I have noticed that a lot of excellent answers were given to some questions on Ethics, Fair chase and Life without archery. My question is, how do we as a group spend our leisure time? What % of your leisure time is spent in the field or at the range shooting? How about % on the computer?

Lil, This is not a shot at you, so please don't read it that way. I apriciate that you are the one who has helped me to get involved in the process of our game proposals from the west forum, to defend what I feel is important to me. I don't have the time to sit in front of the computer follow every issue that comes up, because my liesure time is spent in the field when at all possible.

For me, I would say 65% field/shooting (mostly with family), 5% computer, 30% making up with my wife for the 65% in the field! LOL

tons on the computer the past couple weeks being I havent been at work for the past 11 days YAHOOOO!! No offense taken <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

Percentages...I shoot just about every day be it at the range or in the house..ya in the LIVING ROOM LOL! The rest of the time is split between making arrows, reading archery related info be it books, mags, or arcticles (flyers if you will). I try to jump on the computer for awhile (dont need to try as I am an addict <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>), check email and a few sites, then off to the hunting room! Havent been tying flys as of lately...to much archery stuff going on and so many arras to build! Finally had a chance to clean my stinking room too...amazing what kind of things you find when you put some time to it LOL! I spend a great bit of time talking to the wife day in and day out..calling friends talking hunting or building info. bout rounds it out.....bowhunting addicted..heck ya <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>!!!

I'm disabled, constantly getting worse, and the doctors told my wife to not let me go hunting by myself any more. Pulled that on me right during the big middle of last bow season!!<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle> So my time in the field has been cut to nearly nuthin. I guess my archery time is split kinda 30/20/50 between the range, my position as our archery club's secretary/treasurer and the forums. If I can't hunt anymore, I can at least talk bows and arrows and read all the hunting yarns.

I spend nearly as much time fishing as I do with bows & arrows tho...

I'm semi-retired and spend 30% of my archery time on this thing. Another 30% of my archery time is spend building arrows, or shooting in the house (living room). I spend very little time at the range because it's an hour and twenty minute drive one way. The rest of my archery time is spent in the field. I love to rove (stump shoot) and small game hunt but also carry a couple of broadhead tipped arrows for that stray hog that shows up from time to time<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> I can hunt deer in California from July through December if I want to drive from top to bottom of state and everywhere in between, but I'm satisfied to hunt our local deer in July and August (bow and general seasons with bow) and then head north a bit for the September opener when I can. Most of the time I spend with archery, my wife Laura is by my side. She doesn't care to hunt much, but encourages me to do all I can while I still can. We attend one shoot during the year, which is an almost 5 hour drive for us but is worth it to get her a little vacation time full of fun with bows and away from the postal service so we make it a 3 day trip.

Well most of computer time is during work. I spend the vast majority of my time scouting. Shooting and equipment work is pretty low. I'll probably shoot more now that I can do it in my yard, and don't have to drive somewhere. SO my tally is
60% other stuff - 40% hunting related stuff
Of my hunting time
50% is acutally spent hunting
35% scouting
10% computer/mag reading
5% shooting

Dang, now I have to put this into perspective!

I would say less than 25% of my actual time is spent hunting, or something archery related.
Of that 25%...
70% in the field or at the ranges
15% on the computer
10% planning or discussing future hunts
10% bribing and making up with the wife

I am currently laid off, so I have alot of time on my hands. Lately I spend alot of it on the computer. But if I'm not on the computer you can find me doing something archery related. Tinkering with my bow or messing with arrows. I am not an avid hunter yet, just started this year and got one my first day out on opening day. No luck since, but to be honest haven't put much effort into it either. Lots of little things keep getting in my way. I only have one place to hunt, and I think I lost it due to the property being sold. The guy that is teaching me to hunt had a baby in november, well his wife did any way. So we didn't get together as much as we wanted. And I drive a Geo, so I have to make arangements to have someone help me if I make a kill. If I can't line something up before I go out I don't bother. Doesn't make sense to me to kill something if I can't do anything with it. Plus the fact that I only weigh 110 lbs doesn't help. I can barely drag a deer let alone load one into a vehicle. The one I did get was a tremendous thrill, so I will be patient and see if things come together next year.

I will be honest, I like shooting my bow more than I do hunting. If it's nice out I shoot about 4 hours a day on average, less when it gets cold out. I hate cold weather, but still shoot every day usually. I don't compete or go to ranges. I have a large back yard so I don't see the point in driving somewhere. I'm not very competetive any way. Plus I am sort of an intravert, don't like crowds much. I might try some 3-d shoots this year though if I can get a buddy to go with me. I deffinately want to try the techno hunt thing.

Paul

Hunting season (and 4-6 weeks before the opener): 70% in the field scouting, spot&stalk, stillhunting. 10% stumpshooting, 10% in a stand, 10% on crisis maintenace of equipment.(only 4 shots this year at deer; 1 clean miss, 3 on the ground).Computer exposure limited to my work hours.
Out-of-season: 35% shooting (indoor in winter, outdoors when the weather allows), 10% routine maintenance and testing, 5% reading, 50% general outdoor physical activities (involved with the family in hikes/runs/endurance races).

I work on the computer so my computer time is way up around 50% or better. Field time is only about 10% and the rest is spent with the family.

North America Outdoors
www.naoutdoors.com

I guess I can figure this better in days or hours, so here goes...

I hunt between 60 and 70 mornings or evenings for deer, between Oct. and Jan.

From Jan to April, I run my beagles on my property, scouting continuously for rubs, about 60 times.

I shoot my bow at a bale in garage, or in yard, on average of 3-4 times a week from Jan to Sept., and attend around 8 national shoots a year, from Feb. to Sept.

Last year I put 70 hours on my tractor building and maintaining food plots, as well as many hours on my four-wheeler compacting seed, transporting lime, &quot;touring for trespassers&quot;, and field prepping 20-25 stand sites-some new, some old, by Aug. 1st..

I also check my 2 miles of sandy trails for deer tracks from may through Sept.3-4 times a week, and maintain several game cameras during the same time, with the addition of November and the winter migration of December/January.

I spend as little time as possible working with my bow.

For me, the build-up to the season is 80% of the time, and the season is 20%, if that.

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.