Not my wife although she likes too shoot, but my grandaughter is the female hunter in my world, started hunting with me around 10 years old, now heading towards 21. Had her boy friend at the house christmas (sissy boy type) told her too hang out in the woods with the old man theres deer too kill.
So awesome! Loving hearing similar tales to my own! I alas only got to hunt a little bit with my dad growing up but loved every second of it and once got moved out after I started dating my husband it has only gotten better from there. Rifle, bow, or fish rod in tow - we do it all together or are fine going solo. I may cringe a little when he says "one more ridge" after we are already several miles deep, but I will follow him to the ends of the Earth and cherish every single trip, mile, and success we get to share!
I used to hunt with a coworker and his brother - coastal Oregon blacktail mostly; the guys brother lived in town near where we hunted and was our local scout and knowledge because he spent an inordinate amount of time scouting/hunting. It got worse the more years we hunted together and tuned our 'craft' and his wife took notice.
After a bit, she got tired of dealing with us 'visiting' every weekend in the fall [i.e. crashing at their house and often eating at their place] and, of course, stealing her husband.
After their kids got old enough to fend for themselves and stopped wanting to be around their parents, the wife was at a loss for things to do.
She first started tagging along with her husband while scouting. Then she started going along on the hunts. Then she started to be his spotter. They could glass areas very efficiently with two of them. Then we started hearing from the brother how his wife had spotted this or that or how she got him on a bear/deer/elk etc. They became inseparable and she moved their success needle well above average!
After that, he got her a gun and license and she left us all in the dust. Pretty much all our intel came from her and she filled tags and spotted animals like a machine - there was no stopping her. To top it all off, her health improved immensely and she shed a LOT of weight. She brought a lot to the hunts and was great to have along overall. But man, could she spot the critters!
She grew up competing against her brothers to go with dad. With the baby it’s been less than serious hunting but always a great day as a family. I never force her to go but she’s always trying to make it work. I genuinely have more fun hunting with her than anyone else. Otherwise I prefer to be by myself. 99% chance of scaring game away when you’re trying to muff the babies ears makes it a very relaxed hunting day.
I got my wife into hunting but that doesn't change anything. If we ever got divorced she would still make it out. I have a daughter on the way and I really look forward to taking her out and going hunting as a family. Bambi was an inside job.
I'm an odd ball......always have been. I've wanted to hunt and fish from a very young age. Being raised in the 70's I got to enjoy Jerimiah Johnson, My side of the mountain, and countless Disney tales of Davey Crockett had me hooked but not one person in my family hunted or really fished. It wasn't till I was in my late 30's did I have the chance to hunt. Living in Georgia, I was handed a 7mm and sat up in a ladder stand on a guys property I taught motorcycle safety with. I didn't see a thing and it was a few more years before it really took hold.
Now I'm 41, gulp, I'm in Utah with my buddy riding motorcycles on and off road from south to north on the eastern side. His engine gives up and blows a hole in the side of the head. We luckily get hooked up with a guy that owns an off grid motorcycle retreat with a garage, he's also an FFL and used to hunt elk. We get to talking and my friend and I decide we should hunt come fall. We get home from our trip and I find out I'm going to have a baby, now it's time to get serious. I'm 41, not getting any younger and am about to have a kid. So my friend gives me a rifle and takes me to the range, he has a little experience, we have a mutual friend with 25 acres we scout and find good deer and hog sign. First day of rifle season I fall asleep only to wake up to the tail end of a white-tailed deer walking out of sight.....2 minutes later, I've shot my first animal. An hour later, I've gutted it and the rest is history.
I'm now 50 and have taken my son squirrel hunting, maybe this year I'll take him deer hunting. I am branching out and will hunt black bear this year and am currently putting together a 270 WSM mountain rifle, it's hard being 5'4". As a gay woman who has been married for 25 years to the same person, having a kid later in life I think was the thing that woke me up. I haven't had anyone ask me this question.....yet.