Well I found out today that if the hurricane hits the coast on Monday that chances are really good that I'll be heading South for a while. My company is part of the FEMA first response team and we have contracts with major roofing companies. Basically if the storm hits we'll go down and "blue roof" the damaged homes and then be part of the contract to re-roof about as many houses as we want. It's an opportunity to make some serious cash, but at the same time I'll miss my Colorado elk hunt as well as all of the October deer season. I'd still be back at the beginning of November, so I wouldn't miss the "best" part... I'm torn. What do you guys think? I don't have much of a choice in the matter, it's pretty much either quit or go. I love my job and the guys that I work for and work with. It's an opportunity to make my annual salary or more in 2 months...
dude, that sucks. . . but with that kind of extra $, you could do one heck of a later season hunt I'd work my arse off and get that money!
Opportunites to help people in need and make some good cash don't come around too often, so don't feel so bad about it. There will plenty of elk left for you to go kill next year!
That is quite a predicament (sp?) Obviously helping victims and making good money are both great things, and the better choice in this situation. It's definatly not something worth quiting your job over. Besides, it hot here in October:d.......And when you get back, if you find yourself hunting yours places alot, trying to make up for lost time, I got a stand 2 hours strait SW of you with your name on it buddy
I would go for the money and hunt hard when I got back, book me a trip to New Zealand for the spring (Red Stag) with some of that big money I made, and go Elk hunting next fall. Lets hope you dont have to make that decision though.
Depends on what serious cash is. If I had the opportunity to make 10k+ a month I'd be there in a flash with a grin on my face. I would hunt November/December, etc.....and put the extra $$$ into a Roth IRA so that I can eventually elk hunt every year without worrying about work. Play your cards right and an opportunity like that can pay you back several times over in terms of hunting time down the road.
Your gonna do what you want to do.. and more importantly what you need to do. But a word of advice from myself. I've seen alot of things occur in my life.. some things I can never have back. An elk hunt that occurs this year will only come around once in a lifetime.. and then it's gone. Sure there may be other years... but there will never be another this year. Making money doesn't always make memories. And in fact often times causes us all to lose them or forget them. Seeing what I've seen and knowing what really exists in this world I would hunt Elk. Unless by no other way I couldn't escape it from work.. or I absolutely needed the money.. I would hunt the Elk and not think twice about it. It may be the wrong choice to most if I were to hunt instead of work.. but it was my way. Not anyone else's. Maybe I got laid off in the future because of it.. but I could find another job. But if I died tomorrow.. to gain money and never got the chance to hunt Elk then I wouldv'e lost no matter what.
You have already hunted elk before...to me its a no brainer. Gotta make money to spend money. Youd be heading down to help people in a lot of need, and make some SERIOUS dough along the way. Youd keep the job and coworkers you like and stay happy on down the road. Think of how many trips you could spread an extra 10 months salary over, which is what you are essentially getting...a 10 months pay bonus. Sure it would eat up those two months, but that is serious money. Get the paper, and use it for 5 elk trips down the road!
The more I think about it, the more interesting the idea of going to help out becomes. When Katrina hit, my boss went down and made a bunch of money for a couple months and took the next three months off... he's probably one of the most fair people I've ever met and he said he'd allow people the same opportunity. Duke, I agree, making money doesn't necessarily make memories... but from everything I've heard, you'll come back with a completely different respect for everyday life. I honestly thing it would probably be good for lots of people to experience that and realize how truly fortunate we really are. Wil, I appreciate the offer and one of these days... we'll get together. I assure you.
You can't go down and still take a week out for the elk hunt? On the surface I'd like to talk all tough and say I'd quit, but a year's worth of money in 2 months is something that could be once in a lifetime as well. Good luck either way.
Go,,,, i think your heart will be telling you that you did a very good thing when you get back. your young and have many years of hunting left.
I couldn't have said it better. And while I agree with Duke....it isn't like this is "just" another opportunity to make money. While elk hunting and making memories is important, helping out others in a time of desperate need is nearly as important or moreso than hunting right now.
I would take the opportunity to help out the disaster victems and take the extra money. Next year you can go on 2 hunts to make up for missing your elk hunt this year.
Yea it bites now, but the rewards you'll get from being down there are worth way more. We had a couple of guys go down from our dept. They have a real appreciation for what we have. The stories they told were unbelievable. Hopefully, they won't get half of what they did w/Katrina. Either way, you'll make out well, & still hunt this year.
Earn the extra cash while at the same time lending a helping hand. Frog_Slayer said get your ass down there.:d
Dustin I'm late getting in on this. I didn't get on line all weekend. Anyway, I went down after Katrina for a couple of months. I worked my ass off rewiring a couple of apartment complexes. I made good money. Like you it was about a years worth in just over 2 months. It was hot, dirty, smelly, mosquito laden work. Security for tools sucked. My crew lived in an empty apartment with generators for power. No A/C and no hot water. I had a new daughter at home and I missed her terribly, my wife too. I missed a bunch of archery season too. All the money I made went into a down payment on the house we bought last year. I hated my time there. And if anyone were to ask me to go this time I'd start packing ASAP.
