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.

Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado!

Big Bull Down! Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado! By Kirstie Pike, CEO Prois Hunting Apparel for Women

Again?!? Yes, again… Hanna Pike, daughter of Prois founders Steve and Kirstie Pike, bags another trophy animal for 2009! Hanna, 17 years old, started out her 2009 season with hard-earned Mountain Goat that she took in the 13,000 foot peaks of Colorado. This week, Hanna scored her second trophy of 2009- a 7×6 bull taken in Southeastern Colorado.

Hanna, accompanied by her father and grandfather (Jim “Jim Dog” Pike) set out for the south east reaches of the state. Packing in on horseback, the threesome set up early on opening morning to glass the area. A number of sizable bulls and cows were sighted that morning. However, when Hanna spotted a nice 7×6, she knew that was the bull she wanted. After some maneuvering, she was able to set-up into position and take her shot.

The rest, they say, is history. A trophy bull is quite a prize, but the memories fabulous hunt shared with her dad and grampa are what will mean the most. Passing the torch and fueling the passion for hunting and the outdoors starts at home. It is a beautiful thing to watch our kids grow into the next generation of sportsmen/women. Oh, and by the way…Hanna isn’t done yet. She ALSO drew a Colorado Mule Deer tag for the upcoming season…stay tuned!

Próis Pro, Kirstie Pike goes on a Gator Quest!

Próis Hunting Apparel owner, Kirstie Pike, writes about her GatorQuest

Air Sickness and Air Boats…what’s a girl to do?

Gator Quest…day 1! We flew into New Orleans late last night following a vomit inducing flight from Gunnison to Denver…ok, didn’t really vomit, but wished I had. As with typical travel days, we experienced near homicidal frustration with all proveyors of transportation. So- did you realize that you can be charged $30 for a 10 minute taxi ride by a non-English speaking cabbie who does not use a meter? Nether did we. As well, upon our late night check-in to a rather sketchy hotel- I got the unique opportunity of visualizing a cockroach that was literally the size of a mouse…need I mention my dismay that the hotel room smelled of Raid.

It was all absolutely worth it! We arrived in Springfield around noon, at which time we teamed up with Chad and Dana Wall of Gatortrax tv. We had the unique opportunity of touring their gator farm which is nothing short of amazing. Within a couple of hours, we found ourselves on Tickfaw River in an airboat cruising deep into the swamps. As a homegrown Colorado girl, I found myself utterly slack jawed at the beauty of the swamps. Cypress trees, Spanish moss, lilly pads and lush folliage thickly surrounded us. The airboats can go ANYWHERE, and we quickly learned that Chad was NOT kidding when he said they can cross dry land…they can! We also had an interesting experience involving a boat, a trailer and near capsizing…I’d love to divulge the facts but I was pinky-sworn to secrecy.

We hit the hunt at 6am tomorrow and we’re ready to roll! I wonder if I can find Starbucks on the way…

I have to say, when I accepted Chad and Dana Wall (of Gatortrax TV) to head down to the swamplands of Louisiana, I was more than just a little intrigued.  Being from Colorado, I had all sorts of images in my head of what the swamps and gator hunting would be like.  Of course, my primal fear of bugs came to mind.  Oh, and my fear of snakes.  Can’t forget about murkey water, leaches and aligators (which I have learned ARE the top of the food chain in the swamps).  OK, and let’s face it…who HASN’T seen the movie, ‘Deliverance’?  I came to  Louisiana equipped with all sorts of cliche’d propoganda in my head..

As we set out in the morning, I was taken by the absolute beauty of the surroundings.  The cypress trees, spanish moss, saw grass and lillies were beautiful.  As well, there is a unique slant of the sun at sunrise through the swampland that casts an unparalleled.  I had never really heard the sound of bullfrogs in the caucophony of noise that comes from everywhere.  Now, the only way I can really explain it is this…if you have ever ridden the African Queen boat ride at Disneyland and recognized the canned jungle noises along the lazy river…well, now you got it!  OK, but as Chad and Dana will attest, despite my appreciation for the beauty of the swamps, I may have still reacted like a school girl in response to the baseball size grasshoppers that seemed to have quite an affinity for the boat. 

Ahh, but what about the hunting?  All I can say is that it was a thrilling experience!  Day 2 provided us with numerous gators.  I am heartily humbled by the difficulty of the hunt in terms of hitting a very, very small killzone.  Slight deviation in any direction will result in bullet placement into the animals inpenetratable armor.  As well, only a very small fraction of the animal’s head will surface which may or may not provide a shot to the hunter.  Clearly, there is a reason why these pre-historic animals have survived for millions of years!  Chad, a 5th generation Springfieldian who has hunted these waters since he was a child, spent endless hours teaching us the patterns and habits of the aligators.  We encountered a number of gators, but after some heavy rains and a 45 minute staredown with a sizable gator, I was able to get a kill with my CVA muzzleloader! 

We ended the day with 3 gators and a cantankerous boat motor that threatened to strand us in the water.  We made it safely to the landing (as we knew we would) and beat a hasty retreat to the ladies room as we determined that under NO circumstances would we venture off to take care of business in the swamps. 

Day 2 of the GatorQuest started out just as early as day 1…We launched out to another gorgeous sunrise as we ventured out to the swamps.  I was still utterly awestricken at the beauty of the area.  I have to also admit that I was more than just a little bit excited that we didn’t have Gigantor the Grasshopper and his closest friends on the boat this day! 

Today was action packed and we spotted numerous animals.  I must admit that it took me some time to differentiate the splashes of jumping fish vs. movement of gators.  More than once I performed a spastic bout of arm waving and finger pointing at jumping fish that I was certain was a passing gator.  After two days of this, Chad and Dana just ignored my fits to save me the embarrassment. 

Jennifer got on the first animal of the day and pulled a nice gator.  He was pulled aboard and we moved on for the next gator…or jumping fish depending on who you ask.  We set about the various waterways and it was my pledge to not drink a sip of water today for fear of having to go to the bathroom.  Chock that up to another valuable lesson learned.  As the day drew to a close we pulled in some nice gators and headed out to beat the heat.  Jennifer and I discovered a long lost love in Springfield, Louisiana…Strawberry Slurpees!  Giddy with anticipation (and some pretty severe dehydration!) we indulged not once, but twice in these delectable treats!  OK…so they weren’t as good as we remembered, but hey… who couldn’t get excited about a frozen treat chock full of high-fructose corn syrup! 

Our experience was awesome as was the company of the Walls.  We look forward to another adventure with Chad and Dana…maybe in Colorado…if we can cure Dana’s fear of Mountain Lions.  If you ask me, they aren’t nearly as scary as leaches and ginormous grasshoppers!  Until then…bring on the GOAT!

Do me a favor.  Check out www.gatortraxtv.com to find out more about Chad and Dana Wall and their tv show, Gatortrax Outdoors.  All fair chase, all fun!  Oh…and did I mention they are quite entertaining as well!?

Original Post found at www.Proishunting.com