When do you schedule vacation?

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
I always take most of my vacation during Turkey season. I take a week or 2 to travel for out of state hunts and a week to hunt at home. I've never taken opening week because I feel like most of the other guys are going to take the week of the opener. I feel like I can find a turkey later in the season and have a better than average chance of being able to work him without outside interference. What are you guys thoughts on this?

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oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
It would depend on how and where i was hunting. Out of state would obviously mean time away from work. Some years I go some I dont.
Dont ever take weeks off to hunt the other three states I hunt just a day or two depending on weather and where i have tags or permits left. The Sunday NC hunting has really increased my opportunities
As for early versus late, I like to hunt earlier. I listen to a lot of silence dragging out the season In Va. Just my bias and experience.
When you find one it can be over in a flash but on the other hand there are a whole lot less of them. :)
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
Most all my me vacation time is turkey only I save some for family but other than that I rarely ever deer hunt and trout fish on my day off so use lot in spring I've already put in for 12 days not including my reg days off looking to add another 10 or so depends on where go
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
Most all my me vacation time is turkey only I save some for family but other than that I rarely ever deer hunt and trout fish on my day off so use lot in spring I've already put in for 12 days not including my reg days off looking to add another 10 or so depends on where go
I used to always take all my 4 weeks vacation for turkey season, but now that I have a grandson one of my weeks is to take with my wife, daughter and grandson at the beach during the summer. By the way I HATE the beach lol.

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turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I used to always take all my 4 weeks vacation for turkey season, but now that I have a grandson one of my weeks is to take with my wife, daughter and grandson at the beach during the summer. By the way I HATE the beach lol.

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Plus thousand for me and beach. I'm a mtn guy born and raised I can live rest my life without saltwater and sand and be just fine but like you if the family want to go I'm there as you age you really see how fast things go by I wouldn't miss a family vacation for hundred gobblers. Luckily I'm blessed I've been at my job long time and get 7 weeks off my only issue is they won't let me take it close so cuts into a short spring turkey season even when going other states.
 

wolfman

Old Mossy Horns
Few days opening week. Then when/if I drew a permit. Random days here or there depending on weather/scouting.
 

KrisB

Ten Pointer
I was out of work a long while, so this is my first time trying to plan vacation days around hunting, trapping, family visits, etc. As the new librarian on the block, I only get 12 annual leave days a year, which I have to accrue before I can request any of them off. I earn 1 annual leave day each month. But I do get most weekends and holidays off, so I can stack annual leave days next to a weekend and get a small stretch off.

I've earned 4 days so far and took 2 of them off for the 2020 turkey season (next to opening weekend, so I'll have 3 days to go hunt turkeys) and 2 off next to a 3-day weekend for a family vacation in May. Thankfully, the family vacation is after turkey season ends.

So, 8 more days to accrue, but they do roll over to the next year. Might just try to accrue a bunch of days and then take a 1 or 2-week vacation in the winter to go trapping instead of killing myself trapping early on weekdays with a full-time job.

We'll see. :D
 

JoeSam1975

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
As a teacher I try not to take much time off during the school year. Some years I get lucky and spring break is during turkey season, like this year. Other wise its just weekends and evenings during turkey season.
 

dobber

Old Mossy Horns
i take a week for moose/something normally in Sept/Oct then a week in Nov, get dragged south for a week with the wife and days here and there for other stuff like spring bear hunt in May or fall bear hunt in late Aug
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
I have 20 what they call PTO days but I can only take them in blocks of a week unfortunately and I have to put in for them starting in December and then wait for approval. My days off are Sunday and Wednesday which is good and bad. Being off on Wednesday is great for hunting public land but without taking vacation would only leave me with 4 days to hunt for the season, which is unacceptable for me. I live for turkey season, don't really deer hunt accept for an occasional hunt in the back yard to fill the freezer. My free time revolves around Turkey hunting.

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josh

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I used to request the first week off of turkey in January as my job involved a lot of travel and I didn’t have many vacation days, I made a job switch for better insurance but less pay but another positive is A lot more vacation time and I can use it at my leisure so I’ll be hunting a lot this spring fortunately.
 

41magnum

Twelve Pointer
A week tween Christmas and New years at the beach normally and a week in the fall and spring in the mtns often. Get 3.5 weeks total, so add a couple days for trapping convention travels.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
We usually take off 2 weeks during Christmas. That was the best time to deer hunt for us up in Northampton county.
Pop and I use to take off the end of the first week of Turkey season and the end of the third week of the season.
 
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Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
The family usually spends the week between Christmas and New Years at the beach and I use the rest of my vacation (3 weeks) for traveling to hunt turkeys....but....
my boss hung a sign on the punch clock 3 weeks ago that said during March, April and May that nobody could have off more than 2 days in a row, one of those being your normally 1 scheduled day off per week.

I am absolutely devastated. I had planned multiple OOS hunts this year, now I am going nowhere. Cant even have off on the opening day of the NC season. Sorry for the rant, time to find a new job.
 

ScottyB

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I will take 3 days after the Turkey opener......I typically try to keep all the weekend warriors in the club from running over each other on opening Saturday. Just divide up the property map and it’s first come first served but you don’t leave your block without my knowing.....safety first.....then by lunch on Sunday the house clears out and it’s game on!! I will take more days during turkey.....depends on weather......33 days off per year
 

Brad_Colvin

Eight Pointer
I pretty much turkey hunt every day (well turkey listen for many of them) and work every day,,,,

there is plenty of day to hunt and work
Unfortunately not when you start work at 2 AM and work 14 hours and the closest property to home is an hour drive. Doesn't give much time to hunt on work days.

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Helium

Old Mossy Horns
The family usually spends the week between Christmas and New Years at the beach and I use the rest of my vacation (3 weeks) for traveling to hunt turkeys....but....
my boss hung a sign on the punch clock 3 weeks ago that said during March, April and May that nobody could have off more than 2 days in a row, one of those being your normally 1 scheduled day off per week.

I am absolutely devastated. I had planned multiple OOS hunts this year, now I am going nowhere. Cant even have off on the opening day of the NC season. Sorry for the rant, time to find a new job.
Yep.. life is too short.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
The family usually spends the week between Christmas and New Years at the beach and I use the rest of my vacation (3 weeks) for traveling to hunt turkeys....but....
my boss hung a sign on the punch clock 3 weeks ago that said during March, April and May that nobody could have off more than 2 days in a row, one of those being your normally 1 scheduled day off per week.

I am absolutely devastated. I had planned multiple OOS hunts this year, now I am going nowhere. Cant even have off on the opening day of the NC season. Sorry for the rant, time to find a new job.
so he made the rule for turkey season? or is there some true business reasons for that sign?
i have no clue how big your operation is but that's a chickensh.. way to communicate a change like that.
 

Ol Copper

Twelve Pointer
so he made the rule for turkey season? or is there some true business reasons for that sign?
i have no clue how big your operation is but that's a chickensh.. way to communicate a change like that.

Its a hardware store. I waswith Home Depot for 15+ years and was "head hunted" by my current boss to open and run a new Ace Hardware store.
I was to start last April 1st, but had to delay that start date a bit to go on an Ohio turkey trip that had been planned for months. I was told it was ok and I started when I returned from Ohio.
I also told them in 2 in-depth interviews that I was a hard-core turkey hunter and my goal was to kill in all 49 states with birds to get a US slam.....
Its all been downhill from there....
So yes, the sign was hung for just me.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
I also told them in 2 in-depth interviews that I was a hard-core turkey hunter and my goal was to kill in all 49 states with birds to get a US slam.....
Its all been downhill from there....
So yes, the sign was hung for just me.

I had a similar predicament when I got a good paying part time job. I told them I am farming and when weather windows open I'm going to need them to be flexible with time off to work my time into 2 days per week, working 10 to 15 hours a day is nothing to me. They didn't agree with allowing me to work 2 days per week but assured me they will be flexible and offered me the job.

I learned really fast it was not flexible as they promised and it was full time part time work every weekend which was further aggravated by switching me around during the weekdays every time a holiday came around. Still I managed. Then a lot of gross misconduct and lack of candor came from them and I took it to the EEOC. The long story short the pressure they got from the EEOC ended with the heads no longer there. I found out they could have scheduled me one day a week if they wanted to as well as a few other things.

My lesson from this, never put myself in a position where I need to work for someone else.
 

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
The family usually spends the week between Christmas and New Years at the beach and I use the rest of my vacation (3 weeks) for traveling to hunt turkeys....but....
my boss hung a sign on the punch clock 3 weeks ago that said during March, April and May that nobody could have off more than 2 days in a row, one of those being your normally 1 scheduled day off per week.

I am absolutely devastated. I had planned multiple OOS hunts this year, now I am going nowhere. Cant even have off on the opening day of the NC season. Sorry for the rant, time to find a new job.
Dang that sucks for your boss. Buh-Bye;)

I have an understanding with my boss. I earned my time off, and I’ll take it when I please.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Unfortunately not when you start work at 2 AM and work 14 hours and the closest property to home is an hour drive. Doesn't give much time to hunt on work days.

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choices,,,,
1 - move close to turkey grounds​
2 - get different job / different work hours​
3 - or do nothing​

choices

I spent 26 years (17 to 43 years old) not getting to make many choices when it comes to when I'd be home or not,,,,

Why I moved to live where I'm at and have the job i have had for the last 14+ years,,,,so I can hunt or fish some part of most EVERY day of the year
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Here's the deal with Turkey season. I LOVE it...so, what happens? EVERYBODY, work, relatives, church, and whoever else, contrives to schedule as many events as possible during turkey season. I probably end up looking like a world class fencer trying to dodge and parry these events. This year, my cousin's daughter has scheduled her wedding right smack in the middle of turkey season...all the way over in Tennessee! I'm going to have to take my mom, so the time I usually take off to hunt turkeys, I'll be driving to Tennessee. And yes, I've looked into hunting them in Tennessee. WAY too expensive for only a day or two of hunting.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
heck I must be a bum,,,,cause I couldn't tell you the names of my cousin's daughter,,,,or even know if she had one!!

We have a VERY close family on my mom's side. Clannish like our Scottish ancestors. It's both a blessing and a curse!
 
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