Hunting & Marriage advice...

Ice,

Better check my recent comment on Bradley's blog. It's no use.

Dan

Great advice guys, thanks a MILLION! Seems like the advice given would of cost me a couple hundred bucks at a therapist... Thanks for the kind words!!! She talks a big game about going hunting... so I think I will take her hunting on a frozen day in Jan and keep the invite open... or maybe my MAD skills at the Kareoke bar will get her motor running...

WooohooooOOO! Good for you Andy! She couldn't have found a finer man!

Regarding marriage for the hunting man... (All great advice from Greg, Tim, Randy and Hunter!)

Some women feel insecure when their husband leaves home to enjoy an activity that doesn't require her.... Don't let her forget that you two are the home team, and it's always going to be the two of you versus the rest of the world, and NEVER you versus her. Do everything you can to reinforce this with her.

A wise friend advised me not long ago that marriage is about compromise, and that a man must decide what's really important to him... the things that make you WHO YOU ARE. You have to be ready to ask your wife to compromise on these things if necessary. Communicate about them way ahead of time, before the issue arises (opening day weekend!) and let her know what she should expect. If you do this far enough in advance, you show her appropriate consideration and respect as well as giving her time to get used to the idea of you jetting off without her.

Another person I know brings takes the compromise to great lengths. He identified an activity that his wife LOVES (but doesn't overlap with duck season) and pursues that WITH her like crazy, with the stated understanding that he will be hunting ducks like mad come November.

I certainly am not the perfect husband (failing often), but I'm trying to learn to love my wife better...
Marriage is a sacrificial relationship for both husband and wife, but especially for the husband. I say that because Scripture (Eph. 4:25...) instructs us: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy..."
The initiative taken, the aggressive love given, the sacrifice made was clearly from Christ toward the Church. So in the same way, we must treasure our wives above all else in this world. If you can imitate Christ's sacrificial love to your wife, I think she'll be joyfully shooing you and Kota out the door just about whenever you'd like to hunt, knowing she's got a better husband than she had ever dared to hope.

I hope you'll bring your sweetie hunting as often as possible! I can't wait to meet her. :-)

moo

PS: And Iceman, remember we'll always love you, even if we don't get to see you as often as we'd like down at The Riv for a while.

She'll be pushing you out the door if you do this right. Spoil her with attention till time to put out decoys, then she needs to learn the value of quality time with the girls. If that doesn't work, she can come hunting with you and clean birds and help keep Kota's fighting weight on by giving her and you much attention for working so hard providing meat for your family.

If all else fails have her visit Lisa and DeDe a lot and you're golden.

Jewerly....lots and lots of jewerly... Hell I met my wife duck hunting so I'm "in like flinn"...LOL Good luck to ya sir.

I hunted over 45 the season before I got married. Now I only hunt 25-30 and she thinks I don't hunt near as much as I used too. My advice is to put "too much" in perspective.

She's been duck hunting with me once. We broke ice at the boat ramp and hunted below freezing til lunch. I don't know why she doesn't want to go again. I had a great time!