Tough spot to be in. For me, my hunting/fishing/outdoor lifestyle were not something that I was willing to sacrifice. For me, ANY reduction in time was too much. I'm already restricted enough with work, that I wasn't going to stand for my sig. other to further limit my time, or make it miserable every time I left to go hunt/fish. My brother finally had enough of it after 8 years and just finalized his divorce. I think you need to think long and hard about your relationship. If hunting is something that you cannot/will not give up or greatly limit, then maybe this girl isn't the one for you. Nothing wrong with that at all, and also no shame in it in my opinion. There is FAR too little time to hunt in this world, and to have it be a battle or a guilt trip just isn't worth it to me.

I went thru the past 2 years of dealing with this with my wife - and she knew very well how much time I spent in the woods during the season. Make it very clear what your intentions are once season begins, and I mean very. We had a discussion which resulted in me saying if there was something important going on, I would stay home. Let me tell you, what she thinks is important and what you think is important will be two different things.

Bottom line - do what makes you happy.

Its not going to magically to get better with time. It will actually get worse once you have children!! That was understood with my wife in the beginning, I like to hunt and she would have to be ok with that. Im not going to act like some hard @&s and say its my way or the highway, but she does understand that this is something that I have done since I was a child and have no intensions of stopping. Out of respect for her, I have cut out going to the camp for the weekend (every weekend) because we have two young children. Its a give and take, but come october 1st, I do a little more taking, but after the first three weeks I slack up until rut.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Its nice to have guys that can relate to my situation. Bottom line is I will never quit hunting. I will cut down on it somewhat to have more family time(she already has a daughter), but will never quit it, and I told her that. I have taken her turkey hunting once and she actually liked it. But she doesn't seem to care to keep going. We have talked and I hope it will be better come Sept 15. This all got riled up when I was starting to go out and check my trail cam several weeks ago.

I told my wife that I hunt and fish ... and to get over it because I would still be hunting and fishing long after she is gone . Now my wife fishes with me on occasion and and hunts a few days a year . She knows im going hunting regardless of her plans .Now we have been married for 22 years and there has never beeen any surprises because I was upfront from the beginning. We were married on DEC 2 and just about the entire wedding party including my wife hunted that morning ... even had the wedding 7 at night so it didn't interfere with my hunting.Yes she has sisters ... and there all married... and I got the best one of the bunch.To be honest if your girl is complaining now it will never work out for you .All women try to change men .... and the guys that i know that let it happen are miserable for years ... and still end up in divorce.Good luck.

+1. That's my situation as well. I let her know that most of the year, I'll bend over backwards to do the things she likes to do. And then come fall, I get to spend more of my 'free time' (what's that?) hunting, shooting, etc. It helps that she comes from a hunting family, and has hunted herself. If anything, she's miffed that she has to watch the kids instead of going hunting with me!

So what the guys are saying about her being more reasonable is accurate. If she can't deal with cutting you some slack in the fall, you're going to have problems down the road. No getting around it.

Have you tried getting her more involved with your passion? Get her a cheap bow (my wife has one) and then you can have fun with the sport together. You also have to realize that once you have kids, you will have to make some sacrifices with your hunting. Doesn't mean you have to abandon it entirely, but small children demand your attention as a father. The good thing is that once they're a little older (5 years and up) you can start involving them in hunting. That is a very rewarding experience and something to look forward to.

First she got you to cut down on your hunting, now she wants it completely gone. Explain that hunting is a part of you and you need to know that she loves all of you, not just a part of you. You'll get your answer either way. I'd also make sure there weren't future plans until you know for sure if she tells you she loves all to make sure it's not just lip service. My wife and I have issues every deer season. But, we've been married 30 years and have learned to deal with each other's pet peeves.

Nip it in the bud now !!! I say dump her!!! LOL!!!!


Hatchet Jack

i dated my wife for 5 years and been married for almost a year and i told her from the get go that when it comes to hunting season i will be hunting and not at home with her she gets annoyed sitting at home by herself 2 days to 5 days a week but like i tell her you cant shoot a deer on the couch and she is not going to get use to it or be ok with it over time you just have to make a decision if you are gonna hunt or spend all of your time with her and if she isnt ok with you hunting then there is always someone out there that you can find that will be ok with it or that will go out with you.

I dated my exwife for 4 years before we got married. She got pissed all the time during those four years cause of my hunting. I told her if we get married my hunting isnt goin to change and she said thats fine! After a year and a half of marriage we got divorced and hunting was one of the reasons she divorced me! So if she dont lk it now i dont see her changing her mind down the road. I love hunting and its a part of me and nobody is goin to change that! If she truly loves you she will make sacrifices for u, but that also gos for you also! Relationships are 50/50!