Sometimes I just have to wonder

[lynchpin]

My fiance is a ball buster in every situation, its her way or no way. When im home from work I'm on toddler duty. But for some reason this year every day I've asked to hunt, she's let me with no questions or reserved resentment. On the 9th she mentioned a cold front and asked if I was going out. I was caught way off gaurd and surprised. I didn't have the gas to go though and explained that. She handed me a 20 she got for cleaning her sisters house (she's a stay at home mom) and told me to go. I shot my first buck that night. It floored me. Either she's finally realizing she broke my spirit, I'm worked to the bone supporting us or she's cheating on me. Lol
Could just be that out daughter is over 1 and less of a handful idk. Im just thankful

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"Or she is cheating on me". Good sense of humor! I laughed so loud I almost woke my 11 week old baby girl. Good thread ... Alot of new fathers see there hunting time decrease. For the better I believe

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[BigHunt]

[Chuck]

Great to see a thread like this. I feel your pain! I have 3 kids age 5 and under. And my hunting land is two hours away. It is KILLING me reading these threads about the rut and I haven't been able to hunt. And my neighbor at our hunting land just shot a big boy that has been hanging out on our land for quite some time! But yea, my brother in law hunts all day every day he can. He is bowhunting in Iowa as we speak. I am jealous of his hunting, but I know damn well that he wishes he had a family like mine. Grass is always greener on the other side, except its not. We have hunting partners for life now. And as the kids get older, we have a built in excuse to spend time quality time with the kids (ie hunting).

Good luck to you fathers. Family is much more important than a deer.

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[Wlog]

A lot of guys in the same boat. I've got a 4&7 y/o. Wife works weekends and is going back to school to finish her nursing degree so family time is already limited whether I hunt or not. I hunt when I can. Sure I'd like to hunt more but I know my family is the most important thing. The kids are growing so fast that it seems like yesterday when my oldest was born. There only little once and I don't want to miss it. I've got the rest of my life to hunt. It won't be too long before they don't want to hang with Dad so I need to use my time wisely while they still enjoy my company .

[SEMObowhunter]

I just turned 30 and have a 7 year old son. I got married when I was 22 and I hunted all the time. Maybe more than I should have but that was the one thing I loved to do. I was obsessed with it and spent every minute of free time I had hunting or doing something associated with it. I didn't neglect my family and I took my son scouting and hanging stands, running cameras anytime that I could. Three years ago I hunted at least one sit 33 days in a row during October and November. I spent time with my wife, took care of all the bills, did all the laundry, kept up with all the outside work plus keeping vehicles running and the other everyday stuff. But I guess that wasn't enough and she got to looking for greener pastures and left almost two years ago this coming January and never came back. I used to say the same things you all are saying, but let me tell you, I would give anything for the ease of life that I had at that time. I don't miss "her", but I miss not having to find someone to watch my son so I could try and hunt a couple hours. We have joint custody and I get him everyday after school so my evenings are shot and I can only hunt one day on the weekends. It a whole different game. I used to wonder how good life would be if I didn't have a family, well I got to find out first hand and it's not as sweet as it sounds if you had one and then have to balance a broken family and hunting. I'm engaged and will be married again in a little over a month and I can't wait. There's a silver lining to everything and you don't realize how miserable life is with someone you can't get along with. I am enjoying life sooo much more these days but it all came at the expense of lost hunting time. But I will use the few days I can go to my advantage and I seem to be enjoying it more than ever with limited time. There is no pressure to hold out for tomorrow on a certain deer, because it's usually a week between sits. So I'm taking the first 120-125 that gets close enough. Good luck all....and don't wish your life away, just slow down and live it!

[JoeRE]

Yea for a few weeks out of the year it seems a terrible sacrifice to not have much hunting time. I'm there right with you in feeling that right now. Its a glass half full/half empty thing though. On the flip side when you are old wore out and close to death I guarantee you are not going to be wishing you had squeezed in a few more hunts when you were young. Also no one who might be at your bed side is going to give a rats hind end about what bucks you shot or didn't shoot. We all live in the now but helps to remember there is a future too....and also other people in our universe. We all are very lucky people to be able to hunt at all. This is the only country in the WORLD we can do this sort of thing, everywhere else its either a rich mans sport or true hunt-to-survive. I also know a couple young parents with special needs kids, think any of them do any hunting at all?

[mheichelbech]

there is a great country song about a wife who asks her husband what it would be like if he didn't have her and he says he be looking for someone like her. We aren't all that lucky to find a woman like that but if you have one hang on to her!

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[kripp53]

I have thought about this a lot as well. With three kids and another due any day now I have pondered what my hunting would be like without them. But I have come to the conclusion that I made a decision to get married and have four kids. Maybe I didn't know what all the sacrifices were going to be when I started but they are all worth it. I would rather be remembered as a good husband and father who was around and supportive of my kids, than the husband/father who was never around due to his obsession on hunting. You have to make priorities in life and I am sure we all agree family comes first.

A true measure of man is the sacrifices he makes for his family and friends. Just think if we all (myself included) spent as much time helping our family and community as we do hunting/scouting this world would be a better place. I'm not saying we should stop hunting (that's crazy talk), but just to have a healthy balance.