Miss Huntress 2011!

Camp Wild Girls is Glad to announce they are sponsoring the 2011 Miss Huntress Contest. We are down to the remaining 10 Huntresses and wishing all of them good luck! Click here to find more about the contestants!

Team Camp Wild Girls on Battle Scraps!

Team Camp Wild Girls competes on Battle Scraps!

Battle Scraps is an online based reality series featuring average, everyday Wisconsin hunters consisting of two-person teams who made it to the top 20 of the popular Sportsman Channel show, Batttle of The Bow,  but were not cast in the final 10 spots to appear on the show.  We believe these teams are as talented as the 10 teams who were cast for the TV show.

Battle Scraps will consist of 13 competition episodes, plus 1 or 2 finale episodes to announce winners with an average of 10-15 minutes per episode.  We will be “airing” new episodes weekly on Fridays for 13 weeks starting December 31st 2010.

Battle Scraps came about when one of the teams who did not make Battle of The Bow casually said “we should make our own show” to team CWG member Amy Sharp, wife of Producer Joe Sharp, at a gas station on the way home.  A quick discussion with producing partner Peter Mikhael and the rest is history. While Battle Scraps may be a direct result of Battle of The Bow’s elimination process, Battle Scraps is not associated with or produced by the producers of Battle of the Bow on Sportsman Channel.

Team Camp Wild Girls

Sponsored by CampWildGirls.com

Team Camp Wild Girls consists of Amy Sharp and Candy Grubisic, from Washburn and Ashland, WI.  Camp Wild Girls is an online hunting and fishing resource for Women of the Wild.  Find out a little more about these gals below and be sure to support them, Camp WIld Girls, and their efforts on Battle Scraps this season by connecting with them on their Team Facebook fan page.

Amy Sharp

Amy, 42 years young, has been married for 16 years to Joe, an avid rifle and bow hunter.  Joe, taught her oldest son, Scott, the ropes of hunting growing up and now their daughter who is 10 has an interest in hunting and has been tagging along since she could walk.  Her son who is 6 doesn’t have much of an interest in hunting as of yet but does love to be outside and tag along with dad also.  Plus he has a pretty cool little bow.

Amy was introduced to target shooting with a recurve last summer by Hawk and Stacey Huston at Team Huntress and loved it!  When early bow season came around a friend of hers, Terri Lee, was competing on the Battle of the Bow.  She saw her excitement through the season and it encouraged her to try bow hunting.

She bought a recurve at a local pawn shop and had been practicing.  She was shooting confidently so finally she decided to head out to sit at the infamous apple tree stand without telling a soul.  She saw many deer her first season (2009) and that was fascinating alone.

That winter she watched the Battle of the Bow and discussed throughout the spring and summer about trying out for the show with another friend, Candy, to be an all women’s team.  Her and husband, Joe, were also planning to do some hunting and filming and team up with a friend of theirs to do an online show.  Since not making the Sportsman Channel show, Amy found new life in Battle Scraps.

So here she is this season with her first shot and first ever buck on the ground, an 8 pointer, the trail camera gets a picture of the shot, and she has it all on film!  How awesome it that!

Candy Grubisic

Candy Grubisic, 45, wife, mother, grandmother, was born in Flint, MI and moved to Vassar, MI after 8^th grade.  She graduated from there in 1983 and it was in Vassar that she discovered she enjoyed target shooting and wanted to give deer hunting a try. For various reasons, that never came to fruition. No one in her family hunted, so this wasn’t something that got passed down the way it does in most families. One thing she did love was fishing and at least she got to do plenty of that.  ”I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and grew up somewhat of a Tomboy”, she recalls.

In 1987, she moved to Ironwood, MI where she got a degree in Commercial and Graphic Arts.  Then moved to Ashland, WI in 1992 in search of work, hoping to find a job in her field.  It was in Ashland that she met her husband, Rod, of almost 11 years.

“If it weren’t for his enthusiasm after I expressed my interest in purchasing a deer license back in 1998, I may not have ever hunted to this very day” Candy says, “Rod outfitted me with whatever he could find and the following year, 1999, he bought me all of my own gear including my first rifle.”  That year she took her first buck, a small but respectable 7pt.

They hunt just about everything together now and she shot her first turkey the year they opened it up in their area approx. 5 years ago. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago that they both decided to start bow hunting.  She took her first bow buck in 2009, a freak of a fork.  I’m a sucker for the freakish and unusual.  Unfortunately, her husband works long hours and rarely gets the opportunity to bow hunt during the early season.  When he is unable to hunt due to work, “he always tells me he hunts vicariously through me and I am more than happy to oblige”.

This will be her first year ever trying to actually film a hunt.  It’s something her husband and she have been wanting to do for a long time.  He had bought a camera arm awhile ago, but still needed the camera and finally made the purchase this season and are ready to rock on Battle Scraps.

Battle Scraps IS produced by Peter Mikhael and Joe Sharp of Big Rock Outdoor Productions which is based in Northern Wisconsin. With a combined 50+ years of experience chasing big bucks and other game along with 10+ years of experience filming and editing in the outdoors, you can bet there will always be something interesting to watch in BROP productions.

Saskatchewan…The Land of Giants

Saskatchewan…The Land of Giants

By:  Tracey Splechter

Our hunt had been planned for a few months, with a few twists and turns along the way.  The day had finally arrived to fly to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for our whitetail deer adventure.  Kirstie Pike, CEO of Prois and I were meeting up on Saturday, November 6^th and planned to overnight in Saskatoon that evening, prior to our departure to camp on Sunday.  All travel plans went off without a hitch and we were ready to go by 9am on Sunday morning.  Devin, the outfitter, and a few other hunters met us at the hotel Sunday morning and we loaded all of our gear into the trucks and headed north.  It is approximately a two hour drive from Saskatoon to Leoville (location where ATV’s are stored for ride into camp) and the guides offer to stop in Leoville to let hunters purchase any extra beverages or snacks they need for the week.  We arrived at the base camp in the early afternoon and each hunter’s gear was loaded onto trailers which were to be pulled by quads (also known as four wheelers).  Each hunter drives their personal four wheeler for the one hour adventure into camp.  I say adventure because this is exactly what it was.  The guides had just brought the previous hunters out of camp two days prior to us making the trek but not long after starting down the trail we hit our first bump in the road.  One of the hunters dug himself deep into a mud hole and had to be rescued.  The weather was quite warm for early November so the trails were not frozen as they typically would be when hunting season begins.  The second bump:  a large tree had been chewed down by a beaver and was blocking our “train” from passing by.  The tree was too large for the six guys to lift and move off the trail, so the guides took each four wheeler around the tree so we could continue on our journey.  The rest of the ride in was uneventful, but the scenery was amazing.  We saw several lakes, miles and miles of timber, clear blue skies and wildlife galore!

Once at camp, the guides unloaded all gear and we were shown around camp.  There was the main cabin, where hunters sleep and meals are prepared, the guide’s cabin, the cleaning shed, a workshop, and the changing cabin.  The heated changing cabin is where you stored all of your hunting gear.  The owner is a firm believer in scent control and does not allow any of your hunting clothes to be brought into the main cabin to keep the scent problem down.  While the guides were busy cleaning the four wheelers, we unpacked our hunting items into the changing cabin and took everything else into the main cabin.  The main cabin has three bedrooms, each with a set of bunk beds, a bathroom with shower, kitchen, dining room, living room and deck overlooking Higgins Lake. The main cabin is also equipped with a wood burning hot tub.

Next on the agenda was the sighting in of each hunter’s gun.  Once this was complete it was time for dinner and to get all paperwork out of the way.  Each person drew for their stand placement and guide for the Monday morning hunt.  This works well as it keeps things fair between all hunters.  After a quick video, it was off to bed as the morning would come very quickly.

Bright and early Monday morning, the coffee was brewing and breakfast was cooking on the stove.  Dustin, the cook and guide, made the most amazing meals you could imagine in a back country hunting camp.  After breakfast was cleaned up, it was off to the changing shed to prepare ourselves for a long day in the tree stands.  We all loaded our gear onto our four wheelers and wished each other well for the day.  My guide for the week was Tom Beebe, the outfitter’s dad.  Tom has been guiding hunters in the area for 21 years so he knows the land very well.  It took about an hour to navigate our way into the stand.  My stand the first morning was named Jack Pine 2.  It was about 20 feet in the air and about 111 yards from the bait pile.  I had three good shooting lanes and a lot of action all day.  I had a nice 10 pointer chase a few doe around for the majority of the afternoon but I didn’t get too excited about him.  I decided that if I was in the same stand on Thursday and hadn’t shot anything, he would be my Thursday deer.  During the twelve hour sit, I also saw four 8 pointers, four 6 pointers and several spikes.  I lost track of all the does that came into the bait pile, of alfalfa straw and peas.  Every day, the guides drive around to all 35 stand locations and place fresh bait, if needed.

When we returned back to camp, dinner was ready and we all talked about the happenings of the day.  Every hunter saw several deer at each of their stands but no one had taken a shot.  We were all waiting for the monster!  The outfitter has about 20 cuddyback cameras placed at different stands throughout the week.  Everyday they pull the cards from the cameras to help pattern the deer movement.  They have a board in the lodge with pictures of deer they have gotten on camera that have not been shot.  They have each hunter study this board to be sure they know how to judge deer in the field.  The guides had spotted a very large buck on a stand they hadn’t placed a hunter so they decided to move a few of us to different stand locations.  I wasn’t really ready to move, but agreed to shake things up a bit.  Four of us were chosen to draw again and I drew lucky stand Carolina.

The next morning we drove about 1.5 hours to my stand location.  This time there was one shooting lane, the bait pile was about 75 yards and my stand was about the same height.  Before we headed out, I had told Kirstie that I had a nervous feeling in my stomach.  About an hour into sitting, I realized why I was feeling that way.  Two does came underneath my stand and headed straight for the bait.  They hung out for a while and something spooked one and off it ran.  The second one stayed on the bait but was looking in the trees to my left.  I scanned the woods to my left and saw nothing.  A few minutes went by and that doe hadn’t moved.  So I started searching the woods to my left again and there he stood; the large deer with the tipped main beams that I had remembered seeing on the board.   I knew instantly he was a shooter!  No need for binos, I went straight for my gun.  The buck went directly to the bait pile and turned perfectly broadside.  I took about five deep breaths and fired away!  Wow, what a rush!  I will never forget that feeling just after you take your shot and you watch your deer trot slowly away.  I immediately radioed my guide to let him know I had taken a shot, just like we were instructed to do.  About an hour after I had shot, I got all my gear and myself out of the stand and was going to investigate.  I walked down the hill to the bait pile and couldn’t find any blood.  All I found was a pile of fur.  I sent Kirstie a message to let her know that I had shot and good news, so had she.  She tracked her deer and had a very nice 12 pointer on the ground!  The timber was so thick that I decided to go back to my stand and wait for the guide.  A couple of hours passed and Tom arrived at my stand.  We went down to the bait pile, I told him which direction the buck ran off and the tracking was on.  We found a very large pile of blood and then tracked for about an hour and couldn’t find anything else.  I was getting that sick feeling like I had a bad shot, but knew deep down I was right on.  It was getting dark so Tom decided we needed to head back to camp and we would try again tomorrow.  I was beside myself.  The entire ride back to camp, I was speechless.  I felt I had wounded a deer and left him to die in the woods.  Tom did everything he could to console me and said that if he was down, the birds would be on him in the morning and we would find him.  Once back in camp, we realized 5 of the 6 hunters in camp had shot deer that Tuesday morning and mine was the only one not recovered yet.  There was Tom who took a 182, Kirstie with a 154, Ron with a 140 and Jessie with his first whitetail deer at 127.  The wait for Wednesday afternoon was the longest 12 hours in my life.  Tom, Devin, Ron, Jessie (Ron and Jessie were from North Carolina and Florida, respectively) and myself headed out on four wheelers Wednesday in search of my tipped main beams.  Along the way we baited a few stands and finally reached Carolina.  I showed everyone the fur at the bait pile, the direction he ran off and the large pile of blood we found the previous day.  We all started off in a different direction with our eyes and ears open.  Driving in we didn’t see any birds flying overhead so that wasn’t a great sign.  Devin yelled for everyone to be quite, he thought he heard something.  We all stood our positions and then we heard them, the birds squawking about 100 yards away.  Devin and Ron took off at a fast pace in the birds’ direction and Ron started yelling he could see him.  At that point, I was sprinting through the brush, my heart was pounding.  Devin was yelling for everyone to get there as he spotted an eagle.  Ron, my savior had found my deer!  Little did we know that Tom and I were only about 10 yards from the deer the previous day but could not see him through the thick brush.  It was smiles and hugs all around.  I was so excited!  I had my first Saskatchewan whitetail deer and he was a beauty.  My emotions had gone on a roller coaster ride in a short 24 hour period but everything ended well.  We made it back to camp and the celebration was on!  We had taken five deer in one day and that was a record at camp!  We had a fantastic meal and Jessie even played a few tunes on the guitar for us that evening.  Bobby, the only guy in camp who hadn’t shot settled in early that evening as he was going to try his luck again the next day.  It turned out that Bobby wouldn’t take a shot on this trip to Saskatchewan but had several opportunities at deer over 140.  Bobby and Tom both are returning to hunt in 2011.  As for the rest of us, we will be back again someday.

Kirstie and I packed up and were ready to head back to Saskatoon on Thursday for Friday flights home.  We said all of our goodbyes to the hunters in camp with us and to the fantastic guides who we had the pleasure to get to know for a few days.  Overall this was one of the best experiences of my life and I would recommend anyone who wants to shoot a large whitetail deer to head to Saskatchewan with this outfitter.

Great meals, excellent accommodations and very friendly guides all make this an unbeatable, unique experience.  My deer ended up scoring a whopping 160 4/8 and for my first whitetail, I think it will be hard to beat.  Thanks to everyone who was involved in this hunt, Kirstie (my new best friend and hunting buddy), Ron from North Carolina (who I owe my first buck too), Jessie from Florida (Ron’s son who kept things lively around camp), Bobby (the only hunter who didn’t make a shot but deserved it more than the rest of us), Tom (who had the largest deer in camp for the week), Dustin (a fantastic cook and new friend as well), Tom (my guide extraordinaire), and Devin (who almost was the first to find my deer and who I owe this incredible experience to).  I can’t wait to do it all over again.

For more information about this whitetail hunt in Saskatchewan or any other outdoor adventure, contact Tracey Splechter with Outdoor Connection.

tracey@outdoor-connection.com

620-364-5500

January’s Woman of the Wild-Tera Busker

Every little girl idolizes her daddy and growing up I wanted to be just like mine. I wanted to be a truck driver, a fireman and, most of all, a hunter. Every November I remember helping my dad get his gear ready for Wisconsin deer opener. I was a ball of excitement as we hung the blaze orange clothes outside, packed up the chili and made sure everything was ready for the next morning.  But, every year as my dad headed out to the woods, I was left behind. Not because I didn’t want to go, but because I didn’t have a hunter’s license. Where I grew up not many girls hunted and I was way too intimidated to take hunters safety with a bunch of boys. So what did I do? I waited until I was 18 to take hunters safety with a bunch of pre teen boys. AKWARD! But after so many years of sitting in the woods and not being able to hunt, I had to do what I had to do so I could partake in the full hunting experience.

I remember my first hunt like it was yesterday.  It was one of the coldest mornings of the year up to that point – 5 degrees. My dad and I sat in a small stand together in Prescott, Wisconsin. I was SO excited for the sun to come up for my first official hunt to officially begin, but it seemed like the light of day couldn’t get there soon enough. As soon as the sun came up, the temperature seemed to drop another 10 degrees. I remember thinking…”Is this really what I was excited about? I’m going to freeze to death before I get a chance to shoot.”  (I can be a little dramatic at times) We sat in our stand all morning and didn’t see a thing. After lunch we decided to do a small drive with our hunting party. Since I was the newbie in the group they set me up to get the deer. Not long after they started the drive a large doe came my way. It was a textbook scenario – she stopped 30 yards from me, broadside. I pulled up and took the shot – perfect.  When you have great beginners luck like that, you can’t help but fall in love with the sport. I was hooked. Since that first hunt, hunting and the outdoors have been a passion of mine.

In 2005, my dad introduced me to the greatest hunting experience ever – Spring turkey hunting. There is NOTHING like calling in a big, fanned out Tom Turkey while he slowly struts his way towards you. It’s an amazing adrenaline rush to hear the gobbles get closer and closer and when you finally see the Tom dancing in full strut right in front of you – it’s beautiful! Since 2005 I have only missed one Spring Turkey hunt, which was when I ran my first half marathon. BUT – I will tell you that for 10 of those 13 miles I had visions of turkeys dancing in my head.

Hunting and being in the outdoors are passions of mine, but another love of mine is fitness. As an avid runner, weight room junkie and personal trainer, I’ve found a great way to combine both of my passions. 2 years ago I started a fitness program for hunters and outdoor men & women called CrossHairs Fitness. CrossHairs Fitness is a hunting/outdoors specific fitness program designed to help people get ready for their upcoming hunts or to get in better shape for the hunting season. Many hunters don’t think about important their health & fitness level is to their hunt until they are out in the woods and gasping for breath as they walk up a hill. When you are in shape and feel good, the hunting experience is so much more enjoyable. This is a very fun and rewarding program for both me & my clients. I help them get strong, healthy & “hunt ready” and they have more energy & fun during their hunt.

I became an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal trainer in 2000. After working in a large gym for a few years, I decided I wanted and needed a change. I noticed that the setting that I was in wasn’t ideal. There were too many distractions (waiting lines for equipment, noisy conversations, loud music) and the excuses to miss workouts became more frequent for my clients (no baby sitter, bad weather, too busy). I became very frustrated with what was happening! I wanted to give my clients the privacy and the one-on-one attention that they deserved as well as eliminate the excuses to miss appointments. I wanted the best for my clients and I knew that they wouldn’t be able to get it in a gym. In 2002 I developed Fitness To Go, an in home, online and private studio personal training service tailored to fit into my clients busy lifestyles. With Fitness To Go, I am able to bring my services and equipment to my clients as well as offer them a quiet and private place to workout at my studio in Roberts. No more excuses or distractions. Just me and my clients, working collectively together to reach their goals in a way that is challenging, yet, convenient and fun.

In 2010 I added Get Fit Bootcamp to the services that Fitness To Go offers. Get Fit Bootcamp is a unique and fun 60 minute class that combines cardio, strength training and core work all in one exciting workout. It’s not your “standard” bootcamp class – no yelling and NO negative talk. Get Fit Bootcamp is all about being positive and encouraging each other to do YOUR very best.

You can say I’m a no nonsense type of trainer. I don’t believe in excuses, gimmicks, pills or shortcuts of any kind. There is no easy way out when it comes to your health. Hard work, determination & commitment are what it takes to reach any goal that you set for yourself. Making excuses will only set you further away from achieving your goal! I am truly blessed to be able to work with my amazing clients and see the progress that they are making each and every day! Each one of my clients is an inspiration to me & they are why I keep doing what I do.

When I am not training my awesome clients, I spend my free time hunting with my husband Luke, relaxing with my 2 lazy bassets Lucy & Maggie and finding new way to challenge myself. Whether I’m hunting a new animal,  sprinting through 6 miles of mud or running 2 half marathons back-to-back, I try to always keep myself JUST outside of my comfort zone. I believe if I am always striving to do bigger & better things in life, it help me relate to my clients so much better.  Losing weight and getting healthy can be hard & scary at times, but once you step out of your comfort zone, you open yourself to a whole new world of possibilities.

I am always looking for a new way to challenge myself, so this year I plan to try coyote and pheasant hunting as well as bow fishing. These are things that the other great hunter in my life, my husband Luke, loves to do during his free time. It will be a great way for us to spend time together and enjoy the outdoors. Because, as the saying goes in my family….the family that hunts together, stays together.

Shoot Like a Girl Raises Money for Breast Cancer

Archers raise $4,630 for the National Breast Cancer through their “I Shoot for the Girls™” Charity Mail in Archery Shoot hosted by Shoot Like A Girl

Shoot Like A Girl is thrilled to announce that archers across the United States raised $4,630 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation to date, and expect to surpass $5,000 when the final contributions arrive.  Eleven Archery Clubs, Business and Leagues and ten individuals participated with a total of 284 archers competing in this first ever “I Shoot for the Girls” tournament.  “This was our first year to host the tournament, and we received great feedback.  Everyone has asked us to make it an annual event, and we will, but we will extend the time to shoot to accommodate more archers!” said Karen Butler, the President of Shoot Like A Girl.

The winners for the tournament receive a dozen Victory Pink Arrow Project Arrows, donated graciously by Victory Arrows.  In the Men’s Division, the winner is John Pero, with a score of 380, from the Wa-Xo-Be Archers; the Women’s Division winner is Debby Hammock, with a score of 335 from Pellegrino’s Archery Hut; and the Youth Division winner is Dakota Hoagland, with a score of 330 from Vic’s Archery.  Contestants shot from 18 meters on a target consisting of three large breast cancer ribbons and one small bonus ribbon.  There were ten 10 rounds, for a total max score of 400 points.

Shoot Like a Girl is grateful to the ranges that donated range time to host this tournament, Pellegrino’s Archery Hut in Colorado Springs, CO; Vic’s Archery, Saint Joseph, MO; Full Curl Archery, Anchorage, AK; Archery Unlimited, Etna, WY; Autumn Addiction Archery, Burghill, OH; Hideaway Archery, South Dayton, NY; Cheyenne Field Archers, Cheyenne, WY; Mohawk Archery Club, Mason City, IA; and special thanks to the Union County Cub Scouts, Monroe, NC.

Mia’s Elk Hunt 2010~Camp Wild Girls Rep Mia Anstine

This years fall elk hunt was, as always, a tough one.  I hunted third rifle season which ran November 6th through November 14th.  Third season is always a chilly one, and this year was no different.  We had it pretty easy the first weekend.  It at least got above 40 degrees during the day. More>

Friends of Camp Wild Girls help out Drury’s Outdoor Catch a Dream Hunt

Friend’s of Camp Wild Girls  help out at Drury’s Outdoor Catch a Dream Hunt. This hunt is for terminally ill children.

Mary, Tanya and Amber Poppe along with Missy Benik cooked the Celebration dinner for the participants and their families. “We have now been invited back yearly as part of the Catch a Dream Hunt team and looking forward to next year already!” states Mary.

Thanks so all who help with the event this year. I have had the pleasure of participating last year and loved it!

THE CALL OF THE WILD BOAR…GIGGLING By: Tracey Splechter

Some hunters would say you can’t “call” in wild boar, however my sister and I would disagree.

Our first boar hunting adventure to Oklahoma had been planned for many months.  This would be the first time my twin sister, Stacey would venture into the great outdoors on a hunting trip.  It took many hours of convincing her she would love it if she only gave it a shot!  She took her hunter’s safety course earlier this summer so she was ready and prepared to handle her rifle.  We also spent a few weekends practicing at our homemade rifle range at my home.

The weekend in September finally arrived for us to make the 4.5 hour drive to Oklahoma.  We planned to arrive at the lodge by 4:30 so we could get settled and ready for the next day’s hunt.  Little did we know that once we arrived, we would be in our hunting stand within 30 minutes of unpacking our bags.  We were stoked!  So, it was now 5:15 and we were settled in our stand with our gear and were getting familiar with our new surroundings.  As we sat there, trying to be quiet and watch for game, we couldn’t help the urge to giggle about everything.  Every small noise we made, her breaking her visor, my chair creaking, her cell phone ringing (because she forgot to put it to vibrate) and even the thought of who was going to shoot first, had us rolling.  Well it seemed to work because within 30 minutes of being in our stand, the first pig walks out.  We judged his size and determined he was a shooter but I told her “No way am I shooting the very first thing that walks by us, the very first day and in the first few minutes of hunting.”  She agreed and we watched the boar as he made his way around the feeder and then off into the woods.  Again more giggling and again another boar.  The second pig was quite a bit smaller than the first so we decided we would let this one go as well.  About 30 more minutes passed, several more bouts of laughter and one more hog!  It never failed just as we were at the peak of our giggles, a hog would appear out of the woods.  Was this coincidence or was our giggling working?  We decided we were not letting this one get away, so I readied myself for the shot and she grabbed the video camera.  He made a few passes behind the feeder and then came around to the right and left himself wide open!  KABOOM went my rifle and off ran the pig.  Stacey said, “You missed him, he ran off!”

I told her, “I didn’t miss him, I had a good shot and he is probably just a few yards off in the trees.”  We tried calling the guides to let them know we had a pig down but, in southern Oklahoma our cell phones did not want to cooperate.  However, we did get a text message out to them to let them know to head our direction.  I had made the shot just about 7pm so we had about one hour before dark.  It took the guides a while to arrive and by the time they did it was pitch black outside.  Stacey, being a city girl and all, didn’t want to get out of the truck to help the guides track the pig, but I talked her into it.  We showed the guides the location of where the pig was when I shot and told them the direction in which it ran.  Aaron, a newbie to the outfit, instantly found a trace of blood and was hot on the trail.  It didn’t take him long to find it; my first wild boar!  I was shaking hands and there were high five’s all around.  We loaded the pig in the back of a truck to get him back to the lodge for pictures and processing.  The outfitter has a great set up where you can have the guides processing your animal or you can choose to do so yourself.  While the guides were hard at work, Stacey and I went in to get cleaned up for dinner.  The meals ranged from hamburgers and steaks in the evenings to biscuits and gravy for brunch.  Don, the cook, was amazing!  I would definitely recommend to all hunters to pay the little extra to have your meals prepared for you while hunting.

The next day and a half of hunting proved to be uneventful as the weather was either extremely hot or raining.  It turns out that we shouldn’t have passed up those first two pigs as Stacey never had her chance at taking her first boar.  We still had a great time enjoying nature while relaxing in the comfort of our custom built, elevated stands.  We are planning a trip to go back in late winter of 2011!  This time frame should give her the opportunity for her first kill as well as additional opportunities for myself.

The camp is located near Mill Creek, Oklahoma.  It is a rustic, but very comfortable cabin that can accommodate up to six hunters.  Enjoy satellite TV in the living room or hanging out in the outdoor pavilion, discussing the day’s hunt.  There is a large, fully equipped kitchen for those who choose to cook their own meals.  Hunters can choose from many stand locations dispersed on 8,500 acres of a working cattle ranch.  In the afternoon, you can choose to fish in Pennington Creek for smallmouth bass or jump in the trucks with the guides for a tour of the ranch.  Processing facilities as well as a walk-in cooler are available to store your animal until your hunt is over.  The guides will process your animal for you for a small fee and help pack it for the drive home.  The guides are all very knowledgeable about the land and the game as well as very friendly.  I would recommend this destination to anyone looking for a quality hog, deer or turkey hunt!

Just remember the next time you are sitting in your stand and not having any luck, try it…giggle.

September’s Woman of the Wild~Jana Waller

I grew up fishing and hunting pheasants and waterfowl with my Father in Wisconsin.  During my teen years several road trips were made to South Dakota where we enjoyed cornfields bursting with pheasants.   It wasn’t until 1993, when I was a Senior in college, that I picked up my first bow.  My Dad had started bowhunting that same year and after successfully helping him track his first whitetail buck through a muddy cornfield,  I knew I wanted a taste of that exhilaration.  Addicted to bowhunting ever since,  my obsession has only been fueled by the success I’ve found in the past decade.  I’ve been blessed to arrow  6 whitetail bucks in the past 8 years and have recently expanded my hunting horizons to include bowhunting Africa, Canada and the Western states.

In terms of passions, fishing comes in at a close second.  Growing up with dozens of lakes within an hour’s drive,  a weekend often included some type of fishing.  From panfish to pike, I love it all and have been blessed to fish all over the world.  Whether it’s reef fishing in Bermuda to trolling the Canadian shores for Northern Pike, I love the anticipation and excitement, but also the relaxation, that come with spending time on the water.  Fly fishing is a new found love of mine as well and look forward to fly fishing adventures in Argentina and Brazil.

After graduating college in 1993 from UW-Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, I spent many years working in outside sales and as a marketing associate in an Investment Firm.  In 2008 I embarked on a new career and launched  www.paintedskulls.com where I custom paint, stone and feather European mounts for customers.  That same year I started free lance writing for hunting websites and publications.  Many of my articles, product reviews and photographs can be seen regularly on womenhunters.com and bowhunting.net as well as in publications such as Bowhunter Magazine, Iowa’s Family Fish and Game Magazine and the 2010 Prois Hunting Apparel catalog.  I also am on staff   with a variety of hunting companies including Prois, Commando Hunting Products and Honey Creek Outdoors.  Luck was in my corner this year when I was casted to be a participant on the award-winning show ‘Ammo&Attitude’ which airs on the Versus channel.   I’m also currently filming a pilot show with a major network  featuring my skull business and my passion for hunting and conservation.

Everyday I’m  appreciative of the challenge, beauty, diversity and comraderee that hunting and fishing have  brought to my life.  From the South Dakota road trips as a kid, to float plane adventures into the Canadian wilderness, I can thank my Dad for my passion towards the Great Outdoors and my Mom for encouraging me to follow my dreams.

PRÓIS HUNTING AND FIELD APPAREL ADDS SIX ACCOMPLISHED WOMEN TO ITS IMPRESSIVE ROSTER OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRO AND FIELD STAFF

Over the past few years, Próis Hunting and Field Apparel has become the clothing brand of choice for some of themost high-profile, successful female hunters and shooters in the industry based largely on the gearʼs incredible fit,technologically advanced fabrics and superior performance. This year, Próis is showing no signs of slowing down, asthe company has announced the addition of four new impressive female hunters/shooters to its roster of ʻhard coreʼPro Staffers: Julie Golob, Rebecca Francis and twin sisters Tracy and Lanny Barnes. Plus, the company has alsoadded two amazing women to its team of Field Staff: Stacey Huston and Terri Lee Pocernich.“Whether in the field or on the range, each of these ladies are successful because they demand the most fromthemselves and their equipment,” said Próis Hunting and Field Apparel President and CEO, Kirstie Pike. “Weʼreproud to be associated with each of these incredible female hunters/shooters and are honored that they depend onour gear even in the most extreme conditions.”As the winner of 14 World, 18 U.S. National, and over 80 Championship titles in state, regional and internationalcompetitions, Julie Golob has brought new meaning to ʻshooting like a girlʼ. And she doesnʼt trust her success to justany gear when on the range, with a US Army Female Athlete of the Year (1999) title under her belt, she can only relyon the best from Próis. To further add to her long list of accolades, Golob is captain of team Smith and Wesson, thefirst and only Five Division USPSA Ladies National Champion and the first woman to ever earn a USPSA NationalsTriple Crown.Mother of eight children, and winner of the 2009 “Extreme Huntress” nationwide contest, Rebecca Francis laughs atany challenge that crosses her path. Her long list of ʻextremeʼ trophies includes two Alaskan brown bears, an Africanlion, many plains game, dall sheep, bighorn sheep, moose, black bear, antelope, New Zealand red stag, and severaltrophy mule deer and elk. Since becoming the “Extreme Huntress” she has begun freelance writing for severaloutdoor magazines and is currently working on a TV show based on womenʼs extreme hunting.A love for fishing, hunting, shooting and just plain being in the great outdoors scored twin sisters Tracy andLanny Barnes spots on the U.S. Biathlon team (an Olympic sport that combines cross-country skiing with riflemarksmanship). And after a few years of perfecting their skills, they made their first World Jr. Championship team atthe young age of 18 and became the first women in the US to have medaled in the World Jr. Championships the nextyear at the age of 19. Since their junior career, theyʼve competed in World Cups and several World ChampionshipsContact: Jonina Costello / jcostello@full-throttlecom.comJason Bear / jbear@full-throttlecom.comPhone: (805) 529-3700as well as the 2006 Olympic games. Plus, Lanny represented the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games, whereshe posted the best U.S. finish in 16 years. They both are pushing to become the first women in the U.S. to medal inthe Olympics in 2014 held in Sochi, Russia.Stacey Huston has shared a passion for ʻall things outdoorsʼ since growing up in the mountains of north westMontana. That same passion has led her to a career as a wildlife photographer, with photos published in severalhigh-profile magazines, and catalog cover shots. She is also a licensed falconer and a Sub Permitee for IronsideBird Rescue — rehabilitating birds of prey to ensure they are strong enough to once again soar the open skies.Entrepreneur and writer Terri Lee Pocernich has chased whitetails since the early age of 10, having grown up in thequiet town of Hayward, Wisconsin. Aside from being an avid hunter, sheʼs a wife, a mother of four and owner of thepopular Camp Wild Girls website, and now the new Home Hunting Parties concept which has recently hit the groundrunning receiving tremendous interest within the industry. An experienced writer, she has her own blog atSkinnyMoose.com and writes regularly for the Womenʼs Outdoor News and the Womenʼs Outdoor Media Association.Plus, sheʼs also in the process of co-producing an online show in conjunction with AM:PM Outdoors and Sharp HillOutdoor Production to be called “Battle Scraps.”These accomplished ladies join an already impressive list of Pro and Field Staff that include the likes of Linda Powell,Senior Press Relations Manager and Conservation Sales Manager for Remington Firearms; freelance writer andpublic relations firm owner, Stephanie Mallory; and award-winning freelance writer Barbara Baird…to name a few.Próis was created for women, by women who refuse to settle for downsized menʼs gear or upsized childrenʼs gear.Each garment is created with the most technologically advanced fabrics available and a host of advanced features toprovide comfort, silence and durability. Their out-of-the-box thinking has resulted in amazing designs for serioushunters that have taken the industry by storm and raised the bar for womenʼs outdoor apparel.

Born to Hunt-by Melissa Shopes

Born to Hunt

By Melissa Shope

My first hunting experience was when I was a little girl and my dad decided to take my sister and I grouse hunting.  I, of course, being against killing helpless animals, had no intentions of letting him kill anything.  He told us before we left that we had to be very quiet.  We weren’t and that was the last time he took us hunting.  He loved to hunt grouse and turkey but was never much on deer hunting.   He loved the outdoors and in turn taught us to love nature also.  We didn’t have much money or a lot of extras but he always saved enough money to take us on a family vacation.  We learned not to be in a hurry to get to our destination because he always took the scenic route and made plenty of stops to enjoy the views.  I don’t really remember being upset about it.  It was just what we were used to.  He always tried to pick historical places so we could learn something from our experiences.

Growing up in eastern Kentucky gave me a love for being the mountains that I didn’t realize until I moved to North Carolina.  As a girl I loved being in the woods exploring or climbing a tree with my favorite book and reading for hours.  I moved to the foothills of North Carolina when I was eighteen and didn’t visit the mountains that often. My first husband did not hunt nor did he enjoy going to the mountains or visiting KY.

I went home to Kentucky as often as I could and looked forward to the climb up the winding roads to get to my parents house.  I found that I would get more homesick in the fall.  It has always been my favorite season and the mountains in Kentucky are beautiful in the fall.

At age thirty-six, after a failed marriage and two wonderful teenage daughters, I started dating a man that I worked with.  I had worked with him for five years so we knew each other well.  He had always been big on hunting and I used to tease him sometimes about killing helpless animals.  We fell in love and spent as much time together as we possibly could.  One day he asked me if I wanted to ride to South Carolina with him to his hunting land and I said that I would love to go.  I still remember how I felt the first time we walked into the swamp.  It was in the spring and it was breathtaking. I cried as I stood and took in the beauty of it all.  The way the sunlight broke through the tress spilling rays of light into the densely wooded swamp gave me goose bumps.  I fell in love instantly.  I could see how much he loved being there and that he felt the same way that I did. Seeing his love for the outdoors and how he took time to stop and show me things that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise, made me love him even more.   I continued going with him to help him get ready for deer season.  It was a lot of work but I enjoyed every second of it.

One day he jokingly asked me if I wanted to go deer hunting with him and again I agreed to go.  He was very surprised but excited that I actually wanted to try it.  He found me some clothes and bundled me up as much as he could and warned me how cold it might be.  I made it through the day without complaining even though I couldn’t feel my feet as I walked back to the truck.  We didn’t see any deer that day but I continued to go with him every chance I got. It was a long time until I actually saw a deer and I was getting very impatient.  He tried to encourage me and continued to tell me that if I kept going I would see deer.  I finally did start seeing deer and it was so much fun being able to sit in the stand and watch them walk under you and never know you were there.    I loved being in the woods and listening to the sounds and seeing all of the wildlife. You feel so close to God during those times.  Seeing all that he created and experiencing it firsthand makes you appreciate things so much more.  It gives you time to examine your life and be thankful for the ones you love.

He took me to the range and I finally found something that I was good at.  I had never been athletic and failed at every sport I had tried but I could shoot a gun!  I loved it.  The more I went hunting the more I wanted to try it for myself.  I started sharing a stand with his son, Hunter.  We had so much fun.  We saw a lot of deer but we always seemed to get the giggles over the silliest thing.  Those were memories I will never forget.  Eventually I started hunting by myself but I just never saw a shooter.  I had no desire to shoot a doe.  If  I was going to kill something I wanted it to be a good one. With that said, I still haven’t got my chance to this day.  But I have patience and I know it will happen.

In the spring he took me turkey hunting and I my love for hunting doubled!  I was shocked at how much fun it was.  The first day we hunted he called in a big bird right to his decoy.  He shot and I jumped and yelled, “You got him!”  I guess I was surprised but he thought it was funny.  He is a very good hunter and a very good shot.  He easily killed his limit that year and I was disappointed when it was over so soon.

My dad was surprised and proud that I had taken to hunting the way I had.  After each hunt I would call him on the phone to give him every detail.   He would share his experiences with me and would tape things on TV to show me when I came home to visit.  We planned to go turkey hunting together in Kentucky during their fall season but he passed away before we got the chance.  I am so glad that I found my love for hunting before he passed away.  Being able to share our hunting experiences with each other made us closer than we had ever been.  My mother gave me his turkey gun and I will proudly carry it hunting with me the next time I go.

I had my first exciting chance to shoot at a turkey this past spring.  It was a lot of fun but a big miss for me.  I was so upset and disappointed.  I will try again next year.  I have been teased many times by my co-workers about hunting but it doesn’t bother me.  They have no clue what they are missing and I can’t explain it to them.  I owe so much to my wonderful husband for taking me with him and letting me fall in love with the many joys of hunting.  I have no doubt that it will be a part of my life for many years to come.   I look back and laugh at how I used to be and how I am now.  I went from a little girl who hated the thoughts of hunting, in to a woman who, I now know, was born to hunt.

My first buck-by Deborah Fox

After multiple weekends of whining and feeling sorry for myself; my many years in the woods finally paid off.  I hate to admit it, but I’d been whining. I was sick of hearing myself, and I know my husband would agree. It seemed that no matter what I did to hide my scent, be quiet, and make as few movements as possible, my cover would be blown!

We’d been hunting in Georgia for a few years with some “good ole’ boys” who had some “freezer” success but no real bragging rights. As the only female hunting on the property I didn’t really get a warm & fuzzy welcome from the other male hunters. At one point they even asked my husband, “Do you bring her every weekend?” He smartly replied, “I wouldn’t think of leaving her at home, she’s a better shot than me!”

The moon had been full or close to it for several nights so the deer had been doing most of their feeding then. There had been signs of rutting activity for a few days, and my husband witnessed several bucks chasing a doe.  As they raced past him, he spun around so quickly that he broke the chair he was sitting in. But that’s for another story.

We made the decision to sleep in the next morning.  We ate a big breakfast and head to the stands around 9:00am. We had plans to stay all day instead of breaking at noon for lunch and maybe catch some bucks wondering mid-day.

I had been in my ladder stand five minutes when I heard the fateful blow of an alerted deer behind me. I was so close to climbing down and going back to bed! But not wanting to mess up my husband’s hunt, I stuck it out.  I’m really glad I did.

Ten minutes later I noticed some movement inside the wood line about 85 yards in front of me.  I picked up my binoculars and scanned the edge to find out if it was a “shooter”. I caught the glimpse of an antler and my heart started to pound. I carefully raised my gun and tried to locate the buck in my scope. Where was he? Every time I looked in the scope I couldn’t locate him through the saplings and briars. I could only see him with the naked eye. I was really getting nervous! I thought back to the past few weeks and all the blown opportunities. I was sure if I didn’t get it together soon this would be added to the list. I took a deep breath and looked back in the scope one more time and found his front legs. Eureka! Just above that is his chest! I slowly moved my gun up until I found his front right shoulder and pulled the trigger on my 30-06. All four legs went in the air in the classic bucking motion. I had made contact! He broke into the field and headed straight for me. This is when I realized he wasn’t just a buck he was the biggest buck I’d seen in the woods, and the first one I’d shot at! I rapidly pumped my gun and fired off four more shots. He came to rest about fifteen feet behind my stand. I quickly grabbed another clip and slammed it into the gun. I wasn’t going to take a chance that he might get back up. He wiggled a little and I shot him again. Once I was confident he wasn’t going anywhere the celebrating began. Later I was told that I was heard on the other side of the property hoopin’ and hollerin’! My husband keyed up his two-way radio and asked if I was ok, and if I had one down. I confirmed that it was big but he should continue to hunt. I still had no idea the magnitude of what I had just accomplished. He waited about ten minutes but couldn’t stand the anticipation and headed my way.  By then I had finally stopped shaking and felt confident enough to safely climb down out of the stand.  I stood there for what seemed an eternity just staring at the magnificent animal in front of me. When my husband arrived he congratulated me with a hug and a tear. I then said to him, “Don’t even think about telling me I’m not getting it mounted!”

I’m very blessed to have found someone who enjoys the sport as much as I do and that we were able to share this moment together. The only thing that would have made it greater was if my Dad, who introduced me to hunting could have been there too.

As we started to drag the deer out of the woods my husband noticed there were only two shots in the deer. The first shot and the last shot. The first being the fatal one and the last was my nervous one….right into tenderloin, which to this day my husband won’t let me forget!

When we returned to camp we discovered there had been multiple deer shot that morning including an 8 point, a 6 point, and several does.  But nothing came close to my 11 point. Those “good ole’ boys ”  were in awe of what the “girl” had harvested. The president of the club said it was the largest buck shot on the property in 20 years. The guy who shot the 8 point couldn’t stop rubbing the antlers of my deer. He said he was really happy with his deer until he saw mine.

After all the congratulating my husband and I took my deer to a local “stop n shop” that had a scale to get it weighed. As they began to hoist it up the last number I read was 185 lbs before the scale blew apart. It might have weighed more than that but I’ll never know.

He now proudly hangs in our home on what I like to call my “Wall of Fame” along with two of the biggest fish I’ve ever caught.

I’ve always looked forward to deer season beginning, but since that October morning in 2005 things have been a lot different.

Women’s Snow Goose Hunt in Southern Illinois with Jagermister Outfitters, LLC

Women’s Snow Goose hunt in Southern Illinois:
This is a guided two-day hunt with Jagermister Outfitters, LLC in Southern Illinois; just outside of Carlyle. Whether you are a new or polished goose hunter, you are invited. This hunt is limited to 8 women hunters. Please see the information below for details.

Date:
February 12th & 13th, 2011
Plan to arrive at the lodge on Friday, February 11th after 2:00 p.m. Hunting will take place all day Saturday and the majority of the day on Sunday, breaking both days for a warm lunch.

Guide:
Lynn Buswell, Jagermister Outfitters, LLC
Website: http://www.jagermisteroutfitters.com/location.html
Email: goosehunter67@hotmail.com
Cell: 319-213-0991

Location:
The hunt will take place on privately leased property just outside of Carlyle, Illinois. The hunt will be in crop fields hunting from layout blinds. You do not have to have your own layout blind.

Cost:
The fee for this hunt is $350.00 which includes lodging. Meals can be as a group at restaurants in the local town or cooked in the full kitchen at the lodge. Hunters will be responsible for the cost of their meals.

Limit:
NO LIMIT per day on Snow Geese

License & Stamps:
The required license and stamps:
102 Non-resident Hunting License-5-Day License $35.75
600 State Electronic Migratory Waterfowl Stamp $15.50
970 Electronic State Habitat Stamp $5.50
License and Stamps can be purchased online at:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/WaterfowlDove.aspx

Equipment needed:
For those of you who have hunted goose, bring what combination of gear and equipment that works well for you.
Shotgun
Shotgun case-all guns must be in a case when in a moving vehicle or utility vehicle. Soft-sided cases work well for this.
Several boxes of high brass BB steel shot or tungsten shot (no lead shot)
Modified choke
Camo clothing, preferably water repelling or water resistant in case of rain
Plenty of layers…it is usually still pretty cold in February.
Rubber boots
Hand warmers
Neck gaiter
Wool cap
Gloves

To reserve and confirm your hunt, you will need to forward a 50% deposit of $175. If you are mailing a check, it will be cashed upon receipt and the funds held until the day prior to the event. Please email or call Lynn for the mailing address and/or if you should have any questions.

Prois Pro-Edition Jacket~Simply a must have!

This Prois camo jacket is the one constant in my hunting attire. I may add vests over or under to gain warm or layer it with the sherpa jacket underneath but by far it is my favorite piece. It has that scapular pocket behind my neck where I simply place an activated hand warmer for added comfort. I also place one on each outer pocket on the sleeve to keep the chill away.

Last year while filming I had to loan one of my warmers to my partner who was shaking uncontrollably in the tree. I couldn’t believe the difference in the warmth of my arms. The one with the warmer never got cold. The thumb hole sleeves are a very nice touch also.

I love the large pocket in the back and often use it to carry my range finder and other necessities while climbing into the tree. The extra little round cut on the bottom keeps my bottom a bit dryer and warmer, and the way it sheds water is a life saver. Now add to that that the detachable hood with full face coverage for those windy days and I am in buck heaven (or hog heaven if I ever get down south). The only thing that could make this incredible camo jacket just a wee bit better? I still look like a woman when I wear it because of the feminine cut of the jacket. You can bet I won’t be leaving home without it!

Check out our Camp Store for all of you Prois Clothing needs.

August’s Woman of the Wild-Darla Kaarre

I grew up a native Montanan…fourth generation in a family line of outdoor people…forest service packers, ranchers, homesteaders, outfitters etc.  My mom and dad are outfitters and I spent alot of time growing up in that business.  The family all hunted…I took hunter’s safety as a kid and back in those days you could take a pocket knife to school in your pocket.

I had mine in my pocket so could take it to hunter’s safety class at night (I was in sixth grade) and show it off and let everyone know that since I owned a knife I could survive in the woods.  Well I lost it that day somewhere on the playground and never had another pocket knife till I was well into my thirties.  So even though I grew up with hunters all around me and worked in the outfitting business cooking for hunting camps and even helping drag game out of the field, I never hunted.

I went off to college, got a bachelor’s and masters degree in education, found this wonderful man to marry, had children and when the only boy got his first hunting license in Wisconsin (lived in the mid west for about 20 years) then my husband Marty really got into hunting.  So Randy (son) and Marty would hunt every year and get deer for me. I love venison!  I loved ‘cutting up meat’ and putting it in the freezer…but still never hunted.

About nine years ago my family and I moved back out to Montana…the northwest corner…back to my home stomping grounds.  I finally decided after the first year back that I would like to try my hand at this hunting business!  So I borrowed a gun that was given to my mom by my great uncle ( a nice wood stock pretty looking 308).  I didn’t know one gun from another at that point and still don’t know much, but am learning as I get more into hunting.  So eight falls ago I borrowed that gun and haven’t yet returned it and have now carried it many many miles up and down mountains and through woods.  The first year that I picked up the gun from my mom and dad’s house, I asked dad if I could hunt along the creek on his property back down to my house.  He said sure.  About 15 minutes later, down off the hill came a nice doe…it was early doe season so I took my first shot.

I hit her and watched where she ran and waited the allotted time and then went to find her. Followed the tracks and blood trails.  Retraced and started over and turned over every scenario in my mind.  Never did find her…went up to dad’s since it was dark. He said he would go with me first thing in the morning.  He did and we found her a few hours later…about a mile and a half away on a circuitous route.  I learned so much from my dad that day.  I had such a valuable resource around me, all those years of growing up and no interest back then.

That day turned out to be an education about being in the woods.  The doe was great food for scavengers that year but not so good for my freezer.  Dad encouraged me and told me similar stories from his lifetime hunting experiences.  I hunted the rest of the season and got nothing.  So I kept trying through the years and learning more each year.

I missed a nice buck at about 40 yards…even after a smart hunting strategy and waiting patiently for him to get close enough and not see or smell me.  Sat in the snow and cried about that one and was never going to hunt again.  My husband, son and Dad kept encouraging me.  Spent more seasons loving the ‘hunt’ and the whole being in the woods and observing animals and their behavior scene.

Each year I would learn some valuable lesson to apply the next year.  I could sit still enough that a coyote sniffing out something got within seven feet of me and finally I said ‘well hello there’ as that close was beginning to feel just a bit close. There was the time my son took me hunting in the early years of my new passion and we had a buck standing looking at us for ‘hours’ and any one other than the inexperienced mom would have gotten off a good clean shot.  I couldn’t find the deer in the rifle scope so couldn’t shoot.  The deer got tired of waiting for me to shoot it so finally it wandered away much to the incredulity of my son.  “Mom you could have just pointed and shot and not missed that one it was so close.”

I’ve provided many funny mom hunting stories.  I have my favorite ‘angel deer’ that flew through the thick woods miraculously because it was so thick and dark and his rack was so huge there was no way he could leap as far and as long as he did through the woods and find a path out without getting entangled…but he did of course!   There was the doe I shot and stunned and who laid on the ground for most of the waiting time and just before I was to approach to make sure she was meat for the freezer jumped up and ran off like nothing had ever happened.  My dad and I again spent a day looking for her.  Never found her nor any blood trail expect two spots right where she dropped when I stunned her.

My ‘failures’ to put meat in my freezer were disappointing but kept me motivated also to keep learning and trying.  So finally after six or so ‘unsuccessful’ seasons of hunting I shot my first deer last fall…a nice muley that I hiked miles and miles up in the mountains to get.  He was so big  we couldn’t drag him off the mountain. We had to field dress him and back pack him out of the woods.  Good thing we did…a grizzly was eating his rib cage when we went back the next day to check out if the rest of the deer were still in the same area.

We had more tags to fill!  My husband was with me the day of my first hunting success….he did all the cutting up for packing out and all that.  I helped where needed.  It was all a spiritual experience for me…the hunt, the shooting, the waiting, the butchering, the gratitude for it all.  But even more exciting for me was that four days later while hunting completely on my own, I successfully filled my doe tag after doing things ‘right’ and figured out how to gut her out and all that.  I had to get my dad to come with his truck to haul her home and he said to me in his quiet voice…”You’re getting to be quite the huntress!’  For my 76 year old dad, my getting deer and carrying on his life joys was one of the coolest things for him.  So, having spent years learning some about hunting, I finally had a ‘successful’ season last fall.  I was able to put my first package of meat in the freezer that was identified as “Darla’s muley backstraps–nov ’09″.  We mark all our meat by who gets it, where and when.  It makes for great meal time stories and we are reminded of where our food comes from and for what cost.  One of the funnest moments of last year’s hunt was taking a picture of the first package of meat to go in the freezer with my name on it!

I’m looking forward to this fall and hunting season and have been checking out the deer habits in the area and have my licenses all ready…my son in law got me a new scope…my son got me a real hunting knife after learning that I gutted my doe with a Finnish fillet knife.  I will still use the same family rifle but I may need to get my own hunting clothes…I’ve been borrowing my son’s while he has been four years in the Marines.  He returns this September 13…in time for early season wilderness hunting!  So Camp Wild Girl’s show me your stuff for women’s wear!!

So that is my hunting story…my youngest daughter Elly (10 in a few days) enjoys joining me in the hungt and will be able to start hunting in two years if she so chooses.  She is a great outdoors girl.  She lead a hike of 18 people to the top of a mountain lookout yesterday here in our corner of God’s country.  In addition to hunting, I love being involved in passing on the wonders of the outdoor world by running an outdoor ministry.  So yesterday we finished off an outdoor retreat by hiking to the lookout and viewing the wonders of the mountains with a 360 degree view.  We are a non profit ministry that believes that we can live out and pass on spiritual principles in the outdoors.  We believe that challenge, growth and renewal happen through adventure in the world God provided for us to enjoy.  We do children, youth, family, women, and men’s adventure retreats.  We do hunting and fishing retreats.  We go hiking, rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing, study, site seeing, camping, backpacking, and other outdoor activities.  Each experience is used to teach spiritual principles.  Each retreat is custom designed to meet the needs of the group that joins us. Growing up in the outfitting business, getting into education and marrying a pastor, have all come together to create a ministry that brings growth and renewal to lots of people…whether they are participants or whether they find a job in which they come out to help at a retreat.  If you’d like to find out about our ministry go to athelasoutdoor.org.  You can also find us on facebook at Athelas Outdoor Ministry, Inc.

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