Hunting Together

By ProStaff Bailey Jones
Originally posted on Bailey's blog: baileyfett.blogspot.com

As I sat and thought about what topic I would write my first blog entry on, there was one topic that instantly came to mind: Hunting with your significant other. I thought about my girlfriends who hunt, as well as, other members of my Huntress View Pro Staff team and realized that a majority of us all started a real passion for hunting after being introduced or reintroduced by our significant other. I also have several male friends and family who will not take their significant other hunting with them because they think it will take away from their alone time or they aren’t interested in being with a woman who hunts. I’d like to share a couple reasons why I feel it can be beneficial to your relationship to share in the sport of hunting.

A Good Way to Spend Quality Time

As life continues to bring more work and responsibility to your plate, you may find you aren't setting aside quality time to spend with your significant other. When hunting season comes around, you know you are going to be out in the duck blind or up in the tree stand. So, why not bring her along? Spending quality time together can help strengthen the bond you share and in turn strengthen your relationship/marriage. There is nothing more rewarding than sharing in an amazing hunting experience with your other half.

Aarika Feathers and her boyfriend, Mike

                                               You Always Have A Hunting Buddy

Some people may prefer to hunt alone. This may be feasible when it comes to hunting deer or other game, but when it comes to waterfowl I do not know anyone who wants to setup their entire decoy spread by themselves. Not only would that be extremely tiring, but it would take much more time which means the later you can get setup in your blind and start looking for birds. Not only does having a hunting partner help with setup and take down, but you know it is always nice to have someone to share in your experience and take pictures of you and all of the rewards you hope to bring home :). Friends can back out at the last second, but you always know you have someone who is willing to get up and go when you need a buddy. No cancelled hunting trips in our house!

Huntress View ProStaff Kaitlyn Harris and her fiance Aristotle

You Can Learn From One Another
There is always something new to learn with hunting. For example, a new shot or a new decoy pattern. There is always room for improvement and advancement. If both of you share in the passion, you can bring what both of you have learned or heard to the table and help each other grow in to better hunters. Talk about it and teach each other. Increase the knowledge you both possess. I have loved being able to grow and improve with my fiancé and I know he has enjoyed being my teacher. It can bring a feeling of accomplishment to both of you. Whoever taught will feel they have done well and so will the one who successfully executed a new tactic.

Me and my fiance Kyle

You Have Someone to Talk to Without Being Judged
It's easy to get embarrassed if you miss a shot or come home empty handed, even though there is never a guarantee when it comes to hunting. Having a person who you can talk out your frustration with is important. Let's face it, you don't want to talk to someone you think will judge you as a "bad hunter" or "lousy shot". I've read articles where it states that you may actually end up blaming one another for your miss or bad luck. I have never personally had this problem. We are a team when we hunt together, if he misses...I miss. We pout for about five seconds and then prepare ourselves for the next flock.

One More Thing You Have In Common
If you don't have anything in common with one another, you are never going to actually enjoy doing things together. (Not both of you at the same time anyways.) One person might have a good time, while the other is compromising and just trying to get through it because he/she knows it makes the other one happy. Don't get me wrong... There is nothing wrong with doing something you might not be a huge fan of just to keep your other half happy. However, if she wants to go hunting with you, why not? It can be one more thing you have in common. What's better than doing something you both want to do and enjoy? Nothing in my opinion. Sure you can have other things in common that you enjoy doing with one another, but having one more common interest is never a bad thing.

These are just some of the many reasons why I feel hunting with your significant other can really nurture your relationship.  Now guys, this is not to say that if you introduce your other half to hunting that you are never going to be able to enjoy another hunt without her again. I feel it is important to go on your own hunts, as well as, your joint hunts. This goes for both men and women. My fiancé and I hunt together and apart. We have our hunts, but he also has his “guy hunts” and I have my “girl hunts”. So next time your other half asks if she can go hunting with you, don’t shoot her down without thinking about how it can benefit the both of you.