IF they have anything happening on saturdays it would only be a a couple hours, could stil hunt the evening. Most schools don't do Saturdays until play offs.
I say let him do whatever makes him a happy and mentally healthy kid. I loved football but goodness it has taken its toll on my body as I near 40. My son wont have to make this decision as I subtly steered him toward basketball and soccer. We will have plenty of time to bowhunt in October into early November.
I dont have kids so I dont know what i would do but right now I would encourage him to stay with sports if his only reason is to hunt more. I wont make him play football he can choose which sports to play but you can only play sports until 18 (most of the time) but you can hunt for the rest of your life. Its not like you have to choose fall sports OR hunting, you can do both. yes you will miss some hunting days for a few years but you can still get plenty in. I know people who quit to do hunting and regret it now, I havent heard someone say they wish they would have quit football to hunt more...
Choice? I haven't missed a football season as either a player or a coach since I was 10 years old when I began playing. I would tell you as a player it was an easy decision for me. I loved being part of the football team. I became a high school football coach immediately after my college years and am probably more torn now than ever between the field and the woods. I am 33 years old and I have to say that my best friends in this world are guys I played football with through college. It is such an amazing way to learn so many valuable lessons about life. Hard work, commitment, perseverance, loyalty, and decision making to name a few. I know that I would not be where I am today without football in my life. That being said, I killed my first deer with a bow when I was 12. It was something I did every year with my dad and my brother. Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night hunts were not mandatory but I didn't miss many of them. I guess I would tell my son(s) about my experience. Football isn't for everyone but if he loves the game he'll never find anything like again in his life. I am lucky enough to have now coached for 10 years. I still make it out at least once every weekend during the football season. When it's over, I am out 3-4 times a week. I think I would try to get him to play based on the popular notion on this thread. You only live once and you can hunt later in life. Now, I just need to say goodbye to the game so I can finally make my bow hunting season what it's always yearned to be. GOODLUCK!
My son went with archery after his freshmen year. His senior year he shot a 150" 8pt that he is very proud of. He had a few newspaper articles with pictures about his hunt. He still went to the games on Friday nights after he hunted to cheer his friends on. Now he helps coach midget football at 23 years old and the kids there say to him "Your the kid that shot a monster buck a few years ago!". He truly loves the game but he's nuts about hunting. Life is all about choices.....Support your son with his decisions!
