Prois Dionla Gloves

 

The Prois Dionla gloves are an insulated winter glove and are touchscreen capable with silicone print grips on the palmar surface and smooth sheepskin on the palm and fingertips.  It has a wide opening to easily go over your jacket sleeve and a pocket on the top for a hot pack...or mouth reed if you like haha!  The gloves are waterproof! They have a waterproof Gore-tex insert that is very breathable and 133g of primaloft insulation. Finally gloves that are truly waterproof. 

I wore these out to do my horse water and I had a bit of ice build up in the hose so the pressure caused the hose to split. I had water shooting out 4 feet in the air so I decided to put my hands over top of the crack and shake the hose trying to get the ice to dislodge. It took a few minutes of working on it but it worked and my Dionla gloves kept my hands completely dry. Very impressed. I'm excited to use them ice fishing. I got to use them cat hunting on Christmas eve and they kept my hands toasty, so warm I was able to take them off to take photos of the cougar in the tree. I got my gloves in a medium just because I have heated glove liners (with having Raynauds my hands do not do well in any type of cool/cold weather) and wanted them to fit over them. If I would have got the smalls they would have fit perfect on my tiny hands. Ill be getting some for on the farm as well as hunting! 

They retail for $79.99 USD on www.proishunting.com. Use my code DALKE for 20% off. 

Greann Heated Vest from Prois

Pronounced Grey-ahnn

MORE TO COME WITH CAT SEASON THIS WINTER.

Got to give my new Greann vest a try! Ladies its awesome. We went out on the side by side last night and this is what i wore. I have it layered over my tintri shirt.
It is super stretchy and is made to fit really snug. I ordered the M/L because I have a wide back and big bust. For size reference. My tintri shirt is a Small and it fits snug. A medium fits loose. So I probably could have gotten the xs/small for that tighter fit, I think for the purpose of the vest the M/L is actually a bit to big for me.
I used the heat function when the sun dropped and it started getting cooler. It didn't take long at all to warm up (I used high heat) and it was very comfortable and warm. I cant wait to use this during cat season!!

Retail for $149.99 USD on www.proishunting.com

Prois Triall Pack

 

The Triall pack from Prois is a lightweight, women's fit pack that is made in conjunction with Badlands. It features the Badlands KXO-32 fabric and their amazing unconditional warranty. This pack goes up to 1500 cubic inches of space, with 2 main compartments, 2 on the hip belt and 2 mesh pockets on the inside- there is lots of space to store your hunting must haves. The fabric is tough, light and waterproof. The frame is made from heat hardened steel with a Hypervent suspension system for constant air flow between your back and the pack. It is compatible for up to a 3L water bladder and has a built in pocket for your rifle stock or bow cam to sit in so you can strap it to your pack. The fit is built specifically for a women's form; it has a shorter torso, the shoulder straps have greater contour, and angled hip belts to fit the curve of a woman's hips. It also has a lower center of gravity, like a woman, for better balance and control. 

The Triall pack is very lightweight and has lots of space for your everyday things for being out hunting or even hiking. The front compartment has 3 smaller mesh pockets inside, 2 with zippers to keep your items organized. The biggest compartment has lots of room for anything you may need and has a pocket for a water bladder. It has a hidden compartment on the bottom of the pack that hides away a stock/cam holder so you can strap your gun or bow to the pack- it carries very comfortably. The pack hugs your back and shoulders really nicely and has lots of straps to compress things down. The frame is comfortable and the fabric on the pack is super light and waterproof. The only thing I would change on it is the hip belt, have it tighten by pulling in instead of pulling out (like the Mystery Ranch buckles). It makes it much easier to get it snug without the struggle. Other than that I absoluty love this pack and recommend it to all the ladies who are looking for that comfortable, lightweight day pack. 

The Triall Pack retails at $239.99 USD on www,proishunting.com

Use my code DALKE for 20% off at checkout. 

Prois Solas Gloves

 

The Solas Gloves from Prois have just become my new favourite set of gloves. I love how they fit and how lightweight they are, but still warm. I have small hands and the smalls fit very nicely. They are comfortable to shoot in and also with a release on my wrist. The fabric is soft on the skin and they have the touch capabilities on the thumb and index finger so I can still use my phone. These are meant to be a lightweight glove so temperature will depend on the individual. These will be my go to gloves unless it is too cold out. 

The Solas Gloves have a 40+ UPF for UV Protection and Silvdur Antimicrobial treatment to reduce body odor. They are breathable, moisture wicking and windproof. They have sheepskin on the palm, fingers and finger tips for durability and grip. 

The Solas gloves sell for $59.99 USD and come in S, M, & L

You can purchase them from www.proishunting.com .Use my code DALKE for 20% off. 

Its been a whole year....

Well it has been over a year since my last post on here...I'm slacking hard in the writing department. But to be honest, this last year has been a whirlwind of changes and challenges for my family and I. From new job for Kyle, moving, moving up in my job, training puppies and horses, adding more horses, having a litter of puppies....this past year and a half has been stressful and crazy. I even stepped away from BHA to try and get my ducks in a row, and to be honest it still feels like my ducks are a scattered mess. But enough about that, lets get into what the last year of hunting has looked like! 

Spring bear 2019.

The black and tans first try at running bears. We ran them the last few weeks of June and they did really well! They didn't make every tree but they gave it their all and did well. Pheonix was able to harvest her second black bear, first one with hounds. It was a tough hike up the mountains to the lake to where the dogs treed it, then a tough pack out with it. Kyle and I didn't fill any tags that spring. 

Fall 2019

Youth season and archery season are the same 9 days at the beginning of September. So last year I never had a chance to hunt with my bow because I was so focused on getting Pheonix her deer. This year I decided there wasnt any point to bringing out my bow because we would be hunting hard for Pheonix again. She then filled her 2 deer tags, one on opening day and the other the next day and still had 7 days left of archery/youth season lol. The first day we were hunting for whitetail. She was having a rough day, last year she struggled with buck fever and it looked to be the same this year. She missed a really nice 4x4 whitetail and was pretty down on herself. We came up to a clearing an hour before dark and out in the middle was standing a buck. I told her it was a buck and she wanted to see it. It was a 2x2. I was surprised when she said she wanted to take it, but Kyle helped her get set up and I watched in the binoculars. One shot and he dropped. She was so happy that she didnt have any issues this time. When we walked up to him she was a little disappointed at how small he was but we cheered her up reminding her that she had made an excellent shot and it was her first buck! 

The next day we went hunting for Mule deer for her. We came up to a massive clearing and I spotted a few does and a small buck. so we snuck up to the edge and thats when we seen more down at the bottom of the clearing closer to the treeline. I backed off and stayed with Easton and her and Kyle snuck up to a better vantage point. They had seen a beautiful 4x4 but he had walked into the trees. They sat for about 30 mins watching the deer and finally she decided on the big 3x3. Again she struggled with a bit of buck fever and she shot, but it wasnt a fatal shot. So she reloaded quickly and waited til he stopped walking and took another shot. This time it was a good one. He died right at the treeline and then work started. It was all uphill back to the road. She was over the moon happy with her first mule deer. 

The rest of the fall season I spent trying to get a deer or elk with my rifle. I didnt have a good season. I shot at a huge 5x5 whitetail and missed, and just didnt get the opportunity at another buck. 

Winter 2019/2020

Cat season! The hounds were old enough now and Maverick was as well. So we had the 3 dogs to chase with. They did really well, treeing 11 cats during the season. Pheonix also got a cougar, her first one as well.  A friend also gave us one of his Plott females, Cinder. Which rounded off our pack at 4. 

Bear season 2020 

Well this spring was a good one! I started it off with a bang by shooting my bear April 17th. A beautiful 6 foot boar and the hounds very first solo tree. Also my first bear taken under dogs. My 2 year dry spell finally came to an end. We ended up having a litter of puppies with Cinder and Maverick...was an opps. Cinder busted out of her kennel and spent the day with her boyfriend...insert facepalm here... 12 puppies during the hunting season is stressful. Unfortunately one died at birth and cinder suffocated another 2 weeks later. I was pretty crushed. But we now have a pack of 6, we kept 2 babies. My black female with brindle markings and the lightest brindle male, Raven and Todd. We are a very busy household of 9 dogs now. We ran 36 bears this spring and the dogs really came together and worked well together. Maverick really impressed us and is an excellent bear dog. No fear and is quick and agile. Natalie did really well as well. Cinder even got in on a couple runs at the very end of season and you could see she loved every minute of it...although I was worried she would catch her sagging teats on the blow down. 

Fall 2020

Well Pheonix started this fall off with a good start, she managed to get a 3x4 whitetail. NO buck fever this year! I think she was more excited that she didnt have any issues. So she had a really nice 4x4 infront of her but he was really jumpy. It took her a little bit to get set up with the shooting sticks and as soon as she had her cross hairs on him he took off. But the 4x3 walked out and she got really excited and said Mom! Look theres another one. Im going to shoot him. She managed to get reset and took one shot. He dropped, got up and stumbled across the creek and died on shore. She was a trooper and crossed the creek, we got some photos and then she dragged it out across the creek and out to the road where Kyle came with the truck to load it. 

To be continued....

First 2019 Success

Hunting in the winter in BC can come with its own challenges; its cold, wet, and usually lots of snow. Now mix in mountainous terrain and it makes it that much more difficult. Here, the only type of winter hunting you can do is for predators. Wolf, coyote, bobcat, lynx and cougar are all open in the month of December and all have various lengths of seasons. During the fall we picked up two coonhound puppies and have been busy training them for cat hunting. So when we had the opportunity to head out for a cat hunt with Kyle, Kelsey and Gage, we took it. We loaded up the puppies and both kids at 3:00 in the morning to head out for cats. By this time Lynx was closed but we still had cougar and bobcat. Everyone either had 1 tag or both so we were well covered. 

In the first few hours before daylight (8:00 AM) it's a lot of driving and checking tracks. We each took a different side of the valley and kept in touch by radio. Kyle and Kels found a number of bobcat tracks while we found a few cougar. One set we found was really fresh, but the farther up the road we went those tracks were lost in the large number of fresh wolf tracks. A pack was in there chasing deer all over the road and through the bush. After that we weren't overly keen on dropping dogs. So we headed to the same side as Kyle and Kels. By now it was starting to get light and Kyle had found a good bobcat track. So he decided to walk his old girl, Jenny, on the track and see if she would take it. Kyle had 4 hounds in his box, but 2 are very young still and one was just a pup. As we were driving in he radioed and said Jen was taking it and he was going to let her go and follow her in. Kelsey and Gage were at the truck still so we met up with them. Jen treed the cat and so we parked, got the kids bundled up, and leashed the puppies to walk in following our GPS. Kelsey left the 2 young dogs in the dog box and brought her dog, Remi in as well. It was about a 30 minute hike through the snow, but thankfully it wasn't in any steep terrain for the kids. This was Eastons first cat hunt ever, Pheonix was on a cougar hunt the year before with Kyle, so it was the perfect one to bring him on. 

When we got down to the tree, the cat was in a great one for photos; not too much cover to hide him in. Kelsey and I right away dropped everything and pulled out our cameras to take photos and video. Kelsey and Kyle both passed on him, so the chance to take him was given to Gage- he declined and so Pheonix was given the option. She didn't even hesitate with her reply. She had made a goal to fill her cougar tag before the season was done, well now she had the option to get her first bobcat. The best shot she had was a steep one without much room for error because of the way the cat was sitting in the branches. Kyle and I were videoing and told Kyle to get her to do whatever he wanted and to set her up how he wanted. He talked with Pheonix once she was set and comfortable on where he wanted her to shoot- a black spot about the size of a toonie right above his paws. She got comfortable and when she felt good she squeezed the trigger. Down came the cat and she had her first ever bobcat! She was so excited and we were so happy for her. She made a perfect shot, right where Kyle wanted her to shoot. Of course at school on Monday she told everyone about her successful hunt lol!

2018...A Year of Firsts

For the first time in a long time, I did not harvest anything during the fall season and I didn't kill a bear at home in the spring- but looking back on the year, it was an amazing year. Not just for me but my family. This truly was a year of firsts for us.

The spring season started off with bear and turkey here in BC. I have never killed a turkey, although it wasn't for lack of trying lol. But this year I was lucky enough to get my very first one! And to top it off, Kyle and I doubled on them- a first for us.

At the beginning of May, Pheonix turned 10- legal age to hunt in BC. From then on we were on the hunt for her and her first big game animal, she wanted a black bear. We had a few plays on different bears but she just wasn't quick enough. Then we went to Saskatchewan (unfortunately the age there to hunt is 12) for a week and a half to do some bear hunting with friends. It wasn't long after we got home that she was able to fill her first big game animal! And it was a dandy bear. She got the enjoyment of being able to watch him interact with a sow and they had no clue she was even there. Kyle was with her when she pulled the trigger and was hanging back with Easton. Her first hunting season ever and she got her first big game animal and her first bear. She was over the moon.

In Saskatchewan, I was able to accomplish a first for me as well. We had been there 2 other years previously and each time I left with just a tag. This year was different. The very first night we were there- Pheonix and I sat in a stand and waited patiently. The very first bear that came in was the one I took. I knew he was a decent bear but I wasn't expecting for him to grow in size when I walked up to him. 3rd time...or year...was the charm apparently. And he is my biggest bear ever, he even beats Kyles grizzly bear! We both came home with beautiful big bears.

The fall season came along and I was 100% dedicated to getting Pheonix her first buck. She had so many opportunities but she just had troubles getting on them quick enough or was picky about what she wanted. When the doe season opened for youth she was excited to be able to shoot a buck and a doe, so of course when the first doe she had an opportunity at came she took it without hesitation. It was just the kids and I hunting when she got her first deer. It took a bit for her to get set up, but the doe wasn't concerned with us. She missed her first shot, and I was keeping an eye on it in my binos. I was very impressed and proud of her on how she didn't even miss a beat when I told her to shoot again. She adjusted her shooting sticks and shifted over and reset up like a pro in one swift movement. Perfect shot and she had her first deer.

When she shot her first deer, Kyle was away up north hunting for moose with his cousin. His first time hunting moose up north. He was successful with a beautiful tri-palm. His first moose ever.

For the 2019 season, Pheonix already has her sights set on a cougar! We will see....