Anyone else a hunting "widow"?

[glitzy07]

DH left this morning to go deer hunting until Sunday, and I'm of loving having the house to myself. I worked from home today and after work I have had the most glorious, productive evening.

I have managed to finish all the laundry, clean the entire upper level, and cook an actual meal for myself. Plus it will all stay clean until at least Sunday! Now I am sitting down to watch the most recent season of Dexter in comfy clothes. Absolutely lovely.

Anybody else have DH's who hunt and leave you home all weekend? Do you love it or hate it?

[glitzy07]

Nov 2, 2012 20:04:32 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

DH is gone this weekend coaching cross country.

I enjoy commanding the tv, but miss the help with Lu and the pup.

I was just thinking about editing to add that I probably wouldn't enjoy it so much if we had kids together. My step-son's mom had actually already asked to take SS out of town this weekend, so not having him Saturday night and Sunday is sort of a bonus.

Our dog is being so pathetic and sad because he saw DH packing the truck to go somewhere probably assumed it was the cabin and that he got to go with.

[vanillacourage]

Thank you for putting widow in quotes. I am probably upright but I think using it when describing a spouse's hobby is tacky.

[glitzy07]

Nov 2, 2012 20:08:16 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Thank you for putting widow in quotes. I am probably upright but I think using it when describing a spouse's hobby is tacky.

Sorry if I offended, not my intention at all!

[susieq]

ME!

Almost every weekend (except when there is a full moon) DH is gone hunting during deer season. He also does turkey and rabbit though those seasons are much shorter.

I appreciate the "free" meat in the freezer all year but it is difficult with two little ones at home. I also am a SAHM so sometimes it feels as though I never get a break.

[y4m]

I'm a politics "widow". Four more days.

[glitzy07]

Nov 2, 2012 20:14:35 GMT -5 susieq said:

ME!

Almost every weekend (except when there is a full moon) DH is gone hunting during deer season. He also does turkey and rabbit though those seasons are much shorter.

I appreciate the "free" meat in the freezer all year but it is difficult with two little ones at home. I also am a SAHM so sometimes it feels as though I never get a break.

Ah, lucky for me DH only goes one weekend. I wouldn't be able to handle every single weekend for several different hunting seasons. And he actually hates venison, but goes for the guy's weekend aspect of things. If he ever gets a deer, we give the meat away to his family.

[6fsn]

My DH leaves town for 8 days. I'd love it if I wasn't 34 wks pregnant with 2 little ones already.

[vanillacourage]

Nov 2, 2012 20:10:26 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

Nov 2, 2012 20:08:16 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Thank you for putting widow in quotes. I am probably upright but I think using it when describing a spouse's hobby is tacky.

Sorry if I offended, not my intention at all!

No, you didn't offend me at all - quite the opposite, because you were aware enough to put it in quotes.

Sorry, I just put this in the same category as people who say "DH is on a business trip, I'm a single mom for the next 3 days". No, you're not.

[susieq]

Nov 2, 2012 20:21:22 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

Nov 2, 2012 20:14:35 GMT -5 susieq said:

ME!

Almost every weekend (except when there is a full moon) DH is gone hunting during deer season. He also does turkey and rabbit though those seasons are much shorter.

I appreciate the "free" meat in the freezer all year but it is difficult with two little ones at home. I also am a SAHM so sometimes it feels as though I never get a break.

Ah, lucky for me DH only goes one weekend. I wouldn't be able to handle every single weekend for several different hunting seasons. And he actually hates venison, but goes for the guy's weekend aspect of things. If he ever gets a deer, we give the meat away to his family.

Almost every Friday after work till Saturday after the sun goes down during deer season. Now rabbits and turkey are just either morning or afternoon hunts and he does not stay all weekend but will sometimes go during a week day.

He gets between 3-5 deer a year. We have it processed into summer sausage (Christmas gifts), breakfast sausage, burger, cubed steak, tenderloin and cubed meat. My grocery budget is tiny because I hardly buy any meat! The taste is all in the processing. I have had some that tastes really gamey but his has always been really good. I have successfully served it to several people that though it was beef before they were corrected

[rubytue]

Not hunting, but fishing. Which runs most of the year, but it varies. Like trout season in April - he is gone almost all day on the weekends and drives by his favorite holes after work. But trout season is short.

Fall crab season? He will go out after work for hours, and then all day on Sunday.

And right now? The rockfish have come into our creek. So even though the boat is out of the water, he is down at the creek. Last night he took the dog for a walk and was still gone 2 hours later. I started getting worried and drove down to the creek (I'm sick and didn't want to walk it). Found him sitting on the pier with 2 fish in the bucket. And he just went out to "walk the dog" around 9. He hasn't come home yet. At least now I know where he is.

Sometimes I don't mind it, but it does get old. Crab season especially annoys me b/c between gathering the crabs, cooking the crabs, and picking the crabs - he is useless all day. Which would be fine if we didn't have other stuff to do lol

[phunluvin82]

My H is on tour with a rapper, lol. He just left on Thurs and, honestly, I'm LOVING how much I can get done and how much cleaner the house will stay with him not around. He's gone 3 weeks though...the novelty of doing 1/2 as much laundry, dishes, etc will probably wear off by the end of week 1 and I'll be missing him.

[carfar]

I know not one man who hunts.

[4speedy]

I'm the opposite of a hunting widow, typically. We live on 26 acres just outside a major metro area. We have 80 acres of state land next to us, so as far as my DH is concerned, he has 100 acres to do with as he pleases. Everyone and their brother comes to our house to go hunting since it's a 30 minute drive at most for our friends. I actually see more of DH during hunting season since he comes home early to hunt and is in the house just after dark, usually by 7pm. That's earlier than he gets home from work.

I am a "widow" this weekend, though, because DH's mom was in a serious car accident this past Monday and he had to fly home to be with her. Not loving it this week, although normally I would.

[minniebee]

Nov 2, 2012 20:08:16 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Thank you for putting widow in quotes. I am probably upright but I think using it when describing a spouse's hobby is tacky.

I never use this term. My family is sensitive about it since my grandma is literally a hunting widow. My grandpa died in a hunting accident. It happened before I was born, so I never got to meet my grandpa.

I realize that people who use the term don't have bad intentions and our family is overly-sensitive to the term. Most people wouldn't care at all. I try not to be offended when others say it, but I would never use that term myself. It's not just a phrase, it actually happens to people.

[phunluvin82]

Nov 3, 2012 18:12:28 GMT -5 minniebee said:

Nov 2, 2012 20:08:16 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

Thank you for putting widow in quotes. I am probably upright but I think using it when describing a spouse's hobby is tacky.

I never use this term. My family is sensitive about it since my grandma is literally a hunting widow. My grandpa died in a hunting accident. It happened before I was born, so I never got to meet my grandpa.

I realize that people who use the term don't have bad intentions and our family is overly-sensitive to the term. Most people wouldn't care at all. I try not to be offended when others say it, but I would never use that term myself. It's not just a phrase, it actually happens to people.

This is what I first thought of before I opened the thread...I guess my brain didn't really register the quotation marks and I was thinking the OP was literally a hunting widow, and was like, "Whoa, holy shit, I doubt there are others in that situation on the board though...I have to think that is pretty rare..."

[cizzle]

I wish it was just one weekend! My husband is gone at least one full day every weekend for what feels like months. It gets old.

As for the term hunting "widow", I never heard that until last weekend and it struck me as a little odd. No judgement though, I now know it's a frequently used term.

[kwynn]

I'm an actual widow. I'm not offended by the term "(hobby) widow" when used in quotes. I know what you mean by it--no offense taken here.

[aliciar6]

no, i go with.