Reevaluating Your Goals

As deer season winds down I'm left reflecting on one of the hardest, most humbling seasons of my life. With monster bucks filling my newsfeed every day, I was sure that this year would be the year I stuck a giant with my bow. What my optimism hid, however, was that we has less land than ever to hunt, with more people than ever trying to hunt it. People who have disregarded limits and legal buck sizes. Our number one hit list deer was harvested two weeks into the season. I had lost my first bow kill and then botched another bow attempt within two weeks of each other. I went 20 sits without seeing a deer. This was the year that I pushed my dream of a big buck aside and reevaluated my goals.
 On October 20th, I took a sick day from work with the hopes of sticking my first deer with a bow. This was my third year carrying my bow with nothing to show for it, so that morning, any deer would do. By 9:30 I hadn't seen a thing, discouraged, I decided to sit past 10 and make a whole day of it. At 10:15 I had 4 does within 18 yards. The front doe, who looked to be a good 130 pounds, stood broadside and dropped her head to feed. I stood, drew, settled and squeezed. When I released, I saw by lighted nock flew like a tracer and disappear behind her shoulder. She mule kicked and dug hard towards the thicket, tail tucked. I couldn't believe it. What I had dreamed about for years, what had I had played through in my mind sit after sit finally just happened. I knew it was a great hit. I slipped down, found my arrow, and saw the blood spatter on the trees. I knew she couldn't have ran 50 yards..

300 yards later in the middle of a clear cut, we lost blood. We tracked all day, which at its peak reached 70 degrees. We knew the deer was no good, but we kept trying. After 7 hours, we cut our losses. After some research, I think I hit a touch too low. The blood was bright and strong, but just stopped. We thought maybe she'd show back up on camera, but two months later she's yet to make an appearance. I guess its like turkey hunting.. when they say "if you haven't missed, you haven't hunted enough." Every bowhunter has made a mistake, lost a deer, or made a bad shot. I guess I can add that to my list now.

By November 15th, I hadn't seen another deer with my bow. I had been carrying by rifle pretty exclusively by this point, because this southern girl bundles up like Ralphie on A Christmas Story. I had seen a handful of does, but with six weeks left of the season, the prideful QDMA mentality had really taken hold of my train of thought. "Nope," Id tell myself ,"No does until the rut is over and I kill an 8 point of bigger. And the doe I do shoot better be 150 pounds or I'm not doing it." November 22nd comes and Brandon's killed two bucks, Bradley's taken four, and here I am with a big goose egg. I had a terrible stomach virus the Friday before, so Brandon and I sat together that morning. Fortunately, a gang of about eight does came out, and I finally got the monkey off of my back. I was just excited about that doe as I was about any buck I'd killed before. I was just as proud of that doe as anything else I'd taken.
So that's when it hit me. I had been so wrapped up in the mentality that if it didn't have big horns it wasn't worth it that I missed the whole point of this great sport. Horns aren't everything, and as much as Id love to kill a giant 10 point, a nice nanny doe will do just fine for me. Sometimes I think we have seasons like this just to make us value the little things and humble us. So far, this is my first season without horns, but I'm okay with that. With nine days left of the season, I'm looking to take another doe for our freezer. If buck walks out, I'll be grateful, but if I'm fortunate to take a doe, I'll be proud of her, too. Hunting isn't all big horns and big beards. Its time for some of us to reevaluate our goals and get back to the heart of hunting. Merry Christmas, everyone! And good luck to those of you hitting the woods for the last bit of the season!
 

Dying with Dignity

My Facebook feed has been 50% politics and 50% Brittany Maynard for the past four days. Normally, I'm one to stay away from these subjects because I hate debating on social media. I know this isn't hunting related, but I just wanted to voice my opinion on the matter of euthanasia.   In the 8th grade, we had to a "controversial" essay in literature class. This essay was to be accompanied by a speech supporting your case. At the age of thirteen, I wrote my essay on human euthanasia. For me, this has always been an easy decision and one that I support strongly. I feel everyone has the right to do what they want with their life, no matter what. If they really want to end  it, they're going to end it. They can either end it with drugs, or with a .45, the end result is the same. There are very few things that I support "politically" as strong as this, and if you want to debate it with me, I'm more than receptive. Before you do, let me give you some input as to why I feel the way I do.   I know the Lord holds the world in His hands. I know He knew what's going to happen in my life before I was even thought of. I believe in the Lord with all my heart. I see Him work in my life in so many ways, and I am so blessed to serve such a wonderful God. Using the defense "God chooses when we die, not us" is completely and absolutely contradictory to everything I believe. The Lord knew Brittany Maynard was going to end her life on November the first; long before she was even born. To say that He didn't would be saying that our Lord is not an all knowing God. People saying that Brittany Maynard is in Hell right now needs to read the bible. All sinners who asked the Lord to save them have been saved, no matter what they do in their life, they are going to Heaven. Whether Brittany Maynard was saved or not, no one knows but her and God, but I will not condemn her nor judge her. 1 Corinthians 10:13 "..but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."   Many people say she is a coward with no faith. By cutting her life short, she cut of the Lord's plans for her. Once again, the Lord knew what was going to happen. The Lord is not "surprised" by our decisions. We don't cut God's plans short, He cuts us short. She may be a coward to some, but deciding to end your own life is something that I'm terrified of. There's a lady in our church right now who is dying. She's experiencing things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Her husband has to rush his best friend to the hospital on almost a weekly basis, always wondering if this is finally it. If that woman went outside right now and shot herself in the head to end the pain, would people consider her a coward? Would that say she has no faith? Her condition is terminal, 100% there is no coming back. Is the situation that much different? Yes, Brittany may have not been going through the worst of her illness yet, but once she got to that point, would they let her make that decision? Probably not. They would consider her not lucid enough to make a decision like that, and she would have been forced to die a very painful death. While one woman may be strong enough to fight it till the end, the other was strong in a completely different way.   I've seen people on their deathbed. I've known people who begged for a gun to end the pain. Shouldn't we be allowed to make a decision? Our bodies are temples, as said in the bible, but has that stopped people from getting tattoos? How about having your ears pierced? Leviticus 19:28 "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD." . How can we take a verse and so adamantly use it against tattoos, while having our ears pierced?  It's not fair to twist a bible verse to suit what you believe. Yes, biblically its wrong for her to end her life. But screaming that while having tattoos or piercings or being drunk on Saturdays is wrong, too. We are all sinners. Saved or not, we sin every single day in so many ways. To say that Brittany's sins is greater than your sins is not how Christians should act. Be a light unto the world, not condemning others because their light shines differently than yours.   I worked at a vet clinic in the past. Every, single day, I had a call from a disheartened pet owner. "Fluffy is getting old. He's 15, and in so much pain he cant even stand anymore." Do we value animal's lives over humans? I don't. An animal is an animal, a person is a person. I love my animals, but I've  also made the decision that I love them enough o stop the suffering. The principle is the same. If I get diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and I know there is nothing lying ahead of me other than dementia and forgetting everyone I love, I want a way out. I want to be able to save my family as well as myself the pain of dying a death like that. "But what ifs they find a cure but you killed yourself so you missed out on it?"  I'll be with Jesus, because I'm saved. Do you really think I'll care what happens on earth once I'm in Heaven?

I'm beginning to ramble, so I'll end with this. It was Brittany's life to end, not yours. Lauren Hill, another terminally ill cancer patient, pursued her dreams of playing a college basketball game. I've seen a lot of people making remarks along the lines of "see, Brittany, Laurens the REAL brave one. She didn't give up." That's low. Maybe Brittany's goal was to spend her life lucid and surrounded by her family. Why condemn one girl's goal for another's just because it goes against your personal belief. Everyone is different, that's what makes America wonderful. We need to remember that diversity isn't just in our favorite foods, it's in our life goals, too. You never know what battle someone is facing. Above all things, you should pray for someone rather than judge them.   **DISCLAIMER** In this post I am not saying that we should make euthanasia a norm. I'm stating why I feel Brittany Maynard should not be condemned for what she did with her life.

Quality vs. Quantity

With deer season quickly approaching, I've seen tons trash talking going on through social media (is it bad I always get inspired for blogs because some people are just rude?!). What's a lot of it about? QDM, or Quality Deer Management for those not familiar. Want to see people get flustered? Bring up your views on QDM.

 

 

Why, you ask? Because hunting popularity is growing at a mind blowing rate, and with more people hunting, you're bound to have disagreements. Whether you bow hunt, or gun hunt, hunt over bait or not, spot and stalk or blind hunt, there's on common denominator: you're there to kill deer. So why is what other people kill such an issue? Because some people hunt horns, some people hunt meat.

To all the horn hunters out there, I applaud you. To pass on a 150" deer because its only 4 years old is something I probably will never be able to do. People like you, educating and expanding knowledge of QDMA is the reason deer management is getting better and better with every season. With that being said, deer management isn't going to work for everyone. Now before you jump on me about being ignorant because I don't let 3 year olds walk, just give me a chance and keep reading.

To all the meat hunters out there, do what you gotta do. You're out there doing everything that trophy hunters are doing but for all the right reasons. You cant eat horns, and I give you mad respect for not giving into the QDMA pressure. But for the love of all things holy, can we let the spikes and button heads walk?!

See, there's a third category here and I feel like it doesn't get enough recognition. Sometimes in the midst of a heated quality vs quantity debate, I see that group of hunters speak up. They normally say something along the lines of "every scenario is different. What works in Ohio may not work here." I'm one of them. That balance between everything dies because I need meat and everything walks because I want a 180 inch deer. Where we hunt in upstate South Carolina is slowly gaining popularity for some big deer, mainly due to QDMA practices. However, deer management doesn't mean your going to kill a monster every year, and here's why I don't necessarily practice QDMA as hard as I should.

 

I hunt tiny parcels of land surrounded by other hunters. I'm talking twenty acres and less. At one point, our biggest track of land (twenty acres) was being hunted by five gun hunters in one morning. That's four acres per person, and every other hunter in that group is shooting anything that moves. So, while passing on young bucks is a admirable idea, it never means that buck is going to make it to next year.

We go to a church with a decent sized congregation. A good many of that congregation eats mainly deer meat. Also, most of that group isn't able (physically) to go hunt every chance they can. So they ask us, every season, if we could get them a deer or two. As of today, we have to get eight deer for them before we can even meat hunt for ourselves. With our tag numbers changing and doe days going down, that doesn't leave much room for us to be picky.

People who say taking X amount of does is just too many. Well, that may be true for your land, but our land may be different. Its all about animal density. Some places need fifty does taken a year to keep the ratio correct. Some places may only need five.

 

Everyone's situation is different. I've seen people crying "that's not how you manage deer!" because they're mad that they've only killed a doe. Other people are genuinely concerned about making our deer population better for the future. I'm in between. I always pass spikes and button heads. I try to pass fours and other really young bucks, but if its December and our freezer is empty, I'm not letting pride get in the way of my dinner. My husband is a pure meat hunter, and yeah, he may not kill big deer, but he fills our freezer every single year. So before you bash someone because they didn't let that three year old walk, think of all the different scenarios that person may be in. If you've never even killed a buck and you hunt three times a year, please do not preach to me about deer management. I don't want to hear you say "this is how deer management is supposed to work" when their friend kills a buck (the first buck that's been killed on that land for three years, just sayin'). When our family says "We've killed twelve this year!" remember, that's between four people. Also keep in mind, that over half of that went to families that needed it.

My husband and I have been in many "debates" about quality vs quantity. When we first got together and I really got into hunting, I thought it would be like the outdoor channel. I went three years letting deer walk because I honestly thought I would kill a monster if I did. So I spared lives for three years, and I also went three years without killing or even seeing anything close to a shooter buck. Last year, I followed his ways and decided to focus on meat, and this year I'm most certainly doing the same. Especially with a bow, nothing is off limits (other than spikes and button heads). If you have a problem with that, than feel free to look away, because we're here to eat deer, not horns. I hope everyone has a wonderful season, no matter which you choose to pursue. And I hope that everyone thinks before they type this year too, because no one is the same and that what makes this sport so wonderful. Embrace the difference and share the love of hunting no matter what different views you may have!

 

 

My Little Tips to the New Archer

While shooting last night, I decided it'd would be nice to share a little bit of this adventure in archery. I certainly don't claim to be an expert, no where close, seriously, I still have a ways to go. So here's some background, where I am now, and some tips I picked up along the way!

 

 I remember when I first started archery, I got discouraged very easily. My husband is one of those types who can pick up any sport like he's done it his whole life, and archery was no exception. I, on the other hand, had to work at it twice as hard. I got frustrated when I couldn't get a group smaller than 10 inches while he was robin hooding. I'd go days and weeks without shooting because I would get so discouraged. Social media didn't help either. Seeing girls pulling 60lbs and shooting groups the size of a bottle cap is not good for your ego when you're lucky to hit the target. So why did I keep doing it? Because it's one of the most addicting, enjoyable, challenging things I've ever done. I'm dying to hear that thwack from shooting my first animal, and I know if I quit, I'll never forgive myself.

 

Maybe my frustration came from the fact that I'm not good at taking criticism. Just ask my husband! For every tip he'd try to give me, there was 20 minutes of me getting defensive. The first thing I learned was to learn to take criticism. It's not easy. I mainly still shoot alone to prevent any disagreements, but sometimes its necessary for someone to judge you. How can you tell your form is terrible? How do you know your anchor points without someone pointing your anchors are different every time? Criticism is key. Taking my bow to be tuned for the first time was one of those experiences. There was only bow place around that we knew of, and everyone went to him, so that's where we went, too. Dude was a jerk. Condescending, rude, and belittling, I knew it was going to end badly. My husband was set up perfectly, but I needed my peep placement done. Which meant shooting in front of someone other than my husband. Which meant I was a nervous wreck. As soon at my final arrow flew, that guy flatly asked, "Have you done this before?" I knew it was all down hill from there. The next five minutes he told me everything I had done wrong. One thing that stuck was "well one reason why you're all over the place; your anchor points are terrible. Work on that." What the heck is an anchor point?! I remembered that and feeling like I was two inches tall. After leaving, we vowed never to go back. We found another tech who is amazing, with a great facility and a love for getting people introduced to archery. We fit much better there. But can I tell you the God's honest truth? There's not a time I shoot without thinking about that day. My anchor points are fabulous now, thank you very much.

 

The second thing I learned was stop comparing yourself to others. Some people have hours upon hours to practice. Some people are just natural athletes (like my husband). Some people have been doing this their whole life. You're not those people, you are you. Your situation is most likely completely unique to the person shooting next to you. Not shooting perfect score? Don't sweat it, at least you're shooting. Stop staring at others on social media. Stop worrying because you've never robin hooded like that person you saw on Facebook. Stop degrading yourself because you're not capable of shooting 50 yards yet. It will all come to you one day, just keep challenging yourself every way you can and next thing you know, you'll be shooting 50 with ease.

 

 

Number three, and the most game changing thing for me, know your dominant eye. Sounds elementary, right? Yeah well I guess I was a little ignorant. Years ago, I'm talking at age 14, I was on my high school's JROTC Rifle Team. What did we do on our first day? Learned our dominant eye. I am right handed, but left eye dominant. It's called cross dominance, and it's very common. I have always taught myself to shoot with both eyes open. Pistol, shotgun, rifle, or bow, I always kept both eyes open. Well, I forgot about the whole cross dominance thing. My groups were never consistent. I'd never shot anything flying. I was horrendous with a handgun. Anything with open sights I would avoid because I was just that bad. For years, I always just blamed it on myself and my lack of abilities. Brandon would try to teach me, but nothing changed. Finally one evening not so long ago, I was racking my brain as to why my consistency was awful. Am I pulling? Am I rushing? What can I do different? Something from way, way, in the back of my mind said, "hey dummy, you're left eye dominant." Would that matter? Is this my holy grail? So I stood up, drew, and settled my on my pins. I closed my left eye. My pin moved around 6 inches to the left. Now I shoot great groups, nice and consistent. I shot my first bird while flying a couple nights after that. Hard to believe something so simple could make it that much harder. So, make sure you do the test and find your dominant eye!

 

Don't worry about your draw weight. If your just starting out, and you can only pull 25, then pull 25. I started at around 30. I know that doesn't sound like much, but you're working a group of muscles you've never really used before. It takes time for the muscle memory to form and get stronger, so don't injure yourself trying to pull 40 when you should be pulling 30. Once your comfortable, bump it up a little at a time. Don't jack it up 15 pounds. I usually did 3 pounds, shoot for a week or two, then add three more. I'm at 50 now, and I'm about to turn it up a little more. I would really like to be pulling 60, considering my draw length is only 24 inches.

 

Most of all, take breaks and end on a good note. I learned a lot of things training horses that I use in every day life. My favorite; always end on a good note. If you feel yourself getting tired, and you know its time to take a break, stop. Don't push yourself to get that extra round in but in turn end badly. Id rather shoot 20 great rounds than 25 rounds with the last five all over the place. Personally, when I feel that fatigue setting in, I shoot one more group and put it up. I've had days where I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and I just put it up for the day and took a break. The next time I would shoot, I'd feel rested and ready to go. Ending on a good note gives that confidence boost we all need, so when you pick up your bow again, you feel good about shooting.

 

Like I said before, I'm not an expert. I've never shot competitions, but we are joining a club very soon. Before, I was never confident enough to want to join a club. I'm still a little unsure shooting in front of others, but it's getting better as I'm getting better. If you get frustrated, you're not alone. I'm sure everyone who shoots was frustrated at some point in time. Some of us just take a little more work to get to where we want to be, and there's nothing wrong with that. So just enjoy yourself, its a learning experience, soak it all in and have fun. Things will be confusing. Some things will sound like Spanish to you, like anchor points sounded like French to me, but it will all come to light soon enough. Hopefully this post gave you some reassurance that your not the only one, or at least some wonderful memories of when you first started. I mean, we've all been there, right? Keep shooting!

 

 

The Redemption Bird

April 5th, 2013

My son was born on April 6th of 2013, right in the middle of turkey season. I got a few pre-baby hunts in, but didn't cash in on a bird. Six days post-partum, Brandon and I hit the woods again (we took it easy, of course) and hunted as much as we could for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, I made the biggest, dumbest mistake I had ever made in the woods that season, and blew my only chance to tag a bird that year.

It was the last day of the season. They were calling for rain, a 90% chance. It was muggy, foggy, and drizzling the morning Brandon and I set up on the edge of a huge cow pasture. We were late, go figure, but the leaves were wet so we could slip in relatively unnoticed. Fortunately, we didn't bring the camera because of the rain (I'm thankful of that to this day). It only took about five minutes for the first bird to fly down. Yeah, we were that late. After the 4th turkey hit the ground, we counted 3 jakes, and one gobbler with a pitiful, thin beard. They were about forty yards, which was a stretch for me and my trusty Charles Daly 20 gauge. Now Brandon had killed a coyote with this gun just a few weeks earlier at every bit of 45 yards, but me? I'm just not confident in 40 without a scope.
"Take one" Brandon whispered. I adamantly told him no, they were too far for me. But here was the problem; they were walking away from us. The last morning on the last day, and my only opportunity was moseying away from us.

"Pick one out, take your time, and shoot. This is your last chance. They aren't getting any closer than this." I sighed. They were disregarding any call we threw at them. I raised the gun, rested the bead on the back of a jakes head, and squeezed.

Missed.

"Be still!! Do not move!" Brandon whispered/yelled at me. I did as he said. All four birds looked around and continued feeding. Okay. I could do this. I blew it but hey, they're still here.

Two hours passed. The same four birds fed in the same 50 yard radius the whole time. I wanted to die. I was mad, uncomfortable, and discouraged. Brandon looked at me and said, "Let me try one last thing." He flipped his call upside down and let out a kee kee run. All four birds stuck their heads up, practically ran to the fence about 80 yards to my left, and went out of my sight completely.

"Good job, Brandon, you scared them off."

"No. No I didn't. Get ready, they're coming straight up the fence." Little did I know that he could see everything that I couldn't. Apparently all four birds hit the fence line and were on a beeline towards me. There was a knoll about five feet in front of me, that blocked my line of sight until they were in my face. I saw one red head, then two, bob through an opening about 3 steps from me. I swung the gun, slow and easy, flipped the safety, and when bird number three came out, I could see his pupils. We looked at each other for a second.

CLICK.

What happened next has haunted me every time I go in the turkey woods. I tried to slowly reload my gun, which I forgot to pump after my initial miss. Then, my infallible gun jammed for the first time.

The Lord knew what he was doing that day, because Brandon didn't bring a gun. If he had, we probably would have been separated for a while. He could've easily killed a double while I fumbled with my traitor of a gun. Between the profanities I blurted out, the amount of things I threw, and the tears, I sure am grateful that cameras weren't rolling that day.

_________________________________________________________________________________
 

Fast forward a year. I haven't killed a bird in two years because of my royal screw up. I was hungry for a kill. Between my family and friends ragging on me about that fateful day, I had to prove myself. So Brandon and I set off on some land that we had never turkey hunted on before. We walked and walked, and finally called. That's when he fired off.
He was at least 100 yards through the woods, over two ridges and past a creek. So we started slipping, as quietly as possible in dry leaves, up one ridge and down the next. The longbeard wasn't saying much, which had us worried about where exactly he was. Finally, once we crept up the final ridge and neared the summit, we got down on our hands and knees. Finding a good tree, we set up and Brandon called. Old Tom wasn't any more than 40 yards by now. I couldn't hear walking, but I could feel the vibration of the gobble. It rattled down deep in my chest and gave me a bad case of the shakes. Brandon called for a good hour, and he didn't gobble any more than three times.
I was about to cry. Two years of frustration was getting the best of me, not to mention the 90 degree heat. Brandon looked at me and shrugged. "Let me try gobbling at him" he said. I told him heck no, we wanted to kill him not run him off. He pretty much told me that the bird wasn't coming, so what could hurt? "The worst we could do is spook him." That's pretty much our turkey season motto. So Brandon gobbled three times in a row, and in the midst of it, I heard another gobble. It was different from the first three, it was plum angry. So I set back, turned on Brandon's red dot, and tried to control my breathing. That's when I heard the crunching leaves. It didn't take three minutes, and I saw a big blue head coming up the ridge. I swung, settled the red dot, shot, and he disappeared.
My initial reaction was disappointment. "Dang it I freakin missed him!" I yelled at Brandon. Thanks to the enormous recoil from Brandon's gun and the fact that I was almost seeing stars, I nearly overlooked the ruckus going on over the ridge. We stood up, and there he flopped.
After closer inspection, we saw that he was a jake (Brandon and I named him Super Jake, because I've never heard a jake gobble like that). Honestly, I could have cared less. He was my redemption bird, and though he was the only one I killed this season, he was more than enough to make me happy. I doubt there is as good of a feeling in the woods as when you know everything finally worked out right, and this was one of those times. Sometimes you need the fall to realize how wonderful the top is. Nothing humbles you more than ruined opportunity, especially when its your fault alone. So now, I'm grateful for messing up that day a year ago, because it made this Super Jake one of the most memorable hunts I've had. I cant wait to see what next year holds, but I've got to tackle deer & bear season first!

Looks That Kill

There's a red hot issue popping up on my newsfeed everyday, and it has to do with what women wear in the woods. You might ask yourself, "why does it matter? Who cares what they wear in the woods?" To me, as a mother, it matters. I know I have a son, but if I had a daughter, the last thing I'd want her "looking up to" would be a girl with virtually no clothes on fishing for attention.  I've seen Eva Shockey's picture shared on social media almost non stop since it first appeared. I'm glad someone finally took a stand, but is it a dividing force among women hunters? We're already so few, should we stand together or should we take sides?

 

As much as I hate too, I'm taking a side on this one. For the sake of upcoming huntresses, we need to better ourselves. Ladies, you know that all the men liking your bikini pictures don't like them because of your personality. I'm all for bikinis at the pool, but in the woods? They have no place whatsoever.

You should check out some of the facts in this video. Make sure to listen to the studies they did on men viewing pictures of ladies in bikinis. If you didn't watch it, I'll paraphrase for you,
 

"Brain scans revealed that when men are shown pictures of scantily clad women, the region of the brain associated with tools, such as screwdrivers and hammers lit up. Some men showed zero brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that lights up when one ponders another person's thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Researchers found that shocking because they almost never see this part of the brain shut down in this way. And a Princeton professor said, "its as if they are reacting to these women as if they're not fully human. It is consistent with the idea that they are responding to these photographs as if they were responding to objects, not people." "
 



If that doesn't strike a nerve with you, then something's wrong. Essentially, it says when men see half naked women, that they don't look at them as people, but as objects. That's pretty deep stuff.
Now am I saying that we need to ditch the makeup, dress in men's clothes, and not care about our appearance? Absolutely not. Some people feel that make up is a necessity, while some think its a complete waste of time. Some people even think that donning makeup in the field makes us inadequate because of the tell tale make up smell. On that one, I say to each is own. Personally, I wear makeup. Why? Because I'm a woman and I feel pretty when I wear it; I feel confident. There are plenty of times I go out bare faced just because I'm too tired to fool with it. Has it affected my hunting abilities? Absolutely not. I've harvested animals with makeup on, makeup off, wearing all camo, wearing camo & blue jeans, heck even wearing camo that has some pink in it. My looks didn't affect the kill, but the pictures I posted later may have been my "first impression" to some people. If I was in shorty shorts with a bathing suit top on, they probably would have thought a lot differently about me. I may have get a bunch of "likes", but I can guarantee I would get some creepy messages too.

I honor of true journalism, I decided to ask opinions of some of the most true & hardcore huntresses I know.



Precious Kaczor

Precious Kaczor of Hooked with Precious & Pete said "I feel some women in the hunting industry need to have more respect for themselves. To all the women hunters out there, I hope they think before they are posting pictures with barely any clothes on. Think of all the youth that are looking up to us, we need to set standards. God made everyone of us beautiful. We have the choice to choose right from wrong. I feel that women need to think about the future of hunting and not living in the moment of fame. For make-up I would say it is acceptable. It doesn't need to be overdone. Women should feel comfortable about themselves at all times. Hunting to Hooked with Precious and Pete is about the harvest, Its not about the fame on TV or social media. We are all about feeding our family the organic meat that comes in its original package. I feel that when someone is looking at you they should remember the awesome kill and great times with friends and family, not remembering that the a woman "had a nice rack"."




Sara Kirk Doyle

Sara Kirk Doyle, who prostaffs for Just for Does, Dirt Nap Gear, and Game Seekers Outdoors, stated "The only thing half naked women in camo are hunting for is attention. I think it's sad that girls don't have anymore self respect than that. Cover up what you don't want mosquito bit! And as far as makeup goes it really just depends on you as a person. As long as it's unscented and not too gaudy I don't have a problem with it. I like to put on lipstick after I kill something just for the pictures and because I'm a woman, I won't apologize for lipstick."



Megan DeHaan

Finally, Megan DeHaan of Prois Hunting & Field Apparel For Women share her opinion on the matter. "Well I don't really care what gals wear. I think it's humorous when some get all gussied up but hey, to each there own. I prefer to wear my Prois and get as scent free as possible. I don't wear pink but honestly don't care if others do. Most animals are color blind anyhow! I never wear solid colors, and I don't bother with scent free makeup as I don't really wear any in the woods."

 

I understand that women are going to dress how they want to dress. After all, this is America, and they have the right to pretty much do whatever they want. All I'm saying, is I have the right to say that I don't appreciate nor agree with it. Like I said earlier, bikinis are fine, in the right situations. Yes, I wear a bikini at the pool or the beach, I've worked hard to get back in to pre-baby clothes. But does that mean that once I reach my goal weight that I will post pictures of myself in said bikini with guns and calling it "hunting"? Nope. Women are making great leaps in this industry, and we're growing in number every single day. We need to show that we are as skilled as the men, not just prettier posing in the gear. Lets step up, have some respect for ourselves and let our kills do the talking.

 

 

Bacon Wrapped Jalepeno Venison Backstraps

Since Brandon and I cant eat this for a while, I figured I would imagine the bacon-y goodness and write up the recipe for you. We've tried it grilled, but the bacon makes a mess on our Jenn Air, so we've resorted to sticking them in the oven. Still amazing, and even more juicy because it bathes in bacon juices the whole time it cooks. My arteries are screaming as we speak.

   

Ingredients

1 Whole venison tenderloin. We normally use 1/2 to one whole tenderloin, depending on how many we're feeding.

1-2 Packs bacon (not thick cut, you want it to be flimsy).

3 Jalapeños, de-seeded and de-veined.

Marinade (Preferably Lawry's Steak & Chop)

Salt, pepper, & garlic powder to taste.  

 

Prep

If your meat is already thawed and soaked, skip step 1.

1. Thaw tenderloin (I usually do so overnight). Soak tenderloin in saltwater or milk for majority of the day.
2. Preheat the over to about 350.
3. Slice tenderloin into small steaks, about 3/4 inch thick, 2-3 inches long.
4. Soak tenderloin cutlets in marinade while you prep bacon and jalapeños.
5. Cut bacon in half.
6. Cut jalapeños to desired size. I cut mine to pretty small pieces. Like 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch squares. But if you're into much spicier foods, feel free to use as big of pieces as you want.
7. Take a piece of tenderloin and place a piece of jalapeño in the center. Wrap cutlet in bacon to hold jalapeño in.
8. Repeat until all your tenderloin cutlets are gone.
9. Place in foil lined pan (with sides! NOT COOKIE SHEET)
10. Stick in the over for about 20 minutes & voila!

So give it a try this weekend and give it a try while we just imagine the goodness. Feel free to send in pictures if you just love it!

 

 

***If you try this on the grill, follow steps 1-8 the same, but hold pieces together with toothpicks. Also, make sure your toothpicks have been soaked in water. Or else you'll have fire, a LOT of fire.***

   

Hunters Gonna Hate

As someone who is daily working on taking the next step in the outdoor industry, I've had my fair share of disappointments and discouragement. After much heartache I realized that it was all part of the industry, and how you handle it is what sets you apart from the rest.

 

Celebrities & Hunting Personalities 

Want to get disappointed real quick? Try comparing yourself to some of the top personalities in the outdoor industry. These people have bottomless wallets and more opportunities than I could even imagine, not to mention they are respected and admired by millions of hunters and outdoorsman around the world. However, there's a lot animosity between hunting personalities that goes on behind the scenes, and when it does come out on social media people tend to pick sides. This just divides our family of hunters more and more, and trust me, I'm guilty of it, too. There's been multiple times that I've been caught up in social media battles between people I really look up to. There's been times that I would avoid someone because of something that I had heard from one person or another, and honestly, that person didn't do anything wrong. There are two sides to every story, even with the celebrities. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stay neutral and walk away, and other times the best thing is to erase that person from your social media life.

 

Photoshop 

You know you've thought it too.

 

With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram paving the way for hunters to connect with each other, you have to learn to believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. It seems though, the first thing people say when they see someone harvest a good animal is "photoshopped!" People will call each other out, posting their pictures asking their friends to point out what is wrong with this picture and that picture. I've never in my life seen people so desperate to drag someone else down. I'm talking taking a magnifying glass to a picture and pulling things out of thin air that look "off". Like how one side of an antler looks slightly different from another, or how the lighting isn't right so it just has to be photoshopped. One thing is for sure, if you kill a giant whitetail, someone somewhere will accuse you of photoshop, whether you know it or not. Just keep those nasty opinions to yourself, because it'll come back and get you one day.

 

"Pro-staffs"

I put that in quotations because I mean it like this:  

 

 

One thing I learned early on is that most companies want certain people to promote them. You know, like good looks, money, connections, more money, already famous in the industry, more money, business owners (that pertain to the outdoor industry,) and you guessed it, more money. Oh and skills, sometimes companies want people who are actually skilled. But nowadays, the skills are something that can be added in later, thanks to a combination of the other things listed above. No disrespect, I totally understand why they choose their promotional staff to be that way, it just doesn't seem fair sometimes. When I see someone that has been added to a pro-staff for a big company, I expect to see lots of dead things. Instead I see lots of selfies. And bikini pictures. But hey, there are a few companies out there who actually care if you're knowledgeable in their products, and hunting in general, before they make you a staff. Kudos to them, because they're slowly becoming the minority, and they're also the only companies I'll support and follow.

 

I didn't tell you all this to scare you away from chasing your dreams. I'm just warning you: there will be disappointments. I've stopped trying to get on staffs for now, because I see what kind of people are chosen, and I don't care to be a part of that. If a company wants me, they will let me know. They will ask me because I am good at what I do, not because every animal I killed I paid for, or because my looks come before my skills. That what every outdoorsman should strive for. Hunting is a lot more than girls in bikinis and pretty faces. Its about people who get crap done, because they love to do it. We should all want to be that person that people look up to because we are kick ass outdoorsman, not because we have lots of money. If everyone would stop putting each other down by screaming "photoshop" or by posting accusations and lies all over social media, imagine how great of an industry this would be. A reputation is a delicate thing; it takes years to build but seconds to destroy, so think of that when you put yourself in situations that compromise it. Think about it before you put a nasty comment on someone's picture. Think about it before you're seen as the half-naked-hot-chick-whose-probably-dumb-as-rocks-but-hey-she's-hot. Enlighten, uplift, encourage, it's not that hard when you put your mind to it! Just do it!

Venison Schnitzel

Perfectly crispy yet tender, with a hint of lemon that ties everything together, this is my go-to comfort meal!

 

I mean schnitzel as in flat, breaded meat, not a hot dog style meal. As ashamed I may be to admit it, with all the Austrian style dishes I had at my grandmas, I had never tried nor even grasped what schnitzel was. I'd like to personally thank Steve Rinella for inspiring me to try it for the first time. After Brandon and I watched an episode of Meat Eater (Check out the show here) where Steve made fresh wild turkey schnitzel, I knew I just had to try it. I didn't have any fresh turkey on hand, but I did have a ton of deer steaks from the recent season. Thus, I stumbled upon the best venison I had ever put in my mouth. But enough talk, it's time to tell you how I made it!

 

Ingredients

1-2 Pounds of venison. Preferably tenderloin or steaks, actual amount you make is up to you. We always make extra!

1-2 Cups of Italian style bread crumbs

1 Beaten egg

3 Tablespoons milk 

1/4 Cup flour

1 Teaspoon seasoned salt

1 Teaspoon paprika

1 Teaspoon black pepper

1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 Teaspoons Garlic powder

1 Lemon

1 Bottle of Canola or vegetable oil for frying.

 

*I never actually follow exact amount of seasonings for my flour. These are guestimates, if you like more or less seasoning, feel free to substitute or change it!*

 

Pre-Prep

I'm a working mom, so generally I don't have time to do all of this in one day. I normally lay my deer meat out to thaw over night. The next morning, I put my venison in a large bowl filled with salt water. I cover and soak in the fridge while I'm at work. As soon as I get home, I empty the bowl, rinse off all the meat, and rinse the bowl. Then I put the meat back in the bowl with some sort of marinade (I'm a sucker for Lawry's "Steak & Chop" and "Herb & Garlic") while I prep everything else.

 

Prep & Cook

Everyone does things a little different here. Some mix flour and seasonings and then breadcrumbs in separate bowls. I mix all dry seasonings together. I love breadcrumbs. I feel like the breadcrumbs are what makes schnitzel different (and a million times better) than just pan fried venison. I do a 3 to 1 breadcrumb/flour ratio. I just want the flour to fill in the spaces that the big breadcrumbs cant cover.

1.  First and foremost, flatten your meat. I lay the meat with one side on my cutting board (its wood so it holds it better) and cover the other side with wax paper. Using the flat side of the mallet, pound until its very thin (1/8-1/4 of an inch).
2. Pour some oil in your pan so it can start heating up. You don't want too much, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. While the oil is heating, beat an egg and whisk with milk.
4. Mix all dry ingredients together.
5. Once oil is hot enough, soak meat in egg mixture, then coat generously with breadcrumb mixture. Gently lay in the pan.
6. Cook around 3 minutes on each side.
7. Take the cutlet out, and place on plate with paper towel (to soak up any excess oil).
8. Cut your lemon in quarters and squeeze some juice on each fried piece.
9. Repeat & eat!!

It's really not the healthiest meal, but it is oh so good. Quite possibly the best way I've ever had venison (Other than my bacon wrapped recipe, coming soon!). Give it a try and let me know how you like it!