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.