Wife is showing interest in hunting

[SDS14]

My wife has been very supportive of hunting and enjoys watching hunting TV on Sportsman Channel and YouTube. She also says that she would like to get a Bull Elk and a Mountain Goat. But whenever I suggest signing her up for hunter safety she opposes and says that "guns scare her" (for example recoil, and loudness). What are some tips that I can do help her overcome her fear of firearms? Now lets say we get passed the firearm fear, what calibers of rifles do you recommend for a first time female hunter? What can I do to make a hunt more enjoyable for her?

 

[jvanhoy]

I would talk her out of it as fast as you can!! Haha. 7mm08 is a great caliber for kids and women.

 

[Bugle 'Em In]

Tips...(which you may have already done)
1. Invite her along on your hunts as a guest. Once a critter is knocked down in front of her, it should help her get off the fence.
2. Whenever the gun is going to go off, whether at the range or while hunting, make sure her ears are plugged.
3. Put the rifle in a lead sled to GREATLY reduce the recoil of whatever rifle you're going to have her shoot (agreed the 7mm08 is a great caliber).
4. No matter what, cater the hunt to your wife. If she loves to get out and hike, take her for a long walk looking for critters. If she isn't overly keen on getting too far from the truck, then do what you gotta do. Make it fun for her. You know your wife and what she likes / doesn't like.

My wife recently started to join me the last couple of years. I love it!

Good luck!

 

[Addicting]

I enrolled mine into a women's basic gun course at a shooting range. It was ran by women Certified NRA Instructors. I told her that with me being in the Military, us having kids, and having to be gone for extended periods of time she would need to be comfortable with guns in the house and know how to use them. The great thing about the class was Men weren't there and she didn't feel intimidated asking questions. She brought home her target at the end and by God she is quite the shooter, that was the best 75 bucks I've spent.

This year she agreed to let me start putting her in for a Wyoming antelope points. Small baby steps..it's taken 8 years to get to this point. Don't screw this up!

 

[Bwana]

All good advice.

My wife tagged along for several years before I convinced her she could just as well be carrying a gun since she was doing everything else. Had to laugh when after giving her a compliment on her shooting abilities after dropping four deer in four years of hunting, she looked at me and said, "Well, it isn't that hard, all you have to do is put the crosshairs where you want to hit and then just pull the trigger." She has since learned there is a bit more to it.

P.S. She shoots a 7mm-08. P.P.S. I borrow it every year she doesn't get a tag.

 

[belly-deep]

What about bowhunting?

 

[HighWildFree]

I'd start her on a .22 rimfire or even an air rifle. Shot soda cans or something. Make it enjoyable. My wife started that way and soon enough she wanted to step up to my .3006, which some how because"her's"

 

[Fire_9]

Start her off with some rimfire stuff. Let her burn a couple thousand rounds of .22 lr or .17 hmr and then bump her up.

I know they're a little expensive but do you have any interest in a suppressor? In my experience suppressors are a great way to introduce new shooters to larger calibers. They take a lot of the noise away along with the recoil. They truly make any rifle enjoyable to shoot.

 

[ChrisC]

absolutely agree with the .22. No reason why her first shots need to be from a big game rifle.

 

[cgarner]

Agreed on the .22lr front. That is a good place to start if she has never shot a gun before. I don't think the steps would be that different than taking a youngster out to shot for the first time. Start small and make it fun. I started my wife out on a Ruger 10/22 and she loves shooting it. She even shot my .556 once but she prefers the 22lr. She doesn't hunt so no biggie.

 

[Bwana]

A good way to show her the power of a rifle and to have fun to boot is to fill a gallon jug with water, put the cap on, and then move back to 100 yards and fire away. Pretty dramatic and my children still like to finish a day at the range with a water jug or two.

 

[TheNorthStar]

My wife's deadbeat father died a year ago this past January. She had compiled a list of things she would have liked to do with him if he wasn't such a loser and duck hunting was on it. I told her we could make that happen and she ended up bringing down a few woodies on opening weekend with me in Wisconsin. That being said, in hindsight, wing shooting was a terrible place to start.

I'd introduce her to some small game before anything else and let her decide where she'd like to move from there. Put a premium on shooting practice and an understanding of hunting ethics.

 

[6mm Remington]

Whatever way you start make it fun! (Same with kids starting out.) Start easy and do it on nice days, not really horribly hot or cold weather. Keep her comfortable!

A .22 LR is the perfect starter. Take it out and let her shoot. Even with a .22 you should be wearing hearing protection as it will harm your hearing and it's a good thing to do to protect your hearing. Noise makes the recoil MUCH WORSE than it actually is. I suggest using soft plugs underneath of a good set of earmuffs when shooting larger caliber rifles.

A target is great to really get tuned in and to learn the basics on, but once she can hit a few things make it fun. Reactive targets such as metal spinning types show immediate results and are much more fun to shoot at.

Start slow with the hunting trips. Get her out scouting and hiking around a bit. Again keep her comfortable and don't do any death marches. Make sure you pack plenty of food and water for the both of you so she doesn't have to carry as much at first. Keep her fed and comfortable.

Take the time to prepare some really excellent wild game dishes for your wife or girlfriend. Spoil her and fix her a really nice dinner with animals you have harvested so she can see what she is really missing.

If she is lucky to go elk hunting, take those ivories and have a beautiful necklace or earrings made from them. They are beautiful and absolutely unique and she would probably love them.

If she really takes an interest, it is worth the money to set up a rifle so that it will fit her and not beat her to death. Make certain the scope is properly mounted for her and not for you. Make sure the stock fits her and she feels comfortable with it. Take it to a good gunsmith and have the trigger worked on so it breaks at about 3 pounds and is crisp and clean.

When she decides she's ready for something larger than a .22 LR, get her started on a small rifle cartridge like a 223 Remington or 22-250 Remington, or 6mm Remington. Reactive targets where she gets immediate feed-back are much better for new shooters than punching paper, and the recoil and noise are not quite as noticeable when shooting at these types of targets I believe. If she shoots a few times and she feels she's had enough for the day, then call it. Support and encourage but don't force or push to hard.

Enjoy your time together and your new partner!

 

[F250]

I too would suggest a .22 rimfire for a start. Maybe a bolt action rather than a semi auto for safety concerns with a novice. Use reactive targets (those racks with plates that reset when you hit them) so she can see her success upon a hit.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Agree with everyone on starting her shooting a .22, especially since she already has a fear of shooting. Getting her past that might be your biggest challenge. If she's really reluctant, you might even start by just taking her with you when you go shoot, take only the .22, and let her just be around it a time or two with no pressure to shoot it herself. Let her get used to the sound and see that there isn't any recoil, and hopefully she'll think "well that doesn't seem so bad!". Then just let things progress at her pace. If your state has a Becoming an Outdoorswoman program, they probably have some shooting workshops. Those can provide a really good, supportive atmosphere for women who are starting with the basics.

Also let her go along with you on some day hunts if she seems interested. Getting out and hopefully seeing some animals might help get her hooked.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Get her a good .243. She wants a bull elk and a mountain goat, but that's kinda swinging for the fence on her first at bat. My advice is you really should start thinking now about a place to take this fall where she'll see some wildlife and a pretty sunset and have a chance to knock over a deer. .243 is just about the most comfortable caliber to shoot that there is. Its a bit small for a bull elk but a great one to start out on and get some good hunting experiences with.

 

[el unit]

SDS14- Have her read "An Improbable Elk Hunt" by Susan Casey (Field and Stream Dec2006/Jan2007 issue)
Then, just call up Dave Petzal and have him take her shooting

https://books.google.com/books?id=A...AE#v=onepage&q=an improbable elk hunt&f=false

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