Looking for new dad hunting advice please!

[aorams]

I’m gonna be a dad! We’re expecting a little girl late next winter and my heart’s never felt bigger!

Ive been a pretty dedicated elk hunter for about ten years now and usually spend at least 10 days in the woods hunting and twice that many scouting so I recognize that it may look differently next year!

I’m looking for advice from those of you who’ve done it! I want to keep filling the freezer with elk to feed my new family! Im all ears!

 

[TFAvalanche]

Don’t do it the first year. You’ll spend your entire hunt worrying about home and feeling guilty and you can’t get those first year milestones and memories back.


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[MountainTracker]

Congrats, I would suggest having a conversation with your wife about expectations for hunting, time, money and so on. The last thing you want is her feeling alone while you’re “out with the guys” for a week or two.

Also, if you don’t have one invest in some kind of satellite communicator, garmin. I was elk hunting, when my daughter was 4,and my wife had to take her to the emergency room, she was able to get a hold of me. My hunting partner and me packed up that evening and drove all night to get home. Ended up not being anything, but the fact my wife could get ahold of me makes a difference for my hunting season.

Also, I promise you’ll miss them faster than you think when you’re away from them.

My kids are 7 and 6 so we all go on small hunts or hikes. I took them elk hunting with me last year and it was a great time and I didn’t even fill a tag.

Good luck and enjoy


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[KineKilla]

Next year or two will likely be hard to get out as much as you used to.

You won't stop hunting but your hunts will evolve into something different. Not better and definitely not worse, just different.

Once your kids get old enough to hunt, take them. Take them early and often. Hunt small game, fish, birds, etc. Get them involved and you'll find that you enjoy their successes as much or more than you ever enjoyed your own.

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[Howdoyoulikemenow]

Having two kids never slowed me down. But.....I had to choose my medicine so to speak. I pretty much gave up fishing when until they could go along. I worked overtime so the cost of my hunts didn't come out of the family funds. Made sure we went on family vacations. Made sure their mom's car was in ship shape, any home repairs were done, firewood was cut, seasoned and stacked by the back door so their mom didn't have to go out to the wood pile. Did a big family shopping before I left so she didn't need to go grocery shopping, etc. Pretty much left the wife and kids set up so I could leave home for 10 or more days plus weekend hunts and know they were set up so I could enjoy myself. Always worked.

 

[DawnPatrol]

Congratulations!! It’s gonna be great, and a little exhausting, but if you are an elk hunter you are no stranger to early mornings.

I’d second all of what’s been said above, especially the advice about having frank conversations with your wife about expectations and hunting plans. Every person and situation is different; Let your wife tell you what works for her, and how you can help make her life easier. Don’t soft-pedal how long you’ll be gone or how much shit will cost (learned this the hard way, or I tell my self I’ve learned it).

Depending on where you live, maybe focus on elk that are close to home for a year or two, even if it’s not the greatest tag/hunt. You can jam in a lot of little scouting trips here and there (even with a baby in a pack) if you hunt close to home. And if you can scout a lot, you can be successful even in a “marginal” unit.

Good luck! It gets trickier in some respects, but my son is only 3 and he had a blast in bear camp this spring, so you’ll be hunting with your kid before you know it!

 

[TN VOL]

If you want time away to hunt, be willing to give equal or greater time away for your wife to her thing. A WY elk hunt for me was easy for her after she got several weekend girls trips. I have 4 boys and I always miss them. I do vast majority of hunting close to home and 1 big 10-14 day trip every other year.

 

[505Wapiti]

Jerk of the year here, but when my youngest son was born end of August, I had drawn the Valle Caldera Oct 1-5 muzzle loader mature bull tag. My oldest was 2 and a half at the time. My wife is a trooper and said go, so I went for 6 days. She stayed home with a toddler and a new born. I guess it depends on your wife and the type of relationship you have. I have a feeling she still grumbles under her breath every time she turns the corner going up the stairs and looks at that bull 10 years later. I lover her more than anything in the world! As mentioned above just make sure you are giving equally and not always taking.

 

[Walthers]

Tfavalance nailed it in my opinion. As a dad with a two year old who’s birthday is in the middle of elk season, September 13, I will say it is tough to be gone for an extended period of time. I went for seven days this year but the outlaws were in town to help. Kids are a lot of work but worth it for sure. I’d say just adjust your expectations of how long or how many trips you can go on and you’ll be fine. All my buddies that have kids say it gets easier to do these trips once they are about five. Then next thing you know they are on the hunt with you!
Enjoy these first few years, watching them grow, language development and all that is irreplaceable, enjoy it, it goes fast, the hunts will always be there next fall. Congrats and have fun!

 

[cnelk]

Definitely should’ve had the discussion before you slipped one by the goalie.

 

[Heath Hansen]

I have a 3 month old and I’ve hunted a ton this year. It helps that my wife is an avid hunter and understands that I’m around the rest of the year. I was very open with her to start and told her that anytime necessary I will be available, and if anything comes up I will end my hunt and come home. I don’t see why you can’t get 10 days of elk hunting in. I went on a sheep hunt for 12 days and was able to stay in contact via inreach the entire time.

When you are home make sure you are being a father. Get up during the night and take care of whatever is necessary for the baby. Your wife will need a break and she’ll definitely deserve one!

Just be open about it. You may have to change your hunting a bit. I normally like to backpack hunt and this year I’ve done more day hunts. I pulled the camper to a central location and took the family so I could see them at night and day hunt from that location. It’s very doable man….but enjoy the time with your little one!

 

[jtolle777]

Like many have pointed out… it entirely depends on your particular situation. There are some who can leave for 10+ days with a newborn at home, and it’s no big deal. Others have difficulty leaving even when the kid(s) are much older. Not one is right/wrong… each situation is different. Figure out what is ok for your relationship.

I fell into the mistake of assuming what was good or bad for my friends relationships should be same/similar for mine. Not the case. In some ways, my wife is much more understanding, but she has her limits. Find out what those are for you, and make sure you don’t cross them. Next years hunting season will suffer significantly.


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[nrhardin]

The only thing I can really add is, for me at least, having 3 kids under 6 I’ve focused more on the smoke pole and getting access to private land. In our situation it’s hard for me to be gone more than a handful of days at a time. This is the only extended trip (outside of work) I take each year and make sure she has some additional help from grandparents when I go. Make sure to let her get some free time in, too. When they’re little it’s a lot more taxing on her than you. Most of all enjoy the ride.

 

[AaronMColeman]

Every family is different, figure out what works for your family.

I have a young kid and everything in life is a balance. She is only 5 for 365 days then I'll never get that time back. Am I willing to give up 7+ days of her being 5 to hunt? For me, I think so. But it's a tough call. I give up some things to gain the world by spending time with the coolest human I know. On the flip side I'm a better father when I have time to recharge my own batteries. Elk hunting charges my batteries like nothing else, it gives my mind time to actually think and work through things that would just linger in my head and make me a mess.

Oh, and don't forget, your wife needs the same balance too. Mine is so cool she'd let me hunt every day of the year. I have to make sure to give her the time she needs to recharge. This works for our family, time alone makes us all better together. Figure out what works best for your family.

 

[aorams]

Thank you all for the replies! We already employ many of these strategies but I picked up some good tips for sure!

 

[menhaden_man]

I’ve got three kids and hunted plenty for the whole stretch. My approach was to save up money to fly my mother in law out when I was gone to Wyoming for the week. Works like a charm. Good luck and congratulations.

 

[nrhardin]

Same. With a name like Menhaden Man you have to be from the mid Atlantic?

 

[aorams]

Don’t do it the first year. You’ll spend your entire hunt worrying about home and feeling guilty and you can’t get those first year milestones and memories back.


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It’s mid October and I’ve learned that this was the right answer to my question. I got 4 total days of elk hunting this year. I had a good hunt but worried more about home than I ever have and missed my family more than I thought I had the capacity to do. Then it led to some unnecessary arguments at home. So from one new dad to the next new dads. I’d skip the first year if I had to do it over

 

[beachbunny]

i was a single dad cause my X is a !@#$,i would drop my son at school ,pick him up after school. hunted during the day and still shot stuff, no worries and ill never regret it for a second

 

[MountainMan83]

1) Make sure you and your wife are on the same page with expectations. First couple years with little ones, I came home mid season to check in. This year I encouraged my wife to plan a trip with her parents, so the kids, wife, and grandparents will be at a resort in Mexico during elk hunting!
-If your wife is accommodating with your hunting trips, make sure you encourage her to do things for herself at other times of the year. My wife has done trips with her girlfriends to the local casinos which include spa days. Happy wife/happy life!

2) Bring your kids with you. I frequently have brought my kids with me on scouting trips while they were young. Through them in a kid carrying backpack and count it as conditioning. This year I took my 3 year old on his first bear hunt - lowered my expectations and made it about him (camping, yummy snacks and stores, short hikes less than 1/4 mile from trailhead, ect.). Got to teach him about different kinds of poop and tracks.