Teacher Hunting out West

[BuckeyeBucks]

So I’m a middle school teacher in Ohio. I’ve never done any Western hunting. I’m pretty limited it what I could hunt out west. I start teaching around August 15th. We get 5 consecutive days off for thanksgiving and 2 weeks off for Christmas. What hunts in what states would match up for my availability? Thanks for any input.

 

[mtnrunner260]

My dad was a HS teacher. Definitely a weekend warrior without a lot of time .
NV starts Aug 10th. Maybe scout a couple days and hunt for a couple?
Lots more options on the later hunts and even more if a cow elk tag would work.

 

[Newtosavage]

I was going to say I've never hunted teachers before, but that's not true. My wife is a teacher, and I bagged her. ha, ha.

I would love her to go with me but like you, she always starts up mid-August. And forget about weekends. She is doing preps and grading all day Sunday after church. Most folks have no idea how much teachers actually work.

What are you looking to hunt? Those dates will line up with some species but not others.

 

[BuckeyeBucks]

I was going to say I've never hunted teachers before, but that's not true. My wife is a teacher, and I bagged her. ha, ha.

I would love her to go with me but like you, she always starts up mid-August. And forget about weekends. She is doing preps and grading all day Sunday after church. Most folks have no idea how much teachers actually work.

What are you looking to hunt? Those dates will line up with some species but not others.

I’m game to try anything. Muleys, Elk, Antelope or even couea.

 

[Tenstrike]

Christmas Coues in Arizona? Montana rifle elk closes December 1st, lots of Thanksgiving elk hunters there. Have fun!

 

[Maverick940]

Arizona OTC mule deer and OTC Coues deer during your two-week break at Christmas.

 

[CCH]

Are those archery or rifle asks another teacher?

 

[Newtosavage]

Christmas Coues deer has always appealed to me. It's a great time of year to be in southern AZ.

 

[coyotecreek]

OP this is my 18th year in the classroom and I've been building points to begin hunting Elk, Pronghorn, and Mule Deer. I live in Western Kansas so driving to Colorado, Wyoming, or New Mexico is not a big deal. Luckily we don't start school until around the 25th of August so I plan to archery hunt Pronghorn in Wyoming this fall. I get 4 personal days each year but can take more if I pay my daily salary for them. I plan in the coming years to take off a full week and hunt Elk and Mule Deer. I just made the decision that I was going to be in the mountains hunting while I can still do it. I turned 41 today so I'm not getting any younger! Good thing is I can retire in 14 years and do something else that allows me more time to hunt.

Living in Kansas Thanksgiving is always a great time to be chasing whitetails so I don't want to give that up but I have considered Arizona Coues and Javelina during Christmas break as we get two weeks also. I also get a week long spring break in March and have considered a hog hunt in TX or OK or possibly a spring bear hunt if they are out of hibernation by then. I'm also planing to hunt Mule Deer in Nevada as stated above since their season starts early.

I think it can be done but it's not easy. I just decided that I am going to make it happen rather than regret not doing it later in life. My advice would be to start buying the needed gear a little at a time if you don't have any, start buying points, but probably the best thing I did was read a lot of threads and articles, listen to podcasts and become an insider at GoHunt. Best $150 I've spent! This really has helped me plan things out and decide which hunts will be a possibility and which hunts just won't work for me.

By the way I have a wife and two boys, I have 3-4 other part time jobs so I'm super busy but you just have to make it a priority.

My other suggestion would be if possible, move to a state where you can hunt on the weekends. This is what I have always wanted to do, but my wife and my parents are each within an hour from us and are getting into their 70's. They are going to need us more and we don't want our boys to miss out on time with them. It's all a balance!

Good thing about teaching is I get to spend time in the mountains during the summer fishing and scouting without worrying about getting back to work. It's a lot of fun taking the boys along, hiking, camping, and exploring.

 

[MNBill]

When my youngest son was still in college, I took him on a cow elk hunt in NE Utah over Christmas break. Worked out well with his schedule.

Edit to add: Weather can be dicey at that time of year so have good clothes.

 

[Phaseolus]

Colorado’s units 3-301 have a December 1-31 cow elk hunt. If we have a snowy winter you should be able to tag a cow in unit 3, a major herd winters there. There is a lot of public BLM land in that unit. It is cold as heck that time of year.

 

[Beendare]

Yeah, some CA deer seasons open as early as July...but not worth traveling from the midwest to hunt it.
There are Barbery sheep hunts in NM in Feb....though that probably doesn't help you....

Dec/Jan late deer and Javi hunts in AZ over your winter break

You can hunt Hogs anytime in a lot of southern states

Alaska deer opens usually around Aug 1st. Nv previously mentioned.

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[idahohikker]

Montana general, late cow in multiple states, or late season Arizona coues/mule deer.

Arizona has late bull tags you could build up points and draw. There's some other late season controlled bull hunts here and there in other states you can research.

 

[CCH]

This is pretty far west, but in an effort to figure out a way to hunt Alaska around my teaching schedule, I'm going to be hunting Sitka Blacktails on Kodiak over Thanksgiving break in 2021. Will miss minimal, if any school. Cheap by Alaskan hunt standards. Doable on teacher time.

 

[Jimbob]

As a teacher in Ontario I worked hunting into my job. I would get a fresh deer to dissect in science class each year. I would hunt the morning and get a supply to cover my classes.

Then I planned a week long moose hunting trip for students. I was able to take a small group of students moose hunting and let one of the students shoot a moose with my rifle. The 3 years I did this I got to see three different young men take their first moose.

Two years ago I moved to northern BC. Sheep and mountain goats open Aug 1, caribou moose and elk open in many places aug 15. Bear hunting in the spring as well. If I draw a Bison tag it will be during Christmas break.

I can hunt moose, deer, and bear within minutes of my house so weekends are no problem.


I had a hard time deciding to become a teacher because no vacation in the fall but God has blessed me with opportunities I never imagined.


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[Slim Jim]

I’m a teacher as well and it’s tough trying to figure out hunts and which states to apply for. Through the years I’ve been figuring it out. My early season mule deer is the only one that I can’t seem to figure out yet. Our district moved the start date back to the first week of August. Three day weekends for now. Luckily my boss is cool so that I can take a week off in September for elk. A lot of opportunities for late hunts with a week off for thanksgiving and 2 weeks off for winter break.


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[.270]

My wife is a teacher as well so her options are limited for the time off she is allowed. My best advice would be a coues deer hunt in Dec. There is a muzzleloader coues hunt in AZ for the week of thanksgiving that has good odds of drawing. Also AZ has some late cow elk hunts for the month of dec. The late bull tags usually start the friday after thanksgiving which wouldnt give you much time if you have to get back to work on Monday.

 

[BuckeyeBucks]

Ok so I guess my next question is there any states that you can hunt Bulls during thanksgiving week. Say the weekend before through the weekend after thanksgiving?

 

[missjordan]

Ok so I guess my next question is there any states that you can hunt Bulls during thanksgiving week. Say the weekend before through the weekend after thanksgiving?

Your schedule will work out in Montana this year


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[BuckeyeBucks]

Your schedule will work out in Montana this year


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What are the odds of drawing a tag in Montana