Dangerous Situation of Sorts ;)

[BeeMaa]

Short answer...it depends on the relationship you have. Too many variables to have just one answer.

We have been married more than 30 years and been on multiple hunting and fishing trips together. We also have been on several "alone" trips for any number of reasons including hunting. Like @Russ16, we also take at least one trip a year together and that can be a hunting, fishing or pure relaxing or destination vacation.

The best I can come to is open and honest communication. Like when she lets you know she wants a kudu...it's important to listen.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Anyone that can’t get along with or disrespects Marks beautiful, kind wife isn’t anyone I would hunt with.

It’s a very expensive proposition having a wife learn to hunt and join hunts. It doubles the cost. But does allow guiltless hunts.

I have a hybrid system. My wife enjoys Kansas or Iowa deer hunting, African and European hunts . But when I do Alaska or Rocky Mountain hunts she is out. So she may go to visit relatives in Italy or the southern U.S. states.

 

[BeeMaa]

@Altitude sickness - We are in a similar position with the hybrid agreement. And that’s a great way of putting it.

My wife doesn’t do the waterfowl, turkey or pheasant. But is all in on big game, varmints and fishing of any kind. Yeah, it doubles the price but is worth seeing the smile on her face and creating memories together.

 

[Sideshow]

Just asked the question to “She who must be obeyed “ Her answer “Send me on a riding safari I’ll go every time”…..now I was more thinking lock her in a cupboard, but for the sake of peace, I think the first answer is correct

 

[Nosler guy]

My wife is an on and off hunter - sometimes very into it, hunts herself or very supportive - other times, not so much , so...

we plan simultaneous activities. I hunt Africa, with one of the daughters. And she goes/travels with the other daughters or girlfriends to a destination of interest to her (usually some locale I don't care if I ever see). Only problem, I get to pay for both ...

 

[Sideshow]

The above last paragraph is a joke.
Since we meet 21 years ago whilst rafting the Nile in we do most things together I even foolishly took her on a hunting trip to Stewart island NZ with my brother and Dad that was ummmm interesting lol.
We do most things together so it’s not really an issue. Her answer is the correct one though! For those of you of the newer slight more sensitive generation no cupboards were hurt in the writing of this post
Here she is in SA

 

[Dhutson]

New BMW, really big diamonds and produced before the conversation the value of which surpasses the total value of hunt. Especially if she isn't a hunter.

 

[Major Bonkers]

Read 'The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber' and make sure that you don't end up like him.

 

[ActionBob]

My wonderful wife accompanied me on my first elephant hunt in Zimbabwe. It was during late October into November and without saying, it was hot, Africa hot! My wife being a Bemba Queen grew up in Lusaka, Zambia and was no stranger to heat but hot nights without the benefit of even a fan was too much for her.

Compounding this was an axxhole of a PH who, despite him stating, “I’m not prejudice”, his subtle behavior toward my chocolate skinned wife was however not of respect. Any PH should know that if you want a satisfied client who brings his wife or girlfriend into camp, make sure that woman is taken care of. If you ever meet my wife, ask her about her elephant hunt for a play-by-play descripting of what not to do as a PH.

Tracking bull elephant in Zimbabwe​

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While selecting my second elephant hunt in Zimbabwe, my wife said, “I need to talk to you”. Oh my gosh, I thought this is serious. She said, “I will go with you to Stuart’s camp (Tally-Ho Safaris) where there is a TV room, air conditioning and fans, and great food, but I don’t want to go to a Zimbabwe bush camp again. This was unfortunate because she really enjoyed tracking and see elephants in the bush.

The bottom line of this is that if your wife likes to crawl through the mud with you, ask her to go anywhere. If, however she enjoys a limited amount of roughing it, chose wisely where and when she will accompany you.

This February, my charming wife will attend one day on the floor of the SCI convention. That’s enough for her. The next two days I will be in Vulcan mind-meld (Mr. Spock, Star Trek) with other hunters and vendors while my wife is doing her own things in Nashville. I hope she hits it off with other non-hunting wives and goes shopping or whatever women do… Regardless of what she decides to do for two days, she will be happy doing it partly because it will be her decision and secondly because I am not impatiently waiting for her…

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Wife and me while chatting with the large DeKlerks ( @DE KLERK SAFARIS ). I stand 5'10".​

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Mark I'm very sorry your wife had that experience. I hope that PH felt it directly in his tip

Intersting comment regarding Tally Ho. My wife and her father had the worse experience with Stuart and Rudy... The joked and poked fun of her dad for limping and all of us for praying before dinner. I mean you don't have to participate, but at least be respectful and sit quietly for a minute rather than snickering to each other like a couple of teenage girlfriends.

My wife is deathly allergic to about anything that stings so to top it all off, of course there was a scorpion in the bed that night.... I could have brushed it all aside but when your wife says we are leaving, well we leave! Even if it's 10 PM

And a tip for any Outfitters and PH's who are getting women in their camps.... put some damned curtains on the bathroom windows so they can have some privacy!

 

[Tanks]

So you want to go hunting in Africa or somewhere for a week or two…what do you do with your wife or how do you convince her it’s ok for you to go?

I don't need to convince her. My girlfriend knows hunting is part of my DNA and while she does not care for hunting, she has no issues. Funny story, when we started dating, I told her I like to go on African safaris, she said she would not have dated me if she knew I was shooting animals as she had thought they were photo safaris. By the time she understood, she said she was too emotionally involved.

She has a standing invitation to come and be my videographer, but so far has declined.

 

[dlmac]

After 2 wives I think I do great in my current situation. If I happened to find a woman who loved the outdoors and hunting as much as I do, I would reconsider my situation.

3 wives, the last one hunts with me 90% of the time. Told her that I wish I had meant her years ago, she said back then she would not have given me the time of day. I apparently needed to grow up some. We were friends before we started dating. I guess timing is everything. We were both in medicine at the time. Can only wish the younger one good luck.

 

[Tanks]

She said, “I will go with you to Stuart’s camp (Tally-Ho Safaris) where there is a TV room, air conditioning and fans, and great food, but I don’t want to go to a Zimbabwe bush camp again.

A woman I was dating wanted to come with me on an African hunt. I said it was rough, and declined despite her saying she could handle it. Here is my room and shower. No way she would have been happy, and it was a 10 hour drive from Bulawayo.

 

[CarsonG]

Mark I'm very sorry your wife had that experience. I hope that PH felt it directly in his tip

Intersting comment regarding Tally Ho. My wife and her father had the worse experience with Stuart and Rudy... The joked and poked fun of her dad for limping and all of us for praying before dinner. I mean you don't have to participate, but at least be respectful and sit quietly for a minute rather than snickering to each other like a couple of teenage girlfriends.

My wife is deathly allergic to about anything that stings so to top it all off, of course there was a scorpion in the bed that night.... I could have brushed it all aside but when your wife says we are leaving, well we leave! Even if it's 10 PM

And a tip for any Outfitters and PH's who are getting women in their camps.... put some damned curtains on the bathroom windows so they can have some privacy!

Not good. It seems I remember your wife taking her father on his first safari, is this the same safari or do I have my facts wrong? I hope he ended up having had a good time and experience….

 

[sgt_zim]

My wonderful wife accompanied me on my first elephant hunt in Zimbabwe. It was during late October into November and without saying, it was hot, Africa hot! My wife being a Bemba Queen grew up in Lusaka, Zambia and was no stranger to heat but hot nights without the benefit of even a fan was too much for her.

Compounding this was an axxhole of a PH who, despite him stating, “I’m not prejudice”, his subtle behavior toward my chocolate skinned wife was however not of respect. Any PH should know that if you want a satisfied client who brings his wife or girlfriend into camp, make sure that woman is taken care of. If you ever meet my wife, ask her about her elephant hunt for a play-by-play descripting of what not to do as a PH.

Tracking bull elephant in Zimbabwe​

View attachment 740092

View attachment 740093

While selecting my second elephant hunt in Zimbabwe, my wife said, “I need to talk to you”. Oh my gosh, I thought this is serious. She said, “I will go with you to Stuart’s camp (Tally-Ho Safaris) where there is a TV room, air conditioning and fans, and great food, but I don’t want to go to a Zimbabwe bush camp again. This was unfortunate because she really enjoyed tracking and see elephants in the bush.

The bottom line of this is that if your wife likes to crawl through the mud with you, ask her to go anywhere. If, however she enjoys a limited amount of roughing it, chose wisely where and when she will accompany you.

This February, my charming wife will attend one day on the floor of the SCI convention. That’s enough for her. The next two days I will be in Vulcan mind-meld (Mr. Spock, Star Trek) with other hunters and vendors while my wife is doing her own things in Nashville. I hope she hits it off with other non-hunting wives and goes shopping or whatever women do… Regardless of what she decides to do for two days, she will be happy doing it partly because it will be her decision and secondly because I am not impatiently waiting for her…

View attachment 740094

Wife and me while chatting with the large DeKlerks ( @DE KLERK SAFARIS ). I stand 5'10".​

View attachment 740095.

I'm in sorta the same situation with my wife. Was talking to my PH a couple days ago about what I want to do in 2028, he says "definitely Moz then."

I think that'll be too much roughing it for my missus.

 

[DieJager]

We go on holiday with the family together. Sometimes she goes a week when her sister and I have my hunting trips. Threat her well, buy her and the kids some gifts.

I'll tell them about my adventures and they got excited about Africa. Next year we'll go together to South Africa to visit friends and family . A non hunting trip but I'll sneak some days of hunting in it.

 

[ActionBob]

Not good. It seems I remember your wife taking her father on his first safari, is this the same safari or do I have my facts wrong? I hope he ended up having had a good time and experience….

It was and he did! He limps badly but puts in 110% effort. Other than we packed up and left that camp at about 10 PM so that night was rough. We were booked with Limpopo Big Game Safaris and he had brought us there to hunt buffalo and other critters. So we just went back to his camp. Bossie had to scramble to make arrangements for us to hunt elsewhere but he pulled it off. In the meantime I got to do some night hunting and got really good specimens of Sharps Greysbok, side striped jackal, civit, white tailed mongoose, amongst others.

Gina's dad got everything on his wish list which included buffalo, impala (he shot two), blue wildebeest, big wart hog, bush pig (his first night in Africa. And just to introduce himself to his PH he slipped a shot through the group and into the ear of the biggest boar). He's still talking about that trip and I'm pretty sure he'll be telling tales about it until noon on the day of his funeral

Bossie went so far and made such efforts to be sure Guna and her dad were happy that now Gina wants to hunt with him some more. She also really hit it off with Lizzy, Bossie's second wives who a truly wonderful woman.

In fact Lizzy took us on a 5 day tour of Kruger and it was a blast! I think we laughed all our waking hours those 5 days. Saw about everything except wild dogs. Including the first rhinos Lizzy had seen in Kruger and she has been going since she was a child

 

[coreydb]

Many outfitters have facilities and activities for non-hunting partners.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

A couple of thoughts to add...although everything said so far seems thoughtful. I would suggest maybe doing some non-safari travel before or after if your wife isn't into the hunt or the particulars with the amenities in a camp. There isn't a reason you can't go to Cape Town/Stellenbosch/Franschhoek or other wine areas or shopping districts and see some thing. Or you could do a couple of days in Victoria Falls and around there. You could do a tour of some of the big game parks (although that isn't attractive to us). Then she can exit if she chooses and you go focus on hunting.

Alternatively, we did the Cape Town, Cape Agulhas, wine country for the first 5 days. Highly recommend staying in Hermanus and seeing the whales, hiking the shore area, etc. Great little town. Then we went into the Kalahari and hunted. We were with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris and the accommodations were very nice. We then left Kimberly and flew to Jberg and up to Vic Falls and spent a couple of days there seeing the falls, spa, etc.

Splitting up the hunting, kind of like splitting up the gambling in Vegas with nice dinners and shows, is a good mix for us. My wife and daughters said it was the best trip ever.

 

[ActionBob]

I'm in sorta the same situation with my wife. Was talking to my PH a couple days ago about what I want to do in 2028, he says "definitely Moz then."

I think that'll be too much roughing it for my missus.

Depends, when we went to Tanzania it was 21 days... Gina would have preferred the 16 day option but she enjoyed the camp. She says she could do anything she wanted in camp as long as it was nothing. She was waited on hand and foot. They had a supply Land Cruiser show up every 4 days plus garden produce to meet her dietary requirements. Only real negative was the tsetse flies but they were not in camp as long as the hunting trucks parked outside the boma. Of course she hunted but she likes to take a day or two off now and then so she would hang out at our tent which of course was comfortable with ensuit bath and shower. She would read and write in her journal as well as catch up napping. The 70+ year old butler/camp manager would bring her coffee and snacks plus they would prepare a fresh salad for her lunch. But she's the type who can be happy with no TV or radio and enjoy peace and quite. We also had a Garmin linked to her phone so she could text folks back home. Of course most days she was out hunting with me

BTW, that leopard outweighed her by quite a bit. The trackers let go and jumped out of the picture for about 2 seconds!

 

[CarsonG]

Depends, when we went to Tanzania it was 21 days... Gina would have preferred the 16 day option but she enjoyed the camp. She says she could do anything she wanted in camp as long as it was nothing. She was waited on hand and foot. They had a supply Land Cruiser show up every 4 days plus garden produce to meet her dietary requirements. Only real negative was the tsetse flies but they were not in camp as long as the hunting trucks parked outside the boma. Of course she hunted but she likes to take a day or two off now and then so she would hang out at our tent which of course was comfortable with ensuit bath and shower. She would read and write in her journal as well as catch up napping. The 70+ year old butler/camp manager would bring her coffee and snacks plus they would prepare a fresh salad for her lunch. But she's the type who can be happy with no TV or radio and enjoy peace and quite. We also had a Garmin linked to her phone so she could text folks back home. Of course most days she was out hunting with me

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BTW, that leopard outweighed her by quite a bit. The trackers let go and jumped out of the picture for about 2 second

It was and he did! He limps badly but puts in 110% effort. Other than we packed up and left that camp at about 10 PM so that night was rough. We were booked with Limpopo Big Game Safaris and he had brought us there to hunt buffalo and other critters. So we just went back to his camp. Bossie had to scramble to make arrangements for us to hunt elsewhere but he pulled it off. In the meantime I got to do some night hunting and got really good specimens of Sharps Greysbok, side striped jackal, civit, white tailed mongoose, amongst others.

Gina's dad got everything on his wish list which included buffalo, impala (he shot two), blue wildebeest, big wart hog, bush pig (his first night in Africa. And just to introduce himself to his PH he slipped a shot through the group and into the ear of the biggest boar). He's still talking about that trip and I'm pretty sure he'll be telling tales about it until noon on the day of his funeral

Bossie went so far and made such efforts to be sure Guna and her dad were happy that now Gina wants to hunt with him some more. She also really hit it off with Lizzy, Bossie's second wives who a truly wonderful woman.

In fact Lizzy took us on a 5 day tour of Kruger and it was a blast! I think we laughed all our waking hours those 5 days. Saw about everything except wild dogs. Including the first rhinos Lizzy had seen in Kruger and she has been going since she was a child

I’m glad yall were still able to have a great trip! It sounds like a great success, aside from a short chapter that was put to rest pretty fast.