Rybo,
I can only tell you from my experience. I am single and dont have any kids. I am about a week away from getting out of the Marine Corps and just returned back from a 2 year tour in the middle east. I can not tell you how much in a deer hunting craze I am right now. After two years with no venison and no fresh hunting memories to look back on, I feel like I am loosing my mind waiting for hunting season to come. I would have never imagined, and maybe some of you can agree with this, that deer hunting was that important in my life. Almost an addiction. When I returned back to Marine Corps Base Quantico for seperation, the doctors told me that I need surgery on my left hip because of damage that was done when I was in the middle east. This was a HUGE choice for me.I was going to loose out on hunting again in the 2005 season. After alot of thought, I decided that I have lived with the pain for the past few months, so whats a couple more?? I decided to hold off surgery till February 2006. I know some may see this as a unwise decision, but for me I see it as a way of getting back to my normal life. From my experiences I have learned that jobs often suck, nomatter what they are (unless your a hunting guide or something cool like that) but its what you do on your off time that defines you as a person. I guess you just have to judge how much your hunting time means to you. To me its worth the pain of waiting for surgery, rather than listen to you guys ramble on about the monsters that you got this year while i am sitting at home trying to devise a trick how I can get in the woods with my crutches. I believe everything happens for a reason, so good luck in your decision, and I hope everything turns out well.