Huntress

When you hear the word "Huntress" what do you think of? Do you think of women hunters? Do you associate huntress with a certain type of women hunters? Or do you think of huntress as a glorified word for women hunters? Do you use the word huntress?

I think Tag Out Girls sum it up nicely with this little photo. 

My definition of a huntress is a woman that truly loves hunting, therefor thinks of her self as a huntress. Huntress is the feminine form of hunter.
I think of my women hunter friends and myself as huntresses!

Fishing Gear

Now that spring has arrived (well mostly arrived). My family is thinking about fishing. We need to restock our freezer with some fresh perch, crappie and pike.

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been purchasing some new fishing gear. And considering purchasing a new tackle box.

I grew up fishing for bass, walleye and pike with my father. But this was not  enough action for me. So I started pan fishing while my dad fished. I soon discovered how fun pan fishing was. I rarely fished for anything else from that point on. Now that I am get excited about fishing again, I keep thinking about the fun of pan fishing and hoping to pass the excitement on to my son.

So I have purchased a few packs of tube jigs, sinker hooks and bobbers. My favorite tube jig has a red body with a chartreuse skirt. So I purchased  a fairly large quantity of the jigs. As fun as pan fishing is, I will also want to give pike fishing some time too. So I will look to purchase some spinner baits, Mepps and other pike lures.

Spinner Bait

Mepps

And this is a pic of the tackle box I am looking at purchasing.

Yes I like to have a little pink in everything I do.

What are your favorite pike or pan fish lures? I would love to hear your suggests and will give them a try.

Time to Fish...

I really have not fished much in the past few years. As a child and teenager, I fished often with my father and brother. This year I am really looking forward to fishing. 

This year is different for me, because of my son. He is more interested in fishing now that he has his own fishing pole and tackle box. G will be 4 in a few weeks, so he understands more than he did last year. I just love being outside with my husband and son and seeing G experience new things. Fishing is the first outdoor activity we will be able to do as a family. It brings back memories of fishing with my dad and my brother as a toddler. We will have to wait a few more years to take him big game hunting. 

My husband went fishing on opening day of trout season (although he was not fishing for trout). I was hoping to get out last Sunday but the weather did not cooperate. It was a bit to chilly to be out on the lake, so we went 4 wheeling instead. This weekend we are so busy. I have a bridal shower, a baby shower and a bachelorette party on Saturday. Sunday is a 3D turkey shoot at our local archery club and our archery league banquet in the afternoon. Did I also mention, Saturday is opening day for Spring Gobbler.

So, I have to put fishing on hold for a few more days. Maybe one night next week or next Sunday we will get to go out.  Since I haven't really fished much in the last few years, my tackle box is empty. So I have been shopping for some new fishing hooks, bobbers, jigs and lures. I think I will shop for a new tackle box also. A soft one that has a shoulder strap, easier to carry.

Have you went fishing this year?
What is your favorite fish to catch?
What is your favorite lure?

My Biggest Challenge

You all know that 2012 was my first hunting season. And that I was hooked from the first morning I spent in the woods waiting for the sun to rise and hearing the turkeys gobbling. I thrive to be a better hunter. I work at shooting my bow and my guns (I shoot my bow the most). I read magazines, blogs, and books to help me learn and grow. However, there is one big challenge for me every time I  go into the woods. It didn't surprise me when I realized I was doing it.

The biggest challenge I'm talking about sitting still while I am in the woods. I have always been a bit of a fidgety person. When I am in meetings I cross my legs, uncross them, cross my legs the other way, and uncross them again. I am less fidgety when sitting in my treestand, but I still struggle. I get into my fanny pack to get my chapstick and then I put it back. I switch the way I am holding my bow or gun. When it got colder, I was adjusting my neck gaiter often, because my hair would get in the way when I turned to scan the field behind me.

Usually the first hour is easy, I get lost in my quiet and beautiful surroundings. Then I realize that I will need to sit still for a few more hours. But I am happy to be out in my treestand and can't wait to see what mother nature lets me see.

During archery season, we mainly hunted in the evenings. So after getting situated in my tree stand, I would play on my phone to pass the time. I would post a status update on Facebook or text with friends to see if they were out in the woods or just play a game. As it got closer to "go time" I would put my phone away. But I still had trouble with actually sitting still. I did get a deer this fall so I guess my fidgeting wasn't that bad.

What has a girl go to do to stop fidgeting all the time?

Do you fidget while you are hunting?

What is your biggest challenge?

Guns to Carry

There is a lot of talk going on among my friends and every where else about buying guns. All types of guns - home protection, a concealment weapon and of course hunting guns. Have you bought a gun lately?

Last year about this time, I purchased my first gun. A Taurus .38 special with a laser grip. It was purchased for a protection weapon and a gun of my own to take to the range to shoot. I enjoy shooting it. Especially using the laser when I shoot the zombies targets. I point the laser right on the head of the zombie...lol. However, I feel that it is a little to heavy to carry in my purse. I do have a holster but I feel that it is a bit awkward to use all the time. Also without a jacket or large sweatshirt, I can't conceal it well.

So I decided to get a litter 9mm. I bought a Taurus slim 9mm.  Hubby got me a pink handle grip for Valentine's day.

Now this was a hard decision for me. Hubby wanted me to make the decision all on my own. Going into the gun shop, I was dead set on purchasing a Beretta Nano.

 I liked it but it was a bit heavier than the Taurus. The handle was also a bit chunkier for my little hands. But it was smooth and pretty. Then I saw the Taurus. It was a bit lighter than the Nano and was slimmer. My hand fit around the handle better. But I still wanted the Beretta. It is an American made gun. As I handle each gun more, I realized there was no safety other than the trigger on the Nano. That made me got nervous. What if something got wrapped around the trigger and the gun went off or god forbid, my child was in my purse and pulled the trigger. So eventually I realized that I was going to have to give up on the Nano and purchase the Taurus. I am more comfortable knowing there is a safety and the longer trigger pull.

I have not shot it much yet (it's been cold & rainy here on the weekends), but I like how much lighter the 9mm is than my .38. I carried the gun for the first time this pass weekend and I was completely comfortable and happy to know I was carrying. I don't get to carry my gun everyday, because I work on a college campus. I will start putting it in my purse on Friday evenings when I get home.

Do you have a gun that you carry? What is your favorite gun to carry?

Bringing the Outdoors in...

Do you incorporate your love for the outdoors in everything you do?
How about bringing the outdoors in with a cake?

I have recently come across some fun cakes that vividly represent the outdoors. The first cake I think about when I think about cakes that have an outdoor them is our wedding cake.

It is a tree stump with our initials & a heart around them, carved into the tree stump. We loved it! Our wedding was a few years before I even thought about hunting and how much I would actually like it. Otherwise, I think we might have went with something like this one:

Here are some other cakes that brought the outdoors in:

 I think this one should be my brothers next birthday cake. He loves bass fishing.

This would be a great cake for a couple that likes to duck hunt.

I am torn between this and the next one, on which on should be my husband's next birthday cake. We like to archery and gun hunt. (Last year hubby had a Cleveland Browns cake for the party that was during the Browns game. No razzing about the Browns please.)

 This last cake is just amazing. I can't believe how good it looks. I wonder how long it took the baker to make it. And just frost it?

I am not a baker so I would need to have someone else make any of these cakes. I am also to impatient. :)

I'd love to see pictures of the cakes you all have had that brought the outdoors in...

Valentine's Day....

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have you started thinking about what your are going to get your sweetheart this year?

I have. There are a few ideas swirling around in my head. Hubby will not get all of these ideas but I'll decide on one or two of them. So let me get right to it.

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm

Extra clips for his other gun.

Bullets and targets are always a good gift!

Even though I am a Sabres fan, I would buy a Penguins jersey for hubby.

This is just a great lil gift for any gun enthusiast, ice cube bullet trays.

Now for some gift ideas I would enjoy opening on Valentine's Day. Jewelry is always a good gift for me.

I've been eyeing this jewelry for a couple weeks now. I love my 20 guage dangle earrings that I got for Christmas from Spent Rounds Designs.

I am going to need a new pair of sunglasses for boating season. So Valentine's Day would be a perfect time to get a new pair.

Since I did not get a watch at Christmas time, I still would like a "Boyfriend" watch. And my last wish list item is

a Beretta Nano 9mm. But I will probably have to wait until our tax return to get this.

While all of these gift ideas are exciting and great, all I really want to do is enjoy a dinner out with my Valentine. And some snuggle time with hubby. So if I get none of these, I will be fine. I won't be heartbroken. For me Valentine's Day is about spending time with your loved ones. Yes, we should not need a day on the calendar to make time for hubby and I, but it is a day we do try to make sure we get a date night out of.

I hope everyone has a nice Valentine's Day, however you choose to celebrate love.