Too late to start?

James K.

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2019
Messages
143
Location
usa
I have been married for 35+ yrs. I have never hunted anything but fish & only then a few times a year with 3 fishing buddies. Now my fishing buddies have either retired & moved away or have plain retired. I am the last one working & a co-worker whom i have known & worked with for 25 yrs has invited me Deer Hunting for several years now. I want to go, the deadline for getting tags is in 2 days. This fall i will be 60 yr old. I did not bring it up to my wife before because i know how she feels about hunters......because her dad & uncles hunted & she grew up & did not appreciate their demeanor. Last night i told her i wanted to go this fall, She gave every reason under the sun ranging from , "This is not you" to , "i don't want the mess in the house, i will not eat deer meat, Your 60 yrs old, you have a bad back, you could get shot. You are not going to do this. You did not grow up this way"...…..My question is , How do i get thru to her? I do not want to be insensitive but is hunting worth pursuing at my age? I feel i would regret it if i didn't at least try. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1626.JPG
    IMG_1626.JPG
    617.1 KB · Views: 282
Can always find a new wife.....
But that is costly....
Probably your best is to cave to her...let her run your life some more.....
But if you really want to try hunting....go for it....if your sitting in a stand or such...no real worry about being shot...if you're running brush..wear lots of orange......i am not so callused to think I can go anywhere and not be subject to some idiot looking at me thru his rifle scope.....i just hope if the trigger is pulled it is a good shot.....
If you're wo lucky to take an animal on your hunt you could always donate to a family in need..since she won't eat of cook it..which just leaves mkre for you anyways.......
If you want to claim it's a back issue....jump in line....my back is crap...yet I walk as much as i possibly can...not just for the exercise...but the woods make me feel better about life in general.....
If she wants to keep bitching at you.....well...thats your decision to make......she may just keep it up knowing she won before......
 
James it looks bad for you bud, sounds like its been settled already. I'm sure glad my wife don't try to talk me outta things I decide to do, shes got her things and I support them and likewise I got my things and she supports them. By the way she loves deer meat, deep fried grouse breast, and moose any way its done as well as the fish I catch, life is good. I don't worry about being shot while hunting.......where I hunt I never see hunters, I worry more about coming down out of a tree the hard way :eek:
 
James it looks bad for you bud, sounds like its been settled already. I'm sure glad my wife don't try to talk me outta things I decide to do, shes got her things and I support them and likewise I got my things and she supports them. By the way she loves deer meat, deep fried grouse breast, and moose any way its done as well as the fish I catch, life is good. I don't worry about being shot while hunting.......where I hunt I never see hunters, I worry more about coming down out of a tree the hard way :eek:

Savage, You are a blessed & lucky man indeed. I am surely between a rock & a hard spot but i will not give up just yet.
 
I have been married for 35+ yrs. I have never hunted anything but fish & only then a few times a year with 3 fishing buddies. Now my fishing buddies have either retired & moved away or have plain retired. I am the last one working & a co-worker whom i have known & worked with for 25 yrs has invited me Deer Hunting for several years now. I want to go, the deadline for getting tags is in 2 days. This fall i will be 60 yr old. I did not bring it up to my wife before because i know how she feels about hunters......because her dad & uncles hunted & she grew up & did not appreciate their demeanor. Last night i told her i wanted to go this fall, She gave every reason under the sun ranging from , "This is not you" to , "i don't want the mess in the house, i will not eat deer meat, Your 60 yrs old, you have a bad back, you could get shot. You are not going to do this. You did not grow up this way"...…..My question is , How do i get thru to her? I do not want to be insensitive but is hunting worth pursuing at my age? I feel i would regret it if i didn't at least try. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
She needs to know you are not the same as her dad and uncles . Either she respects your needs and understand s you wanting to try it or not . I'm sorry but a person has to enjoy something.
 
This is probably a long shot, but here goes anyways!
Maybe she won't eat the meat, which is fine. My wife loves elk, but isn't a huge deer fan unless it's ground and atleast a 93-7 mix or heavier.
Perhaps this would be an opportunity to not only hunt, but also have the opportunity to support a local food bank or shelter with fresh meat (whatever is too much for yourself anyways).
I am not sure how that works in your area, but I know the gesture is highly welcomed in mine...

Good luck!
 
Being with your buds in "deer camp" is a lot of fun and a bonding experience full of memories, laughter & learning. As previously mentioned, deer meat does not need to enter your home. Give your wife the opportunity to visit family, friends or a spa.
 
Does the phrase "puzzie whipped" come to mind ?

Are you allowed to leave the house ?

Sad, sad, sad !

View attachment 194424
I support my wife's endeavors, no matter how I feel about them. Hard sometimes. I, in turn, DEMAND that she support mine. I have to remind her of this more often than I would like, but in the end it is fair and we get along pretty well.
 
I am 70 years "young" and I will tell you I have worse classification of severe spinal stenosis and severe spinal arthritis that can be debilitating at times. Actually most times. I had my best year of deer hunting ever last fall and it was hard to do but it was worth every second of the effort. I went elk hunting last fall and toughed it out right up to being snowed out and having to break camp for a bug out. But when I am in the woods, watching dawn break and woods coming alive, pain just melts away and I am in a really good place. If the shooting of a deer is of question, still go and sit with your buddy if he is ok with it to experience it first hand. Maybe you won't like it or maybe you will absolutely love it. Hunting is not killing but the summation of a total experience that cannot be easily described to anyone unless you actually experience it. Hearing a deer walking up on you will elevate your senses to a degree you never thought possible and even if you do not shoot anything that experience alone will be worth every second in the woods. If you take the time to be an observer, you will see animals do things that you didn't think was possible and sometimes laughable. Bring a camera, bring a lunch, take a nap in the woods, enjoy the moment is what I will tell you.

Oh yeah, my wife will not eat venison but she understands my time in the woods is my mental health fix and she hopes I can do it for as long as I can stand up.
 
I am 70 years "young" and I will tell you I have worse classification of severe spinal stenosis and severe spinal arthritis that can be debilitating at times. Actually most times. I had my best year of deer hunting ever last fall and it was hard to do but it was worth every second of the effort. I went elk hunting last fall and toughed it out right up to being snowed out and having to break camp for a bug out. But when I am in the woods, watching dawn break and woods coming alive, pain just melts away and I am in a really good place. If the shooting of a deer is of question, still go and sit with your buddy if he is ok with it to experience it first hand. Maybe you won't like it or maybe you will absolutely love it. Hunting is not killing but the summation of a total experience that cannot be easily described to anyone unless you actually experience it. Hearing a deer walking up on you will elevate your senses to a degree you never thought possible and even if you do not shoot anything that experience alone will be worth every second in the woods. If you take the time to be an observer, you will see animals do things that you didn't think was possible and sometimes laughable. Bring a camera, bring a lunch, take a nap in the woods, enjoy the moment is what I will tell you.

Oh yeah, my wife will not eat venison but she understands my time in the woods is my mental health fix and she hopes I can do it for as long as I can stand up.

Truly Sage Advice, thank you very much Muddyboots…..very inspiring & very much appreciated.
 
go hunting. You only live once, and if you want to experience hunting then you should! you have already brought it up and heard her thoughts. Now you go and tell her you have decided to go hunt this fall because it is something you need to do for you! However, you would like to reassure her that this will in no way change the kind of kind-hearted man that you are, and furthermore you will be sure to not make any messes in the house, or require her to eat your harvest. You can enjoy the meat yourself or bless friends and family with it, or those in need! Let her know that you take this very seriously and will be practicing your shooting and hunting skills beforehand in order to have a SAFE and fun experience. You plan to wear Hunter orange etc. and will be safe. Your wife loves and cares for you and she needs to know you appreciate that, but she also needs to let you be your own man and experience things in this life! Your fishing buddies are gone and a long time friend has reached out to you and you wanna take advantage of this opportunity to further your friendship with them as well as enjoy the great outdoors. Sunrise from a frosty treestand is quite beautiful! Man I feel like an advice columnist lol! Good luck and happy hunting!
 
I have been married 15 years and enjoyed it all. My wife supports what I do and usually wants to join me in everything. I have friends that have had similar situations to yours. Most have found that as they start into the endeavor their spouses settle soon after the shock of "you wanna do what?" I would proceed with the new adventure you'd like to undertake and see how it goes.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top