Is a hunting trip a vacation?
General Topic
So do you consider your hunting trips vacations? I had a buddy come elk hunting with me this year and when it was all over he said he would never give me any more crap about all the "vacations" I take. He said it was way too much work to be considered a vaca. I have never considered any of my trips, even fully guided hunts vacations and am just curious what others think.
A vacation from the rat race of life and a day job. But it's solid WORK.
I don't go hunting to rest, sleep in, kick my feet up, sit by a campfire, eat well and be refreshed.
I go hunting to work my tail off trying to fill the freezer. When it's over I'm whooped, ready to go home and recover.
Is it fun, yes, do I daydream about it all the time, yes. Is it a "vacation"...not in the sense that most envision a vacation. Boot camp, an Ironman, a marathon, elk hunting are not "vacations".
Vacation if you are taking time off from what you do to earn money.
Nope. Hunting trips are something I need to do and I’m often on my own. Vacation is something just for fun and includes family and friends.
Heck yeah! It sure beats the regular job. Any time I’m in the mountains it’s a vacation regardless of how hard I’m working.
Is it a vacation? Nope.
I use 'Vacation Time' to go hunt, only because I dont earn 'Hunting Time'.
Hell yea its a vacation just don't tell my wife that.
It my vacation. I do not go on trips to Florida or Rome or anywhere. I take my vacation days and use them to hunt. To me it is the ultimate vacation. I would never really consider hunting even in 3 states in 3 weeks in Nov. work. Its a labor of love and I bust my butt getting it done but it is not work! Shawn
Not working and having fun I call that a Vacation.
100% Vacation!
ElkNut/Paul
"Vacation" is an inadequate word for hunting trips. There are too many elements of a pilgrimage to be just a vacation.
Vacation from the grind- yes. Labor of love- yes. But I always considered them as great adventures! Weather I tagged or not! Have not had a “bad “ one.
I guess it all comes down to what defines vacation to you. I love our deer camp. We hunt hard, kill a lot of stuff, then the last night we burn all the campfire wood left in a huge fire, cook a huge buffet of deer heart, liver, tenderloins, a couple good veggies, and wash it down with just enough cold beer to sleep well. If we've been able to keep it from freezing. For me that's two. It's usually cold, we are tired from two weeks of it, and need a good meal. It's a great way to end it every year. I guess it is a vacation of sorts but, I loose about 8-10 pounds every year, come home sore and tired, and I need a hot shower. So, that wouldn't fit the standard definition of such.
My father tells my mother that it is only a vacation when she is with him. Otherwise it is a hunting or fishing "trip".
Of course he also tells her that he only fishes a lot so he can get it out of his system so he can spend more time with her. He is 80.
I look forward to going back to work so I can get some rest :)
“Vacationing” is recharging the mind, body, and soul... Without a doubt, hunting qualifies!
Fun work for me while hunting afield ... vacation in camp or after the shot.
Sure it's a vacation. Just like the muskie fishing trips to Lake of the Woods I take every year and the ski trips to Colorado when I skied. All 3 require plenty of physical exertion and can (do) result in fatigue, pain, strains, sprains, and hopefully a feeling of satisfaction that can't be matched sitting in a beach chair getting drunk for 7 days. I don't take vacations to relax.
For me, it is a luxury, so yes
When I was younger, no way I’d call it a vacation. Everything was GO, GO, GO!!! Never took the time to really enjoy the process. My total focus was on filling my tag.
These days, I take the time to appreciate and enjoy every second, even if it means taking a day off here and there to recharge. That wasn’t even an option back in the day. Either way, I’ve never considered hunting a vacation.
The bigger the adventure and the tougher the hunt, the less I think about work and the other stressful aspects of life. That makes it the ultimate vacation to me.
It's my kind of vacation...no down time, always on a new mission every Day!
I can't stand laying around at a Resort...which is why my Wife has given up, and just takes her girlfriends to Mexico every Year.
"Not working and having fun I call that a Vacation." I define that as retirement !!
All time taken off from work for any recreational purpose that is not a weekend or before/after regular or overtime work hours is a vacation by definition, I believe. Taking leave for any reason other than sick leave, either family or personal sick leave, would be considered recreational aka vacation leave even if you are building a house. IMO ie....
In our house they have always been classified as different things, I think I'll stick with it!!
I spend about 90% if my "vacation" time hunting, my wife goes with me, it's what we plan for all year, she has considerably more vacation time than me so more of hers is spent regular vacationing visiting family etc
Absolutely! I may work hard at it but it is my time to decompress! I’m burning leave so definitely a vacation.
Lee
Yes and no. Work has nothing to do with it for me.
“Is a hunting trip a vacation?“
Only if you want it to be! Everyone will have a different take on it as you can already see from the responses. According to my wife... definitely a vacation. If you ask me... definitely not. Elk hunting with a bow is something I love doing, have a ton of fun and am passionate about but it’s not some relaxing break with my feet kicked up. Always takes a couple days to recoup after my hunts. White tail hunts tho... definitely a vacation! 8^)
I guess im in the minority here. I dont consider my hunting trips a vacation. Our annual trip to the beach every year is my vacation. Taking the kids to Disney is a vacation. But hunting trips........ no. As everyone knows, these trips, are usually a lot of work, work that we love, but work none the less. I go to fill my tag.
My elk hunt last month ended with me hunting hard the last 2 days, but my 2 buddies "checking out" blaming the hard hunting on the heat and wind. They were mentally done and spent the last day drinking back at the cabin. Thats not me during a hunt, but they see it as a vacation and theres nothing wrong with that either.
Scouting Trips are more of a Vacation atmosphere than my actual hunt trips.
They both are wonderful get~a~ways from the real world though
Good luck, Robb
When I have to go back to to rest after hunting, thats not a vacation to me
Hunting is vacation to me. Its what a day dream about daily, it's my recreation and recharge away from the worlds crap. Is it hard work, you bet it is but its so gratifying. Im with Jeff, sitting around in a resort is not a vacation to me. All I do is daydream about hunting and go stir crazy sitting around trying to act like im enjoying myself. I cant wait to retire and vacation a lot more, LOL.
I have always thought of hunting trips as a vacation. It really doesnt matter how much work it is as I would rather work hard on my vacations than sit around by a pool drinking beer. Even my family vacations have us hiking more than sitting around relaxing. But, my wife always asks why I get a hunting vacation on top of our family vacation. You guys are giving me some ideas on how to spin it as not being a vacation. LOL.
Hunting is recreation for me so it's a vacation to me.
I'd say that if you are getting away from the day to day headaches to do something you really love for an extended time, that's a vacation. Even if you work your butt off during that "vacation".
I went six full days this elk season with out talking to another human. That is a vacation!!!!!
If you’re using vacation days, it’s a vacation. Now if you’re using vacation days to guide elk hunters for profit, that’s a gray area bordering on work. My wife calls my annual pilgrimage to the Rockies my “mancation”.
Hunting is a “type 2” kind of fun. You work your ass off while you’re there, but you enjoy every memory once you step off the mountain, and wish you could go back.
It’s different than relaxing on a beach, but it’s a vacation nonetheless.
Not really a vacation, but kind of. For us it is a family event and whenever possible we continue to do some work remotely.
If I'm away from work doing something I love, yes, I call it vacation. I deem all my fishing/hunting trips a vacation. In fact, when my wife drags me to a sunny beach somewhere, that is more like work to me. I can't stand frying like an egg on a beach.
Sometimes it sure doesn't feel like a vacation.
A hunting trip is a "hunting trip". Completely different and separate from "vacation."
A "hunting trip" may be relaxing with good food and nice lodging. Or it might be a tent and freeze dried food, physically demanding, and no relaxation. It can be a lot of things, but the core of it is hunting something. And it doesn't involve anything to do with a city, other than possibly flying in or out of one.
A "vacation" is something done with the wife and kid (maybe the kid). It too may be physically demanding (ever do Disney World at New Year's? It's like a sober mosh pit). With a 5 year old daughter in tow, it's frequently stressful and mentally exhausting :). It may or may not involve a city. It almost always involves nicer lodgings and food.
They're two entirely separate things in my mind.
Not in the sense that Forest Gump's dad went on "vacation" but probably still a vacation nonetheless.
I'll tell my boss she can't charge me VACATION on that last moose hunt because quite frankly it was a lot of WORK.
I consider my hunts vacation as I enjoy them just as much as a formal family vacation....maybe more.
It surprises me that the majority think of them as vacations. I thought it would be the other way around. With all the different perspectives I can now see how people think of them as vacations but even though I enjoy all my trips and love not dealing with day to day crap, still not a vaca to me.
Yep. It is the only time I get away.
When I was employed (self-employed now) I kept my vacation time for the hunting season and 1 wk for a fishing trip.
The vacations most people take drive me nuts. I can’t just relax and do nothing. Although I work my ass off on most hunting trips and come home drained I feel much better for it and my mental health is greatly improved
I guess I'm in the yes it's a vacation crowd. I take two weeks off and I don't have to check-in with work, it's my time, for me. Yes it's a lot of work, but love every second of it, it's a different kind of relaxing (mental, not physical).
Definitely a vacation. I'm taking off work and traveling to do something I love.
"vacation" means time away from work and routine. It doesn't mean sitting on your butt and drinking beer.
I guess I would argue with you guys that say hunting is "a lot of work". Packing into the backcountry, packing out game, hanging stands, trimming brush, scouting, hiking, and all the other stuff that could be considered "work" is all great fun for me. I might work up a sweat and be panting like a dog but it's still fun for me and I would never consider any of it to be "hard work".
Based on the amount of Bowsite activity M-F, it as tho many are on vacation then, while supposedly at work
That is totally uncalled for and below the belt cnelk! LOL.
cnelk, I resemble that remark :)
Any time spent doing what one loves to do away from work is without doubt by definition a 'Vacation" Having said that I have been to 42 of the lower 48 states on non-hunting vacations and NEVER once lost weight.
I love to elk hunt more than anything and I suppose it's because I don't get to do it as often as I wish and on average while on an elk hunt I typically loose at least 7 but as much 10 pounds. Never gained weight while deer hunting but never lost much either. Turkey hunting is as close to a hunting vacation as I get. A lot more relaxed, no scent control, camp most times and usually a bone fire and a few drinks each night before turning in. Usually aren't able to do that deer hunting, never while elk until after a tag is punched.
The original meaning of the word vacation refers to a "Renewal" and as it originated in Europe it usually meant one would require several weeks to do this. It explains why many European countries allow 6 weeks off each year to pursue other activities in life aside from work. For many it means doing something outside the routine, exploration, personal growth, taking up something new or diving deeper into a favorite pastime (Hunting). We here in the states have become accustomed to whatever our employers allow (usually two weeks for many) which is just not enough time to fully renew according to our friends across the Atlantic. Retirement works for me.
Nope! Vacations are for family time. Hunting trips are serious business! Gotta do both though. The hunters I admire most are those that take the time to do family vacations AND hunting trips. Balance in life is key.
Family hunting trips are awesome too :)
By my employers definition, it is vacation. But when I am hunting, it is not a relaxing vacation. (Even though I take naps, it is because I am out in the field from dark to dark)
But I treasure every moment why I am out in the field. It beats the alternative!
I really like what one of Rinella's brothers said on a podcast where they were talking about their favorite species to hunt. He said the time he spends bow hunting elk solo is more of a vision quest than anything. I thought that was pretty funny/accurate
Absofrigginlutely! My family "vacations" are actually "trips", like business trips, but better.
My hunting vacations are, very selfishly, my only remaining true freedom in my life. I cherish that week or 2 each year like no other week or 2 in the annual calendar. You mess with my vacation? I'll kill ya.....
Does a one legged duck swim in a circle?
Depends on who’s asking... are you my wife?
Family trips to visit relatives and friends, Disneyland and such are vacations. Even a camping trip is a vacation.
Hunting trips are about hunting. Not sightseeing, sleeping in, taking a day off, relaxing, etc. I see them very much as goal oriented...... which makes them in some ways closer to a job than a vacation, with the reward being spiritual and personal rather than commercial. I very much enjoy the adventure as well..... but it's still all about the hunt.
Hell yeah its a vacation. Anytime I'm out doing what I love to do I'm on vacation. Maybe thats stalking in on a bull. Maybe thats slamming beers in fish camp. Maybe its being lazy on a beach for a long weekend. If I'm having fun, I'm on vacation.
That said, I've always tried to live my life as one big vacation. I just have to keep taking breaks to go back to work briefly.
Hmm I just wonder how some of you really are when you get home and your doe asks you how your vacation was? Now bare in mind will you correct her and talk to her like you talk here? Now you been away so aren't you wanting to get with her and you don't want to start any static when she says you had your vacation and now we need to plan one for the family. Little does she know you already booked next year before you got home. LOL Wait till ya spring that on her before you plan for the family. LOL
Does it matter you know how things were either hard or easy. That's all that matters not what others think or say.LOL
I personally never looked at any trip I took as a vacation. My vacations were with family altogether. I felt I was blessed I had my trips and vacations. LOL
I work to make money, so I can spend it on hunting trips, where I sleep on the dirt, eat freeze dried food, and don’t shower for days.
That’s the perfect vacation in my book. I’m out there having fun, and enjoying myself.....even if I don’t realize sometimes how much fun some the sucky parts were until I’m done.
Not reading any other posts above.
No.
Hunting is life.
Everything else is a distraction.
every hunting trip is an ADVENTURE. It's not work, it's a break from work. Yes, you may be dog ass tired after it but it was an adventure. A vacation is taking your better half if you have one to Vegas or a condo on the beach or a few days in a cabin & wetting a line. We went on a vacation this year to Lake Texoma striper fishing & we are going to Jamaica in Dec.. These are vacations. I'm planning on a wild hog hunt after Deer season ends to get away from the snow & cold a few days with my son in Tx.. As I said, when I walk out the door with my bow, it is going to be another adventure.. When I pack a swim suit (not a pretty sight) it's a vacation. Picture of a vacation in Aug. enclosed.
I don't know, but Jeff Foxworthy was hunting deer in Mexico, shot one at 200 yds. looked at the guide and said "that's further than you go on vacation" this was Monster Bucks early days.
If you define a vacation as recharging the system, then yes. If you define it as just laying around and relaxing, then no.
I asked my wife .... and she said “ yes” a hunting trip is a vacation. So , that settles that !
