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

Opening Day of Hunting Season 2014

September 1st!! Opening day of archery season. Kyles parents took the kids for a sleepover last night so that we could head out bright and early. We got up into the blind at about 7:00am and it was cold! It was only 5C and windy. I really should have worn a couple more layers but dumb me thought the blind will block most the wind, I should be fine....WRONG. I had layers in my pack but once we were settled I didnt want to go digging through it incase I scared an animal away. At about 8:00 we had a bull light up...and then another. We were getting excited that we may actually have a chance at one the first day. They called back and forth for a bit and then we heard cows chirping, not far from us. So I got my bow and started to get ready hoping the cows would get one of the bulls to come down. Then the cows went silent...the wind had picked up and changed. It was swirling right to them and they left. Shortly after that the bulls went silent too. It was pretty frustrating. So we sat for another hour or 2 hoping maybe they would come back but the wind was not cooperating. It was constantly changing and swirling so we decided to get out of the blind and hike...Thank god! I was freezing, my feet were so numb I couldnt feel them for a little bit of the hike and was pretty clumsy. But the rest of me warmed up quick especially with the sun out now. We decided to hike up out of the basin and up the mountain. Close to the ridge we found the one bulls bedding area and where he was calling from. So it was nice being able to learn the area a little better and have an idea where he hangs out now. So we made our way down to the jeep and decided to go to a different area.

We headed to a different area in hopes we could find a bull, even though we were running out of time. We had to pick up the kids before dinner time. So we parked the jeep and hiked up to the ridges. We had run out of time, and if we had shot an elk we would have been very late so we decided to do some glassing from the top and get some pictures. It was beautiful country and very steep, but we had a good view of some slides and an adjacent mountain range. We gave our new Onca Hunting Wear a good first test run and were happy, but we have a whole season to put it to the test still. We had a good day and had some fun. I was happy to be back in the high country.

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

Try new things

So as some of you know I had the fortune of going to Saskatchewan to hunt black bear. Now lots of people dont know the different laws and regulations from province to province. In BC, you are allowed to hunt bears with hounds..but you are not allowed to bait them. I do not have hounds so it is spot and stalk for me. In Saskatchewan you are allowed to bait them but no hounds (I believe).
Now my thoughts have always been negative when it comes to baiting. Nonetheless, I had never hunted using bait and didnt know any better, but I was open to the idea of trying it. But now that I have used this form of hunting I understand that it has its own sets of challenges and benefits.

Just the upkeep of the baits takes lots of time and money. Being able to hunt over a bait gives you a chance with better mangement of the animals in the area. You have a visual aid for how big a bear truly is and pass up the smaller ones, and you usually have time to decide on a bear to take. You get a very close shot (usually within 20 yards) and generally have the time to choose your shot wisely. And just the fact that lots of bears come in to the bait and hang out does not guarantee that you will have a shooter come in or that one will give the ethical shot you need. You have more close encounters with bears coming up the tree and you get to observe them. That is the one thing that I absolutely LOVED about baiting bears....you could just sit and learn about them and their behaviour. I found myself wishing we could bait back at home so I could just sit in the tree learning them and taking pictures.

I guess the moral of this post is you shouldnt judge the different ways of hunting. Each has their own challenges and benefits. I definitely learned that while in Saskatchewan. It is good to get out and try new things to broaden your horizon and knowledge.