A Question for you Third Shifters

[Curtiss Cardinal]

I have been working third shift now for almost 7 months. I am still not really used to it. My question is how do you other third shifters manage to get any hunting in?
If I stand hunt I fall asleep and wake up when it's dark. If I still hunt or try to spot and stalk I am muscle tired and achy and that doesn't led itself to stealthy moving through the woods. I'm kinda at my wit's end.  

[Littlefeather]

Ah, that's simple. Quit work!  

[Curtiss Cardinal]

Thetre is a small flaw in that plan. I wouldn't be able to afford to hunt then.

[Abel]

I don't understand. If you work third shift, don't you sleep in the morning? If you are sleeping from say 8 am until 2 pm, why aren't you rested enough to hunt the last three hours of the day???

[CJ5]

Like the saying goes......the trick to 3rd shift is getting used to feeling bad. Back when I used to work it I tried both ways: Staying up and going in the morning after I got off or sleeping till about 2 and then going for the evening hunt. Of the two, I always liked the latter best. Either way though, it really messed with hunting time.

[heydeerman]

Been working 3rd for a couple years now. I thought I would have more time to hunt on this shift when i first started but lack of sleep or the changing of sleep paterns is something I am still not used to. Going out in the morning I am dead tired and can only last a little while. Try to wake up and hunt and I can only last a little while. I have used up alot of my vacation to hunt so I can be a little normal from time to time. I have no advise to offer as I have yet to figure something out. I have basically turned into a weekend warrior and this shift has really taken alot out of me and my hunting experience. Make sure you get some sleep sometime.

[Rico]

I never really had a problem sleeping while working 3rd shift... Its when I got home I couldn't sleep.
 Probably your not getting enough of the right sleep darken the windows and put in some ear plugs. Good Luck

[dgf41]

I have worked third shift forseveral years and likr it bettere then working days. I do have more time to hunt in the afternoon then people I know that work days. I can be hunting before they get off work. I also have a advantage of hunting on 300 acres that I live on and that makes a big difference.

[Deadsmple]

I have worked the overnight shift for more than twenty years now. It is a lifestyle. What I mean is that you need to totally give yourself over to living those hours. I have no friends that work days. All my shopping,banking,etc. is done while everyone else is at work. If my children were grown I would have the time to hunt everyday of the season.

This is what I do to stay fresh at work and on my time off.  First thing is to not sleep right after work. People that work day jobs usually wake up only an hour or so before they have to go to work. They don't normally hit the hay once they get home. Too many obligations. So by doing this, the only time I'm losing sleep is when I'm walking home in the evening from the woods.

The next thing to do is to keep those hours even on weekends and days off. This helps the body stay in the correct mode. With a little time the internal clock adjusts to this lifestyle. I know that's not what most people want to hear but if you want to stay healthy while working nights this is really the only way to go.

My suggestion to most people is to find a day job if you do not want to change to this kind of lifestyle. Hope I was of some help.

[bayoulongbowman]

its called vacation...dont feel bad Im at work , too.....        tradgang at coffee break time   :D

[BamBooBender]

I worked third shift for a couple of years and usually slept right after work, then got up and hunted or spent time with the the family. Only reason I slept first was because that was when everybody else was gone and the house was quiet.I made the room dark as possible, turned off the phone ringer etc. I have a hard time geting to sleep if there's any commotion, so that was what worked best. Like was said above third can be hard on a person. Especially when dealling with others that work a regular day job. They like to come over around noon, beat on the door, and say "whatcha doin?".    

[Problem Child]

I've been on 3rd since June and I love it.I guess I can sleep anytime. Sometimes I go right to sleep,sometimes I stay up. I've hunted more this year than I have in many years. I usually do most of my hunting in the mornings. It seems deer are more relaxed.

[sar]

Moster, full throttle fury, etc.  I personally prefer the sugarfree versions.  I do 6 24 hour shifts a month(they usually drag on till about noon though so closer to 29)  

Penguin caffeinated mints work pretty well also.  They only have about 15mg of caffeine each though.  they're better for maintenance than for loading.

[traditionalkid131]

Thats the one thing Iv'e hated this year about working third's......No Hunting. It's way to hard to work in quality hunting time working this shift, which has limited me this year by ohhhhh 99%.

[southernarcher]

I swing back and forth from days to nights,12hrs,every 4 days.I just try to keep the amount of sleep I get the same regardless of the shift I work.If on days I go to sleep at 11pm,then on nights I go to bed at 11am,and so on.Doesn't really bother me to shift from days to nights.I worked 12hr,third shifts for a year and like Deadsmple said,just give up the normal hour activities,it's just better for you to change your whole lifestyle in that respect I think.Good Luck.

[Dalebow]

C2
I worked 3rd shift and would hunt some in the morn then head to bed or went to bed and hunted the evening util went back:-)
No good answer but hang in there!!

[Brian Halbleib]

Lots of vacation and sick days in November   :cool:  

Been working steady midnights for about 8 years now. Used to get off at 8 and was sleeping by 8:30 and hunted the evenings. Now I have two daughters and my wife is a school teacher so hunting during the week is just about an exercise in futility, especially after the clocks turn back.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Mike Burch]

TTT.

I'd like to hear some more experiences on working this shift and how it affects your hunting and health.

[Slasher]

I used to do it... But I was young and drank a lot back then!!!

Just kidding, The hardest part was the regular distractions like the phone and light.. I used alum foil over the windows... Light problem fixed!!! Then unplug the phone problem solved...

I found that I only slept 4-6 hrs a day, but I was well rested (except when I had  been drinking...) I'm with keeping to the schedule if at all possible... Didn't matter If I went to bed @ 6am or 11.a.m. The 11-4 sleepin makes for best of both werlds as far as hunting goes

Lotsa a luck, but if it makes you miserable, might consider a job change... no job is worth health or happiness...

[woodchucker]

I have worked 3rd shift for the RailRoad for the last 20 years and I wouldn't work anything else!!!!!

First.....I have to explain my "style" of hunting.

I'm strictly a ground hunter.I NEVER go in the woods in the dark.I always wear a good foam seat cushion attached to my belt.I stillhunt my way into my "spot" at first light.Then I sit untill I feel like moving,then I stillhunt to another "spot".When I'm done for the day,I stillhunt my way out of the woods.

Now,I am VERY fortunate to have several weeks vacation,which I take during the hunting season.On the days that I work,I come home at 6am,wake my oldest son Kevin and send him off to high school.Then I wake my wife Lisa,and send her off to work.By now it's about 6:30 and I go to bed for a nap untill about 8am.Then,I get up and wake my little guy Tyler,get him fed and dressed and on the school bus at 8:45. By 9am I'm on my way hunting,and I hunt untill 2-2:30pm then come home to get Tyler off the school bus at 3:30pm. We eat supper at about 4:30pm,then after supper I go back to bed and sleep untill 9pm,then I get up and go to work.For those of you who are wondering,I see ALOT of deer hunting during the "mid-day" hours!!!!!

On a "normal" day when I'm not hunting I sleep from 9am to 3pm.

RAW HIDE.....As you can see,My hunting is good,and as long as I'm hunting,My "health" is GREAT!!!!!

As you can see,It may take some adjustment.....But it certainly CAN be done