Oudoor Adventures with Jayson Podcast Interview

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jayson on his podcast last month. You can hear it here at:

Interview

Extreme Huntress- The End

So back in July many of you know I went to Hondo Texas to compete head to head against 5 other ladies from all over the world in a hunting skills and skills competition. Then starting in October there were 13 episodes that aired online over 13 weeks on www.extremehuntress.com and on www.carbontv.com. I wasn't allowed to give the details on anyones hunts and skill scores until they had all aired. All the ladies were successful in taking animals on the 777 Ranch. Each of us taking 2 animals each except for Erika, who was able to take 1. Kasi was from Texas and was able to

takedown a management animal- Fallow deer and a trophy animal- Axis deer. Christie is from Australia and was able to take a management Impala and a trophy Black buck antelope. Amanda from Montana took a management Barasinga and Arabian Oryx. Erika from Sweden took a Jacobs sheep or 4-horned sheep. Margaret from South Africa took a management Red sheep and a trophy Black buck antelope. Myself, I was able to take a management Hawaiian Black sheep and a trophy Aoudad.

After the online shows were up and online voting was over we had to head back to Texas for the Dallas Safari Club convention in Dallas. It was an interesting experience- I had never been to a show that size before. This time Kyle was able to come with me so we made a vacation from it. We stayed in Texas for 9 days, spending 4 days at the convention and 3 days at the Geracis home hunting hogs and visiting. It was nice getting to see the girls again and Jim and Larry, unfortunately Christie wasnt able to come and we all missed her. Friday we had to do a public event, answering questions. Saturday was the dinner and when the winner would be

announced. The dinner was a different experience for me, it was a formal gathering which ment fancy dresses, make up and high heels. The dinner wasnt very long, they did all the awards while everyone ate which made the evening go quickly. Erika from Sweden ended up taking the Sculpture home as the winner of the Extreme Huntress contest. The auctions however were very long as there were many items up for auction. After dinner and the awards I couldnt handle being in my dress any longer and ended up changing back into my jeans. But I got to meet lots of people and it was an interesting experience.

There are a few things I took away from doing this contest, one is some amazing friends. These ladies, the judges and camermen, and Steve and Tommy from the ranch. They all hold a dear spot in my life and am so happy I got to meet them all. Getting to see what hunting on a ranch is truly like and learning all the amazing things they do for wildlife, and getting to see all the different species of animals-some that are extinct in their home lands! Animals I would have otherwise, never would see in my life. It gave me some insight into what the hunting industry is like. And it gave me confidence in myself, I went into this contest never expecting to make it the finals and when I got the email saying I was a finalist - I was scared to death. I thought I was in over my head and I was plagued with anxiety the entire month before heading to Hondo. Its intimidating, reading all these ladies essays and seeing their photos online and on social media. But once I got there and we got to work on the skills tests, I realized I was in my element and comfortable. It was a major boost for me and it changed me for the better. I know longer second guess myself or my instincts and learned a lot about myself as a hunter.

** Im trying to add pictures from DSC but having issues. I will keep trying to upload some**

Extreme Huntress Episode 3 overview

What a great day it was, I was hunting with Amanda again for the evening after I had taken my Hawaiian Black sheep in the morning and we were looking for one specific Arabian Oryx. We had found them quite early in the hunt and the broken horned oryx was with them but they had spooked and scattered into the thick brush. So Amanda decided to try a different tactic. We walked around to where the lake was and it was elevated above the thick brush the oryx were hiding in. As soon as Amanda and Olivia started to head down to the thick brush the oryx started to pop out so we all hunkered down, Tommy, the cameraman and I were still up on the flat and Amanda and Olivia were on the side of the hill going down into the brush. We sat frozen for quite a while but unfortunately it was to thick in there and they were constantly moving. Then they started popping up the bank only 50 yards from me into the open. I sat as still as I could praying they don't spook. I managed to get Amandas attention and motioned that they were up by me so she could change positions. I had to slowly move though so I wasn't ahead of her gun because she couldn't move much more and all I could think was "please don't spook".  Thankfully they didn't take off and we were surrounded on all sides by oryx. Amanda got a great shot off and he didn't get far. Afterwards Tommy (the game manager) tells me that they can be quite aggressive! Nonetheless it was a great hunt and a great day!
With the backpacks, we didn't know that they were going to ask to see what we had. I usually carry a lot more gear with me at home so I just packed the basic items because I knew we were going to be hunting on a ranch with lots of people, so I didn't bring any of my survival gear. And with flying international I didn't have a clue what I could bring.
The anti hunting interrogation was interesting to say the least!  We weren't told what was going on and we were taken one by one into a dark room where the 3 judges were lined up in the shadows and you were out in front, alone. All they say after you sit down is that it's an anti hunter challenge and they were going to make some comments and then you were to respond. I was not expecting them to actually same them to you like an anti would, I was expecting more of a read a comment then explain how you respond. So I was caught totally off guard when they started swearing and yelling at me, but I recovered. All 3 judges had a chance to say something and for you to respond.
In the next episode expect more anti hunting interrogations from the other judges, traditional archery challenge and more hunting!

Watch on www.carbontv.com and vote at www.extremehuntress.com

Extreme Huntress Episode 2 Overview

What an amazing day this was for me! After that morning hunt I was on cloud 9. The morning started bright and early, 4 am and out on the jeeps by 5:30. Amanda was my partner as secondary shooter, Olivia was my judge and I had chosen to go after a broken horned Hawaiian Black Sheep as my management animal. When we got to the area that they were in Olivia gave me a quick overview of the shape/terrain of the area and where the food and water sources were, then it was up to me to figure out where the sheep were. I decided to check the watering hole first then make our way to the more forested part. When we got to the pond we were stopped by a very nice whitetail buck so we sat a little bit in the brush so he didn't give us away, after he moved on a big herd of sheep came up out of the pond and started to head for the forest. There were corsican sheep, four horned sheep and Hawaiian black sheep in the herd. Because the forest area was so thick I decided to head down and around to cut them off then come up slowly towards them. Luckly we didn't have to go far into the thick forest before we came upon them feeding. We quickly pointed out the "broken horned" black sheep so I got set up and just waited. Thankfully they had no clue we were even there so they never bunched up together like they do when they are nervous, and the old sheep wandered away from the herd right to a small pocket I had through the trees and brush. I just had to wait for him to take one more small step forward and I had the perfect shot. He only went about 20 yards before he dropped and I could see him from where I was sitting. I was so excited and he had so much character- He was heavily broomed off, his horns had chips out of them and he was so white on his face. He also had a big tumor on his neck! Truly an old ram! And even though he was labeled as a management animal, he is a trophy to me.
Next Sunday you will get to see the other 3 ladies hunt from that evening and Kasi, Margaret and my anti-hunter challenge.

Watch at www.carbontv.com and vote at www.extremehuntress.com

Extreme Huntress Episode 1 Overview

The first day was an amazing day! We got to the ranch in the afternoon and we were able to meet everyone and dig into the awesome gifts that we recieved. For picking our roommate they decided to break up the 3 ladies from North America- Kasi,  Amanda and myself, and pair each of us up with one international lady. I got to bunk with Margaret from South Africa in our own cabin- which was breath taking! Kasi and Christie bunked in a cabin and Amanda and Erika were in another. After we dropped off our suitcases and changed into our Extreme Huntress gear, it was time to sight in the rifles.
The shooting range at the 777 ranch is a little far from the lodge so we got to ride on the back of a jeep where you could see over it. We drove through a couple pastures seeing so many different species of animals. I felt like I was going to get whiplash trying to see everything! Lucky I was riding with Margaret and there were quite a few animals she could name that were from Africa. Over the 6 days I definitely learned a lot about all the different animals.
Once we got to the gun range it was a relaxed atmosphere of shooting and chatting. Each of us got to sight in to what we wanted, I sighted in for 100 yards.  After the sight in and equipment checks were done it was time to compete. The first round I felt relaxed, it was just like shooting at home, the second round is where you felt the pressure. We had one minute to sit down and get set up, then shoot 5 rounds and try to get the closest grouping as close to the bullseye you could. It's amazing how just adding that small factor of time can make your heart pound.
After the skills competition we got to relax and get to know each other and try to get a good rest because the hard work and early morning was coming.
Get ready for next Sunday for episode 2! You will get to join us for our first hunts and you're not going to want to miss it!

Watch the show at www.carbontv.com and vote on www.extremehuntress.com

Extreme Huntress Episode is UP!

OK everyone the very first episode for the Extreme Huntress contest is up and running. You can watch it on the App,  the website or on Carbon TV.  After you have watched it make sure to cast your vote either on the App or the website for your favorite lady!
How it works is every Sunday for the next 13 weeks there will be a new episode posted- you have the week to vote for a lady and once a new episode is posted you start a new round of voting, giving you 13 chances to vote. But if you miss a week you lose the chance to vote. So make sure you cast a vote every week!

Extreme Huntress Website: www.extremehuntress.com
Carbon Tv: www.carbontv.com

Extreme Huntress Trip to Texas

So in July I took my trip to Hondo Texas for the Extreme Huntress Finals. It was so much fun. I flew down a day early so I could get used to the different climate and to relax and rest. It was very different then what I am used to. The cities are huge (I landed in San Antonio and stayed my first night there), and it is hot and humid. You felt like you had a constant sheen of sweat on your skin...i never had dry skin the whole time I was there! The next morning I was picked up with a bunch of cameras rolling...it was a little intimidating lol. I got to meet the rest of the ladies and we headed for the 777 Ranch where the competition was to take place. We spent 6 days total at the ranch, flying home on day 7. The first day was pretty relaxed, just sighting in our rifles, doing our first skills test and getting used to the ranch and each other. We were assigned cabins and I bunked with Margaret from South Africa. Every day we hunted in the morning and evening, in the afternoon we had skills tests and interviews. We spent close to 16 hours on our feet everyday. We had Larry Weishuhn, Jim Zumbo and Olivia Opre as our judges and Scott O'Grady as a guest. I got to see some amazing animals- Pierres david deer, Water buffalo, Arabian Oryx, Zebra, Hawaiian Black Sheep, Blackbuck antelope, Aoudad, Centaur Oryx just to name a couple.  I cant tell you too much more then that until the episodes start airing in October but ill share some photos.

Met Scott O'Grady

Eating Grants Gazelle

Saskatchewan Black Bear Hunt 2014

What an amazing trip we had! We were gone for a total of 8 days and 6 of them were spent hunting. It was a long drive! 12 hours there and 12 hours back. We got home at 2:00 am this morning.

We had decided to leave a little early and stay an extra day as well. We left when Kyle got off of night shift on Sunday (May 18) and decided to take our time. We did stop in Jaffray (30 mins out of town) because we seen a friend of ours out in his field hunting gophers with his bow, so that added another hour to travel time. Then in Calgary we stopped at the Bass Pro to do some shopping. We got to Edmonton at about 10:30pm and made the trek over to Jeanettes place to crash. We got to Jeanettes at midnight and spent the next 4 hours talking about hunting and the Extreme Huntress Contest since we are both in the 20 semi-finalists. It was really great meeting her and Travis, especially when we are both in the contest. I cant wait to see her again in June and hopefully in Texas in July!

The next morning we headed out and went back to Edmonton to check out the Cabelas. We did some shopping and I picked up a hoodie and we picked up a new pack frame. Then we went for lunch and I bought a new phone. We managed to get out of Edmonton at a decent time and were on our way to Loydminister to meet up with one of the guys we were hunting with that we met on Twitter...along the way hoping they weren't serial killers lol! We made it to Kerwin's at around dinner time and had a good visit and meal with him and his family. In the morning the 3 of us were on our way to Spiritwood to meet up with the other guy, Warren. We got to Warrens familys' ranch (which was gorgeous) and started loading the quads right away. We were heading for the family cabin.

It was a bit of a quad ride to get there but it was beautiful. The cabin was on a hill over looking a lake surrounded by poplar trees and croaking frogs in the marsh. It was very wet, so we got a little muddy and the frogs were everywhere! You could see them hopping out of the way of the quad. We dropped our stuff off in the cabin and we geared up to hunt the evening.

Hunt Day 1
The guys decided that while we were hunting they would go and check the other baits they had set up and sort of organize the camp area. So they took us into the stand where there was a big cinnamon boar coming in and was dubbed "Charra" because he was tall and gangly. So Kyle and I climbed into the stand which was only 18 yards from the barrels and played the waiting game. After a couple hours we had a coyote come in but he was nervous. So he didn't come right into the bait. Then about an hour after that this little blond cub came wandering into the bait and plopped his chunky butt down and started eating. He was only there for about 30mins when he took off running-there was another bear coming. A cinnamon sow with 2 cubs, a cinnamon one and a black one with a white V on his chest. She didn't stay long, she seemed agitated. About an hour after her and her cubs left she came back, but this time she had the little blond cub with her. She right away seen us up in the stand(it was on a poplar tree, so not much for cover) and was nervous. She let her cubs go and eat at the barrels but she would circle and try to catch our scent. Thankfully the BUCKED seemed to do its job and she never scared off, but she knew something was off with the tree we were sitting in. She was a gorgeous healthy bear and big! We named her The Queen. Eventually it started getting dark and we needed to spook them away, it didn't take much- just us talking. She took her cubs and left.

Hunt Day 2
In this area it seemed the bears only hit the baits in the evenings and during the night so we slept in. We got up and had breakfast then went out to check cameras and baits. Nothing had hit either baits. Warren was dumbfounded and frustrated. So we had to go to the back up plan- going to the forestry (government land). There were 4 different areas in the forestry we could sit in. We were put in one  that had lots of activity including a really large boar. Again Kyle and I were sitting in the stand together but this one was only 12 yards from the bait. It felt like we were sitting right on top of the barrel. It wasn't long and we had 2 small bears come in, brothers. A beautiful black one and a rubbed out brownish black one and both of them came up our tree to check us out. The black one came right up the tree on my side to get a closer look, then after he was done the rubbed one came up the tree right under our feet. After they were bored with us they went back to the bait. The bait had a barrel and 2 yellow crates tied together and it had a beaver in it and we watched the black one try to pull it out with not much success, his brother came over and popped it out in no time and took off with the beaver. Leaving us thinking, well great there goes the bait! We probably wont see any more bears.... We did see one more bear come in, again another small one just before the thunderstorm hit. The trees were blowing and it was pouring, but it only lasted about 20 mins and it cleared up. Just before dark we had 2 more small bears come in but never seen one that was a good size.

Hunt Day 3
In the morning we got up and went to check baits again. One was hit but it was just a small

cinnamon, nothing worth staying in the area so we went back up to the forestry. Again we sat in a new area that had a lot of activity that included some big bears. Kyle and I sat in the stand together again and again the stand was only 12 yards from the bait. After a few hours a little boar came in. He went straight to the bait without paying us much attention and started filling his face. He started rolling around after he ate a ton of oats and gave us a good look...that yup he is a boar haha. After about an hour he slowly made his way away from us and the bait. At around 8pm a big bear came in cautiously. I got up and got ready. He came from directly in front of us and walked to the barrel smelled the top of it where Kyle had touched it ( he was the same height as the barrel standing up), walked to the ribbon that Kyle had tied and followed the same path Kyle took to the tree. He smelled the ladder and looked up at us then walked over to the tree (on my side of the stand...of course!). The whole time I wasn't worried...he was a big bear...big bears don't climb trees...I was wrong! He came up my side of the tree, right up under the stand...smelling the bottom of my boots. I was shaking so bad, just staring at him and he stared right back at me. He was beautiful...and big. After he decided to climb down, after what felt like a full 10 minutes, he walked away from the tree on my side so I turned and got ready just in case he gave me an opportunity. He stopped and turned broadside, I pulled back and....my bottom cam hit the stand when I released and my arrow flew above him. The smell of metal burning my nose and my mind freaking out that I damaged my bow. The treestand we were in had very tall arm rests, above my waist while standing. I was leaning over with my bow on the other side, but I must have naturally shifted after I pulled back and not realized. I missed him completely and after that he left. He came back to the stand a couple days later, he showed up on the camera but I never seen him again. I was really upset that I missed that big bear and possibly damaged my bow.

Hunt Day 4
Right away in the morning I checked my cam and limb. It wasn't damaged, just a small dent and some of the finish was taken off. I shot it and it was performing exactly the same as before so I decided it would be ok to keep hunting. This time I hunted in the same stand as the night before but had Kerwin sitting in the stand with me. It was a stressful evening! The first bear that came in for us was a sow with 3 black cubs. She did not like us being in the tree. The cubs went over and started eating and she came over to the tree looking up at us. You could tell she wasn't curious about us, but that she didn't want us there. All of a sudden she huffed at us and grabbed onto the tree to start coming up, Kerwin and I both stood up and started yelling at her and stomping our feet on the platform of the stand. She got off the tree and slowly walked out of our sight where you could hear her bluff charging our stand. I was freaking out. After the little show her one cub was curious about us. He came over and started climbing the tree...just what we needed. So we did the same thing. He didn't leave...and wasn't scared of us at all. He came back to the tree multiple times and I was starting to feel like I was talking to a naughty puppy telling him no.
After they left I was freaked out. I told Kerwin that if she would have came back to the tree I would have called it quits for the night. She scared the crap out of me. Later on we had another sow come in with 2 black cubs. The cubs came in to eat and she was walking in slowly behind them until she seen us. She stopped and turned around and left. She never came in closer then 40 yards from the stand. Her cubs weren't as brave as the ones before either. The one came to check us out and we were shooing him away and he just stared at us. Kerwin huffed at him and he came over and swatted the ground underneath us. He had some attitude. They would come and go until dark but the last time the came back in a friend had followed. The cubs gave him away. The one took off instantly and the other was hanging onto the side of a tree huffing at the other bear. There were trees in the way but if I leaned far enough over I could see the other bear. He was a big bear with a white V on his chest. I got my bow ready, feeling protective of the little cubs. Momma bear made her way over and bluff charged the boar and the boar took off
about 40 yards back. After he ran the cubs took off and mom followed them. The boar circled around back through all the blow down and followed her and her cubs. Rut was starting. By the time the 4 bears were gone it was time to climb down from the tree. Just before Kyle and Warren pulled up a bear had ran across the road in front of us in to where the bait was. Warren wanted to pull the memory card from the camera to see what was on it so him and Kyle went to retrieve it. We told them that there was a bear in there right now but they still went. A few minutes later you could hear yelling coming from the trees...apparently the little guy had some attitude and was not willing to give up the bait. But they came out unscathed! Afterwards we told Kyle and Warren about our night. They then told us about their night. They had an interesting night as well. A sow had chased a little boar up their tree. He came right up beside Kyle and stopped...and Kyle being Kyle he tried to pet it. So it moved to the backside of the tree and started heading up above them, so he slapped its paw. Warren was freaking out that he was going to piss it off. The bear scooted up the tree another 20 feet above them and stayed there the whole night. It also pooped on Warrens bow and pack!

Hunt Day 5
I did NOT want to go back to the same stand, so Kyle and Warren went to it. We went to the stand from the second night hunting. We sat and sat and never seen one bear the entire time. Kyle and Warren were having better luck then us. They had the sow and 2 cubs come in again and the same boar that followed them the night before. He gave Kyle a shot and he took it. After he shot the white V bear a bigger one took off that was coming in with it. They stayed in the stand until just before dark hoping Warren could get one but no luck. So they climbed down to deal with his bear. Warren couldn't do too much thanks to his broken leg so Kyle decided to pack the entire bear out in one shot...whole. They rolled it onto the pack and kyle laid on it to put it on. Warren had to help him roll over and he crawled over to some blow down to help get him up on his feet and walked out. We got to Warrens family farm and weighed the bear and started field cleaning it. It weighed in at 232lbs and was 6'1'' tall. The rough score on the skull was 18 1/2 Pope and Young. Kyle was happy, that was what he wanted- a P&Y bear.

Hunt Day 6
Our last day to hunt and it was pouring rain. Kerwin had to head home so it was just the 3 of us. Kyle tagged out so it was up to Warren and I. We sat in the same stand Kyle shot his bear from and the aggressive sow was. Kyle set up a hanger off to the side of us to video and Warren and I sat in the main stand. It was another slow night. Eventually we had a little sow come in. She was tiny and goofy. She was a character. Trying to pull the barrel down on top of her while she was laying back..sitting back on her haunches and she lost her balance and just flopped over like a dog. She tried pulling the trail camera off the tree and was rolling around on the ground. Warren and I were trying not to laugh to loudly. She heard us and came over to the tree and was moaning at us. She then sat on her back end and started playing with a stick and then the wrapper Warren had dropped from his Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Both of us were just giggling. She then found an oil soaked napkin, came over, laid back and started rubbing the napkin all over her belly, starring at us the entire time. We were laughing so hard. I looked at Warren and I whispered to him "I think she likes your man scent" lol. She had to be in heat the way she was acting. I'm not sure if she thought we were a bear up there or what but we got quite the show! She hung out with us for at least 2 hours. It was a great way to end our hunting trip, even though I never tagged out. She was quite the bear.

We stayed the night at Warrens parents that night so we could shower and clean up. We loaded up in the morning and started the long trek back home to BC. We stopped for a quick visit with Kerwin and told him about our last night. We stopped in Edmonton again. Kyle wanted to show me the West Ed Mall because I had never been. It was huge. Went back to Cabelas then started our way home. We were both exhausted by the time we got home at 2am. It felt good to be home after the long drive.

Extreme Huntress Contest Semi-finals...half way through!

 

 

 

This is one of the radio interviews that I did, unfortunately it's the only one I was able to record successfully. Its from our local country radio station. I also did one for CBC RadioWest out of Kelowna and the other local station The Drive. On May 27th at 8:30 am MST I'll be live on the radio again talking about the contest.

Here are the links to the different news stories:
www.dailytownsman.com/ourtown/258299191.html
www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/17/extreme-huntress_n_5282017.html
http://news.ca.msn.com/local/britishcolumbia/extreme-huntress-title-in-cranbrook-womans-crosshairs
www.cbc.ca/m/news/#!/content/1.2632974

 

 

Please remember to cast your vote on www.extremehuntress.com/vote and on their facebook page www.facebook.com/extremehuntress

Thank you!! 

Extreme Huntress 2015 Competition

Hey everyone!!

So I have some exciting news. Back in March I sent in an Essay and photos for the Extreme Huntress contest. It is a contest that is open international to women that hunt. Their Motto is If mom goes hunting so will her children. This contest isnt just about being an extreme hunter, but also promoting women and getting kids involved in the sport and being a good role model for them.

I made it past the essay part and earned myself a spot amoungst 20 other wonderful huntresses for the semi-finals! From now (May 1st) until June 1st you can vote online at http://www.extremehuntress.com/vote/ and on their Facebook page Extreme Huntress Contest for the lady you think deserves it most.
After June 1st, the judges give each lady a score and combine it with the online votes and will determine 6 finalists. The finalists will go to the 777 Ranch in Texas to compete and hunt for the title of Extreme Huntress 2015!

I would be so appreciative that if you are reading this, if you could please vote for me on their Website and on their Facebook Page. Im up against some great ladies and some are pretty well  known.

Thank you for your help and support!!
Nikita