The Dangers of Bear Hunting, or How I Got Porcupine Quills in My Head
We don t have porcupines where I live. We also don t have many bears, so when the occasional one is spotted, the 6 o clock news reports about the posse that stalked the poor bruin through a ritzy neighborhood. So if I want to hunt bears or see porcupines, I go somewhere that seems exotic to me, like coastal British Columbia.
Upon arriving in a B.C. bear camp years ago, I noticed all the guides had porcupine quills in the tops of their caps. Minutes later, as my hunting partner, our guide, and I headed out for the afternoon s hunt, a porcupine waddled across the road in front of us. Snatching my cap from my head, the guide ran for the porcupine and slapped its back with the crown of the cap. And that s how they all got quills in their caps and I became one of the guys. Nice.
A few days later, we were on a logging road on the side of a mountain that felt like the top of the world. Although there was leftover snow on the ground, it was a warm, shirt-sleeves day. My hunting partner spotted a large black bear about 300 yards away. It was a shootable distance for him, and he had a gun with enough oomph to do the job from that range, but between us and the bear were a vertical rock cliff, a patch of thick alders loved by grizzlies, a wide creek raging with the waters of the spring thaw, and a large snowbank. Getting the bear back to the logging road looked difficult, if not impossible. He shot it anyway, and we started plotting its retrieval.
The route would be circuitous, through, around, and over the obstacles between us and the bear. Without the aid of GPS units, radios, or any other electronics, we realized just staying on course would be challenging. So the plan was that I would stay on the mountain where I could see both the bear and my fellow hunters and direct them as needed. How did I get so lucky?!
I watched the scene below as the two men navigated their way to the bear, occasionally pointing left or right to get them back on track. Finally, they reached the dead bear, and the guide turned to me with both arms stretched overhead, waving in a criss-cross manner to let me know they had found the bear. I acknowledged him with the same signal “ and suddenly pain seared through my head. I had bumped my hat while waving, and a porcupine quill had nailed my scalp.
&$%@#*!!! I yelled, reaching for the brim of my hat to remove it. The cap wouldn t budge. I tugged a little harder, but the pain was worse by the second. My head hurt, my ears throbbed, every individual tooth in my mouth pounded. I sat in the logging road with hands on each side of my hat, tugging firmly but gently. It was nailed to my head. I reached for the quills and thought I could somehow figure out which ones were pinned to me. Every one I touched made the pain worse and still didn t budge.
Finally, there was no choice but to be more aggressive, like ripping a bandage off quickly. With both hands, I pulled my hat as hard as I could. This time it came loose, every little fish hook quill end attached to a chunk of bloody scalp. I later counted 84 bloody quills.
I dropped my head into my hands, my fingers massaging my aching scalp, my eyes clenched. Soon I realized my arms felt strangely warm, and I opened my eyes to find my hands and sleeves soaked in blood. My head was gushing, and I needed to stop the bleeding. I recalled that just down the logging road was a small waterfall, the runoff of the spring thaw. I walked there, blood streaming into my face and over my clothes, and stuck my head in the icy water. It worked; in a few minutes, the bleeding finally stopped, and I washed the blood from my hair.
I looked down at myself, seeing that my shirt was a bloody, sticky mess. My hunting partners were still at least a couple of hours from returning. I could see for miles, but there was (probably) no one around to see me. So I took off my shirt, washing it in the waterfall, streams of blood running down the roadside. I rinsed it until the water ran clean, then wrung it out. I found a sunny spot and spread it out on a rock to dry.
In the meantime “ combless and mirrorless “ I arranged and fluffed my hair with my fingers, trying to get it dry. My shirt eventually dried enough to wear, and I got myself dressed and back together. Minutes later, my partners emerged from the ravine, loaded with bear, and there I sat on the big rock where they had left me.
I could only imagine how shocked my hunting partners must be when they returned to find me in such a mess, especially after they had climbed down a rock cliff, crossed thick alders, waded a raging creek, trudged through a snow slide, field-dressed and skinned a bear, and returned through the same hazards with their first load of bear hide and carcass.
But they didn t say a word! OK, they re excited about the bear, I thought. Soon they ll finish telling their story and will notice. Not a word. Nada. Nobody noticed.
I guess I could easily attribute their negligence of my ordeal to their being men. I could call them inattentive and self-centered. In reality, they didn t notice because, after a week in bear camp, a waterfall shower and mirrorless grooming didn t hurt my appearance at all.
See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net
Crappie Fishing Guide Quits
So last night I m having a conversation with my husband about our upcoming fishing trip to Barkley Lake Kentucky. Apparently the Rootin Tootin Fisherman called and decided to hire a crappie fishing guide for one of our days there. After many years of fishing with the Tootin family this would be our first year having a guide. And with the 4 of us and only two allowed on the guide s boat ¦ we have a decision to make ¦
- Should Troy and Denise fish with the guide and Mark and I follow with our boat?
- Should Denise and I fish with the guide and Troy and Mark follow with a boat?
- Should Mark and Troy fish with the guide while Denise and I take my boat off to fish on our own? (I like this option. I get to drive the boat!)
- Should Mark and Troy fish with the guide while Denise and I go shopping?
It sounds like the best scenario would be for Denise and I to fish with the guide and Troy and Mark tag along with one of the boats. If that were the case, Denise wouldn t have a problem at all. She s a big girl. She puts her own minnows on and takes her own fish off the hook. But me ¦ well ¦ I have a problem ¦
Denise: Here fishy fishy fishy.
Me: Umm Mr. Guide “ Can you please put my minnow on?
Denise: Here fishy fishy fishy.
Me: Umm Mr. Guide “ I think my jiggy thingy is stick in the brush?
Denise: Here fishy fishy fishy.
Me: Umm Mr. Guide Sir “ Can you take my fish off the hook please?
Denise: Here fishy fishy fishy.
Me: Umm Mr. Guide “ Umm my hook is stuck in my hair.
Denise: Here fishy fishy fishy.
Me: Umm Mr. Guide Boss “ Can you please tell Denise to stop saying here fishy fishy fishy?
Umm yes ¦ Denise thinks she s all that and a bucket of crappie ¦
And her redears ¦
Have a good day all ¦ I think I might be shopping that day.
Or maybe I should hire my own guide.
Or maybe I ll just resort to, Here fishy fishy fishy. Apparently it works.
See the original article at TheHuntersWife.net
12 yr. Old Hannah Goes Hunting Bear!
I met Hannah at the youth bear hunt when I was interviewing the kids that the ABC Sportsmen s Club had sponsored. This spunky little gal was raring to go and told me she would be on a hunting show some day! You go Girl!
Here is 12 year old Hannah s Bear Hunt in her own words:
The first day we went out and we checked on the baits in the beginning of the day. We saw 2 cubs alone and there was 1 mother and 3 cubs. It was a good sized mother, but of course you can t shoot a mother with cubs. Then at around 2 o clock we looked at one bait, and we saw medium sized tracks and we guessed around a 200 pound bear.
We got ready and we decided to go after it. We let 1 dog go and started to hear the howling and we let 3 more and then another 2. They all started howling and we kept going back and forth and back and forth because they kept on running on the bear tracks for 2 hours because the bear would not go up a tree.
The bear was running in circles. My guide Larry noticed there were 3 dogs going in one direction and 3 dogs going in the other and it was weird because we think there was a small 100 pound (bear) and another 200 pound bear. Three dogs were chasing after one and 3 dogs were chasing after the other. We put 3 more (dogs) out there and we ended up with the 100 or so pound bear up a tree.
We had to walk at least a mile out in the woods and we found it. It was up in a tree and it was about 125 pounds.
We were getting the dogs tied back and getting ready to shoot and it went down the tree. It ran out and he let the dogs go again. Larry asked if
I wanted to go for a different one and I said no because none of the other kids had one yet at this time.
Our truck was way over on the other side and we were closer to some trucks on this side of the woods where there were other people that helped us. He (Larry) went to get our truck and we heard howling really close to us. One of the other hunters came back and he said that the bear was on the side of the road up in a tree.
We ran down the road and there it was up a tree and all the dogs were there. Then I shot it once and got it in the lungs and then it climbed up the tree. We didn t know if I missed it or not. It was weird and then we hit it again, I think in the neck and it still wouldn t drop. So we hit it 1 more time and it finally dropped. It weighed about 125 pounds.
Hannah s first words when she saw the bear were I can t believe this! It s like I m dreaming.
A big THANK YOU to the Medford Hunter Safety Instructors, Ashland Bayfield County Sportsmen Club, Bayfield County Wisconsin DNR Warden Pat Quaintance, and Guide Larry Leer of Ettrick, WI and his entire crew of awesome Hunters for making this little girl s unbelievable wish happen.
Youth can sign up for the WI LTBH (Learn to Bear Hunt) program on the WI DNR webpage or at a DNR Service Center or at a hunter s safety class.
One more note: Hannah has also taken her first deer in the WI Youth hunt last weekend. Congratulations Hannah.
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
TeamHuntress-Priceless
Well I have finally decompressed from the fantastic TeamHuntress weekend that Jane Keller put on at Pheasant Phun, in South Dakota, hosted by Dave Olsen. I have never, in my life, had such a wonderful time, with a bunch of women.
Team Huntress Family
Team Huntress Family
Life for, me, has forever changed. I was the first to arrive at the TeamHuntress event and as I met each woman that arrived there, I knew something was different. I immediately started to connect with each of the gals arriving. We all had so much in common that it felt like we had known each other for a lifetime. I didn t have to try to explain my love for the outdoors, the others felt that way too.
Growing up I always had more guy friends, than girlfriends. Not that the girls I knew weren t great, they were just not interested in hunting and fishing and being outdoors, like I was. I related more to what the guys were talking about. Things like, where the big bucks had been seen, or what kind of food they were eating. I hated going shopping, and didn t really get into things like home parties, or doing your hair and makeup, etc. Participating in such things, for me, was usually agonizing. On the other hand, as I grew older, a lot of my guy friends wives, didn t exactly want me to go hunting with their husbands anymore.
I started to realize I was gaining a new family or Sisterhood as northern California girl, Holly Heyser from Norcal Cazador Blog calls it. For me, someone who has lots of girlfriends, that she doesn t have much in common with, it was an unbelievable experience.
We had a great mix of personalities. Joining us from the state of Colorado, were Kirstie Pike of Prois Hunting Apparel, Anne Vinnola from Colorado Institute of Taxidermy Training Inc., Big Timber South Taxidermy Studio and Annie Got Her Gun, along with Gina Pollard who is an up and coming huntress. Wyoming brought to us, wildlife photographer Stacey Huston, author of , A Focus in the Wild, and her Husband Mike Hawk Huston from Journey with RedHawk. (O.k. he s not a girl but he has a great respect for women with weapons!). Joining us from Missouri was Barbara Baird, with Women s Outdoor News and The WOMA, as well as her husband, and gentleman photographer, Jason Baird. Our mother daughter team, Janice McKenney and Marin Broucek , along with Julie Rozell all from joined us from South Dakota and all fantastic outdoorswomen. Last, but not least, Realtree s Lynn Pankey from Alabama finished the mix.
Our mornings started us out with some social time or yoga followed by a tasty but healthy breakfast. Directly after that, was either some kind of fun skills in the outdoors or an interesting presentation indoors, depending on the weather.
It was hard to tell who was supposed to be the teacher, and who was there as a student. Everyone had very interesting experiences to share. I don t think any one person walked away without having been both, a teacher and a student, at one point in the weekend. If one person was an expert in something, there was someone else, wanting to try it and to learn it. Others were practicing and the skills they already had. Fresh eyes and new perspective were just what was needed to hone them. Without pressure or preconceived expectations, it was, for the most part, gals helping gals. Occasionally the guys added their perspective, but never in a demeaning or better than you way. They always treated us as equals and as skilled outdoorswomen.
We learned about archery with longbows and compound bows. We gained shooting skills in both handguns and shotguns. GPS, optics, gear, safety, emergency care, field dressing for taxidermy, native wildlife to South Dakota, we learned it all and just when you thought there couldn t be anything more, there was.
At the end of the day we would come into the beautifully decorated lodge and be treated to fabulous food(Thanks to Annie and staff!), incredible massages, refreshing facials, marvelous manicures, soothing foot massages, outstanding wine-tasting, and a relaxing social time. To top it all off there would be gifts on our pillows.
I mean cool gifts, like camo t-shirts, hats and videos, nutritious bars, scent-free personal care items, leather journals or gift certificates, and everyday there was something new and special waiting on your bed when you arrived there. I have never been that pampered before, ever. I didn t even know how much I would like all those things. I am now ruined for life. I tried it all and found out, I like it!
Most of all, I will never forget the unbelievable time I had at TeamHuntress. The special feeling of knowing I had been accepted. That becoming part of an unbelievable group of gals, with whom I have so much in common, will far outlast any of the skills that I gained. I have never before felt that way.
I can t explain my new found self confidence, my improved self esteem and the feeling of empowerment that I left there with. Those things will never be taken from me. It is not something money can buy. It was a weekend that, for me, was simply¦priceless!
A Special thank you to those who donated our gifts!
Haley Vines: www.haleyvines.com/
Hahn Creek: http://www.hahncreekwinery.com/
Realtree: http://www.realtree.com/
Prois: http://www.proishunting.com/
Camp Wild Girls: http://www.campwildgirls.com/
Tanka Bar: http://www.tankabar.com/
Berdette Zastrow: Women s Guide to Hunting
Faini Designs: http://www.fainidesigns.com/
Doeville: http://www.doeville.com/
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
