How much hunting does your wife let you get by with?

[fngTony]

Im sure there's some Women's Forum out there that has wives telling a completely different story than some husbands are telling here.

I’d love to hear the other side, got any links?

 

[Trackerbacker]

probably echoing a ton of already made points, but there is no 'permission' at our house.

we are adults.

kids clothed, bathed, fed, read to and shelter provided-check
bills paid-check

beyond that, "hey what are we doing x day/night/time?"- "nothing planned" - "cool im going to go hunt/fish/hike/wrench/etc (me) | shop/galpals lunch date/coffee/etc (her)" - "ok"

if either is seemingly getting out of a hand, a simple "hey could you layoff x for a bit, its been a little chaotic lately" - "ok".

again, we're adults. we talk. we have our priorities together, we have our individual priorities and we have our family priorities. we balance them, and we always understand someone is getting 51% and someone is giving 51%, who is in which category changes.

 

[william schmaltz]

I will add the guys that I know who struggle the most are the ones constantly trying to drop impromptu extended trips on their family. Unless you have a family life that allows things like that, it's a huge stressor if your wife is also working and now has to do all meals, child pickup, homework, laundry, etc. Imagine if she started just randomly telling you "I'm heading out with the girls for a week at the end of the month." The whole damn house would burn down! Now imagine if she did that a couple times a year. I'd start to form a bit of resentment myself.

My wife already knows which days I'm bear baiting next spring. She already knows which dates I'll be moose hunting and which dates I'll be on Kodiak. When draw tags come out in February, exact dates will all be planned months in advance. No surprises, everything is planned out. If she wants to fly up a grandma, it's easy to plan. I also know when she's doing a girl trip in 10 months and a professional conference. Just plan it out. And a month before I leave, I usually help make bulk freezer meals to help her out best I can. Try that route, and if you cover all your bases, it's more likely that when the opportunity for that impromptu trip does come up, it will be much less stressful.

 

[magtech]

I'll start this by saying, yes, my wife beats me.

But sure as shit i hunt as many days a year that I choose to. If she throws a fit and punches out another window ill just take the cimmaron out to the woods.

When she met me I left for an elk hunt. Her first gift to me was a box of food, for an elk hunt.

So A: its ok to hunt as much as you want if your wife beats you

B: steal you wife's purse when you leave to go hunting, so you get your manhood temporarily back.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

It was more give than take when my boys were little but now they are 11 and 16 and they want nothing to do with their boomer dad and they dont like to hunt big game, they like to fish and bird hint, they just dont like getting up early..so I hunt more now than ever. Couple weeks out west, week on my farm in WV and pretty much every weekend from deer to duck season.

 

[Holmes]

My wife hunts and fishes a LOT more days than I do. I ask permission to not go hunting. April and May are the only 2 months of the year that we don't hunt and/or fish at least a handful of days. I'm guessing I hunt/fish ~70 days/year, and she's well over 90.

I try to get permission to go skiing more.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

My wife learned about my Harley purchase when she went into the garage to do laundry.

 

[ToolMann]

My wife laughed when I read her the title of this thread. 25 years together and I'm not quite 44 years old. I hunt when I want. She hunts with me as often as possible. I have better vacation at work so there are a few boys or solo hunts each year. Nobody I'd rather hunt with than her. She's definitely a gem. But she always beats me fishing so I may need to reevaluate that relationship.

 

[Nykki]

My wife was born and raised in Alaska. My job restricted my hunting and fishing time more than the wife.

 

[Bluegrassvw]

3 weeks is the limit for me… 2 weeks and there isn’t much discussion. Anything beyond that and issues start to rear their head. The 2 weeks does not include weekend hunts.

 

[Holokai]

Hunting - enough to keep the freezer stocked

Fishing - enough to feed the crew, neighbors, and family.

Glad my wife likes venison and fresh fish so I rarely get any pushback on hunting/fishing plans

 

[Hnthrdr]

Not enough…. Haha in all seriousness my wife is a trooper. We had our first in Aug. I got to hunt 17 days this September, well 17 half days, but it was good. She is a small business owner and the stars aligned where she took time off and I was able to take time off to make it happen. But yeah I used to hunt roughly 100 days a year for the last 4 (I’m a fireman) so it’s been a bit of a transition to basically get my big game season and Turkey and give up a lot of waterfowl, upland, and predator, but I love my wife and kiddo so it’s worth it.

 

[FRONTIERSMAN87]

So how much time can you get out hunting before your wife/husband/whatever starts to put their foot down? Scenario: I was able to head out to Montana for 11 days, I'd originally planned for 2 weeks but decided to leave on a Monday and get back on a Friday so I only missed one weekend with the family, it was also my sons first day of school so I stayed to see him off. Everything worked out great, made it home, no issues, now I'm treading lightly and trying to get a read on if I dare push it for 5-6 days of rifle elk in October, or if I stick to hunting white tails on the weekends with a few odd days off and take 5-6 days for Mule deer in Mid November. I can't complain, my Spidey senses are telling my rifle elk might put a strain on things, but I know she'll be cool with my other shenanigans (relatively speaking). So I guess what I'm saying is I seem to be able to push one longer trip, one 5-6 day trip and a bunch of at home hunting before I end up in the dog house (On a busy year when I can pull the tags) How much can you get out and how do you keep the home fires burning? I'm sure a week somewhere warm is going to be on the docket this winter, and it looks like a craft show and a bunch of stuff around the house are in my future tomorrow, once I build some equity back up I'll be hitting the woods to check cameras.

As much as I want, I pay the bills...

 

[ArkLaTex]

My wife doesn't bother me unless I miss something important that she has scheduled. She likes to hunt and fish so she understands and doesn't schedule too much without talking to me.

 

[displacedtexan]

Apparently I'm charming to have around.

And fun when I come back.

I'm gone a lot, no complaints.

 

[ajhunts]

Not an issue in our household.

My wife is currently on her own elk hunt in Montana, last day tomorrow unless she scored today. Her guide is a friend she hunted with in Africa, and it sounds like they are having a blast. Two ladies in a tent camp with no service in the mountains where they are hunting. Only heard from her when they brought in her mulie buck yesterday. She said it isn't big, but was a very fun stalk, and pain in the butt to get off the mountain. Hunt conditions are evidently challenging due to warm weather and lots of wind.

She took my cow elk hunt in Oregon in September, to "get ready for her hunt". Mile long stalk resulting in a 30 yard head shot on a bedded elk. Must have learned something, as she said her shot on the mulie buck was about 70 yards.

She left me at home with the dogs bird hunting this week. At least I am on a 5 year streak of the biggest fish.

 

[Bigsky108]

Thankfully, my wife isn't what limits my time Life does a good enough job at that.

 

[Mikido]

“Let”?

 

[ValleyHunter]

My wife has never said I can’t go. With young kids at home I limit myself, and cut back on waterfowl to hunt big game a little more. We spend a lot of time outdoors as a family and I love getting my kids involved with hunting/fishing. I found that being transparent with plans ahead of time is very beneficial. I usually drive at night to gain an extra full day of hunting. My kids will only be little one time, and I hate missing days with them. Looking forward to taking them on trips with me!

 

[roymunson]

I have a good mix, but unlike some folks, my wife and I actually like each other.

She won't hunt, but she loves cooking it. I spent a lot of time in the woods before kids, had to slow it down when the kids were real young, but now, I have young hunters to take with me for "dad time". Its encouraged.

I probably am out once or twice a week in the evening, a little more when the hunting gets good.

Some wives want quality time, some wifes just want you to tell em their heated up dinner was delicious when you get home. talk to the gal.