When I first met my wife, I discovered that her father and brothers were big into bowhunting. Problem was that the women of the family were not allowed to participate. She always bugged me about teaching her so after we married, I purchased a bow for her and began to teach her. First problem was, she was right handed and left eye dominant. Fixed that problem by covering her left eye and she did well. When deer season approached, we went in on a deer lease with her father and brothers near Ft. Hood, Texas. On opening weekend, we didn't arrive until late in the afternoon of the first day. I had prepared her with a ladder stand set back in the cedars with shooting holes overlooking major deer trails. She followed me to her stand (because she was so afraid of snakes I had to lead her to her stand) with about 2 hours of daylight left. She was only 200 yards from our camp. After getting her setup, I walked back to camp and got in my truck and drove about half a mile to the other end of the lease. I parked about 300 yds from my stand and walked in. I had just climbed into my stand and pulled my bow up, when I see my wife running down the trail towards me crying. She was just boo-hooing! I thought something terrible had happened and then she says, I shot a buck. She is still crying her eyes out and yells at me, "You said watch which way it runs when you shoot, but it didn't run, I hit it in the spine and the deer is bleating loudly and trying to get away." She also said after she shot she tipped over the ladder and fell out of the stand. Fortunately she was only 6 feet up. I said that's great, did you finish him? She replied no and that she hated hunting and was never going again. I climbed down from my stand and went and finished off the little 4 point she had killed. I was very proud of her beginners luck but when I started field dressing the deer, she wouldn't touch it or even help me get it into the truck. All she did was stand there begging the deer to forgive her. It was hilarious but the story doesn't end there. I hung the deer in camp and her father and brothers arrived and said that I, Tom, had got a deer. When I told them it was my wifes, they wouldn't believe me. No other deer were taken that weekend. The next weekend, my wife decides to accompany me again but not hunt. She said she just wanted to shoot her bow in camp. The next morning she decides she is going to go again. I walk her to her stand and tell her not to come get me this time if she decides to shoot a deer. I left her and went to my stand. I missed a nice buck that morning on a limb deflection and went back to camp. Upon my arrival at camp, I find her running from her Dad because he was trying to cut her bowstring! She had killed another deer and totally humiliated her brothers and father. Once again, I dressed out her deer. This time she holds the legs for me but won't do any of the cutting. The following weekend, a friend invites us to hunt on his 17 acres near Kerrville, Texas.
I set up a stand for her that is in the woods only 50 yds behind the house.
Next morning, I'm sitting in my stand and a big doe goes racing by me with my wifes arrow straight through both lungs. Talk about beginners luck. But the story continues. That evening, she sees a large buck but, 4 racoons had climbed into the tree with her when the buck came out. Two had climbed above her head and 2 were at her feet. She said she started to be scared but wanted to shoot the buck. When she shot, the coons went nuts and jumped out of the tree, knocking her remaining arrows out with them. The buck saw the coons and just stood there looking at them. She had shot over him and missed him and now couldn't get anymore arrows. She was really mad but I told her to be greatful, she had already taken 3 deer, none for me. Opening weekend of gun season rolled around and she decides to go out again. I put her in a treestand on the first evening after we arrived. I walked away about a hundred yards heading towards my stand and I hear her shoot. I'm thinking she has shot herself and run back. A buck is laying there dead as it can be and she says, "this is too easy, I'm not hunting with a gun anymore." I say to her, why don't you stay home and do women things, like knitting, so I can hunt. All I do is take care of your deer. She has and now I don't get near as much venison to eat, nor her good cooking at camp, or her warmth in the sleeping bag. Boy, was I ever wrong to make that statement!
