Significant other hunting intro

[MT Bound]

Some guys have all the luck. I go to bed dreaming I will wake up in a cabin in the woods with a view of the mountains with the sound of bugling elk and the water running down the trout stream. My girlfriends all dreamed about waking up at the Ritz Carlton with a view of the beach and the sound of room service being delivered.

Sorry man, not to be harsh....but guess you need to pick different girlfriends.....

I was there once like you, then I wised up and chose more selectively.

 

[Panda Bear]

Her introduction to hunting will (and should) likely start long before she’s the one with a license.

Figure out what she likes to do already, then build on that. The relative ease or difficulty of the quarry is less of a concern in this particular case IMO.

I agree. She doesn't necessarily need to or even want to hunt, to enjoy being on a hunting trip with you. Baby steps, dont push, she will find the place she wants to be. I too find myself preferring different hunting challenges. I like bear, sheep, goat and sometimes go alone. He likes Caribou, moose, deer and he also sometimes goes alone.

In response to a couple of posts. I enjoy the mountains. I enjoy the beach. I enjoy the campfire and tent. I enjoy the suite and room service. Do we 'females" have to be either/or --why can't we enjoy both, my husband does.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Don't handicap a beginning hunter by taking them dove or duck hunting.
If they aren't pretty dog gone quick to pick up mounting a shotgun, lead, swing and follow through, they can get frustrated pretty quick. Not to mention species ID for ducks.

I'd start out at a rifle range and/or a camera store and see how their interests develop.

Bad advice. Mounting and firing a shotgun at a bird isn't rocket science. There's usually lots of targets to shoot at so missing some shots isn't a big deal. I always look at it as a blessing. The longer it takes me to fill a bag, the longer I'm in the outdoors with the one I love. Also, a shotgun fires multiple projectiles at once which increases the odds of connecting with the targets, even for someone who's not yet developed expertise.

Secondly, the one we both love is also along during the initiation. Never knew a gal who didn't enjoy being around my hunting dogs, especially when they're working. Watching a good dog work birds is a GREAT way get the significant other involved in hunting. In fact, I can't think of a better one. Once she sees how worked up the dogs get, she'll get worked up too.

A piece of very important advice: It will be necessary to dispatch wounded game. Discuss this beforehand. It happens to the best of us. The gals need to be forewarned. When it occurs, the cardinal rule for those who are starting out is we DO NOT look the animal/bird in the eye when finishing it off. Avoid that. It's good advice even for those who are experienced. All they will see is pain and terror and confusion. Best way to turn off a new prospect is for them to engage in eye contact. And invariably the crippled game will attempt it. Finish it as quickly and mechanically as possible. For the uninitiated, I have them stand off or even look the other way while I do it. No sense in thrusting them into the ugly side of hunting right out of the chute ... but I know some fathers who insist on it when starting their kids. Very stupid.

 

[Bob-WY]

My wife hunts, fishes, hikes, loves it all. No in WY, my favorite is chasing pronghorn around, her's is sitting with her bow watching whitetails run around her. She also loves elk especially if we can get them talking. Fishing, she's like a little kid when she hooks a good one. Took her pheasant hunting last November with friends who have yellow labs, her favorite part was watching the dogs have fun (as a side note, she loves those dogs!)

She got into it slow, but steady. Vacations? She'd pick a cruise/beach, I"d pick hunting - that's actually how we ended up in WY, went on two "hunting vacations" here.

Let them lead the way, you just make it possible. I have no issue carrying a gun with her hunting as well. We agree that she gets first shot option, always. No issue. Many times, I will leave her on a stand in a travel corridor for elk, and I go off hiking. Just make sure she knows how to get to the truck in case I get side-tracked

she's also a better animal spotter than me, and she is amazing with a knife in her hands. We have the gut-less method down to a quick process working together. She is a good packer on elk too!

Has to happen at her pace.

 

[Otto Matic]

My wife started hunting with me before we ever married. Deer, ducks, doves, etc.
She knows I still enjoy hunting, but the cold now really is uncomfortable for her.
I offered to heat the box blind, but she would rather just sit at home and read or relax with her dogs (Rotties!) OR...
go to Starbucks for a coffee and wander around Target. LOL!

My wife has asked me not to GO hunting a few times, but she's never told/asked me NOT to hunt.... Come to think of it, she's never told me I couldn't purchase a (another?!) gun!
Early in our relationship, I showed her how a closet full of guns is like a savings account. In fact, if I drag a new one in, she wants me to go over it with her.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

I’ve done this with many women and all of my wives. Just kidding there was only one wife and I ain’t doing it again.
The best thing you could do is if you are a decent turkey guy is that hunt. The weather is beautiful, it’s typically only the morning dependent on state but don’t overdue it any way.
If you understand how, roost a bird the night before, come morning you’ll be in the game and her eyes will light up when he fires off 70 yards away.
Another fun one is a rabbit hunt over beagles. She’d prob get a kick out of the dogs and the rush of having them singing coming to you while you could make it all about her and guide her would be neat. A few upland species over a point dog, a flusher will rush her too much imo. If you know someone with the right dogs ask them to help you, heck if you were close to NJ I’d help you with any of the above.
Ive introduced many women, kids, and newbies to the sport, even some that said they were disinterested by asking them to just come listen w me for gobbles preseason. Come and watch this pup at a field trial, come walk with me while I work this dog, etc etc they’re being introduced and don’t even know it.
Not being too contradictory to other guys ideas but I’d say I’d def not try any big game initially. Gotta be action packed and fun. Too much just sitting big game hunting for some folks. Too much being quiet and uncomfortable. Another is ducks. It can be fun but around here it’s work to set up. Too strenuous for a first exposure.
We don’t get to keep trying to hook em, once it’s out of their head they even want to try it’ll be an uphill battle. Ease them in and do it at their pace

 

[Otto Matic]

I’ve done this with many women and all of my wives. Just kidding there was only one wife and I ain’t doing it again.
The best thing you could do is if you are a decent turkey guy is that hunt. The weather is beautiful, it’s typically only the morning dependent on state but don’t overdue it any way.
If you understand how, roost a bird the night before, come morning you’ll be in the game and her eyes will light up when he fires off 70 yards away.
Another fun one is a rabbit hunt over beagles. She’d prob get a kick out of the dogs and the rush of having them singing coming to you while you could make it all about her and guide her would be neat. A few upland species over a point dog, a flusher will rush her too much imo. If you know someone with the right dogs ask them to help you, heck if you were close to NJ I’d help you with any of the above.
Ive introduced many women, kids, and newbies to the sport, even some that said they were disinterested by asking them to just come listen w me for gobbles preseason. Come and watch this pup at a field trial, come walk with me while I work this dog, etc etc they’re being introduced and don’t even know it.
Not being too contradictory to other guys ideas but I’d say I’d def not try any big game initially. Gotta be action packed and fun. Too much just sitting big game hunting for some folks. Too much being quiet and uncomfortable. Another is ducks. It can be fun but around here it’s work to set up. Too strenuous for a first exposure.
We don’t get to keep trying to hook em, once it’s out of their head they even want to try it’ll be an uphill battle. Ease them in and do it at their pace

Turkey was the last hunt the wife accompanied me on.
I was ready to go home when she poked me and pointed.
In the next field over, one lone tom strolled towards a dusting spot. It took an hour to eventually coax him into gun range!
20 pounds
8" beard
1" needle sharp spurs

You're right! Gorgeous, warm spring morning.

 

[huntin24/7]

I think including her along on as many of your hunts as she’d like to for a season to get a feel for it. I’d talk to her though and maybe she feels ready to try already. If that’s the case, you could take her out for whatever in your area has a higher chance of success or what she feels like trying for first. Just make it fun for her as the main focus though. My wife had hunted a little but not much before we met. She loves it and our getaways are usually chasing big game or going fishing now.

 

[blackbeard]

Be sure to keep it fun for them. My soon to be wife already hunts but I got my daughter into it pretty good by going her pace and letting her call deer because that's what she likes to hunt. She's now 10 has 2 deer and a ram, wants to go antelope next year. Do it right and you can create a monster lol. When's it's my turn to hunt she rattles horns for me. She's also excited to bow hunt with us in 2 years. Even target practice can be fun with exploding targets or water jugs also.

 

[2rocky]

Anyone who you want to introduce to hunting should come along unarmed well before they go to the trouble of Hunters Ed. If their first experience is pulling the trigger, I don't think they really appreciate what it is all about. That goes for kids as well as spouses.

Here's where we are at right now. She has her own Binoculars and likes finding them. She's my best cheerleader and encourages me to go on hunts. She's filmed me killing a turkey with my bow, but hasn't pressed me to take HS though i've told her that has to happen if she wants to take the trigger...

 

[Akcabin]

The Good Lord blessed me with the perfect lady near 40 years ago. And she took the lead when it came to having kids.
But mostly she supports me. She knows how much passion I have for being outdoors. We often discuss " how did we manage to build our cabin ". Well I may have done a lot of footwork. But she made it happen.
I am still at awe. When we're out, miles from anywhere or anyone. In the middle of nowhere Alaska. And something breaks. She has had lots of foot surgery, walking hurts her.
Imagine, your out enjoying life, nobody around don't even have cell service. Or even cell phones or GPS. The inevitable happens, usually when you're stuck bad or tired. Surrounded by kazillions of biting bugs, grizzly/brown bears ornery moose or wolves.
And having to look at your beautiful wife n say " hey baby you're going to have to sit here while I go get whatever it is I can't fix in the bush. Last time we were straded at our cabin for a week or so as it was 25 below. Too cold to go out. But good because the river was only half frozen n she was willing to jump it , pulling a load of freight. It warmed up n snowed 3 feet overnight with no end in site. Long story short, wrong decision.
Or the night she recognized that I was hypothermic. We got dropped off on the remote lake we use got mixed up on a 45 degree night during a rainstorm. I was wearing a t shirt soaking wet, fell asleep in her arms under a spruce tree. I remember in my mind that I was as comfortable as laying in the sunshine on our living room sofa. She woke me n got me going.
She makes me feel like the most blessed man in the world