough to manage with family and work.

 

[Dos Perros]

Seriously tho, she’ll “let you?” Relationships like that aggravate me to no end. I’m sure you could do better bro.

 

[Fridaythe13th]

7 day of hunting, way to far to travel for any less days. We leave Thursday after work (4ish) start hunting Saturday morning ...... leave Saturday noon back to work on Monday.

 

[MNman]

I think it would depend on desire you harvest preference. I live in mn now, but grew up in co elk hunting. So to me, I have more passion and enjoyment elk hunting so I use 80% of my “wife allowed” hunting time out west. Then 20% in a tree stand in myn. As far as multiple trips or a longer trip, I think I would look at your tag, weather forecast and time of year more than anything.

 

[Bowhunter50]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

As for my relationship with my wife, I appreciate the concern!

 

[Afhunter1]

I say quit your job and hunt everyday or fish.

I’m doing this in 16 years, 6 months, 9 days, and 21 hrs. Approximately! Ha ha, but whose counting.

 

[fatlander]

I think it’s tag dependent. And really how badly you want to fill that tag. The more time you have, the better the chance you’re going to fill a tag, or if it’s a OIL tag. With that said, some tags you may be able to fill no problem with less time, others not so much. Seems like my tag punching goes one of two ways; I punch a tag opening day, or I punch it day 16 of 16 with light fading. YMMV.


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[Still Hunter]

I am doing two 9 day out of State hunts this year. Both for Archery Elk. That gives me a week off work and two weekends. We drive straight through to and from 18 hrs. It’s worth it!