Summer... the off Season

Do you put your bow away after spring turkey season or at the end of deer season? Do you wait until a month before archery season to get your bow out and start shooting?  I like archery shooting so much, I shoot almost all year long. I do take a little time off around Christmas.

My favorite off-season activity is 3D shoots at our local archery club. I also enjoy the indoor video hunt league at the archery shops. We shoot pretty much every night, now that the weather has gotten nicer, in my back yard. My good buds Michelle and Sarah come over. Some of hubby's buddies also join us.  I think this summer we should start and annual backyard 3D shoot.  Just something fun to do and a little

friendly competition to push ourselves. (More on that at a later time.)

Michelle

We also take family walks in the woods. Ride our four wheeler. And spend time on the lake, either fishing or just boating with friends.

Then of course we get our practice in with our guns.  Sometimes we go to a shooting range. Other times we shoot in our backyard at targets. Either way is great. We are sharpening our shooting skills and having fun while we do it. I really need to get more target shooting in this summer with my shotgun and my rifle.  However I do not want to shoot to much because I don't want to use up my ammunition. (That still frustrates me that we can't get ammo, I digress.) But I do need to practice so I will have to break down and use some ammo. I have to work on getting my reaction time faster for rabbit hunting.

I have a goal to be at a 50 pound draw weight by hunting season.  So in order to do this, I need to shoot often and I need to train the muscles involved in shooting a bow. Purchasing a bow trainer is a great way to strengthen your back and shoulders.  Here is another exercise that Bowhunter Magazine recommends to strengthen your bow hunting muscles:

Prone T's- improves shoulder stability, strengthens the rotator cuffs, and increases muscle patterns.

To perform the exercise, pull your shoulder blades in toward your spine and extend your arms to the sides to create a T with your torso. Keep your arms long and straight, 90 degrees to your torso. Point your thumbs up, toward the ceiling. Keep your head in line with your spine. Keep your shoulder blades back and down, trying to squeeze them together. You should feel the contraction in the backs of your shoulders and in your upper back between the shoulder blades. I need to do this exercise more often. 

Don't hang your bow up when hunting season is over. Get out there and enjoy the outdoors. Make it a family event.  Who knows you may just make a better kill shot during the next hunting season.

Gun Safety

In today's world gun safety is a very hot topic. Yes, gun safety has always been an important topic, but with the gun-related incidences occurring lately, concerns are at an all time high. With this heightened awareness gun owners have found their selves fighting to preserve our second amendment rights. We want to keep the traditions of hunting and shooting alive for future generations, and the big issue of being able to protect ourselves.

As a child, I grew up knowing that my father hunted and that there were guns in our house. I respected my father's guns. I knew they were not to be played with and it never crossed my mind to look for them or play with them. Back then guns were not portrayed as evil, like they are today. There were not all the school shootings. Guns do not kill people. People kill people.

I want my son to grow up with the same respect for guns that my husband I have. For G's first Christmas he got  a Rossi .410/.22 combo.

So from that point on we have taught him that he does not touch a gun unless he asks first and an adult is with him. We remind him every time we have the guns out. Just because we are teaching him to respect guns and not to touch them, doesn't mean we can now be lax on watching him. Gun safety is a continual education for children. As parents we always need to be aware of  what our children are doing when guns are around.

In this fight to protect our gun rights, we need to strengthen our gun safety efforts. Education is the key. The hunter safety courses are a great start. I think it would be a good thing if there was a gun safety course for younger children. It can' t hurt for children to hear the gun safety from another person even though their parents are teaching them also.

Since we have guns in our home we also don't tempt our child with the guns. We keep most guns out of reach and the few guns that are in the gun cabinet are off limits and G knows that. Ammunition is locked up so he can not get into them.

If you are unsure how to start teaching your child gun safety, check out the NRA's materials for children. They have workbooks and a DVD. The NRA is a great resource for any gun related questions you have.

So please make sure you talk about gun safety with your children every time they are around guns. You could help save a life someday.

Wind and Cold

It seems as though the Wind Gods are trying to deter me from hunting. Let me recall for you a few of my hunting experiences.

Spring Gobbler season 2012...Opening day...COLD! But the turkeys were gobbling. It was calm morning, or at least it seemed that way since we were sitting in a blind. I saw 2 deer that morning.

Early archery season 2012...Opening Day... Hubby and I go hunting in the evening. It was a beautiful evening, warm and the wind conditions were good. I shot a doe. The next few weekends of archery season are beautiful but the wind was not in my favor. I did not get a chance to shoot at anything else.

Rifle season opens on a breezy day. It was chilly and windy for the entire rifle season.  I didn't get to hunt much during rifle season. The only deer I ended up seeing during rifle season were in the morning before it was light enough to see if exactly I was looking at or they were running or the dead ones that other hunters shot.

Spring Gobbler season 2013...I didn't get to hunt until the second Saturday because of work. It was warm but breezy. Saw one turkey, but no shot. The next Saturday was cold, rainy and windy. Heard a gobble and  couple hens clucking, but saw nothing. There was not a lot of movement in the woods.

How do you handle the wind and cold? I guess I will have to toughen up...lol. Learn to layer my clothing better to help me stay warmer. Getting out of my tree stand and getting into a blind would probably also help keep me a bit warmer. Or maybe I just need to ask Santa for a Heater Body Suit.

Deer Artwork

Today I saw this picture posted on Facebook. It got me thinking about all the different types of art that involved deer. So I searched the web.

Here is a sampling of what I found:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

My favorite ones are 3, 5, 6 & 8. With 8 my absolute favorite. But I would also put 5 & 6 up in my house. Which ones are your favorite?

Cristy the Huntress...

So I thought that it might be nice for my readers to get to know me the huntress a bit better. So I came up with a series of questions to answer for you.  Feel free to ask more questions in the comment section.

What was my first hunting experience?  My first time hunting was for spring gobbler. My hubby took me out and we sat in a blind on a very cold spring morning. The first sounds of the turkeys gobbling were amazing.  I will always remember that morning. And of course, I didn't dress warm enough.

Who got me interested in hunting?  Myself. I have been around hunting my whole life but never really wanted to go.  After my hubby got me a compound bow so that we could shoot together and go to 3D shoots. I started surfing the web for articles on women bow shooters and I discovered that lots of women hunted and enjoyed doing it. Seeing the pictures of their harvests was inspiring and so I decided to ask hubby if he would take me hunting. He was SHOCKED!

My most memorable hunt?  Since I have only been hunting a short time, I would say when I got my deer. To read more about getting my first deer, click here.

What do I do when I am not hunting?  I am a wife and mom of a 4 year old boy. I work full time at a college. When I'm not doing house work or working, I enjoy spending time with my family, going to 3D archery shoots, 4 wheeling, fishing, boating, and occasional nights out with my girls dancing.

What inspires me to keep hunting?  My main inspirations are my husband and son. Right now hunting give hubby and I some quiet time together while enjoying nature. And in the future hunting with my son and husband will be wonderful. I am a firm believer in the saying "The family that hunts together stays together." My brother is also a big part of my continued interest. He is always giving me gifts that have to do with hunting. Last Christmas he got me a bunch of turkey calls and a pair of hunting gloves. Of course, the adrenalin rush you get when you are in the woods and you see the animal that you are hunting for.

Left to right: CJ, me, cousin Josh, brother Jimmy

My son shooting

What obstacles have I faced being a huntress?  My first big obstacle is gutting a deer and dragging it. Which I have not yet had to do either of, since I have only harvested one deer so far. I am a bit squeamish when it comes to blood and guts. So I bought field dressing gloves for my next kill. I would also say buying  clothing and boots that are made for a huntress is a little difficult in my neck of the woods. Not a lot of options. I know you can buy stuff online, but I really like to try things on especially if I am spend a hundred plus dollars on something.

So if you have not shared your huntress lifestyle with your family and friends, "What are you waiting for?" It is up to our generation of hunters and huntresses to teach the new generation the ins and outs of hunting so that they may pass the tradition on to the next generation. Take pride in being able to harvest your own food. Go be a great huntress role model.

End of Spring Inventory

It's that time of the year to sort through all of our hunting gear. See what needs washed, repaired or replaced.  If I don't go through things now, it will be September and I will not be ready for hunting season.  Here is my hunting inventory list:

* Equipment- Make sure all your guns are clean and even take the time to clean your bow.  (A good time for me to finally learn how to clean my guns..oops...I''m a bit spoiled!) Make sure your strings on your bow are waxed or get them replaced if they are really frayed.

* Apparel- Make sure to wash everything. I use Scent-A-Way by Hunter's Specialties. In addition to my clothing I also wash my backpack and fanny pack. They get dirty too! I just recently discovered gortex wash, so I might give that a try this year for my rain clothes.  Also make sure to inspect your clothes to see if they need any repairs. I'm ready to get my needle and thread out to stitch up a few rips my hubby has in his pants. Does all your clothing still fit? If not think about handing it down to a younger hunter that may have outgrown last years clothing. Or better yet, give it to a new hunter!

* Footwear- Do you need new boots? Check your boots over for any holes or rips. If you need new boots get them now so you have time to break them in. You will be happy when you don't have blisters during hunting season.

* Stand or blind maintenance- Check over your tree stand or blind thoroughly.  Do you need new tie straps, tree steps or does your blind need a patch job? Or is just time for a new one? Do some research and decided what stand you want to get. Then watch for it to go on sale!

* Scent products- Make sure all your sprays have not expired. Do you need a new bottle of Tinks? How about scent wafers? What is your supply like?

Once you have you inventoried your hunting gear, shop for things that need replaced. You will be happy when hunting season comes around and you are already to go. Now head outside and practice shooting your bow and/or guns!

Mother's Day...

Several years ago if someone asked me if I wanted to have children I would say "I'm not sure." Then I met my wonderful husband and he wanted children. As our relationship and love grew, I realized I wanted to have children with him.  Well That dream came true on May 31, 2009, when I gave birth to our son.

Becoming an mom was the greatest experience of my life. Yes, I'm tired, don't get to go to the bathroom by myself, or get much time at all to myself anymore. Every sacrifice I have made is all worth it when I hear "Mommy" or have those little arms are wrapped around my neck for a big bear hug.

This year's weather was not very cooperative for any of the outdoor family activities we enjoy. So I took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep by taking a nap while my son did; after we went to purchase the rest of the sprouts for our garden,  flowers for my flower bed and a great family lunch with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law's family. 

As I look forward to future Mother's Days and the adventures we will embark on, I smile. I want make sure that we get outside and enjoy our family time. Teach G to embrace, respect and relish the beauty the outdoors. Things I would like to do on future Mother's Days are: 3D archery shoots; hikes; canoeing; fishing; and enjoying the scenery.

Lastly, I would like to thank my Mom for all the sacrifices she made for me and teaching me how to be a good wife.  I truly appreciate and understand why you did it. And thank you for being an amazing Grandma.