Hunting Tees

Most people by now have heard of cafepress.com, a company that sells t-shirts, sweatshirts, and anything else that can have something imprinted on the front of it. Alot of my fellow bloggers even have their own products. But, have you ever typed in "hunting" or "shooting" in their search engine? You'll come up with a variety of sayings and images, and most of them hilarious. The ones shown above are two of my favorites. These make great gifts, especially for birthdays, and they almost always bring a laugh! Check them out.

Article Review: Animal Cruelty Assailed in Panel

(Another long post.. Sorry!!)

My husband first alerted me to this article and I have to say I was a little shocked at the outright denunciation of hunting, portrayed as animal cruelty. The article begins by dissecting a program that Cass R. Sunstein, a Service Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Chicago Law School, gave to a packed audience. Essentially he states that hunters are inflicting pain and torture unneccessarily upon animals, and this is a form of animal cruelty. According to Sunstein, hunting should also be banned if “there isn’t any other purpose except for sport or game.”

Well, Mr. Sunstein, there is a purpose to hunting. Many hunters do consider their time in the field to be a recreational activity. However, why do you think every state in the United States has a Wildlife and Parks Department or a Natural Resources Department? These departments are put in place specifically to conserve and maintain our parks. A part of that maintenance and conservation includes hunting. With the increasing human population, and their homes and shopping centers, we (and you) are destroying the habitat where the animals you are trying to protect once lived and thrived. Just as with the need to find alternative energy because we are depleting earth's natural resources, we must also strive to maintain a natural balance for the animals and their environments. Our state and national parks strive to maintain this exact goal. But having a goal and executing the goal are two separate tasks. And this is where hunting comes in. Not only does it help control the natural balance of life in the wild, but it also provides families with food for the year. Would you prefer that the animals starve to death because they are too overpopulated and there isn't enough forage or land for them to survive? Is knowingly starving an animal not considered unnecessary pain?

The article then goes on to include quotes and topics covered by Professor of Philosophy, Christine M. Korsgaard. She states that “cruelty to animals is built into the fabric of our lives.” Used in the context of hunting (I'm sure this isn't the direction she was headed) - yes, ma'am, it surely is. Though I've already stated that hunting isn't cruelty, I can't argue with her point that it's ingrained in our society. Maybe (now this might be a long shot here) because humans need food to survive. This includes protein, which were once living animals, and carbohydrates, which were living plants. If our ancestors didn't kill animals, many would not have survived. It's that simple.

The final quote of the article was from Martha Nussbaum, a professor of Law from Chicago, stating “each type of animal has its own complexity, each type has its own story.” She's absolutely right. Alot of the hard-core conservationists are also hard-core hunters, working hard to preserve the rights and the individual stories of these animals. Is this animal cruelty? I think not. Is this animal respect? Absolutely, and nothing less.

Read the full article here, and post your opinions.

KDWP: Increasing Fees

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks have proposed a plan to increase hunting, furharvesting and fishing fees. According to their website, "revenues haven’t kept pace with spending" so they're looking for ways "to cut spending and increase revenue." Now, this all makes perfect sense; every individual or company or state seems to be experiencing some rough financial times. On the KDWP blog, they have posted a spreadsheet of proposed fee increases and are asking for public opinion. However, while they are looking for opinions about increasing their revenue, there is no information whatsoever that discusses the actual spending issue by the KDWP. The year of 2008 saw a $9 million increase in the Department's expenditures alone. While prices are raising for EVERYONE, I have a hard time understanding how the expenditures have increased so substantially in only one year. If this type of spending increase occurs annually, of course spending will overwhelm the incoming revenue (duh!). The Department states that fees have not increased since 2002, but is this sole explanation really enough to focus on raising our hunting and fishing fees?

Again, if they want Kansas consumers to freely speak their opinions, I'd like to see another little spreadsheet detailing how they plan on decreasing their spending options. A quick glance through the Departments expenditures raises some eyebrows. If anyone has ever looked at the KDWPs actual budget for 2007 and 2008, they'll quickly learn that the budget program Kansas uses for for the public is not user friendly and raises some questions. For example, separately paid cell phone bills under the General Management program can be found in at least two separate accounts. (The state budget is organized by department/division, agency program, then accounts.) I'd love to give you exact figures on some excessive account balances, but this proves that the public must hunt and peck to find any viable budget information. I will tell you however, that the cell phone costs for just one, not both of the accounts that I found (and only under the GM program which does not include all the state park programs), jumped from $28,223 to over $41, 701 in only year. Is a $13,478 increase in cell phones necessary (when this doesn't even include the state park programs)? I can't imagine how much is actually being spent on cell phone usage for the other programs and I'd love to give you an exact figure, but I have better things to do with my time. I don't begrudge the KDWP the necessities it needs to maintain and conserve our state parks, but I have a strong suspicion that a $9 million dollar cost increase didn't strictly go to the necessities.

So, back to little spreadsheet with increased prices. I honestly believe that a fee increase, at this point in time, shows a poor management choice on behalf of the KDWP. As I mentioned before, it seems that things are financially tight for everyone right now, and the KDWP needs to not only be aware of that fact but take it into considerable contemplation. Hunting and fishing are considered recreational activities. It's common knowledge that when things become financially tight, the recreational activities are one of the first cuts that a family makes in its budget (because, let's face it, most families consider food and shelter more important). Taking into account that most prime hunting land in Kansas is now leased, along with increased costs, resident hunters in Kansas are being squeezed out of the recreational activities that they enjoy. As one anonymous poster on the KDWP blog put it, "Wildlife and Parks should be looking into ways to sell MORE resident licenses, not making it harder to buy them." I concur.

I realize that alot of my readers are not from the Kansas area, but I'm guessing that your wildlife and parks departments are facing some of the same crucial decisions.. Is this a good time to start increasing costs of outdoor recreational activities?

Quote of the Week

I long for scenes where man hath never trod

A place where woman never smiled or wept

There to abide with my Creator God

And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,

Untroubling and untroubled where I lie

The grass below, above, the vaulted sky.

~John Clare

Good Salesman

This was forwarded to me from a friend... I think all outdoors people with a sense of humor can appreciate this..

A young zealous boy wanted desperately to work at a department store. He approached the store manager who responded they needed no help. Quite persistent, the boy returned again and again until the manager finally said "We're having a holiday sale tomorrow. Why don't you show up and you can give it a try."

The elated boy returned the following day and proceeded to sell. At the end of the day the store manager called the youngster over and asked how he had done. The boy responded that he had sold $79,083.50 worth of merchandise. The manager asked how he had done so well. The young man said, "Well this guy was going fishing so I asked if he wanted some fish hooks, he said sure, That is $1.50. I asked if he had a nice fishing pole, he said no, so I got a graphite extension pole for $43.50. Do you have a nice reel, not yet replied the customer... so I got him a nice quick release reel for $35.00. I asked here he was going fishing and he said Strawberry Reservoir. I told him the best places to catch fish are near the center, "Do you have a boat?" The man said he didn't so I set him up with a nice outboard 30 foot cruiser for $28,000.00. Then I asked if he had a trailer. He didn't, so I got him a double axle trailer for $3,000.00. Then I asked what he had to tow the boat. He only had a station wagon, so I told him that just wouldn't do, but we could get him a nice fully loaded Dodge Ram dually, racked and packed with a tow package, trailer hitch and everything for $48,000.00. He wanted it all."

As you can imagine the store manager was astounded. "And to think it all began with that man asking for a package of fish hooks?" The boy replied, "Oh no, it all began with him asking for some tampons which were $3.50, so I replied, "Well you aren't going to be doing much else this weekend, you might as well go fishing!"

To Hook or Not to Hook?

The knife in the photo above is my absolute favorite hunting knife. I love how it looks, how it feels in my hand, and how easy it makes things in the field. It has a 3 1/2" stainless steel blade and when closed is only 5" long. So, I can carry it not only on my belt, but in any number of pockets and even in my purse! But the one thing that I particularly love about this knife is the large gut hook. A tidbit that I've picked up over the years is that people either like them or they don't, there's rarely an in between. Frankly, I think it's what you initially use that determines your comfort level.

I love them. For me, it makes field-dressing a deer quick and easy. After the initial incision, a gut hook works like a zipper: insert it under the skin and pull, making a straight, clean opening. I also feel that with a gut hook I have less chance of puncturing any of the inner organs, because I'm not bushing a blade inward, instead I'm pulling the skin and blade away from the organs. As any hunter knows, puncturing the inner organs, especially the stomach, can create a messy and stinky situation.

Unlike me, my hubby chooses not to use a knife with a gut hook and I can understand some of the reasons why. Knives without hooks usually have a slimmer profile and there's less chance of the hook getting caught on anything. For example, when initially penetrating the chest cavity, larger gut hooks tend to snag underneath the skin when being removed. While this isn't a major problem, it can be an unnecessary nuisance in the field. So, are you a hooker? Why or why not?

Weekend Fun

An aquaintance of ours asked us to go pheasant and quail hunting Sunday afternoon. I'm not sure that we ever saw the temperature rise above 28 degrees, but as long as we didn't stop moving we stayed fairly warm. It was a group of 6 hunters (I was the only female) and two pairs of bird dogs. I'd never hunted with these guys before and they were pretty agressive hunters. There was a strategic plan to every field, corner, or pasture! Overall, though, we had an enjoyable time. The friend that asked us to tag along was working with a new pup and alot of the birds had a pretty good head start. We were only in the field for about three hours, but with the low temperatures and a strong wind that was more than enough.

The only downfall to the situation was during the last field we hunted I was showered with shot. Thankfully I was far enough away that there was no possibility for it to cause injury, but it's still nerve-wracking. I'm always pretty nervous hunting with guys that I don't know, especially in larger groups. It never fails that there is always that one hunter that doesn't think before he shoots. I just want to stress that you should always, always, always be aware of those hunting with you. No animal is more important than the people around you, so think before you shoot!

White Moose

These images were forwarded to me from a friend. I know absolutely nothing about the photos except that they were taken near Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada, about 90 miles from Timmins, Ontario. I have never seen a white moose and I thought these were quite interesting photos, so I wanted to share....

6 Fashion Tips for Hunting

It's Friday and I wanted to post something fun... This is entirely a fluff piece and is targeted at my female readers. For the men, maybe you'll get a better idea of some of the compromises we make to join you in the field...

1) Always wear your make-up. I know that in the wee hours of the early morning you're more likely to poke your eye out with your mascara than to actually get it on your lashes.. but do it anyway; because of the off chance that you will get an amazing trophy and immediately need to go show it off to all your friends.

2) Take it off. Take off all but the basic essentials if you will be taking photos. Before anyone's mind gets dirty, I'm just saying take off the orange vest, the thick overalls, etc.. before anyone snaps a photo of you. We all know that large patterns on fabric can make you appear wider than you really are. You will not want to show off your photos if you look like an oversized orange or a camouflaged barn. (Trust me, I know from experience.)

3) No perfume. While I've worn perfume and it didn't seem to affect the number of deer or their patterns, take no chances. You may like your perfume but the animals don't. Plus, if you do it just one time the scent can linger on your hunting clothes longer than you realize.

4) No earrings. Or at least make them studs only. Chandelier earrings can get caught in the string of a bow at full draw, creating the possibility for them to be ripped out of your ear if you decide to release your arrow. Even with the use of a rifle or shotgun, longer earrings will be smashed between your cheek and the gun making it easier for you to sustain a small cut or bruise on your cheek or it could possibly scratch the finish of a beautiful gun.

5) Moisturize. Moisturizer is extremely important in colder weather, the wind and the sun. While most outdoorsmen tend to look "rugged" as they age, women tend to look just plain old. (I say this lovingly, my female friends.) Moisturizer will help renew and repair the cells of your face, helping to keep the elasticity and healthy glow of younger skin.

6) Attitude, attitude, attitude. Beauty starts from the inside. Put a smile on your face and start off with the attitude that you are going to enjoy every minute of your experience outdoors. It may be 10 degrees outside and the wind is blowing upwards of 40 mph, but you'll also experience once in a lifetime events. Focus on the sunrise (or sunset) because you will never see one exactly like that again. Laugh at the clumsy squirrels who are always on a mission to find their next nut.

Follow these tips and I guarantee that you will not only enjoy yourself, but you'll look gorgeous doing it! In the meantime, I hope all my readers have a great weekend!

Hunting Traditions

Casha, the girl pictured above, is fifteen years old and she took this beautiful whitetail during the 2008 firearms season in Kansas! One of the things that I love most with this blog is the ability to brag about my family and friends. Especially when it comes to young women making a name for themselves in a male-dominated sport. While I'm excited to watch the estrogen level in the field of hunting grow, I'm reminded of why I love hunting. Mostly it's because of my father. He's a great sportsman, and it was always something that he and his brothers did together. I love the family aspect of hunting. I remember being too young to go deer hunting, but he'd take me with him anyway. Usually I fell asleep cuddled up between a couple of hay bales, or complaining because I couldn't feel my fingers or toes. Yet, I continued sharing those experiences with him until it became a passion for me.

So who first introduced you to hunting? For most of us, men and women alike, the answer will probably be your father. For some women, it's husbands or boyfriends. For some, it was simply a close friend or mentor. Either way, it's so important to realize that hunting and fishing is a tradition, almost always passed on because someone loved us enough to share their passion and support us so that we could make it our passion. So take a minute today to think back to why you love the outdoors and who loved you enough to share it with you...

In the meantime, congrats to Casha for the gorgeous buck!

Babes and Bikinis

There's been alot of debates around the blogosphere lately about the SHOT show girls and the booth babes and whatever else the outdoor marketers come up with to include hot girls in skimpy outfits. First of all, I just want to say that the whole debate, from my perspective, is hilarious. Chad Love over at Field and Stream calls it "cheap and tacky." And most women feel the same way. But, since we know the marketers are still employing these ladies, the majority of men don't feel the same way.

The hilarious part to me is that most men, while they love to look, and ogle, and even fantasize about these women, they really don't care. While it may cause most men to stop and look at the, ummm.. products.. a little longer (which is what the marketers are going for) chances are the wanna-be-barbies are flapping their botoxed lips and all the guy is hearing is "blah, blah, blah... look at this rack!... blah blah blah..."

And, while most of the girls are purported to enjoy a hunting or fishing lifestyle, I can almost guarantee that most hold to a vegan or vegetarian (or whatever the correct term is) diet, if they even eat at all. I'd love to see one of those hot mamas pull a 50# draw weight on a bow. I'd love to see them say something besides "oooo... look at the pretty deer... ooo... that one has pretty little horns." I'd love to see them without make-up... Ok, maybe not, because I'm guessing that's just plain scary. I'm also gonna bet that the botoxed flappers eventually start to sound like an obnoxious mosquito with a high-pitched buzzing sound that you just can't get away from.

Ok, that was kinda harsh. Maybe. Truth is, I really don't know. I've never been to a SHOT show and I've never met one of these beauties in person. But, from a girls perspective, I can only imagine the maintenance it takes to stay looking that beautiful. In fact, between my husband and I, I would be the one looking at the girls thinking... I wonder how many lunges she does to get legs like that? Or.. Ooooo.. Look.. that one needs to do a few more crunches!

So, basically, all of my rambling comes down to the simple fact that I don't care one way or another. I would definitely appreciate them not being in the outdoor world because then I wouldn't feel so inadequate physically. But, I also know that I've done and can do more in the outdoors, that I can do it independently, and I bet my husband thinks I look more beautiful with my camo overalls covered in blood and fur. In the meantime, all the calendars and photos just give me something more to laugh at, while, hopefully, these stuffed and implanted gals can sell more outdoor products and keep the sports of hunting and fishing alive. What's your take on it all? Like 'em? Hate 'em? Or don't care?

Quote of the Week

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect." - Aldo Leopold

Why Good Shots Miss

This is essentially a review from the article titled "Why Good Shots Miss" by David Petzal, in the February 2009, issue of the Field and Stream Magazine, p. 24-25.

Overall, I think this is a good article, written for experienced shooters. One of the best parts is when Petzal explains that the state of mind has a definitive impact on the ability to hit or miss your target. He goes on to discuss that experienced shooters sometimes think too much, about too much information, that can cause one to "outsmart" themselves and miss their mark. However, in the final paragraph of the article, I think Petzal missed his mark. He writes:

"The difference between a good shot missing and a poor shot missing is this: A good shot will accept the fact that sometimes you're not going to hit and will banish a miss from his mind. Then he will resume hitting again. A poor shot will obsess about it. He will suffer from insomnia, weeping fits, incontinence, dandruff and the leaping fantods, and lose whatever shreds of confidence he might have had. And, of course, he will go on missing."

First off, I believe that while he's trying to sum up the article, and define the difference between a good shot and a poor shot with his witty remarks, he lost the focus of the article. Misses and bad shots happen to everyone, hopefully infrequently, but this paragraph suggest that goods shots just forget and move on. However, it also insinuates that poor shots (most of whom don't know that they are poor shots and don't care) need to banish thoughts of why something went wrong and, basically, just need to get over themselves.

The majority of the article dealt with hunting situations, so that's also how I am applying his final paragraph. All shooters, whether it be with firearms or a bow, need to not only recognize when they miss, but they need to dwell on the situation enough to fix it. While your life doesn't end because your shot wasn't perfectly placed, those types of misses, in the field, can result in injury or unnecessary suffering of an animal, instead of a direct kill. Instead of "banishing" the incident from the mind, enough contemplation is required to determine what went wrong and why, so that it doesn't happen again (even if it's a two second realization that you flinched and pulled to the right).

I don't want to debate Petzal's article because I don't necessarily disagree with him. However, I think Petzal summed up the difference as a black and white situation when it's anything but that. When you miss your target, do not dismiss it, contemplate it to fix it. But, don't go overboard on the contemplation either, because it is a fixable situation. From my experience, it's usually the bad shots that miss and move on. Good shots know how to diagnose and fix their mistakes. I believe the difference between good shots and poor shots is determination and discipline (practice makes perfect) and having the knowledge and willingness to continue to learn and grow as a shooter.

Get Away From My Deer

I seem to be experiencing some computer problems today, so I just wanted to share something short and pointed this morning. The following joke has shown up in my email inbox a few times over the years but it always makes me laugh... maybe because it reminds me of some women that I know! Of course I don't know the original author, but I hope that it brings a smile to your face! In the meantime I'll be working on a longer and more serious post for tomorrow...


It was Saturday morning and Jake, an avid hunter, woke up ready to go bag the first deer of the season. He walks down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he finds his wife, Alice, sitting there, fully dressed in camouflage. Jake asks her, "What are you up to?" Alice smiles, "I'm going hunting with you!" Jake, though he has many reservations, reluctantly decides to take her along.

They arrive at the hunting site. Jake sets his wife safely up in the tree stand and tells her: "If you see a deer, take careful aim on it and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot." Jake walks away with a smile on his face knowing that Alice couldn't bag an elephant -- much less a deer. But not 10 minutes pass when he is startled as he hears an array of gunshots. Quickly, Jake starts running back. As Jake gets closer to her stand, he hears Alice screaming, "Get away from my deer!" Confused, Jake races faster towards his screaming wife. And again he hears her yell, "Get away from my deer!" followed by another volley of gunfire.

Now within sight of where he had left his wife, Jake is surprised to see a cowboy, with his hands high in the air. The cowboy, obviously distraught, says, "Okay, lady, okay! You can have your deer! Just let me get my saddle off it!"

Great Outdoors Photo Contest

Most of the people that love the outdoors, are naturally drawn to outdoor photography. I know I've seen some beautiful things that would have made great photographs, but, darn it, I never seem to have my camera with me, or the batteries are dead, or by the time I get done fumbling with the camera the scene has changed... However, I know there are many of you with a great eye for outdoors photography so I wanted to alert you to a photography contest that is being put on by the Wichita Eagle Newspaper. It's the Great Outdoors Photo Contest and the only criteria is that "photos need to show the natural beauty of the outdoors." The photo above is my feeble attempt at trying to capture a citrus-colored sunset above our local Co-op. I can't wait to see the submitted photos!

Hunger

During the 2007 firearms deer season in Kansas, my husband and I were in the middle of a major move and stressful job situations. This dearly limited the time that we were able to spend in the field hunting. Therefore, neither of us had the opportunity to fill our deer tags. As 2008 progressed, my husband and I were, in a way, shocked at how much we missed all the extra venison in the freezer. Both of us grew up in families that hunted and I think we took for granted the abundance of meat that was always available to us. By the time the 2008 season rolled around, our freezers were completely bare and we were frustrated with having to nitpick through the tiny meat department at our local grocery store. This year, tho, our freezer is back to its regular self, packed with meat that will hopefully last us, and nourish us, this coming year.

Another thing that was really quite hard on us, being a young, married couple, was the cost of meat compared to other items. When things became financially tight, meat sometimes was the one thing that we skimped on. We are by no means poor, but if we were struggling, what were other families having to struggle with? This brings me to the topic of donating your deer for charitable purposes. I know Kansas has a few chapters of the FHFH organization, also known as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. This is a faith-based organization that helps coordinate farmers and hunters, meat processers and butchers, and local food banks. According to their website, 1 in 5 children will go hungry tonight, and 1 deer can feed up to 200 people.

My point is this, if you know of any head hunters, or if your family ends up with an abundance of meat at the end of the season, consider donating your deer to one of these organizations. (Similar organizations are found in almost every state in the U.S.) Not only will it keep meat from going to waste, but it will help feed those that need it best. And, your donations will be tax deductible while helping to feed the belief that hunting is a necessity for our society.

Antlered Doe

It's Friday and my creativity level has diminished over the week, but I wanted to share the story of a Clay Center, Kansas man who shot a 27-point antlered doe. Mike Smith harvested the deer on December 3rd during the Kansas firearms season. He was excited about his kill, but was surprised to find that it was a doe. According to a retired Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks biologist, it's not uncommon to find antlered does. However, the rack of this doe measured in at 179 inches and should net score about 164 inches, according to an official Boone & Crockett scorer, which may make it famous as the largest antlered doe ever shot in the world. You can find more information here at the Wichita Eagle Newspaper. Congrats Mike, it's an awesome deer!

The Pink Lady

Product Review: The Pink Lady, by Charter Firearms. I first saw this product almost a year ago in an email newsletter that I receive. I had been looking for a revolver for some time and my husband and I had discussed the idea that a .38 special would be the best way to go. Of course, revolvers come in a wide array of options but we were looking for something that would not only be fun for me to practice with, but would also provide a good weapon for self-defense, if that occasion ever arose (hopefully it never does). So, the moment I saw this picture, I definitely started doing my research. My first impression was that the pink was a little bright and gaudy, but definitely eye-catching.

I didn't really continue the search for a revolver until we walked into a local sporting goods store this summer. And there sat The Pink Lady.. admist all the gray and black, she definitely stood out from the rest. Up close, the pink is not quite as bright and has a little bit of a shimmer that sparkles in the sun. I bought it on the spot. Taking it home, I couldn't wait to try it out! Not only was it accurate and light-weight, it was fun to shoot and has since become my favorite revolver. But don't just take my word for it, my future sister-in-law bought one for herself soon after!

The Pink Lady has a 2" barrel, 5 shot capacity and fixed sights, while weighing in at only 12 ounces. So ladies, if you're looking for a light-weight, fun-to-shoot pistol that packs a definite punch and offers the ability for good self-defense, this would definitely be a great revolver to look into. And for the men, if you're looking for a revolver to entice your favorite gal to get into the shooting sports or to join you at the range, I would recommend starting here. Not only does Charter Arms offer The Pink Lady but they now have The Lavender Lady and a red and stainless version.

Sea Kittens

Oh yeah, you read that title right... Sea kittens. Where else can you find such a ridiculous name except with the group called PETA? Those of you that know me, know that I keep my political views and criticism toward other people and groups to myself. And the last thing that I ever wanted this blog to become was a sounding board for political hunting fanaticism. While this isn't directly related to hunting, this story is related to the conservation and continuation of an outdoor lifestyle. So, since PETA can't stop doing/being the ridiculous, I had to address the issue.

My husband first alerted me to the so called sea kitten campaign. While I first thought that this had to be some sick joke, I did a little research and lo, and behold, this is sadly very real. So.. What in the world is a sea kitten? Well, to put it in normal person terms, a sea kitten is also the same thing as a FISH. Besides the simple fact that most people know what a fish is, what a fish looks like, and that the word fish has less letters and syllables, and therefore easier to pronounce, than 'sea kitten', why did PETA embark upon this campaign? According to their website, sea kittens are smart, adorable, and want to be petted and loved, the same as all other household pets. And fishing, (oh my... isn't that word just so scary?!?) fishing is a form of torture for the sea kittens. PETA has even gone so far as to add Sea Kitten Stories about adorable sea kittens who are not allowed to live happy little lives because humans are mean, cruel, stupid people. So, if you're looking for a good laugh stop by the Sea Kitten Campaign website or if you're looking to scare your children and feed them a distorted truth, check out the Sea Kitten stories here.

In the meantime, I think I'm going to enjoy a nice grilled sea kitten for dinner tonight.

First Hunt

Like most people that I talk to, my first hunting experience is one of the most memorable moments of my life. I will always remember the excitement, the adrenaline rush, and the "high" of harvesting my first whitetail buck. But, instead of rambling about me today, I want to share the story of my cousin, Megan, who harvested her first whitetail deer during the 2007 rifle season in Kansas.

Like most Kansas deer seasons, the 2007 season was plagued with cold weather and blowing wind. While Megan had often accompanied her father to their favorite deer hunting location, this was the first year that she decided she wanted to harvest a whitetail deer of her own. While they had seen lots of deer and lots of movement early in the season, the larger bucks that they knew roamed the creek bottom just wouldn't show their heads. Late one evening several smaller bucks walked out of the trees. Megan and her father contemplated taking one of them but decided against it. There was still a couple of days left in the season and they had seen plenty of movement that surely they would have another opportunity at a smaller buck if no older bucks ever appeared. But, close to dark, two larger bucks slowly stepped out of the trees; one was an extremely nice, symmetrical 8 pointer with a wide rack. Megan, of course, took the shot without much contemplation and harvested her first whitetail deer!

It's an absolutely beautiful deer and I'll never forget her smile that night! In fact, I don't think she stopped smiling for a week! It's a beautiful deer and a memorable night that she'll never forget. What was your first hunting experience and what do you remember most?

Pink Pink Pink

Most of you have probably noticed that there has been an increased number of pink products flooding the firearms and hunting markets. These items include everything from new pink guns, pink grips, and pink camo boots to pink bows and even pink broadheads. Most men don't seem to care one way or another about this sudden influx, but most women have an opinion. And usually there is not a single woman indifferent to the situation, they either love it or they hate it. Well, I'm definitely one of the lovers!

I have always had a passion for the outdoors and hunting, but so have most of the men that I've grown up with and come to know. While it's wonderful that we share the same passion, it's important not to forget that we are physically very different. I'm a woman, and proud of that fact! Pink firearms or outdoor products allow me to say "Look at me! I hunt, I shoot guns, and bows, and arrows, but I'm going to look as cute as possible doing it!"

So many of us tend to lay aside our femininity while we're out on a hunt or in a gun store; and in some ways we have to, so that we can be taken seriously by the male population. Functional, pink products allow us to stand toe to toe with the men who share our passions, but it gives women the individuality not to be obscured by the ever present testosterone in our sports!

Not to mention, the marketers of pink products have definitely found a niche where their products will always be appreciated! I don't know how many of you go out of your way to purchase a pink product, but it definitely causes me to stop, look, and think twice about a product, whereas I might have quickly passed on the opportunity to purchase a more masculine product.

So what do you think? Share your opinions...

Backstrap Steaks

Whenever there is a large group of people and talk of venison meat comes up, there is always a wide range of opinions... Some people love it, some people hate the 'gamey' taste, and some people make it clear that they will only eat venison if someone had a gun to their head. While I'm not going discuss the stupidity of this debate today, I do want to address the 'gamey' issue that is sometimes found with deer meat, specifically deer steaks. More than anything, I do believe that the taste of the deer has to do with the age of the deer and it's diet. There are hundreds of different ways to cook venison steak to help hide the flavor and make it more tender. Following is a recipe that my husband and I tried a few nights ago. The flavor was absolutely delicious and the backstraps were so tender that they literally fell apart! Plus, this is the easiest recipe ever! Comments, suggestions, and modifications welcome!

2 backstrap venison steaks (thawed)
1 medium bag of frozen mixed vegetables
2 10.75 oz cans (1 26 oz can) of cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups white rice
2 cups water

Mix vegetables, cream of chicken soup, rice and water together in crockpot. Add venison steaks. Cook on low for 8 hours. Season to taste. (You may need to add additional water.)

Welcome

My first blog post ever!!!

I started this blog with the intention of focusing solely on women in the outdoors, specifically in the realm of hunting. As I was creating this blog though, I realized that such a lifestyle encompasses so much more than the word "hunting" can ever define. This lifestyle includes a passion for wildlife, a respect for the outdoors, and the always evolving traditions that a hunting family creates and enjoys. So while deer season in Kansas is 8.5 months away (bow season) this blog will start with past hunting stories, new and better equipment, clothing specifically designed for women, pink camo accessories, venison recipes and so much more! I invite you to share your experiences, post photos and enjoy!