i have been very careful not to be pushy about it, but i've been very gradually bringing my wife into the fold of big game hunting since we got married about 8 years ago. she did not grow up around hunting or eating wild game, so initially she was unsure about the whole thing. but over the years she has become more and more supportive of my outdoor passions, even while we have been raising our three kids ages 3, 5 and 7.
last year, my wife decided she had better try hunting for herself since she knows that i will have all three kids doing it when they come of age, so she and i applied for antelope tags and we were fortunate enough to draw them. prior to the opener i took her to the rifle range and she practiced with the rifle she would be using, which just happened to be one i had bought for the kids a couple years before...you know, it was a deal i couldn't refuse ;-). my wife did very well at the range and after that i knew that aiming would not be the hard part for her...i thought the hard part for her would be whether or not she could pull the trigger when the time came for her to claim her first big game animal. the antelope opener came and we took our oldest daughter with us. my wife had her best chance on a big buck within 30 minutes of first light opening morning but couldn't quite get the shot off before the buck moved away and could not be relocated...funny how those lopes tend to move away when a 6 year old girl is standing up sky-lined only 100 yards away
. it was the last day of the season before my wife and i were able to make time to get out and try again, but my wife's second day out was all it took because she sealed the deal on a decent buck with one shot thru the heart...she even insisted on field dressing the buck herself.
now it's nearing time to apply for special permits for this year and last night she told me she is not only interested in hunting antelope, but also deer. apparently she is catching the same illness i have had since i was a kid, tho hers may not be nearly as severe a case as mine
i am having trouble with controlling my excitement about my wife's increasing level of interest and blowing it with her by inundating her with all of her other hunting options all at once! i just had to share the good news with you all to help get it off my mind, i can't get anything done here at work while thinking about how much better hunting will be this year because i'll be including my wife and kids more than ever!
later
last year, my wife decided she had better try hunting for herself since she knows that i will have all three kids doing it when they come of age, so she and i applied for antelope tags and we were fortunate enough to draw them. prior to the opener i took her to the rifle range and she practiced with the rifle she would be using, which just happened to be one i had bought for the kids a couple years before...you know, it was a deal i couldn't refuse ;-). my wife did very well at the range and after that i knew that aiming would not be the hard part for her...i thought the hard part for her would be whether or not she could pull the trigger when the time came for her to claim her first big game animal. the antelope opener came and we took our oldest daughter with us. my wife had her best chance on a big buck within 30 minutes of first light opening morning but couldn't quite get the shot off before the buck moved away and could not be relocated...funny how those lopes tend to move away when a 6 year old girl is standing up sky-lined only 100 yards away
. it was the last day of the season before my wife and i were able to make time to get out and try again, but my wife's second day out was all it took because she sealed the deal on a decent buck with one shot thru the heart...she even insisted on field dressing the buck herself.now it's nearing time to apply for special permits for this year and last night she told me she is not only interested in hunting antelope, but also deer. apparently she is catching the same illness i have had since i was a kid, tho hers may not be nearly as severe a case as mine
i am having trouble with controlling my excitement about my wife's increasing level of interest and blowing it with her by inundating her with all of her other hunting options all at once! i just had to share the good news with you all to help get it off my mind, i can't get anything done here at work while thinking about how much better hunting will be this year because i'll be including my wife and kids more than ever!
later
