It is what it is...

[cdeam]

Yup. 2nd child due November 14th. Wife is saying no out of town trips in November. I dont think I'll obey...

[cameron]

I'm right there with you man. Our season starts Sept.23 and I've done ZERO boots on the ground scouting. We're in the middle of building a house (doing alot of work ourselves) my wife is pregnant (due Nov. 10th) I'm on call every 4 weeks for 7 days at a time, have online classes for work starting October 2nd and out of town training for 2 weeks October 16th...yeah...I'll be lucky if I even see a deer this year lol

[JoeFranchise]

Yup. 2nd child due November 14th. Wife is saying no out of town trips in November. I dont think I'll obey...

That sounds all too familiar... For the 2016 WI gun opener, my wife asked me to stick around town and make sure I was a ~15 minute car ride from the hospital. I of course stuck around town and was ~15 minutes from our hospital. I was, however, ~1 mile back (a good hour) in to a chunk of local public land

Sage was born 3 weeks later.

Joe

[JoeFranchise]

I'm right there with you man. Our season starts Sept.23 and I've done ZERO boots on the ground scouting. We're in the middle of building a house (doing alot of work ourselves) my wife is pregnant (due Nov. 10th) I'm on call every 4 weeks for 7 days at a time, have online classes for work starting October 2nd and out of town training for 2 weeks October 16th...yeah...I'll be lucky if I even see a deer this year lol

That is about as stacked as a schedule can get right there. Congrats on the kid and house though!

I can somewhat relate to the house work as I am currently doing the majority of our basement remodel (gut, new drywall, paint, trim, floors, update electric, etc. in the downstairs mudroom, bathroom and living room - should be done by December). The remodel, Sage, work, and time with the Wife definitely drain a good bulk of "free time" but like the thread says, it is what it is and I still wouldn't have it any other way.

As for seeing deer, make the most of the early season opportunities you get. Cyber scout, find the food, topography, suspected bedding, etc. that you are looking for on the aerials and dive in with a solid plan. Set up when you hit the sign you are looking for near suspected bedding and the conditions for the area are right; this should produce plenty of early season action.

Hunting previously scouted/hunted spots when you know the time is right. Ex: I have a rut cruising spot on public land, narrow strip of woods above a bedding area below an ag. field (for the majority of the year this bedding ~only holds does), that for the last 5 years the first ~South wind the last week of October a 3 yr old buck or better cruises through. Over the last 5 years I have taken two mature bucks out of that spot, first sit of the year (in that spot), first south wind the last week of October. Killer spot when the time is right.

Joe

[JoeFranchise]

Just one of those overlooked spots that should only be hunted when the time is right;
2012: Shot 3yr old 9
2013: Didn't hunt the spot (shot and lost one a different piece of public, couldn't get permission to track the private after a long bloodtrail, cut my tag up after that)
2014: I was tagged out before I had a chance to hunt the spot
2015: Thought I was smarter than 3 yrs of intel, sat 200yrds away the first South wind (date of pic); would have been right there. Still shot a buck from this spot in 2015 (3yr old 8), 2 south winds and a week later
2016: Didn't hunt the spot (buck tag was punched in September)
2017: If my WI buck tag is not filled I can tell you where I will be (first ~South wind) the last week of October

2013


2014


2015


2016


Joe

[cameron]

Just one of those overlooked spots that should only be hunted when the time is right;
2012: Shot 3yr old 9
2013: Didn't hunt the spot (shot and lost one a different piece of public, couldn't get permission to track the private after a long bloodtrail, cut my tag up after that)
2014: I was tagged out before I had a chance to hunt the spot
2015: Thought I was smarter than 3 yrs of intel, sat 200yrds away the first South wind (date of pic); would have been right there. Still shot a buck from this spot in 2015 (3yr old 8), 2 south winds and a week later
2016: Didn't hunt the spot (buck tag was punched in September)
2017: If my WI buck tag is not filled I can tell you where I will be (first ~South wind) the last week of October

2013


2014


2015


2016


Joe

Man I had a spot similar to this that I had permission to hunt for 2 years. It was awesome, unfortunately the land owner gave permission to someone else this year. You got some great pics too!

[JoeFranchise]

To make a long story short, after many attempts to find a babysitter last night I eventually conceded the fact that it was just not in the cards. I am a firm believer that everything does happen for a reason; at the time, I was just having trouble pinpointing that reason.

So, with my wife on call (like many nights before), I grabbed my son, loaded him up in the stroller, and began our 2-mile walk. The woods have always been a place of both focus (on the task at hand) and reflection; this walk certainly allowed abundant time for the latter. During the midpoint of our walk, at around 530, the wind began to gradually switch from the SSE, to S, to W, finally ending at NW - all within approximately 30 short minutes. At this point I could not help but think "I would have made my move and set up right now." Every aspect of the hunt I had planned in my mind was perfect - there is no doubt that buck and I would have crossed paths on that flawless late-summer night. With the light NW breeze cooling the previously warm summer sky, nightfall approaching and our walk coming to an end, I could not help but smile and think that both the buck and I were pretty darn lucky last night.

It is what it is...
Joe

[Crazinamatese]

No wife + No kids = No problems....