Your boots step lightly through the forest, careful to avoid the crunchy pine needles. Daylight won’t cut through the trees for at least two hours. Maybe you’re headed to a treestand, or perhaps you’re climbing a ridge listening for bugles.
Bowhunting transports you from reality. Unfortunately, getting to this point isn’t always easy. Careers, families, financial stability and much more influence hunt plans. As you age and move through the stages of life, your role as a bowhunter changes.
Young adulthood is an exciting time. During college and entry-level jobs, many young adults face fewer personal responsibilities. If families and careers come later in life, bowhunting during this time can be more of a priority. But juggling coursework and jobs with bowhunting is tricky. While taking a week off might not be possible, mornings, evenings and weekends may be open. Plus, Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break might coincide with trips home to hunt.
Many young adults have free time but financial constraints. Between rent, student loans, groceries, and countless other expenses, young adults face financial roadblocks at every turn. Shopping the local archery shop for used equipment and taking advantage of end-of-season sales are great ways to bowhunt on a budget.
I shot a bull moose with my bow while pregnant. Meanwhile, my husband bailed on an elk hunt when doctors diagnosed our three-month-old with the flu. Having a young family is full of highs and lows, but you don’t have to put bowhunting on the back burner. Bowhunting for parents with babies and toddlers requires creativity, a strong support system and the ability to pivot.
When making plans, communicate with your partner. Make a childcare plan that works for both parents. If both hunt, consider taking turns or make it a date night by lining up a babysitter or family members to watch the kids.
While one of hunting’s perks is getting away from the world, when you have young children, it’s important to stay connected. Always file a detailed hunt plan and invest in technology like a satellite communication device so you’re never out of touch in case of an emergency.
Balancing a career, young kids and bowhunting isn’t easy, but it can be fun. I trained for elk hunting by hiking mountains with my daughter on my back. We’ve also spent time together in the blind, along with a pile of snacks and activities. When it becomes frustrating remember, this is a fleeting moment that creates lasting memories.
One day, you’ll wake up and the kids will dress themselves for school, the bank account will have more zeros and you’ll feel settled in your career. OK, that might be wishful thinking, but midlife isn’t always a crisis.
As kids age and you log more seniority and vacation time at your job, sometimes there’s more flexibility to plan hunting trips. Midlife can also bring more financial security, which is an opportunity to upgrade gear and invest in tools like treestands, ground blinds and trail cameras that could make you more successful and efficient.
However, midlife comes with a new set of challenges. Aging parents can require care. Older children get involved in expensive and time-consuming activities. On the positive side, older children can also join you in the field with tags in their pockets. One of the most exciting phases for bowhunters is mentoring their kids. Instead of making plans with hunting buddies, you begin to make plans for your family. And while these are the years you may fill fewer of your own tags, hunting alongside your kids might be the best memories you’ll ever make.
Someday you may leave a quiet house to enter the quiet woods. When the kids’ rooms are empty and the career slows down, bowhunting can pick back up. Some bowhunters seize the freedom and plan bucket list bowhunts, while others choose to mentor new hunters, passing down decades of valuable knowledge.
When you reach this stage, you’ll have built a lifetime of memories. When you look back, you won’t remember the struggle to get out the door or the equipment you didn’t have at the time. Your most enduring memories will be shaped from the meaningful moments—the ones that make your heart pause and remind you what life is all about.
