Managing new baby and still getting out for the fall season.

[luger]

Hey, I have 2 bucks in the freezer and my first kid on the way coming in June. Life can get much better! My wife will be off on EI for the entire year after baby is born, I know there's lots of father's out there that manage family life and hunting well. I'm looking for your tips and tricks with keeping the wife happy at home with the kid while your in the bush.
Thanks!
I've talked to my wife about next season and she has given me the thumbs up for hunting I just want to make it easier on her.

[one-shot-wonder]

Quit your job.
Good luck.....

[Citori54]

In my case it was easy when we had our first child. She loved having me out of the house as much as possible so I actually hunted more than ever:grin:. My son was 2 months old when I went on my first moose hunt, and spent the rest of that fall hunting almost every weekend on the island. I just made sure that at all other times I spent as much time with him as possible. Took him out hiking lots and starting taking him hunting with me when he was 7. My wife always supported my hunting because I was so involved with my son. I have been lucky to be married to this great woman for 35 years who supports all of my hobbies.

[Glenny]

Get the wife into hunting. If not ...Yer done. lol

[Stone Sheep Steve]

The first year while your wife will be on mat leave will be the easiest. Once she goes back to work it will be waaaay more difficult to get away and to juggle life in general.

Be as good as a dad and husband as is possible. That's about all I can offer.

SSS

[Rhyno]

I managed to hunt and fish plenty when my kids were very young. My advice is when the baby is old enough (on the bottle) let mom get out as much as possible when you are around. I do more than my share of chores ie cooking and cleaning when I am home to compensate for when I am not. Doesn't hurt to leave a spa gift certificate with a note how much you appreciate her making it possible for you to get away.

My kids were both hunting with me via baby backpack before they were a year, but it definitely gets easier when they are older.

Congrats!

[scoutlt1]

I think your best bet is to sell me your hunting gear for really cheap. :)

[Pinewood]

Going through this right now with a 19 month old and another one coming next May. It's all just a big compromise. It is tough on them and they have all their issues post baby etc. My best advice would be to be open about it and make sure that if hunting is your priority, you better be prepared to give elsewhere though the rest of your year. It'll be allright. Lots have done successfully before us new dads.

[ghunter4x4]

Move to an area where you can hunt from your back door. Otherwise, wait until the kids are older and hopefully the whole family can get out together.

[john-brennan]

The first year while your wife will be on mat leave will be the easiest. Once she goes back to work it will be waaaay more difficult to get away and to juggle life in general.

Be as good as a dad and husband as is possible. That's about all I can offer.

SSS

X2 That is the best advice, I have raised 5 kids.

Cheers John.

[300rum700]

Enjoy your kid and go hunting when you can. Kids are only young once and there will always be another hunt next year.

[two-feet]

Im not much of a road hunter, but it has got me out of the house with the gun plenty in the past. Me and my buddy wil load up our 4 kids and go for it. Grouse and rabbits are easy, bears are also good to go. The old dear loves that i take the kids for the day (or two) and i still get out fishing and hunting. I have had kids passed out in the skimmer while ice fishing more than once.

[canucks6]

Just finished my first hunting season with a kid. She just turned 7 months. Before this year I rarely missed a day, no matter how hung over, or how tired I was. This year there was many days when I had the OK from the wife, my alarm went off and I just layed there waiting for my daughter to wake. Pick your times. I didn't elk Hunt this year but still pounded the boots after deer. Don't plan to much and whatever happens happens. Oh and congrats.

Always remember--- a happy wife is a quiet wife

[Chopper]

My daughter is 13 months now, and Im an ATM ...

[HarryToolips]

Enjoy your kid and go hunting when you can. Kids are only young once and there will always be another hunt next year.
This......I get out once a week, and usually not even a full day, as I let the wife sleep in both days on the weekends, but during daylight savings time I usually get once a week after work, plus I take a couple weeks off in the fall and alternate hunting/family days - a good balance of bush time and family time...and as others said, make sure your wife gets her own free time too..my little guys 4, I've been taking him out scouting since he was 2, and started hunting small game with him this season..

[Wentrot]

Have two boys with September birthdays and I managed. The main part is having a good women in your life to not smack you around for abandoning the family and going to the bush. Balance the work/play/family time well and all will be good.

[XPEIer]

Look at it from the opposite side, do I want to go hunting or spend time with my new child?? All of a sudden getting out may not be as important to you for a few years.

If that dont work,,,,,, clean the house, mow the lawn, do the dishes,,, whatever it takes for brownie points.

[Tifferly]

My only other advice, would be to take your kids out when there are old enough. Early morning hot chocolate, and spotting deer for my dad are some of my fondest memories. I even got to see my first owl swoop down and take a rabbit off the road in front of us, and saw my first cougar cross the road. That's exactly what got me hooked! :)

[835]

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab211/dru835/Ange%20Emma%20dogs%20birds_zpso01pnpfe.jpg (http://s865.photobucket.com/user/dru835/media/Ange%20Emma%20dogs%20birds_zpso01pnpfe.jpg.html)


change your style to fit your family in.... for me the days of hard hiking are gone for a while... I want my girl to love it...
I have adapted to it, I get out hiking maybe a couple times a year ... but that's ok..... when you hear your then 2 year old yell "mommy got the head shot" it doesn't matter that your not hiking...
My plan is when Emma is older she will want to hike with me.... and I will have it all back

[tinhorse]

This exactly...And when #2 comes and then they start soccer, hockey and everything else it gets even harder. Good thing is, both my kids (7 and 9) love archery and shooting. I have taken a few deer with them along as well. Next year will be my sons first year hunting his own deer (on my tag), looking forward to that!

The first year while your wife will be on mat leave will be the easiest. Once she goes back to work it will be waaaay more difficult to get away and to juggle life in general.

Be as good as a dad and husband as is possible. That's about all I can offer.

SSS

[835]

it certainly helps tho when your wife already has gone for the birds!

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab211/dru835/IphoneSept17470.jpg (http://s865.photobucket.com/user/dru835/media/IphoneSept17470.jpg.html)

[kennyj]

I still hunted a fair bit, but it took a back seat to raising a family. Spend all the time you can with the kids as they aren't kids for long. Take them out into the woods and onto the water every chance you get and hopefully they willl get hooked on the healthy outdoor lifestyle and you will have hunting and fishing partners for life. Once the kids are grown you can get back at it full time. Thats where I'm at! I wouldn't change anything.
kenny

[Keta1969]

Best thing to do is give her time off from the kid, girls night out, weekend away,movies, theater etc. It's the hardest most unselfish thing you'll do is looking after young kids on your own, everyone needs a break. My wife wouldn't go hunting to save her soul but never bitched in over 40 years of 3 kids and me going hunting. I never complained about her activities and encouraged her to get out. Something worked we're still together.

[300H&H]

NEVER sacrifice time with your children to go hunting.
You will never get to see them grow up again, but you can always go hunting another time.

[325]

Best thing to do is give her time off from the kid, girls night out, weekend away,movies, theater etc. It's the hardest most unselfish thing you'll do is looking after young kids on your own, everyone needs a break. My wife wouldn't go hunting to save her soul but never bitched in over 40 years of 3 kids and me going hunting. I never complained about her activities and encouraged her to get out. Something worked we're still together.

I agree with this. I am a full-on dad with my kids. I do everything with them. I also encourage my wife to take as much time for herself away from the kids as she needs. She's even gone on 2 week vacations while I stayed with the kids. However, once hunting season rolls around, I do, and always have gotten out lots. She doesn't complain as I "earn' my time away during the rest of the year.

Things are even better now, as my son is old enough to hunt with me.

[Glenny]

it certainly helps tho when your wife already has gone for the birds!

http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab211/dru835/IphoneSept17470.jpg (http://s865.photobucket.com/user/dru835/media/IphoneSept17470.jpg.html)

Right on 835. Same pup as in avitar?

[albravo2]

Lots of good advice on here.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet... it can be hard to keep your edge when you shift your priorities to spend more time with your kids. Don't be that guy that gets fat and lazy because he spends a few years road hunting with small kids, or doing easy hikes so the kids can come along.

I wouldn't trade my 'easy' hunts or hikes with my kids for anything but I do wish I would have carved out a little more hard-core time for myself to stay in better shape for when the opportunities do present for adult-only hunts.

[saskbooknut]

Hunted with my wife and baby, alternating one of us hunting in the morning and the other in the evening, for deer or elk. While the other hung around camp with little one, there was always the chance of a grouse off the road.
We usually went for a week when the kids were small, and two weeks in the E. Kootenay once they were beyond toddler age.
The older Daughter is 47 now, so you do the math, to figure out how long ago this was.

[835]

Yes it is. His name was Chase. We had to put him down this last August. He gave us 12 years of love.
I was brought up hunting upland behind English Springers, chase was one of the best bird dogs I hunted behind. In his 12 years I can only remember 2 birds he lost. We have Piper now, the dog on the right in the first pic.

Hunting birds is super easy to do and you can include your wife and baby. Emma was out all the time. My wife was fast to the double 20 and birds. It's what she loves to do. Birds, they get ya hooked!

[brian]

Best thing to do is give her time off from the kid, girls night out, weekend away,movies, theater etc. It's the hardest most unselfish thing you'll do is looking after young kids on your own, everyone needs a break. My wife wouldn't go hunting to save her soul but never bitched in over 40 years of 3 kids and me going hunting. I never complained about her activities and encouraged her to get out. Something worked we're still together.

I agree with absolutely everything you said except that looking after young kids was the hardest thing I would ever do. I valued that time back in the day. One of my strongest memories of my daughter as a baby was the first time I got her to take a bottle with me when momma went back to work. Priceless! But definitely give momma a break every chance you can. Get up with the baby in the morning and let her sleep in. Let her get out of the house and away from the kids if she needs it. If she wants to meet her friends once a week, go to book club, a weekend wine tour with her friends or whatever she is into then say certainly without blinking an eye! Don't even think about it just say yes! You'll have a lot better chance of getting out there hunting if she doesn't feel like it's a one way street. Oh and if you're like me then one look into your babies face and everything else won't matter any more. Enjoy the time, it goes quickly!

[ducktoller]

Hope for the best plan for the worst. I got out two and a half days this season and day 1 i barely had energy t dl anything but nod off in the back of my wagon.

Things may make it more challenging to get out (colic for example) and suddenly your few planned overnights arent feasible.

No regrets about not getting much season evem the hard parts i wouldnt want to have missed. Once they are 1 or 2 you can always gey family to watch them so you can go hiking for 5 or 6 days.

Know that means that your wife will get a week to herself and you will be solo with kids!

[hunter1947]

Lots of communication between wife and you that's what it will take one thing that is important is when you wife wants to do a family outing make sure you follow through with it
this will go a long ways on when you want to go out hunting..

[Ryo]

I've got a 3 year old and another on the way. My hunting time certainly has gone downhill, and like most have said - it's worth it.

a few things i do to make the most of my shortened time:

-scout well in the off season. Sun comes up early and you can do a lot of leg work and still be home midmorning. Good scouting can bring quick success come hunting day.
-hunt close to home, even if it is tougher hunting.
-Apply for LEH draws that you think you'll have quick success with.
-wrap you summer holidays and activities in with scouting. (You take off at 4am from the hotel, back by 8 in time for for breakfast, then send your wife to the spa while you play with th kids).
-read hunting books

nothing will get your time back, but you can do a lot to increase your chance of success with less time.