Post Archery Season Depression
 

Symptoms:

Waking up at 4:00 a.m., while your alarm is set for 7. Staring sadly out the window, wishing for one more tag, one more day...

Packing up your hunting gear for the offseason layover, and gettingall stinkin' depressedabout it... Doing that final scent-free wash and packing everything away air-tight... It's like you're burying your huntin' dog or something... I even had a briefdiscussion with my lucky hat, and told him not to fret while he's living inside that tupperware bin - better days lie ahead.

Cleaning your guns for the last time in '06, and again... gettingall depressedabout that...

Weekends just aren't as fun anymore...

Discussions with your hunting buddies begin with the words "Next year..."

Working on all those honey-do's that you've been procrastinating on for the past 2.5 months. grrr...

Hunting shows are just a tease.

If anybody has a cure, please let me know.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Quick...

You just described my life.....beginning next weekend....lol.

Misery loves company.

Jeff

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Our season finally opened today and ends Jan 10th. We are going after work this afternoon!!!

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Yup, since the end of Oct but I did get to sooth the soul in NC thanks to Jeff but the return home was a somber one, I knew it was over for another year minus spring gobbler.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Yes it sucks, may buy an Ohio tag and hunt until Feb 4th[8D]

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Yes,I wait all year for 2-3 months of hunting. Then it just all starts over again. I am not a big turkey hunter, so I won't be excited again until August. All I have been doing is researching possible future hunts. If only I made enough money to be able to travel and hunt June-January I wouldn't be depressed nearly as much ;)

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Coyote hunting

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Sounds to me like you need to find a second hobby. How bout bass fishing. Come Aug. and Sept. I'm ready to hunt. Come Jan. Feb. I geared up for fishing season.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Nothing to get that depressed about, it happens every year. There is something I could occupy myself with outdoors any week of the year.

Yeah, and spend all summer sitting in a boat getting $hitfaced,...er, I mean bass fishing.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Just keep hunting.Waterfowl seasons are usually open as is small game.Come March,you start shooting groundhogs and do some bowfishing for carp.May brings spring gobbler.The 3D season should be be going along pretty good by now too.There's plenty to do

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Yep, a second hobby or third or fourth is a must:D For me, there's turkey season, my new bow coming in soon, offroading (see signature), trout season, and bassfishing. Plus student teaching:eek:

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Shoot, I've got two or three different things I can be doing after archery season; that doesn't mean it helps.

I could go steelhead fishing.
I could go duck and goose hunting.

When spring rolls around I can chase bass and walleye and trout.

Turkey season isn't until April.

Its just not the same. I won't be happy again until April 15th. (Well April 9th, really. Y'all don't forget my birthday this year, I'll be expecting presents. :D;))

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Wash Hunter don't expect to much for your B-Day. Mine was Fri. the 15th and only one person even wished me a Happy B-Day.:(Thanks RD Hunter,it didn't go unnoticed.:D;)

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

I'm with you there Wash - I dug out the mountain bike yesterday and got good and filthy, but it's just not the same as bow season. Started lifting again too, but that's more like work. Also, it's depressing how much you lose by taking 3 months off for deer season. I'm down 10-15 pounds and back to relativelylight weights. I really run myself into the ground physically over archery season - hiking, lugging stands, sitting in the cold and not eating really burns off the weight.

I'll start shedhunting soon and getting ready for spring birds. I just can't get into small game, competitive archeryor fishing - not my forte, I guess. I've got some discount coupons for skiing this winter, so hopefully I can pass some weekend days on the slopes to get my mind off the whitetails.

I'd really like to start running traplines again, but I just can't commit to checking them regularly with everything else going on. It wouldn't be fair to the animals. Also, I tendto get a littleobsessive over trapping once I get a line layed, so I know I'd wind up wanting to check it twice a day and everyone would think I'm nuts. I've got too many other balls in the air right now to start obsessing over a fox line. I know you guys who trap can understand.

Bowhunting Whitetailshas always been my #1 passion, so the passing of the season brings about certain void that just can't be filled by anything else. So, I do what any other rational person would do under the circumstances ---- whine and complain.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

I feel bad for you. Well now im off to bowhunt until jan 31.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Until you're at the resort, sitting on the side of a trail tightening your loose bindings when you happen tolook over and see a 140 class buck back in the trees.

Trust me, not only does it get that adrenaline pumping, but it also brings that depression back. [&:]

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Still have sometime left here in Illto fill my last tag...hopefully;) With two kids in travel league sports and me helping coach makes the summers pretty busy. Also have purple martins,fishing,a littlegolf. When I get depressed I justlay out some deer sticks,salami or slap a couple deer steaks on the grill...:) May not help all the time....but dang that stuff sure is good!!![8D] Taking the 3-D target out for a few shots works too.

crutch

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

No risk of seeing any deeralong our ski slopes, Wash. Skiing in the pacific northwest is nothing like skiing along the east coast. Our slopes are usually under 1000', smallish with rock-solid packed granular man-made base, with thousands of people jam-packed in there every weekend. Every deer within a 50-mile radius is scared away.

I'd compare it to downhill roller-derby.

You guys out west are spoiled. Hah

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Hey Fran,
I was doing pretty good until you brought it up.I started pushing and pulling weights again this morning,someone has changed the poundages on the plates.:DI know I couldn't have lost that much strength in two months.
My wife was laughing at me as I was cleaning my .270 the other day.I had that my best freind died look on my face.They just don't understand the nature of the relationship between a hunter and their tools!

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

If you don't have time to trap, have you thought about getting out to fox hunt? Its a lot of fun.I hope to be getting out soon myself, I just wish it was colder and snowy.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

I have the opposite problem, Quick. I put on weight during deer season. Between leaving home at 4:30 (to go 1/4 mile) and sitting until 10-11:00.....to rushing home to get into the woods for 2 hrs.....my eating habits are WAY off. I'll get back on the treadmill, tonight....and shed the 10-12 I gained since the Summer.

190 here I come.....

Jeff

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Now it's duck, geese, pheasant, quail until the end of January. Then spring snow goose hunting in February and March. Then turkey in April then Walleye fishing. Then Antelope in Aug and Sept and then deer again until the end of Dec. Then it all starts over. Oops, I forgot to mention Dove in the equation above.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

It's ice fishing time

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

This season may be over, but next season has just begun ;).

You GAIN weight during hunting season? You're doing something wrong brother[8D];). I lose 15-20 pounds every hunting season. My pants slide off my waist until I put on some beef again during the holidays. I'd like to know how many miles my feet have walked from August through December.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Ilove bowhunting but get over it..........theres so many more things to do then get depressed. like the holidays,family,fishing,scouting,soon shed hunting,hiking.just look at it this way......a look ahead for next year.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

i like deer hunting the best but next we have post season scouting, cyote hunting, shed hunting, turkey hunting, fishing, puting up treestands and right back to hunting deer again.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

squirrels... arrow building...:D introduce myself to the strangers living in my house...:D

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Tx year round hog hunting

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

NY...I run on the treadmill and on my road all year long......UNTIL deer season. Then......my routine gets so far outta whack......I'm no good with a schedule for running.

If I don't run....I gain weight. Simple equation. I went from 230 to 190 a couple of years ago. I hover around 200 when I'm "heavy", now....and 190ish when I'm "right".

I need to get "right", again!...lol

Jeff

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

Maybe just try doing something different and fun.

I'm currently working an a catapult to do some arial jug shooting and training for a pheasant hunt next year. I'm sure my son and his friends will also have a blast with it.

RE: Post Archery Season Depression
 

I guess I often forget how fortunate we are here in MD. Season starts Sept 15 and runs through Jan 31st...I still have time. With a long season and plenty of tags, (12 deer per weapon)we're lucky.