#68 KaCey

It’s 3:45 a.m. and I’m heading down the road, my headlight leading the way.  As I pull slowly onto I-90 West for the adventure of Spring Turkey, my mind runs wild with excitement.  I know that the Deer, Antelope and Game birds of my home state of South Dakota occupy the dreams of many and I am so blessed to be apart of it.  I’m meeting my brother for the annual Spring Turkey opener.  There’s nothing better in my mind than spending time in the woods with the special people of my life. These are the times many often take for granted.  To me the real reward of the outdoors is found by the snapping campfires and in tiny gun shops smaller than my garage; in the Diners along the abandoned stretches of forgotten American highways, in the journey of the hunt and the great people I meet along the way.  The genuine conservationists are those I share the trails with; those who feed their families with the fish they catch and the game they hunt.  Some of the best people I have ever met are those that can take the pulse of the land by standing on it and wrapping their arms around it.  So why the passion of hunting, fishing and the great outdoors? It’s all about the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer.  It’s about the life of a passionate girl and her love for God, her family, the outdoors, nature, life, and sharing it with those around her.  It’s just about being apart of nature, whenever there’s a free minute or afternoon and sharing in the experience with others.

The emotions I experience in the Outdoors are as memorable as the seasons themselves.  I look into the eyes of my young daughter, Bailee, and hope the passionate fire that burns in me will inspire the same passion in her life.  I want to lead a new generation of hunters into the field by my examples.  From teaching hunters safety courses, putting on local seminars to taking an underprivileged child with me on opening day. I enjoy teaching others to be prepared to be safe in the outdoors and most important let no Outdoor experience offered ever go to waste. I want people to know, if I can do it so can they.  Part of making my Outdoor dreams come true is using my ability, passion and willingness to capture and share these valued experiences with so many others.  Now it is my time to show my beautiful daughter, Bailee, the ropes of life and how to follow her dreams.  Since she was born, she has been my little princess, from the many hours spent being pushed in the running stroller,  playing house and cheering me on when times got tough, she’s been my little rock. I couldn’t imagine life without her.

Since I was old enough to walk, I was always in the water or knee deep in the mud. Before there was a worry in the world, there were forts, creeks, sand pits, fishing poles, sling shots, BB guns and my best buddy an older brother, who taught me the simple ropes of the outdoors.  I was introduced to the hunting world by a friend of mine and fell in love.  My first hunt was a beautiful Elk hunt in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  This particular hunt was a start of new beginnings for me.  Having a Bull Elk come within five yards of me while he bugled is probably the biggest adrenaline rush of my life.  “I wanted more!”   My next memorable hunt was in Western South Dakota hunting the great Speed Goats. Beautiful weather, new boots, friends calming my nerves and my new beautiful 25-06 by my side, can it get any better than that?  I left that night with a beautiful Antelope and with memories to last a life time.  I now know the addiction of this sport they call “hunting.”  Soon after, a camera was put in my hands and I haven’t been hunting without one since.  With my camera I am able to capture the beauty of nature from antelope, turkey, elk, paddlefish, walleye, pheasants, black bear, whitetail, wolf and moose.  Now I want to experience all that Mother Nature has to offer and with the many new opportunities and adventures ahead and I would say I’m on the right track!

Sports have always been a way of life for me, golf and marathons in particular.  Throughout high school and into my early College years I spent many hours on the golf course and set my dreams on the PGA of America.   I was offered a once in a life time job from Ben Crenshaw, and became one of his teaching professionals at his exclusive Golf Club in Austin Texas.  I spent the next five years living my dream down South as a Golf Professional and a member of the PGA of America.

After my daughter Bailee was born, I moved back to my home state of South Dakota to be closer to my family.  Now, don’t think just because I was taking a different direction in life, that I left my love for the outdoors behind it’s just the opposite. I started running marathons to stay in shape and fell in love with the “runners high.”  I have now completed a total of eight full marathons, including the famous Boston Marathon, and many other smaller races in between.  The outdoors has always been a huge part of my life.  I have yet to hunt in many of the places I dream of like Africa, the South Pacific, and the Alaska Range.  I know however that I will travel to those almost fictional places and stand in the footsteps of Hemingway and Roosevelt.  I have so many years yet to learn, embrace, enjoy and share these experiences. “I smile at the mere thought of it all.”

Hunting and the Outdoors to me have two kinds of ethical Laws.  The first law written by man is for the protection and conservation of our wildlife and enforced by our game wardens.  The second law is the law of ethics.  Without ethics, a man or women can be a licensed, law abiding hunter and still be unethical in their hunting methods.  Most hunters obey the game laws, but that alone isn’t always enough.  There’s nothing illegal about shooting at a running speed goat or trying to shoot the waterfowl way out of range.  It’s just unethical and only an unethical sportsman would try it.  The ethical sportsman knows both their shooting abilities and the limits of their equipment. The real sportsmen will do all they can to be that ethical hunter or huntress. They will work hard and practice to learn all about their quarry and have the deepest respect for it. He or she knows that the town, where road signs are used for target practice, quickly removes the welcome mat for hunters. And the farmer or rancher whose property or livestock are abused will post his land and forbid further hunting.  As an ethical hunter, a real hunter believes in “a fair chase,” and will never take unfair advantage of the game being hunted.  This principle of “a fair chase” is a part of the law.  It may not be against the law to shoot a bird on the ground, a duck swimming in the water or a rabbit in hiding, but the ethical hunter will never do that.  The ethical hunter treats game with respect both before and after the harvest.  It is the ethical hunter who is willing to take the time to introduce a youngster to the enjoyment of the hunting experience. The unethical hunter, the taker, never gives anyone an even break.  They are people who brag about their success when a limit is filled or makes excuses when it is not.  They will hunt private property without permission and show no respect for the land on which they trespassed.  The driving force is never the thrill of the hunt or how much game can be shot.  While even the ethical hunter may never enjoy the full approval of the non-hunter an ethical hunter will never disrespect a non-hunters right or opinion. And as public awareness of the hunter’s significant role in management increases, anti-hunting sentiment may recede.  The real definition of ethics is what we do when no one is watching, when we have no audience to applaud.  It’s a personal decision if an individual chooses to shoot or hold, waste or conserve, or participate or simply observe.  So which hunter are you?

If given the opportunity of winning this once in a lifetime trip to Africa I plan to experience all that it has to offer.  It would be an absolute dream come true and I would want nothing more than to experience this dream with my brother.  His love for the outdoors is as strong as my own and I know a trip to Africa doing what we love would be filled with memories that will last a life time.  What a better way to experience the Outdoors with my brother than going on a Safari hunt in Africa, a place that we both dream about.   I would be so honored and proud to represent the USA as Miss Huntress 2011 and would respect that title to the fullest.  As for some who have followed me in the past, these are the continued experiences I look to share with so many others, my daughter, family, friends and strangers.  Some may say that the boys can play harder, well, I say to the boys watch out for Ka Cey! I will leave no stone unturned, take no adventure for granted, and continue to share my love of hunting and the outdoors with so many others along the way.

I write from my heart and my message is real.  Hunt hard, live your dreams and enjoy every day as it were your last….one day you will be right. God Bless.