Tag Priorities

[kroppr77]

For the first time in life I drew a pretty good limited tag. It was in Idaho, sub 10% odds, very limited tags especially for NR, western side, good deer, my kind of physical hunt. If you know, you know what unit I’m talking about. I’m not here to ask about the unit.

I also drew a second rifle Colorado deer tag, and burned my 6 NR points before the draw. It’s a historically good unit, but nothing near what I drew in Idaho (hunt to hunt, the 3rd and 4th seasons are extremely coveted). It doesn’t have as good of dates, hunter pressure, etc… you get it, it’s Colorado.

My toss up is, should I return my Colorado tag, restore my points and solely focus on my Idaho tag?
I’ve been hunting the west hard from Wisconsin for the better part of a decade now. I know how hard it is to draw anything, and I mean anything out of the ordinary.

I’m self employed, so the time part isn’t necessarily the issue. I usually do 2 big trips a year. These hunts would have some overlap, so it would be just one very long trip. I will not be able to scout. I have a baby due in August, I’m very busy business wise in the summer, and I’m hoping the rut will partially negate lack of scouting, I plan on devoting a good 12+ hunting days to just this tag.
I will also add in full transparency I’m much more of an elk guy. I’d be quite bummed to miss some of my normal country I hunt.

So, I’d either hunt both of these deer tags and some crappy second rifle elk tag during my CO deer hunt; or devote more time to solely the Idaho deer tag, and finagle a tag for elk that wouldn’t overlap so much.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Good luck with the baby coming, as a new dad with 3 kids under 4 years old, don’t underestimate the amount of help your wife might need. I think you stick with the ID tag and get your points back in Co

 

[snowdog104]

This is a discussion you have with your wife, (at application time) not degenerate roksliders. Respectfully.


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[MuleyFever]

I don't understand the question. Hunt > everything.

 

[ProRoad]

Hunt them both and count your lucky stars..

 

[kroppr77]

This is a discussion you have with your wife, (at application time) not degenerate roksliders. Respectfully.


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I can’t really plan on drawing a tag that I have a 95% chance to not draw, and she’d tell me to do as much as I can lol

 

[robby denning]

Idaho focus. Colorado next year.

I always seem to overestimate how much I can hunt and do a good job

Your wife will thank you.

 

[willfrye027]

Do you have other kids already?

I underestimated how hard it was on ME to be away from home after the birth of our first child. Let alone my wife. I used to be very happy spending two weeks straight in the woods…now a week away from the fam feels about right.

We have another kid coming in August as well (bad timing!). I just have one hunt planned for late October and I’m flying out my mother in law to help while I’m gone.

I’d 100% focus on the good Idaho tag and get your points back in Colorado. You can always get that tag another year. You can’t go back in time when in comes to family.

 

[kroppr77]

Idaho focus. Colorado next year.

I always seem to overestimate how much I can hunt and do a good job

Your wife will thank you.

I’ve been leaning this way since I started planing the actual logistics. I’m thinking of the one deer extended deer trip in Idaho, and a smaller elk trip. I could always scout the unit a day or 2 if it’s an archery elk tag nearby, or hunt a late season tag after this hunt.

 

[kroppr77]

Do you have other kids already?

I underestimated how hard it was on ME to be away from home after the birth of our first child. Let alone my wife. I used to be very happy spending two weeks straight in the woods…now a week away from the fam feels about right.

We have another kid coming in August as well (bad timing!). I just have one hunt planned for late October and I’m flying out my mother in law to help while I’m gone.

I’d 100% focus on the good Idaho tag and get your points back in Colorado. You can always get that tag another year. You can’t go back in time when in comes to family.

First child. I’m thinking a back to back trip might be a lot as well. I will still plan some sort of elk hunt regardless, most likely a separate trip.
Both of our parents and several of our siblings are less than half an hour away. We have a good support system here. Plus, she’s a stay at home if that changes anything. Our baby would be 2-3 months old at this time. She’s very supportive as well, which I’m sure blessed to have.

 

[westslopelaker]

I drew a CO bighorn ram tag the same year my first child was born and if I could go back in time I would have 100% have returned the tag and got my points restored.

I way underestimated how hard it was on my family and myself to be gone for two plus weeks with 4 month old and a postpartum first time mother at home. My mind wasn't in the hunt and I didn't enjoy it the way I could have.

You can always get another deer tag, but you can't go back in time and be with your newborn.

Every family is different and it might be fine. You need to decide what's best for your family.

 

[NICKJ]

I second the “hunt Idaho and do Colorado next year”.

I also highly recommend not getting an elk tag either way. Just focus on the deer tag first.

 

[Marine4life]

I think the new baby makes a huge difference, especially if this happens to be your first. Time with family far out weighs hunting IMO, but that is coming from a guy who deployed multiple times and missed a lot of time with my kids.
If it were me I would focus on Idaho and try again for CO next year. Like you said, it’s not a premium tag. If you were not having a new baby then I would go for it and hunt both states with focus on the Idaho tag. Life is good when you have these type of choices to make. Best of luck.


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[jkoehle1]

Good luck with the baby coming, as a new dad with 3 kids under 4 years old, don’t underestimate the amount of help your wife might need.

Or the reckoning and loss of future rights if you arent squared away on expectations with her. Id check with her and make arrangements that she is accepting of.

 

[Jdeck09]

As a newer father with 2 under 2. I'd just hunt the Idaho tag and turn back the Colorado tag. I'd rather one tag really hard and set that expectation with my wife than spread myself over two tags. A lot is changing outside of the physical changes to your wife in the months following a little one. Even with a good support system, you might find yourself needing to come home earlier if your gone for multiple weeks.

 

[Hnthrdr]

As a newer father with 2 under 2. I'd just hunt the Idaho tag and turn back the Colorado tag. I'd rather one tag really hard and set that expectation with my wife than spread myself over two tags. A lot is changing outside of the physical changes to your wife in the months following a little one. Even with a good support system, you might find yourself needing to come home earlier if your gone for multiple weeks.

Yep the 4th trimester is a real thing. My wife was incredibly chill prior to kids it was no biggie for me to be gone 25 days in Sept, plus ducks, plus pheasants, plus rifle deer, and predator hunting. She is super capable lady, but kids are a game changer

 

[SuperDUECE22]

I'd return the CO tag and focus on the ID tag

 

[WoolyBugger]

It's super hard to tell how things will be for you and your wife once your kiddo comes. Our first one was an easy baby, but even so, you never know how hard it will be on your wife. Her life changes more than yours the first little bit, and she might say its fine now but you have no idea what it will be like in a few months, post partum depression is a real thing and it can get anybody. I didn't hunt the first year she was born but didn't have a problem being gone the next year. Our second one was a very difficult baby, needed constant attention, no sleep, etc... born in March and I went on a 7 day elk hunt that year and it was a terrible decision. I felt incredibly guilty the entire time I was gone.. should have taken that year off. All that to say I would only hunt one tag.

 

[Mish-pop]

I will say to focus on one tag as well. I hunted a lot less last year due to having our first child at home. My wife understands my need to hunt but even with a fairly easy baby at home the couple short hunts I did were still hard on my wife. Like others stated, the physical and more so mental, aspects of postpartum are so unpredictable.