Making plans for 2026

Last week I wrote about housekeeping things for 2025. Now that we’re going into the new year of 2026, it’s time to start making hunting and fishing plans and dreaming of future adventures.

My main reasoning for this is making a goal and having something to look forward to. If I don’t have an end goal, I don’t feel like I have the motivation to work towards achieving that goal. If I know the cost of the trip, I know how much to save up to make it happen. If it’s a physically demanding hunt, I know that I need to prepare and train accordingly. Having that goal helps me to know what gear to fix, acquire and pack before that next adventure.

Making a plan helps to prepare to take off from work. Will you take a week off to hunt moose in September? Or would you rather spend that time hunting deer? Or maybe you want to take a week to float a western river during the peak salmon runs in summer to catch trout and dollies. Knowing that in advance will help coordinate work schedules.

If you’re traveling with a partner or a group, having a plan weeks or even months in advance will help to coordinate that time for both of you to be away from work and family. Having a shared goal and a planned trip will keep the excitement alive and give you both something to talk about and work towards together.

For trips that require transport that you cannot provide yourself, or for trips where lodging may need to be reserved, now is that time to book that. Plane and boat transport services may be booked months and even years in advance. Public use cabins can be booked six months in advance. Both hunting and fishing guides may be booked months or years out and should be contacted as soon as possible.

For hunters, draw tag applications were submitted earlier in December and it’s a waiting game until February to find out what everyone has drawn. While that can drastically change someone’s plans for the year, I think that harvest ticket hunts and fishing trips should be planned regardless and changes based off of the results.

Like I stated last week, this is the time to spend with family. Budgeting time with them is the most important thing. By having a plan, your family will know when you will be gone and prepare for it accordingly. Perhaps plan another trip with your family just prior to or soon after your hunting or fishing adventure and really spend some quality time with them prioritizing what they want to do.

Keeping these things in mind will help prevent the last minute scramble to throw a trip together and force a trip to happen. This will minimize resentment from family, work and your bank account.