Hunting Together

By ProStaff Bailey Jones
Originally posted on Bailey's blog: baileyfett.blogspot.com

As I sat and thought about what topic I would write my first blog entry on, there was one topic that instantly came to mind: Hunting with your significant other. I thought about my girlfriends who hunt, as well as, other members of my Huntress View Pro Staff team and realized that a majority of us all started a real passion for hunting after being introduced or reintroduced by our significant other. I also have several male friends and family who will not take their significant other hunting with them because they think it will take away from their alone time or they aren’t interested in being with a woman who hunts. I’d like to share a couple reasons why I feel it can be beneficial to your relationship to share in the sport of hunting.

A Good Way to Spend Quality Time

As life continues to bring more work and responsibility to your plate, you may find you aren't setting aside quality time to spend with your significant other. When hunting season comes around, you know you are going to be out in the duck blind or up in the tree stand. So, why not bring her along? Spending quality time together can help strengthen the bond you share and in turn strengthen your relationship/marriage. There is nothing more rewarding than sharing in an amazing hunting experience with your other half.

Aarika Feathers and her boyfriend, Mike

                                               You Always Have A Hunting Buddy

Some people may prefer to hunt alone. This may be feasible when it comes to hunting deer or other game, but when it comes to waterfowl I do not know anyone who wants to setup their entire decoy spread by themselves. Not only would that be extremely tiring, but it would take much more time which means the later you can get setup in your blind and start looking for birds. Not only does having a hunting partner help with setup and take down, but you know it is always nice to have someone to share in your experience and take pictures of you and all of the rewards you hope to bring home :). Friends can back out at the last second, but you always know you have someone who is willing to get up and go when you need a buddy. No cancelled hunting trips in our house!

Huntress View ProStaff Kaitlyn Harris and her fiance Aristotle

You Can Learn From One Another
There is always something new to learn with hunting. For example, a new shot or a new decoy pattern. There is always room for improvement and advancement. If both of you share in the passion, you can bring what both of you have learned or heard to the table and help each other grow in to better hunters. Talk about it and teach each other. Increase the knowledge you both possess. I have loved being able to grow and improve with my fiancé and I know he has enjoyed being my teacher. It can bring a feeling of accomplishment to both of you. Whoever taught will feel they have done well and so will the one who successfully executed a new tactic.

Me and my fiance Kyle

You Have Someone to Talk to Without Being Judged
It's easy to get embarrassed if you miss a shot or come home empty handed, even though there is never a guarantee when it comes to hunting. Having a person who you can talk out your frustration with is important. Let's face it, you don't want to talk to someone you think will judge you as a "bad hunter" or "lousy shot". I've read articles where it states that you may actually end up blaming one another for your miss or bad luck. I have never personally had this problem. We are a team when we hunt together, if he misses...I miss. We pout for about five seconds and then prepare ourselves for the next flock.

One More Thing You Have In Common
If you don't have anything in common with one another, you are never going to actually enjoy doing things together. (Not both of you at the same time anyways.) One person might have a good time, while the other is compromising and just trying to get through it because he/she knows it makes the other one happy. Don't get me wrong... There is nothing wrong with doing something you might not be a huge fan of just to keep your other half happy. However, if she wants to go hunting with you, why not? It can be one more thing you have in common. What's better than doing something you both want to do and enjoy? Nothing in my opinion. Sure you can have other things in common that you enjoy doing with one another, but having one more common interest is never a bad thing.

These are just some of the many reasons why I feel hunting with your significant other can really nurture your relationship.  Now guys, this is not to say that if you introduce your other half to hunting that you are never going to be able to enjoy another hunt without her again. I feel it is important to go on your own hunts, as well as, your joint hunts. This goes for both men and women. My fiancé and I hunt together and apart. We have our hunts, but he also has his “guy hunts” and I have my “girl hunts”. So next time your other half asks if she can go hunting with you, don’t shoot her down without thinking about how it can benefit the both of you.

Affordable Hunting: Making Your Dream Hunt a Reality

Guest blog by Lora Gene Young of GypsyNomad Hunting

Banteng, Australian Outfitters, Northern Territory, Australia

Plane tickets, trophy fees, daily rates, taxidermy, gun permits...The thought of hunting internationally can be daunting to the hunter on a limited budget. Do not let all the details bog you down. You do not have to be rich and famous to hunt internationally. Just a few simple tips and the process becomes an achievable goal rather than a bucket list dream.

First, determine your priority. What is most important on your list? Sure you want to hunt a red stag in New Zealand and a water buffalo in Australia and a lion in Africa and… the list keeps going. Focus, which is your priority, which location or species do you want to accomplish first. Determining your priority will make it easier to set your goals and do your research.

Father/son chamois hunt, Southern Mountain Adventures, New Zealand

Once you have set your goal animal or location, research is paramount. Know what to expect. There is great power in online investigating. Look up several outfitters to get baseline prices. Talk to others who have hunted and get their opinions on quality and incidental costs. This research will give you a starting place for your budget.

Now it is time to use your resources. If you are a member of a hunting organization, go to the banquets or conventions and find out about auction hunts. Friends of the NRA, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Safari Club International, all these organizations have hunts up for auction at both the local and national levels. Get involved. Many times these hunts go for a fraction of the listed cost.

Finally, go as a group. As the old adage states, the more the merrier, but it can also mean the more the cheaper. Bring a friend or two with you. Most outfitters give group discounts on either trophy fees, daily rates or both. Plus, it is always good to have someone else involved to motivate your savings plans and celebrate in your accomplishments.

Two friends from Hawaii at the tahr cabin, Central South Island Hunting, New Zealand

Hunting internationally might seem financially impossible, but there are many ways to achieve your goal. At the end of the day, after you have climbed the snowcapped mountain, or watched your best friend stalk their dream animal or braved the outback wilderness and you look up into the heavens to see billions of stars winking at you through the blackest of night skies and you think to yourself, “Man, I can’t believe I made this happen,” it is worth every penny.

Stokerized SS1 Stabilizer Review

By Heidi Swonger, Huntress View ProStaff

When I started shooting a bow, I always had the basic set up with the “common/normal” stabilizer. It was the style which all of my family and friends used but it never felt right to me. I kept telling my husband, I feel like my bow was “front heavy”. He insisted that I needed to build up my arm strength and that it would come with time and practice. Some time had passed but it still didn’t feel right to me. In the meantime, he had purchased a new bow and was complaining of the same thing. 

We went to our local archery shop, where the owner had started making his own line of stabilizers called Stokerized. There are several different types and models, with new ones coming out every year. We looked at several and decided on the Acrylic SS1. The SS1 has various features that make it perfect for anyone. Instead of sticking straight out in front of the bow, the SS1 hangs along since of your bow. It also has a sliding feature, so you can move the acrylic rod front or back depending on your needs. 

The SS1 comes in different weights. Along with choosing what starting weight is right for you, the SS1 is also able to add additional weight by adding different end caps or saturn weights. Stokerized came out with a SS1 quick disconnect this past year, which I highly recommend as well. It makes it very easy and fast to remove the SS1 when having to place it in a bow case (if needed).

Weights

SS1 Quick Disconnect

As a bow hunter I highly recommend the SS1 and quick disconnect combo. Being a female bow hunter especially, it made my bow balance for me so much better. The SS1 is lightweight, but very strong and durable. With the acrylic design, it also helps reduce vibration. 

The SS1 comes in a large variety of colors, 14 to be exact, and 5 finishes, which include black, Lost Camo, Real Tree APS, Real Tree MAX, and Real Tree Xtra. So you can find the perfect color and finish combo for you! 

Stokerized has won the Inside Archery Best Buy Winner in 2011 & 2012l, along with the Bowhunt America Gear of the Year in 2011 & 2013. The SS1 retails for $128.99 and the Quick Disconnect for $59.99

Head to Stokerized.com to find a dealer near you.

Why Hunt Internationally?

Guest blog by Lora Gene Young of Gypsy Nomad Hunting

Why Hunt Internationally?

You live in an area with abundant wildlife and beautiful scenery. You know the seasons and the terrain. You feel at home in the environment. Why should you hunt anywhere else? If you are asking yourself this question, examine why you hunt.

Do you hunt because you enjoy the thrill that comes from spotting animals in the distance? Covertly watching their movements? Imagine the feeling of spotting an animal you have never seen in the wild before. Watching tahr on the hillside, leaping and bounding over the rocky precipices they call home; red stag chasing hinds across an open field, hot in pursuit during the roar; water buffalo drinking from a billabong on a dry hot day. Hunting in new surroundings can give you that thrill you crave. 

 Maybe your favorite part of hunting is the solitude of the morning, the peacefulness of witnessing the inky dark of night release to the pink and yellow hues of dawn. There is comfort in the familiarity of the constellations that slowly fade out as the sun comes up. In another country, especially in the southern hemisphere, the constellations are different, but the feeling is the same, the stillness of dark awakening to the rhythms of the day.

Or is it the adventure? The challenge to climb the highest peak, pack out the biggest load? What better way to find adventure than in completely new surroundings? It is a whole new challenge you can never imagine. Terrain you have never experienced. Stalks in territory unknown. Scenic views that make you stop and ask yourself, “Am I really here?” 

Why should you hunt internationally? If you hunt for the experience, it is an experience like none other.  “The journey is the destination” –Dan Eldon