Author Topic: Female Hunting Partners? (Read 2035 times)

markc · « **on:** September 17, 2003, 05:07:20 AM »

Ok Dragon31, here goes. How many of you have regular or even occassional hunting partners that are female? I have taken all three of my children hunting/target shooting for years, 2 boys, 1 girl, and over the past few years I have begun to involve my wife more and more into hunting and shooting. She didn't grow up in a family that hunted or even owned a firearm that I know of. So it was a bit new to her to come into my family that hunted and fished and every kid in the family over the age of 8 or 10 owed his own shotgun and likely a rifle and handgun as well as several fishing poles.

I have now been with her at the range a number of times over the years, taught her to shoot, and she now shoots better than I do, bought her a new rifle recently, sat in a blind with her to bag her first deer, was with her when she recently bagged her first feral hog, and last weekend was standing right beside her as she bagged her first exotic sheep.

So, any of you hunt with a woman, (not hunt for women). If so, how has your experience been? If not, then why not?
markc :grin:

crawfish · « **Reply #1 on:** September 17, 2003, 09:37:16 AM »

I have a bunch of lady hunting partners. First off is my daughter(29). She has hunted since she was about 8, then I have my granddaughter (15 lives with me). She started shooting my handguns when she was 4 (S/W 657 loaded with primer and wax bullets). She has been hunting since she was seven. Has her own 657 now. Then I have two daughters-in-law who both hunt. I also have 7 grandkids ALL GIRLS and last but not least my wife who doesn't hunt but sure loves to send thoses bullets down range. I have had all of them on out of state trips a number of times. I just let the outfitter that I'll be with an unrelated female partner and we need seperate accomodations. No big deal around my home.

denvas · « **Reply #2 on:** September 17, 2003, 11:19:15 AM »

Mark,

Very good point made! I have my 15 year old daughter that has been an avid hunting partner since she was 6 1/2 months old, and all 3 of my special lady friends hunt with me. In fact on a recent dove hunt 2 of the got mad because I took the 3rd one insead of them. Oh well, they will get over it won't they.

As you know I am also working with the women's shooting group The Divas to help promote women being involved in the shooting and hunitng sports. Lots of fun being the only male at a women only event with 30 to 50 attendees.

The more women and kids we can get involved the longer our sport will survive!

Double D · « **Reply #3 on:** September 17, 2003, 02:02:32 PM »

Three things in my marriage have been a source of conflict, money, raising the kids and hunting.

I think I have found the solution to all three.

First I got a better paying job.

Second got the kids raised up an gone.

Third well, here's what I did.

I built her, her own varmint gun.

I built her, her own Deer rifle,

I make sure she dresses warm

I built her, her own .22

We have been to Quebec for moose, didn't get one. Wyoming for Antelope, got some. Hunted deer in Oregon, got lots. Hunted Prairie dogs, javelina and exotics in Texas. Safari in South Africa. Ground hogs in Vermont. We are headed to SC next month. There is a whole lot less conflict when she is part of the trip.

I don't know how sucessfull my efforts have been but last Monday we celebrated our 37th.

As long as she see's game and doesn't get cold she is a lot of fun to hunt with. My Wife is my favorite hunting partner.

Bullseye · « **Reply #4 on:** September 17, 2003, 02:33:44 PM »

My oldest daughter (16) tried hunting but did not like it. She does love to shoot at the range though. My youngest daughter (14) likes to hunt squirrels and turkey and will go sit when I deer hunt. She also loves to shoot at the range. My wife deer and turkey hunts but really loves to squirrel hunt. She even took a day off work on opening day of squirrel season and went hunting. She likes shooting skeet but only so so likes shooting rifles and pistols at the range.

It is great. I have no complaints. We have an old farmhouse on 40 acres so during hunting season we all are there every weekend. Everyone has fun and I get more joy out of them getting some game than I do myself anymore. During turkey season I sometimes just took the call and let my wife and daughter take care of the gun duties.

markc · « **Reply #5 on:** September 18, 2003, 03:05:29 AM »

great responses guys, keep em coming you others out there. Double D, what is that varmit gun your wife is holding in that pic? I think a key to this all working well was mentioned by a couple of you, make sure the wife stays warm!!!! If my wife is freezing she is ready to go back to camp. Since I am the one who selects the hunting clothes and is responsible for packing them for the trip, I better not mess up! :-)
markc

Mikey · « **Reply #6 on:** September 18, 2003, 04:10:15 AM »

markc and Double D - what great posts. Thank you for those insights. Double D, you said it right and did it right. I can only add the old axiom that it is a wise man who becomes a fortunate man, and that you are. markc, it sounds like you and Double D share the same thoughts. You are both fortunate to have the successes you have had, but none of it came without the effort required to get there. Nice goin' guys. Mikey.

Dragon31 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 18, 2003, 05:37:07 AM »

Markc:
Thanks for starting the tread. My hunting partner and I had already agreed to bow hunt Ohio county Ky yesteday and I couldn't get out of it (like I tried). For many years I hunted and fished with a male hunting partner. Then Ed up and died, I did the usual, moped around, was angry at everybody and stayed at home making everyone else as miserable as myself. Kids were away at college and hunting season was coming up. I mention at work that without a partner I really didn't want to go far to hunt. One of the secretaries told me her dad raised race horse on a small farm not far away right on a main highway. He also did not allow anyone to hunt far fear of a horse getting shot. The deer on the other hand were a pain in the butt because they ate the corn that he raised to feed the horse, and she was sure I could hunt if she asked him. I said sure why not.
Open morning of that year was really hot and dry I just stayed in the sack and felt sorry for myself. About 2:30 in the afternoon I had enough' threw my stuff in the truck and headed up to take a close look at this farm. It was hot in the low 80's and no cover next to the corn field but a small ditch with a trickly of water in it. After about the first 30 minutes a 8 point buck arrives and I miss him in an open corn field. I tell the story Monday morning at work and everyone laughs except the secreatary who's dad owns the land. She tells me that her dad heard the shot and would really feel better if she was with me to be sure that I don't shoot the horses. I say fine I want to hunt after work on Thurday. I met her at the farm and we've been hunting together ever since including farms in KY. She did not replace my old hunting partner just carved her own place.
Double D hit some really important issues. The females (hunting partner, daughter and granddaughter) want to be warm and dry. They use Browning bids with Gortex but the jackest don't fit to good. I've put up fixed ladder stands (some two man) with shooting rails. I bought Remington youth model 1100, 20 ga shotguns for turkey guns and Remington youth model 700 7-08 for deer ( I load'm down to reduce recoil). They all like to shoot the Ruger MK II slab side with a red dot. I bought a Ruger 45/22 and they did not like it. Cold feet were a problem until I bought Red Head rubber boots with 1000 grams of insultion. They still have trouble taking a leak out of 15 ft tree stand and are aways sure some one is peeking (my daughter forgets who changed her diapers). I've learned to put extra TP in my back pack when I take the grand kids out and I've also been in formed that all of my female hunting partners who have kids now have tiny winy bladders and need me occassionally to provide them some "space".
In short I like to hunt/fish with my son and his crownies but I spend more time in the field with the females in my family than the male.

Dragon31 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 18, 2003, 05:47:28 AM »

This is a thread of great interest to me. When It has run it course the next logical step is equipment. Double D, I would appreciate it if you would start a new thread and elaborate on the equipment that your hunting partner uses, guns, calibers, clothes etc. Did you cut down the gun stock or were they OK?

Double D · « **Reply #9 on:** September 18, 2003, 09:27:56 AM »

Women are the key to the survival of our firearm and hunting heritege. If we can bring only men on board supporting our cause we are missing half the population.

So buy her a gun, make sure it fits her, show her game, and don't let her be cold!

Double D · « **Reply #10 on:** September 18, 2003, 09:32:07 AM »

Call Cabela's and have them send "her" a women's outdoor clothing catalog.

markc · « **Reply #11 on:** September 18, 2003, 11:38:28 AM »

scroll down to the exotics forum and look under my thread on "This weekend" I think I called it, there are some pics of my wife and her first ram. markc

myronman3 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 18, 2003, 06:02:10 PM »

my mother was just as much a part of our deer hunting ritual as anyone else; and seemed to have a knack for bagging the biggest buck every year. probably alot to do with dad putting her in the best spots. although i wouldnt take anything away from her being a very accomplished hunter; as everyone knows it is real easy to screw it up. my wife just isnt interested :cry: , but if i ever have a daughter or granddaughter you can bet i will be teaching her just like i will my boys. :grin:

Duffy · « **Reply #13 on:** September 20, 2003, 06:30:14 AM »

My hunting partners wife is usually right there with us too! This year he bought a new rifle for his daughter and she might give it a try. She's been going along for a couple of years now and is really getting into it. Just has to grow a bit. My wife used to go with me but her MS has messed that up now but she still loves to go fishing.

daddywpb · « **Reply #14 on:** September 22, 2003, 01:31:47 PM »

My 12 year old daughter is on her fourth season with me. She's got her own bow, .22 rifle, 410 shotgun, .22 pistol, and now muzzleloader. We're going deer hunting on some private land next weekend, and the Saturday after that is opening day of dove season. My wife loves to shoot, but she only goes hunting when it's cool (about 2 days a year). They are both members of the NWTF Women in the Outdoors program, and my daughter also does the JAKES program. We went rabbit hunting yesterday and she got another rabbit in the freezer. She loves it, and Dad is very proud!

Dragon31 · « **Reply #15 on:** September 23, 2003, 08:01:11 AM »

In Indiana all deer must be checked in at a designated check in station within 24 hours of the kill. On opening day of gun season these are magnet sites for all to come and see who killed what. Two years ago my hunting partner shot a nice eight point buck about 9:00 am opening day, called me on the radio to go and get the truck she had one down. I help her load up the truck and off to the weigh in station we go (about a 5 minute drive). We get to the station and several guys are ahead of use filling out the forms and weigh in deer. Since it's hot and she shot the deer she buys the cokes, while we wait our turn. By the time she gets back with the cokes 1/2 dozen guys are standing around looking at her deer (which they assume is mine). The converstation went something like this. "Nice deer, whad'za shoot it with?" I didn't shoot it. Its her deer. "Her deer?" Yes.
"Whad''za shoot it with honey?" answer, Ruger Blawkhawk .357 with a red dot. "You mean a pistol?" Oh, I think I forgot to turn off the Red Dot again. Needless to say the boys at the checking station watched carefully as she got in the truck and took out her pistol to make sure the Red Dot was off. I figured she was going to say something about the "honey" crack but, the only thing she did was asked to see the gentleman's deer, a spike if I remember, "nice little deer you have there" was all she said.
Even though I didn't kill a deer for a week I had more fun opening day thinking about the look on those guys faces as she checked her Red Dot. Funny how our clulture views females.

markc · « **Reply #16 on:** September 24, 2003, 03:08:06 AM »

those are some great stories guys. markc

Dand · « **Reply #17 on:** September 24, 2003, 04:28:03 PM »

Just hosted some folks last weekend - 4 guys 1 lady. She was the wife of one of the guys. Apparently this group hunts together frequently in Idaho, Oregon, and here in Alaska- with bows, rifles and hand guns. The whole group missed out on caribou with bows but connected with rifles - one got a brown bear. I know a number of couples who hunt together, including one woman who killed a wild boar in Hawaii with a machete. She might weigh 100 lbs holding the machete! Kinda wish my wife was willing to try it. I agree, more lady hunters would be a good thing for the sport.

Alaska Fish and Game conducts a program "How to be a wilderness woman" that has been very well received. Just learned my sister is attending this fall.

leverfan · « **Reply #18 on:** September 25, 2003, 10:51:59 AM »

I started going shooting with my wife shortly after we started dating, way back in high school. She had never shot before, but she knew that a good part of my time was spent in the woods, so she came along right from the start.

She's got her own rifles and pistols, and I don't have too much to say about what she chooses, as long as she doesn't try to nab something out of my half of the gun safe. It has helped to cut gun stocks down to fit her, as it's been tough to find left-handed "youth" stocks ready-made. Although not very sensitive to recoil (her favorite rifle used to be a 444 with 310 grain reloads), she does prefer to be kicked less rather than more, and she's settled on a lefty 7-08 as her main hunting gun. She's also fond of the 260 Remington, but that's tough to find in left handed rifles. She doesn't like minor power hand guns, oddly enough. Although she shoots them well, she'd rather see the target go flying instead of just punching holes in it. She hasn't hunted with a handgun yet, and probably won't until after she gets the archery bug out of her system a little.

My daughter's only 4, but she's been coming on hunts since I had to put her in a back pack to bring her along. I also have a sister, a grandma, and a step-grandma that have been big fans of hunting. My sister was lucky enough to draw a coveted cow tag for her very first rifle elk hunt, and she connected on a very tasty antlerless elk. She also shoots left handed, but prefers long action rifles, so she's easier to find rifles for. She took her elk with a Remington 700 in 7mm Remington Magnum. She doesn't cut her stocks down, and she doesn't really need to (she's about 5' 8" or 5' 9", maybe). For those folks that might think they have a daughter that will never want to go hunting, my sister was very much against hunting until she was in her twenties, so there's still hope!

texaseyes · « **Reply #19 on:** October 04, 2003, 07:50:03 AM »

Well, I taught my wife to fish and now I am working on the hunting.
My little girl, 11, is all for it but the wife is having trouble with the "Bambi Phobia".
She caught the fish pictured but wouldn't hold it for the camera.

:roll:

woodsdweller · « **Reply #20 on:** October 04, 2003, 09:25:32 AM »

my wife started to hunt with me when we were dating at 17 and 15. she harvested her first buck that year with a 222. she is and avid out doors woman. she bowhunts,gun hunts and fishes. we are now taking our 3 children along and teaching them. in 1993 we went to utah for a honeymoon in a wall tent on a mulie hunt. it was great. she a as much of a hunter in camp as any man can be. and the bunk is much warmer at night as well.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #21 on:** October 05, 2003, 01:14:52 AM »

my ex wife hunted my new fiance hunts my daughter hunts. If they didnt theyd be left at home alot! Dumped many a good lookin girls cause they didnt want to go into the woods with me. I knew that if they were not interested in hunting eventually theyd loose interest in me!

dakotashooter2 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 08, 2003, 05:24:07 AM »

The only female in my house that will hunt is my springer. The up side is she loves to hunt, is a great companion, is affectionate, doesn't talk too much, never complains, is easy to please, never questions my authority, ..... I better stop before I get in trouble.

Dand · « **Reply #23 on:** October 09, 2003, 06:44:06 PM »

I bet that springer don't drink your beer (or count em) or complain if you switch the TV channels either.

Good friend of mine says that's why he like his lab so much. Oh and the lab doesn't complain about new guns either.