bigpapa

So I find a club to join for next year. Really great rates $365 for almost 1000 acres. It's right at 2 hours south. Deer and turkey. I've been down there once and it's nice land. My buddy told me they were looking for new members so I got all excited. Sounded great until I told my wife. She says "I'm glad your excited. But it only means more of your time away from home."[&:] She knows how much value I place on being home with her and my kids. Arrrrrgh. Now I actually have second thoughts about joining.

Killer_Primate

Do you take the kids? How old are they?

bigpapa

Not yet my boy is 4 and my little girl is only 3.

RugerM77.270

Family is the most important thing. I know how you feel I love to hunt my fiance hates it so I had to miss more then a few hunting trips this year because I didn't want to hurt her by going hunting. It was a SACRIFICE I made for my family.

You are the man of the house it doesn't mean you can lord over it and dictate it but that you have to make the sacrifices so your family doesn't have to. As the men of our houses we have to be a picture of Jesus to our families. He made a sacrifice so we didn't have to.

Look for a lease closer until you can include your family in the hunting trips with you.

Sorry didn't mean to get all preachy.

vmartin

i tell her if you want to see me more then pick up a bow, or a camera and go with me. lol, that didn't work. you are going to have to come to terms of how much time you get at home and how much time out hunting. make shure to earn some "brownie points", sweeten her up by doing some things she likes and then have "the talk" about how you need some timeto do thethe things you love to do,bs'ingwith your buddies and hunt in the woods.

vmartin

previous post continued... and then after the season is over you can take you balls off of her fire place mantle and place a bucks head there instead. lol, just joking

txjourneyman

I'm in the same boat. I just lost my lease. The owner sold the property. It was 6 miles from my house. I am looking for new land to hunt and have found a couple of small places close to home. Anything larger than 30 acres is a couple of hours away. My wife doesn't want me to be away from her and my daughter all weekend during the season. I will have to make a compromise. I love to hunt however I love my family MUCH more. My daughter is 3. When she is a couple years older I'll start taking her along with the expectation of seeing game and showing her nature's beauty. If I have to spend less time in the woods to keep my family happy so be it. I will have to make the best of the time I do have. This spring turkey season we are making a family trip to New Mexico. I will get to hunt birds in the mornings and spend the rest of the day with my family. We all win that way.
I will lease the land that is 2 hours away. I will hunt it every other weekend or just Saturday and be home Sunday.

virginiashadow

Bigpapa----you know what, you can make her understand by explaining to her that it is your passion that drives you to hunt, your love for the outdoors. For me, it is something I could not live without. I bet it is for you as well....getting out in the deer woods, free from the stress of life. Tell her that when you hunt, it makes you feel less stressed and that the time you spend with her is better because of that reduction in stress. I have been in your shoes before and it took awhile. I make up for it in other ways by cleaning the house, doing the dishes, laundry, cooking dinner......paying it back to her. Just some ideas brother.

shadow

Killer_Primate

I've found that if you take the kids sometimes, no matter the age, you'll get to go more often, and sometimes by yourself. During firearms season this year I had my two year old in my backpack. I used to do this with my youngest daughter until she became too big. My kids are 11, 8, 6 and 2. All hunt with daddy.

At this point in your life, you need to be a leader. Hunting isn't about you anymore...

When you're old and looking back, I don't think you'll be saying "I wish I'd spent more time hunting alone, and less time with my kids"...

virginiashadow

Being a leader also means that you have to have some "me" time as well to refresh yourself. I am sure his wife does things on her own for hours on end, just like most of our wives do, except we don't make that big of deal of it. Maybe only hunt a half day on Saturdays, spending the other half with your kids. I used to hunt all day Saturdays until I started having children. I like to get up early, huntil until noon, then come home. Most of the time they sleep in and you are really only missing them for 3-4 hours. Or another way is to wake up, play with them, then right before they go down for a nap, hit the woods. By the time they wake up, you will be home within an hour.