2014 WY DIY Public Land Elk Hunt

[DonBo]

still, I'll do my best to be helpful!

And that's what makes HSO such a great place to hang.

[nofishfisherman]

One question I had that I don't think I've seen answered yet...

How the heck do you get the wife to let you out of the house for long hunting trips every year? Seems like the max I can pull off these days is 4 days for the firearm season.

[Scoot]

Nofish, it sounds to me like you didn't train her right! LOL. Honestly I've given up most of my other hobbies- I don't fish as much as I used to for sure . Also all of the summer pretty much belongs to my wife in terms of decision making and plans. Come Sep that changes! She's come to expect it- she now asks "where are you going this year?" instead of "are you going this year?"

It's a huge effort on her part for me to go and I'm extremely appreciative . I try to mask sure she understands that. I also try hard to dig out of the hole the minute I get home.

[Powerstroke]

As a hunter with a very understanding wife, I can say that lots of communication about your plan for the hunt makes all the difference. Rather than keep quiet about my trips or how long I want to be gone, I talk about it all the time and make sure she understands my plans. I push my luck in the fall as well as the spring. I love fall turkey hunting and I've been to other states the last 4 years in a row.

However, I am also like Scoot in that I make my wife the one in charge of summertime and the holidays.

And to think, I don't even elk hunt yet......

[Archerysniper]

As a hunter with a very understanding wife, I can say that lots of communication about your plan for the hunt makes all the difference. Rather than keep quiet about my trips or how long I want to be gone, I talk about it all the time and make sure she understands my plans. I push my luck in the fall as well as the spring. I love fall turkey hunting and I've been to other states the last 4 years in a row.

However, I am also like Scoot in that I make my wife the one in charge of summertime and the holidays.

And to think, I don't even elk hunt yet......

+1^^^^^^^^ I was gone for 18 days elk hunting now I'm getting ready to go back for 7 more with the rifle.

[Powerstroke]

I meant to write I'm in love with spring turkeys. EIther way the point is valid. The more I talk about my trips the more she knows its not just a vacation for me. Its something I NEED to do.

[DonBo]

...its not just a vacation for me. Its something I NEED to do.

It's more than what I do, it's who I am. I'm also fortunate to have a wife that understands that.

[Siwulat]

Scoot, you mentioned earlier in this thread that you train 52 weeks a year for these types of hunts. Do you mind sharing your training regimen?

[Scoot]

The more I talk about my trips the more she knows its not just a vacation for me.

It's interesting- this is EXACTLY the opposite of what I've found is the most helpful at my house. My wife got sick and tired of me talking about my hunting trips over and over and over a loooooong time ago. The message she was getting was that those trips were more important to me than other things in life- things that both shouldn't be more important and weren't. However, when I went on and on about elk and a trip out West I sent a different message than that. Now I say very little about these trips at home. My wife definitely knows how important these trips are to me without me saying a thing about them.

[Fishalittle]

Same story here Scoot. We got the is that all you can talk about from wives and other family members... NOW the elk talk happens out in the shop while working on the farm equipment and during other guy events.

[MontanaMax]

Wait until you've been married 30 years and the kids are gone. Your elk hunts will be seen as a vacation for her!

[engfish]

Scoot, it's time for me to weigh in with all the others. One thing I've learned from past reads is to wait until I'm sure you're finished. The other "rookies" haven't learned that patience yet.

Personally, I was exhausted from walking all those slopes and beautiful terrain vicariously in my one night of reading. I, too, am curious to hear what you do get ready for a trip of that kind. I've spent some time at 9,000 feet and I needed a gondola to get to where I wanted to go. Even with skis on my feet, I was exhausted halfway down the mountain the first day until I got adapted to the thin air. I don't know how many people have ever exercised vigorously in elevations over 4,000, but it is a humbling experience. You're an athlete to take on these types of hunting trips.

Thanks again for sharing the exciting adventures of your Wyoming hunt, the stories of time afield with your brother and buddy, and the wide assortment of pictures to put us right out there with you guys. How many years until you start taking those kids of yours out West?!?

Let us know when you start writing your Relationship Column here on the forum..."Happy Wife--Happy Hunting Life."

Time to start chasing deer locally with those kids!

[Scoot]

I, too, am curious to hear what you do get ready for a trip of that kind...

How many years until you start taking those kids of yours out West?!?...

Time to start chasing deer locally with those kids!

Hi engfish, thank you for your kind words! Regarding your question about getting ready- every year I get older, it gets tougher humping it through the mountains! I work out at a gym 3x/week all year long and that keeps me in decent shape. When I am heading out elk hunting I add in several things- in addition to the gym workouts, I run, bike, and do weighted pack workouts through at least June, July, and Aug. I usually start to ramp down these workouts at the end of Aug and try to take at least 3-4 days off before I take my trip. I usually hit it really hard for the last half of July and most of Aug, with an average of 5 workouts/week during that time. I wasn't in good enough shape on my first elk hunt and it was a real eye opener! A flatlander can never really train enough for this type of hunt, but I've never made the mistake of going in as unprepared as that first time.

I seriously thought about having my parents bring my son on this year's trip. However, he'd have to miss both school and football. I didn't want him to miss either and he didn't want to miss football. I don't see that changing for about nine years at a minimum. I'm hoping that maybe next year we can draw ND muley tags and I'll try get him out West that way over MEA.

I've been chasing whitetails since the day I got back from WY! As soon as I got home my son pushed me hard to get in the stand with him! It was tough, but I managed to take him out right away. Since then we've been getting several of his classmates and friends out too. I've also been helping a neighbor's daughter get set up to hunt this year- she's improving all the time and hopes to get a chance at a deer before this year is done. Hopefully...