His wife was standing there at the bench watching him. After a long period of silence she finally speaks.

"Honey, I've been thinking, now that we are married I think it's time you quit hunting, shooting, hand-loading, and fishing. Maybe you should sell your guns and boat".

Jim gets this horrified look on his face.

She says, "Darling, what's wrong?"

"There for a minute you were sounding like my ex-wife."

"Ex wife!", she screams, "I didn't know you were married before!"

"I wasn't. "

Before I got married I was a hard core hunter and fishermen. I told my wife that she would be a hunting widow in the fall.

She married me any way she tried to pull your not going hunting only once. I informed her what I told her before we were married.

We now have been married over 34 years and tomorrow I am going on a week on fishing trip and the only thing she said was have nice time.

The first wife used to complain and then go shopping. Figured she needed to spend $$ if I was off having fun.

The second wife simply says when do we leave and about every other time says "you need to make it a GUY ONLY trip and spend time with your buddies". Love that woman.

My wife of 40 years has always said I could go if I had the money. AND "GO" I HAVE!
Zeke

Mine of 41 years is going again (her 6th time) to Africa with me in August. And, I'll be fly fishing with two of our sons this weekend.

I read Robert Ruark, starting as a nine year old. I would saddle my horse, ride three miles into town, and tie him to one of those 100 year old hitching posts behind the library, and read books on hunting Africa for hours.

He declared the Cape Buffalo the most likely to kill you if you messed up. I agree. That quote "Cape Buffalo; they simply look at you as if you owe them money...".

I decided then, that someday I would go to Africa.
The Army & Vietnam, and then two bad marriages later, along with the business of life; and somehow it is 2008 and I am still waiting.

I kept talking about it, and my lovely wife of 18 years looked at me and said "you have the $$$ in the bank. Either go, or stop talking about it...". This is the week before Thanksgiving in 2008.

Six weeks later I was in Joberg waiting for the connecting flight to Harare and a hunt with CMS.

Eight days after that, we were taking pictures.

She encouraged me to make two more trips, and is telling me to save some money and go again.

Did I mention June 22nd, we will celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary?

A good woman is everything...

And DAMN hard to find in the modern world ! Took me 47 years to find one that actually understands.

quote:

A good woman is everything...

So very true, Rich.

quote:

quote:A good woman is everything...

Ain't that the truth. I go to Africa and my wife goes to France. Thankfully she doesn't try to match my spending.

My ex-wife started a fight every time I said I was going hunting. She'd carry it on right up to the moment I left. We have now been divorced 22 years. Best years of my life!
Oh, and I would get married again if I could find someone who enjoyed hunting.

prof,

I've been married to mine 25 years on the 22nd. I knew I had found the perfect woman when I got her a Remington M37 for an engagement present and she loved it.

She had a birthday in late April. She asked for a Carbon-15 and a 22lr Ciener conversion.

When I first started hunting, I learned a lesson for life. I won a trip for fall hunting in the Caspian sea, in a good hunting area. Vouchers were scarce and were distributed in the spring. The joy I shared with my wife... and then every day had a discussion about the reasons why I should not go on this hunt, all of six months. Since then I have been telling my wife about my departure on the day of departure. While working, for 38 years.
And although women in the family know how to shoot and from 9x64, and the daughter is even reserve officer - I still believe that to bring home the mammoth is a male's job.

My wife is into horses, I like to hunt, couldn't be a better combination. Even took her on a Grizzly hunt and she was the one that spotted the bear, then helped skin it. Beat that.

Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams:
Beat that.

Grizz

Because to retrain our wives is probably unrealistic, the only way for us to beat that - is to marry a professional hunter.

I had an engagement end almost exactly that way in my youth. I bet you can still see the tire tracks in her parent's driveway from when I sped away.