Serious deer hunters home life

[Creek]

My wife understands when it comes to spending money on hunting. Trust me, I don't spend very much at all on hunting compared to the average, imo. She doesn't mind me going hunting and staying all day if I want to. Things have been different in the last couple of years where I can't hunt like I used to, but I hope to get back at it in the near future.

So, all you serious deer hunters, Im curious, how are things handled at your place? Does your wife/girlfriend hate you so much she's glad to see you leave? Does she gripe and moan about how much money you spend?

 

[muddyboots]

No all good here. We discussed this before we got married. She hunts too. I live by the rule family comes first and don't miss family activities to hunt. She also understands if conditions are perfect I'd rather not have a family activity but sometimes it just works that way. We have no issues over hunting.

 

[Jcalder]

My exwife used to gripe. 1 of 11,354,887 reasons she's an ex. My current wife doesn't fuss and encourages me to go. She works nearly every Saturday so it wouldn't matter. We both have a mutual respect for each others time, desires, and hobbies.

 

[backyardtndeer]

I got my wife into hunting pretty early on in our marriage. She grew up around it, her stepdad hunted, but she never was into it before I got her in a stand in the middle of the rut.

Only downside to her hunting is that a couple of times she has killed my target buck. lol. Always happy for her to be out there though as she enjoys it. This was her this years buck.

 

[J.A.F.O.]

I'm kicked out the house if I don't go often enough. Seriously,she knows how annoying I'll get. Plus she loves wild game as much or more than I do. She was raised in Wy and ate only wild game for years. Still hard to get my father in law to eat beef and pork. Lives off of elk,moose,bear and pronghorn.
Y'all ever had canned elk?!? Tastes like beef stew meat.

 

[MUP]

My wife told me that we were out of deer meat in the freezer and to go shoot something this year. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I went and shot something.

 

[Gobble4me757]

I don't overdo it during deer season because my wife knows turkey season I'm hunting everyday I can/every weekend. I'll hunt at the beginning of season, rut, and then south bama in January a weekend or two. My wife is great it's just tough as I have to pick up the baby/keep him some Saturdays that she works. I do a lot of half day hunts and not as many full weekends as I used to.

As much as I love to hunt/especially turkey hunt, I refuse to value hunting over my family/being present in my son/wife's life. I can't wait for the days little Silas gets to join his daddy in the woods! (He is 8months old right now so will be a couple years )

 

[rem270]

My wife has never complained on how much time I spend hunting or how much I spend on hunting. Not that it would do her any good but I'm thankful there's never been an issue. And believe me during hunting seasons (deer and turkey), I put a lot more priorities to the side and hunt instead.

 

[Creek]

I don't overdo it during deer season because my wife knows turkey season I'm hunting everyday I can/every weekend. I'll hunt at the beginning of season, rut, and then south bama in January a weekend or two. My wife is great it's just tough as I have to pick up the baby/keep him some Saturdays that she works. I do a lot of half day hunts and not as many full weekends as I used to.

As much as I love to hunt/especially turkey hunt, I refuse to value hunting over my family/being present in my son/wife's life. I can't wait for the days little Silas gets to join his daddy in the woods! (He is 8months old right now so will be a couple years )

Our boys have been gone from home for so long I forgot how many of you have to balance your priorities with children like others have already mentioned. I'll take my blinders off now

 

[EastTNHunter]

My wife used to hate my hunting. Now she encourages me to go because:
A) I have better balance in my life now than I used to
B) She knows that I put everyone else ahead of myself the rest of the year, including family, work, church, coaching, etc, and hunting is the only thing that I ask to do alone (but I still take my kids, dad, etc)
C) She really likes the deer meat
D) I'm a better man when I can go to the woods to sort some things out in my head

Some of this is her maturing, but some is also me maturing

 

[JeepKuntry]

By November my ex wife was whining. She knew I hunted before marrying. Now it's go have fun. I will watch the kids. But I make a point to do dates, special things throughout the year to somewhat make up for things.

 

[tickweed]

Simply blessed. I hunt everything. All over the country, Canada. Never a word said. Probably hunted too much . Started dating when she was 15. Now together 45 yrs. So lucky. God has blessed me so much.

 

[SC Manimal]

When we were first married my wife questioned every decision I made. Now I realize it's because I was immature and selfish. Once I started putting her (and later kids) needs first she started trusting me. God game specific roles to men and women. It's cool to see how naturally they work when the goal of both sides is glorifying Him and serving each other. So to answer your question, I don't hunt as much as I would like because being a grown up sucks sometimes. My wife loves when I get to go though because she knows how much I need it.

 

[uncle_loue]

my tactics are simple but effective: i chase my wife like a ruttin buck until shes so weary of my affection she begins to make suggestions like, "shouldn't you be hunting?" or " you havent had a weekend away with the guys in a while"...then i hunt just enough or travel just long enough that she gets to missin all that affection and the cycle begins again.

its worked out great because in earnest after 15 years i still cant keep my hands off of her and she never laments my spending time with guys as a. she does enjoy a respite from my advances and b. she knows im a better husband/father when i have consistent opportunities to be with God in the woods or process life with other men.

 

[Snake]

My wife never complained at all and I hunted alot when I had our leases in middle Tennessee. When I lost those by landowners passing it was kinda bittersweet, I was kinda getting tired of driving 200 miles . Now with my bad back I don't hunt that much but only have to drive about twenty minutes. My wife used to go with me when no one else was going so we spent time together and she enjoyed time away. I got on a lease in middle Tennessee but things have changed since I got on it and I'm just not able to go, hate to leave her here alone because her health is not good .

 

[Gravey]

My ex wife and I were married 20 years. I played a lot of softball, went to UT football games and hunted. I gave up softball and season tickets when our daughter came along but kept hunting. She didn't come from a hunting family and didn't say much but later on I think it bothered her. My wife now doesn't care but I also told her when we started dating that I hunted although not like I used to. She likes to go sit in a tree stand but doesn't get to much because of having her son with us a lot. He's 16 and more independent now but still been a couple of years since she's gone. It's an hour and a half to the lease so not close where she can go a morning or afternoon and be back at the house when he's here.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

My ex wife told everyone that I didnt care about her and just stayed in the woods. But while we were married, she would go with me frequently, take road trips with me to cool places to camp/hunt, etc. Never said anything about it while married. Go figure.

 

[Ski]

No complaints here. I guess I chose pretty well. She's completely supportive. I don't hunt as much or spend as much as she encourages. Hunting doesn't mean anything to her but she sees what it means to me and how much I enjoy it, so she's completely on board. Good woman.

 

[philsanchez76]

When we were first married my wife questioned every decision I made. Now I realize it's because I was immature and selfish. Once I started putting her (and later kids) needs first she started trusting me. God game specific roles to men and women. It's cool to see how naturally they work when the goal of both sides is glorifying Him and serving each other. So to answer your question, I don't hunt as much as I would like because being a grown up sucks sometimes. My wife loves when I get to go though because she knows how much I need it.

You nailed it here.

 

[JN]

Things got better when I explained to my wife how hunting works. She had no clue and didn't understand it. She knows now that beginning of nov to thanksgiving I am going to be in the woods and to not plan any trips or anything. I also try to plan trips with the family and trips with just the wife all throughout the year and try to invest as much time as I spend hunting and fishing with them so it is an even balance.

As for spending money on hunting we agreed when we got married that i would pay all the "bills". We kept separate checking accounts but used the same savings account. Once we have all other savings, investments, giving covered then the remaining is fun money to use on whatever. When have been married 13 years and it seems to have worked so far.