Michigan grouse hunting rant!

[Jay Gardner]

There is virtually nothing I would rather do than hunt grouse. From January to September I look forward to hunting and make big plans. There are 11-weekends this year to hunt grouse in Michigan. Throw out two weekends because they are too hot and then at least one in December because of family obligations and I am left with 9. I'll lose at east 2-3 more for family stuff and now I'm down to 6-7 not taking account the weekends where rain and wind make hunting almost impossible. Just seems like the season could/ should be a few weeks longer. *sigh*

[charlie cleveland]

hang in there its gona get better...i hope... charlie

[Thomas L. Benson Sr.]

Jay: It does get better when you retire you can count days instead of weekends. Thomas

[Jay Gardner]

Retire? Oh lord, that will be forever.

[Mills Morrison]

I hear you. I get all excited when a hunting season comes around and then I am lucky to get out much at all.

[Kenny Graft]

Retire..*&^%$# who will take care of the 42% who depend on your hard work? Are you sure you need to miss work? They might starve to death............)-:

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I spent the weekend in the woods, the squirrel shooting was fine but saw hide nor feather of a grouse. I did miss a pair of wood ducks.....

DLH

[Jay Gardner]

DLH, last Tuesday night I walked into my tree stand and kicked-up close to 40-woodies. Would have been nice to have a 20-ga Parker instead of a bow.

[Destry L. Hoffard]

I have a 12 gauge and plenty of shells. When we going?

DLH

[Jay Gardner]

Ha! If you knew how big the buck is that haunts that ditch you wouldn't even ask.

[Dean Romig]

Jay: It does get better when you retire you can count days instead of weekends. Thomas


I don't know about that..... I'll hunt alone on weekdays because all my shooting friends still work all week long. And hunting ain't nearly as much fun.

[Jay Gardner]

There are days I prefer hunting alone and those when I welcome the company of an old friend. Regardless, my entire disposition and ouook toward life is much better when I have spent a day in the grouse woods.

When I was a kid we could hunt quail Oct through the end of February. One could hunt at a leisurely pace and not feel compelled to hunt every weekend or would miss out. Of course it was a lot easier when all I had to do was grab my vest and my Wingmaster and walk across the road. No 3-hour rides to get to cover.

[edgarspencer]

Retire? Oh lord, that will be forever.

Retirement isn't forever. Dead is. Hunt while you still can. Call in sick, save vacation days, 'experiment' with retirement, but don't put off anything you want to do "when I retire".

[Daryl Corona]

Retirement isn't forever. Dead is. Hunt while you still can. Call in sick, save vacation days, 'experiment' with retirement, but don't put off anything you want to do "when I retire".

Amen brother.

[Daryl Corona]

Retirement isn't forever. Dead is. Hunt while you still can. Call in sick, save vacation days, 'experiment' with retirement, but don't put off anything you want to do "when I retire".

Amen brother Edgar. And Dean, I never feel alone when it's just me and my dogs. The older I get the more I enjoy the company of canines over humans.:)

[Dean Romig]

I never feel "alone" when I hunt by myself. That's how I began and, coming from a family of non-hunters (I didn't say anti-hunters) I was out there by myself (quite enjoying myself and all that nature had to teach me) most of the time until I was in my late thirties or early forties. I don't hunt with a dog these days so two or three guns in the grouse covers with you will always produce more flushes per mile. For me, these days, upland hunting is just more enjoyable for several reasons with a companion or two.

[Jay Gardner]

Retirement isn't forever. Dead is. Hunt while you still can. Call in sick, save vacation days, 'experiment' with retirement, but don't put off anything you want to do "when I retire".

That's great advice. There are many days (more of late) that I question what I am doing and where I am doing it and think of chucking it, moving north (closer to cover and trout streams) and finding a job that will pay the bills and give me time to do the things I love while I have time and the ability to do them.

[Dean Romig]

I highly recommend doing just that. Living a simpler life - shucking off so many burdens that only serve to complicate your life - Make time for those things you enjoy most! Hunting, fishing, time spent with the wife and family, dogs, the beauty of nature.... These are the truly important things in life. Enjoy them now before time runs out.

[Mills Morrison]

That's great advice. There are many days (more of late) that I question what I am doing and where I am doing it and think of chucking it, moving north (closer to cover and trout streams) and finding a job that will pay the bills and give me time to do the things I love while I have time and the ability to do them.

Me too. Probably others as well

[Jay Gardner]

Sometimes I think that I was born a generation too late, a time when people spent less time chasing $ and more time focusing on what really matters. Not that people didn't work harder (I know they did work hard), they didn't seem to be so obsessed with their careers.

[Richard Flanders]

Edgar and Dean both have it right; that's why I've been in semi retirement since about 20yrs old. Just couldn't see why a big house and a lot of unnecessary expensive stuff was worth more than getting into the woods and onto the lakes. I'm paying for it in some ways these days but, looking around, my avgas tank is full, the firewood pile is high, my freezers are full of wild berries and local broccoli and brussel sprouts, pheasants, ducks, chukars, pike, grouse, and soon some moose, and the lights are on so life is good.....

[Jack Cronkhite]

Retirement isn't forever. Dead is. Hunt while you still can. Call in sick, save vacation days, 'experiment' with retirement, but don't put off anything you want to do "when I retire".
Edgar's shared wisdom is flawless. Life is short.

[Mills Morrison]

Richard, What is your secret?

[Richard Flanders]

Secret? In a word: simplicity. No wife and/or family, small house that I built myself with no running water(saves on property taxes). I've only ever been in debt for two things - my 5 acres here and my plane, and neither for more than a few months. Being in debt is the scariest thing in life to me. I drive old cars until they emit their final dying gasp then rebuild them and keep on going. Until I bought my 2001 Ford Escape in 2005 I had only spent, in my entire 55 yrs of life, $5200 buying 3 cars. The most expensive one was a 1969 Bronco purchased in 1989 for the kingly sum of $2500... and I still have it outside with snow plow on it and it runs like a Swiss watch. Can anyone beat that? Mostly I just "do without" many many things that most people consider absolutely essential. Look around you.... you'd be amazed at what you can do without and still be content.

[John Farrell]

The trouble with reaching retirement age and going hunting is, most of your friends that you planned on hunting with are either infirm, in retirement centers, in treatment for one disease or another or in new homes in other cities. That means you're hunting by yourself, again. And that never was much fun. As much fun as the dogs are, they make poor conversationalists. And, they never bring their own lunches.

[charlie cleveland]

thats a good one that the dog s never bring their own lunches... charlie

[Rich Anderson]

Jay I think you just suffer from poor planning. I mark out the hunting dates on the calander and those are set, you have worked around the family obligations and barring any unforseen emergency you have your dates.

I am practiceing for my retirement as I have basically taken most of October and November off. I spent 10 days Grouse hunting in the Upper Pennisula, several weekends in the Grayling area acouple of trips to the Haymarsh and befor I knew it deer season was upon me. Rifle season lasts 15 days and I hunted all but one. Thursday it's back up to the U.P. for black powder deer season and I'll bring a Parker also as Grouse season is open again.

I think I'll like retirement just fine, only 10 months to go. Someone once told me to plan your work and work your plan. I say plan your hunting and hunt your plan, you only go around once.