Convincing wife to hunt

Hello all, First I'd like to thank the moderators and all the contributors for one of the best places to find useful info and facts. Now to the task at hand. I have a wonderful life partner who is Portuguese who was born and raised in Portugal. She wonderful. She was raised on a farm/country and did their own sausage, meat preparation, and worked the farm the old fashion way with back breaking hard work. She was the one who taught me to make my own sausage and smoke it. She's the type who can wear a classy business suit and then come home and get her hands dirty. I'm a hunting nut. I soon will have my own hunting property in Quebec, Canada and would spend night and day there if I could. When hunting season comes around I'm always hunting. This year I spent over a month in the bush hunting with my friends. This is where my problem starts. My partner (Susana) finds I neglect her and spend too much time hunting. During the week she works and goes to school so that's not the problem. During the weekends my buddies who work join me to hunt and she's left home alone. She's never hunted or fired a rifle. She doesn't know if she could shoot a deer but is willing to try which I appreciate. So where do I start her off. I grew up in a hunting family so I was raised into it. Susana on the other hand has absolutely no experience with hunting. Do I start her off with a small caliber rifle target practicing? Do I start her with a medium caliber? How do I introduce her to the bush and hunting? Should I have her tag along this season simply to watch? I love my partner and would truly like to have her as my hunting buddy. I believe this will no only bring us closer but allow us to spend quality time together. So how do you get her to see the pleasure of hunting that we the people who do hunt hold so dear? Hunting isn't about just killing deer. Its about the challenge and closeness to nature that we all enjoy. There's nothing like a sunrise or sunset seen from a tree stand with all the other little critters running around. How do I open her eyes to the beauty of the sport and the thrill of the hunt? I'm in no rush to have her hunt. I have over 6 months before next season. I'm sure some of you have been through before and your help is appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Well Brent, your desire to include your wife in your hunting endeavors is admirable, and is something that will take time. I do not disagree with anything the other writer has offered up regarding weapons of choice, or technique. I would however suggest that you leave the other hunting buddies at home when you first include your wife in the hunt. Make the first several trips...or days, hers alone...you be the guide, you cater to the cooking and camp chores, and make it special for just the two of you. Have you had your wife up on this property yet for a walk through, have you taken her out camping on this property just the two of you? Just making her familiar with the surroundings may intrigue her to want to see, and experience more. If perchance you see some deer or other game, then so much the better for both of you.

I also agree with starting out small and gaining proficiency, and then increasing caliber size as she shows an interest, to do otherwise will have her flinching every time she squeezes the trigger. There are always other things to do in and around a camp, but if you're going to interest her in the camp atmosphere, be sure to accompany her in participating in thes other interests, that way she'll discover what she likes and doesn't like, and you'll be there to see the causes, and perhaps remedy the situation firsthand, and then she'll give it another shot. Having more than one woman in camp is a great idea, and so much the better if your wife meets this person(s) beforehand so that there are no personality conflicts. It's amazing how small a camp can get when two people do not care for each other...petty rivalries ensue which are sure to destroy the serenity of the camp. Make it fun, make it interesting, and give her lots of personal attention, and you will not have a problem....Good luck.

Consider getting her a decent camera. I find that I'd rather have my wife with me than bother trying to convince her to hunt. We target shoot guns and bows but when we go out, I'm armed and she has a camera. It works very well for us.