Hunting is a Journey of New Challenges and Self Confidence

I did not come from a hunting family. In fact, there was not even a gun in our house when I was growing up. It was not that I was raised to be against either of the two, it was just not something that anyone in my family knew anything about.  I laugh now when I think about where my life has gone. How food used to come from the store, and how my dad’s idea of home defense was a baseball bat.

My first real exposure to hunting came when I went on a first date with the man that is now my husband. When I asked Bo what all he liked to do, hunting instantly came up. I was shocked when the conversation started with deer, ducks, and turkeys, but what quickly followed were stories of Africa, New Zealand, Alaska and other faraway places. Hearing him talk about his house being full of taxidermy was also more than a little terrifying. I kept thinking, “Who is this mountain man sitting across from me” and “Who has nine deer heads hanging in their dining room?”   In the end my defenses wore down, or maybe it was his charm that won me over. But little did I know that my lifestyle, hobbies, and dreams were all about to change.

Fast forward several months, and we were well into what others called my first duck and goose season as a hunting widow, even though we were not married yet.  Like many significant others, I sat around waiting on him and could not imagine what he could possibly be doing spending every waking minute out in the cold just to shoot birds. Afterwords, he would come over my house tired, cold, and dirty, only to fall asleep on the couch 10-minutes into a movie. He always said if I wanted to come along, I was more than welcome. I still do not know why, but one day I gave in and said I would go. All I wanted to do was spend time with him, and this was clearly the only way I was going to get to do that.  That was the moment that it all started to change.

That first goose hunt was a sight to behold. Watching Bo and his hunting group break down huge migrating flocks of snows and specks from underneath the doors of the pit blind was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. The noise from their calls was deafening. My toes were frozen, and my ears were ringing, but even as an observed I found myself getting excited. From that point on, I was a regular spectator for the rest of the season every time my schedule would allow.

Bo kept telling me that as much fun as I was having spectating, I would be having that much more fun participating.  To be honest, the thought of that was terrifying.  I had never really shot a gun, let alone fired a shotgun at a flying target.  But early that following spring he asked me again if I wanted to learn to shoot, and I decided to give it a try.  I’ve been all in ever since.

A short three years and a marriage later, hunting has become a central point in my life. We routinely spend our weekends shooting at either the archery range, the rifle range, or our local sporting clays course. Last year I went on my first safari, hunted axis deer, aoudad sheep, two subspecies of turkeys, hogs, doves, and of course waterfowl.  We even have a New Zealand trip booked in 2026 to hunt tahr and chamois.

I wholeheartedly can attest to the fact that the reason I am where I am at in my hunting journey today is because of the patience that Bo has shown me along the way. He has been my biggest supporter, keeps things fun, and has been completely selfless with what was previously just his time. The little girl inside of me also gets to feel special when he goes out of his way to help me be successful, or when I hear him laugh with his buddies about how he never thought he would see the day that his bride had more animals at the taxidermist than he did.  Hunting has brought us closer together and provides us with new adventures to look forward to.

The confidence that I have found within myself along this journey has been nothing short of incredible.  I have gone from being shy and timid to being someone who looks forward to accepting new challenges.  I have been fortunate to go to some incredible places and even make new friends.  As an added bonus, this upcoming backpack hunt in the mountains has forced me to get in the best shape of my life at nearly 39 years young.

If I have any advice that I could give to a woman that has ever entertained the thought of hunting with her spouse or significant other, it would be to go and try it with an open mind.  The second would be to find someone who will be patient with you through the learning process. And last would be to not let the thought of being the only woman in camp stop you. The things you will learn about yourself and the memories you will make along the way will be something you will carry with you for the rest of your life. – Amy Adams