Deer Are Not The Only Victims of Hunting Season

by Rebecca Buckley

Ahh can you feel it? Smell it? Taste it? No, it is not venison cooking once again but the raw scent of hunting season. It’s that time again and all the hunters are now practicing routinely, stocking up on any needed equipment or maybe splurging on a new bow or a new getup. Sadly, these hunters are unaware that along with all of these very exciting events, also comes the shriek of wives or girlfriends everywhere.

Can you hear it? "Joe, you haven't helped at all the past couple months. I've done all the work with the kids and the house. All you do is come home from work and go hunting. Sometimes you even leave work early to go hunting and don't come back until we are all in bed." I am sure that many men have heard a line such as this and you think to yourself "Why doesn't she understand me? Doesn't she know I need this?" The answer is "No." No, she doesn't understand your infatuation with hunting, with standing in the cold for hours just to get a glimpse and maybe, if you're lucky, even a shot of the Infamous Whitetail or the gutting process you have to go through to truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.

If whenever you go out to a function and the first thing you do is attempt to locate any fellow hunters in the room, you have a problem. All of you hunters have to be sensitive to the needs of your women. Sure, as a woman, I certainly understand how it is not fun to come home from a long day at work and talk to your wife or play with your kids or even maybe pick up the house. I am certainly not suggesting you have to do all of the mentioned more than actually hunting during the season. I'm simply suggesting to not make it obvious and blatant to your wife or loved one that this takes priority over all events, issues and situations for the period of a few months. It hurts our feelings. We think, "What could be more fun than coming home and discussing the daily events of laundry or diaper changing? Not a whole lot and certainly not hunting but yet he is out hunting again." As you can see, we also live in a fantasy world just as our cavemen husbands. When we do get you to talk to us, it's about the Great Whitetail or the 'near miss' or about the how the rut has started and on and on. Coming from a big city and marrying a country boy, it was a rude awakening to how ruthless hunters are when it is season.

This article was written just to make you aware of the situation your wives or loved ones are in during the dreaded hunting season. And by "dreaded" I do mean dreaded. This article is based on actual statistics and experiences. These experiences vary by individual. I have no doubt that there are wives that fully support every aspect of this sport. I just haven't met one yet. Happy Hunting! Here are a few tips on how to enjoy the season but not infuriate your wife or loved one:

• Not every meal has to involve venison
• It IS okay to go one night without hunting or discussing hunting
• On your night(s) off from hunting, don’t spend the spare time in front of the computer rereading the same bits of information about deer and their habits or outside practicing your shot, once again
• If you're driving with your wife and get behind a vehicle with a hunting decal, don't feel the need to remind her that you're sure he's a good guy.
• During the rare non-hunting related discussion with your wife, do not somehow incorporate your big shot or the Great Whitetail into her story. Ssshhh just listen.
• Take down the “Countdown to Hunting Season” rip-off calendar in the kitchen. Try it in the garage instead-she’ll be less likely to repeatedly see it there.
• If on the off chance that you do buy your children some clothes or accessories, try really hard not to purchase camo patterns for them. And yes, this means for your baby daughter as well.

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