Love of the wild creates friction in most outdoorsmen’s relationships. For anyone viewing our passion from the outside, it must look a bit ridiculous. I agree our love of nature drives us to do a lot of things most would view as crazy. We just accept harsh conditions and early hours as part of the experience. Being an outdoorsman is much like being in a relationship – you must take the good with the bad to make it work.
As outdoorsmen, the call of the wild can be overwhelming at times. You find yourself daydreaming about the woods while you’re supposed to be occupied by other activities. Like letting the dog out or taking the turkey out of the oven. You can bet a soiled carpet or burnt bird won’t impress the other half! Then you have the nerve to wake her up at 4:30 a.m. the next day, and instead of doing your chores, you stay out until dark. To add insult to injury, you come home empty-handed. By this point you’re either single again, need a pair of earplugs or have a pretty understanding spouse.
I’ve found a lot of women simply won’t put up with someone who spends as much time outdoors as I do. Being a serious sportsman requires a lot of work and dedication as does your relationship. If not balanced properly, one will suffer. I find it hard to juggle my outdoor life with my personal life, which keeps me single most of the time. Almost all of us have what I will call, “The Buddy with a Ringer.” He can’t go a half an hour without a call from his spouse, 20 more questions, and an argument or two later, he’s finally back to fishing. This can be so annoying to those who go outdoors to escape that form of interruption. Personally, I never want to be that guy, and to that guy, please leave the phone in the truck next time. I’ve learned over time when on a get-away with that guy, you both drive. I’ve had several trips ruined by trying to save a few bucks carpooling. Inevitably, something will come up, and you will either have to figure out how to get a ride home, leave or even worse, drive him home. Either way, your day will be ruined because of someone else’s unbalanced relationship.
I feel it is selfish for a serious outdoorsman to involve himself with someone who doesn’t share similar or equal drive. While you’re pursuing your passions, they should either be with you or enjoying their own! If someone is left at home with nothing to do all day, boredom will inevitably ensue. From my experience, that’s when the phone calls start. A relationship should be fifty /fifty. If you are out all the time while someone is at home waiting for you, there is no balance, and problems are sure to follow. Personally, it’s better to be happy and single than in a relationship and miserable.
For instance, a buddy of mine requested that I suggest to all women out there to please not hold Thanksgiving Dinner on the first day of deer season, as his did. He probably felt his partner didn’t see or understand how special that day was to him. I would have been eating cold food after dark on the back porch and slept on the couch that night. She must not have understood having to skip your hunt was the equivalent of having Thanksgiving Dinner canceled due to it being the first day of deer season. An easy way to prevent these types of conflicts in the future is to post the dates on a family calendar, months before season arrives. This will allow you to manage the events, and in the instance, you couldn’t manage to hold the celebrations on separate dates. Try a late-evening dinner, this should satisfy everyone.
A relationship is based on compromise. When the compromise negatively affects one party, it may feel more like a punishment. I want the person I am with to be happy about what I do, not feel it is a deterrent to the relationship. As outdoorsmen, we need to bite the bullet, sit down and explain to the other half how important going afield is to us. If explained early in your relationship, you can prevent misunderstandings in the future.
If you are lucky enough to have a spouse that supports you and your activities, feel blessed. Valentine’s Day is a day to show how special someone is in your life. Sorry all single sportsmen out there for not adding any advice on where or how to find an understanding woman. Supposedly, there are more women than ever enjoying the outdoor activities, so I guess I’m just fishing the wrong end of the lake.
So once again I wish a Happy Valentine’s Day to Mother Nature. Good wishes and remember to wash the fish smell off your hands before you hand her those roses and that box of chocolates.

To comment on this article, Sheldon may be reached by email at sheldonsoutdoorbusiness@hotmail.com.