The four-day work week after Christmas was a complete wash, and this one won’t be much better. With only four days to get all your normal work done, as well as all the stuff you didn’t finish last week, you might as well give up and go hunting.
If you decide to call in hunting or ice fishing this week, don’t forget to get your licenses. Some seasons actually continue into the New Year, and some licenses will carry over from one year to the next. Fishing, small game, game bird and furbearers licenses, as well as conservation stamps, are good for 12 months from the date of purchase, and duck stamps and harvest information program stamps are good from July through June every year. Make sure you have all your current licenses, though, especially if you need one that doesn’t stay good into the new year.
The Game and Fish switched to the 12-month license system in 2019. It’s a huge benefit, because depending on how much hunting or fishing you do in the first few months each year, you used to wind up spending all your Christmas money on licenses.
Start off the new year with a much-needed vacation and head for the hills.
Go ahead and take some of your vacation time now. You don’t want to be stuck at the end of December with ten vacation days and only five days left in the month. Most of us have to use our days or lose ‘em, so get a jump on ‘em now.
Depending on what you got for Christmas, you might be daydreaming about putting your presents to use instead of answering phone messages. You’d rather be out sighting in that new rifle, giving that new winter coat a serious test-run, squeezing stuff with your new Leatherman, or using your new GPS to figure out how far it is from your recliner to Cabela’s.
So take the whole week off and go hunting. Go duck hunting tomorrow, try to get a coyote Thursday, and look for rabbits with the kids on Friday. Bring in the New Year right.
