Registered: Oct 2014
Location: NC
Posts: 143

How much or how little hunting are you satisfied with? I am finding myself with less and less time that I can hunt these days. Between work and family obligations and lack of spots near home my hunting time is a fraction of what it once was. With that said I still can not bare in mind the thought of "getting out of it". I've only got two hounds so its not like feeding and caring for them is breaking me, thats not the point. At one time I was hunting 3-4 nights a week in the fall and winter and usually at least one maybe two during the summer. sometimes more and sometimes less just depending on what I had going on. Fast forward to these days and I might make it once a week if I'm lucky. Its not from lack of desire either, I have to travel to my best spots and that cuts my hunting down to weekends only mostly and add kids to that and you find yourself in the woods less and less. Just curious how others feel about this topic? Obviously work and family come way before hunting for all of us and always will for me at least. Would you keep hounds knowing your hunting was becoming very limited compared to the past?

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Registered: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 1745

You'll figure out how to "budget"your time, according to your schedule.
You'll learn to hunt smarter not harder , something you can't teach a young person.
They'll hunt all nite and get nutting accomplished.

I'm like u... Life has taken up my spare time to hunt .
But I still hunt my dogs , finishing a dog will take a tad bit longer, and I'm ok with that.

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Registered: Apr 2005
Location: Barnesville, Ga.
Posts: 409

I hunt 5 or 6 nights a week fall and winter. When season goes out, I'll hunt young dogs solo until leaves get on. I very seldom hunt in the summer anymore. But, I'm retired and my wife never fusses about my coonhunting.

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Registered: Dec 2013
Location: Nichols Ny
Posts: 1566

I understand where you're coming from. And it can get tough at times to find the time to hunt. But even if its 1-2 nights a week its better than not at all. Its not great for young dogs but it works for old dogs.

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Eric DePue
Hill Country Kennels Itty-Bitty
PKC CH Wax's Late Night Boom
And
Partners on a few common trashy young dogs

Gone but not forgotten

GrNtCh, PKC Ch Hillbilly Bildo
Pr Broken Oaks Wild Blue Gypsy

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Registered: Jan 2009
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 430

I'm in the same boat only its Grandchildren got 7 with the 3 oldest starting softball now. I've hunted 50 plus years and hearing a dog tree a coon doesn't come close to watching and being with them

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SR

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Registered: Jul 2013
Location: Hope Arkansas
Posts: 82

Softball starting up for us too. My daughters a pitcher and that's all we do for about 8 months out of the year. Still pitch and take pitching lessons year round though. It's knocked a big dent in my Coon hunting the last few years but wouldn't trade it for anything.

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Pamplin Va.
Posts: 454

I followed both of my sons thru there sports, the last three years i have helped coach high school football, up until two years ago i worked a 12 hour swing shift, this cut all of the competition hunts out, and when i got to hunt i could hunt all night just not often enough to accomplish much. Looking back i would have been better off buying a dog in December hunting until april 1st and selling. Boys are done with sports, i have told coach i am cutting back, have a decent pup planning on hitting it harder. I could hunt every night and not get tired of it.

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Dean Jamerson

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Registered: Dec 2013
Location: Nichols Ny
Posts: 1566

The other thing to remember is when most guys say they hunt hard its 2-3 nights a week not 5-7. So just keep that in the back of your mind when you can't go.

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Eric DePue
Hill Country Kennels Itty-Bitty
PKC CH Wax's Late Night Boom
And
Partners on a few common trashy young dogs

Gone but not forgotten

GrNtCh, PKC Ch Hillbilly Bildo
Pr Broken Oaks Wild Blue Gypsy

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Registered: May 2008
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 3147

Quality not quantity.

No way any of us can hunt like we used too with family and life responsibilities

My dogs are better now than when I hunted every night.

In earlier post said young guys hunt every night and don’t accomplish much. That was me 25 years ago.

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Get a Good One

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Registered: Oct 2014
Location: NC
Posts: 143

I could not agree more with the comment that a few have made regarding quality over quantity of your hunts. I'd rather have fewer hunts with better results anytime than hunt twice as often and have a decent hunt here and there. I had a young female that was just starting to click back in December, we had just started solo hunting her. She was treeing coons and improving. After first of the year my schedule got crazy and my hunting has pretty much been on here and stories from others that I talk to. I am hoping when things settle down I can get her back in the woods and she'll eventually pick up where she left off. My old dog I'm not terribly worried about. I know he can fall right back into his routine. It looks like life has slowed coon hunting down in some fashion for all of us at some point and time. Even though I'm not hunting much right now I still can't picture myself without having at least 2 or 3 hounds behind the house. It has been part of my life for so long I don't know what I'd do.

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: MIFFLINTOWN,PA.
Posts: 564

Well after reading these post on this subject I see there are still some honest people in this world.

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Registered: Oct 2014
Location: NC
Posts: 143

I've often said most folks don't hunt nearly as hard as they claim to.

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Registered: Jan 2012
Location: Fort Worth , Texas
Posts: 221

I drive 85 miles one way, 170 miles round trip just to pleasure hunt.

I get up for work at 5:00am.

During Standard Time, I will hunt about 4 nights a week.

Once Daylight Savings Time begins, I will cut this back to 2 days a week and when our brutal summer heat kicks in, I will only hunt once a week.

I try to balance, work, family and hunting.

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Registered: Nov 2016
Location: North georgia
Posts: 217

Honestly Between work,two little girls,and my wife I get to go around 2 times a week maybe 3 if I’m lucky I would like to go every night but there are more important things in my life than coon hunting...I don’t care if it got to where I could only go once a month I would still have my dog and do the best I could...coon hunting is awesome but my wife and daughters are 10x better..

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Registered: Jun 2004
Location: 3515-38st-moline ill.
Posts: 558

I try to go every other nite year round weather permitting.I will admit the older i get the fussier iam about the weather.

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