Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado!
Big Bull Down! Hanna Pike of Prois Hunting Takes 7×6 Bull in Colorado! By Kirstie Pike, CEO Prois Hunting Apparel for Women
Again?!? Yes, again… Hanna Pike, daughter of Prois founders Steve and Kirstie Pike, bags another trophy animal for 2009! Hanna, 17 years old, started out her 2009 season with hard-earned Mountain Goat that she took in the 13,000 foot peaks of Colorado. This week, Hanna scored her second trophy of 2009- a 7×6 bull taken in Southeastern Colorado.
Hanna, accompanied by her father and grandfather (Jim “Jim Dog” Pike) set out for the south east reaches of the state. Packing in on horseback, the threesome set up early on opening morning to glass the area. A number of sizable bulls and cows were sighted that morning. However, when Hanna spotted a nice 7×6, she knew that was the bull she wanted. After some maneuvering, she was able to set-up into position and take her shot.
The rest, they say, is history. A trophy bull is quite a prize, but the memories fabulous hunt shared with her dad and grampa are what will mean the most. Passing the torch and fueling the passion for hunting and the outdoors starts at home. It is a beautiful thing to watch our kids grow into the next generation of sportsmen/women. Oh, and by the way…Hanna isn’t done yet. She ALSO drew a Colorado Mule Deer tag for the upcoming season…stay tuned!
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
My First Bull Elk!
Comment by Wendy Koons on October 29, 2009 at 12:10pm
My first bull elk! Taken last Saturday (10/24/09) on the last day of a controlled/lottery hunt in literally the last few minutes of shooting light. I’ve taken a few cow elk over the past several years since moving to Idaho, but never a bull. The hunt opened on October 1st and we turned every weekend into 3 or 4 days of hard hunting. Saw tons of elk, probably 300+ head all together, but just couldn’t get it done – either we were winded by the cows or the bulls changed their minds and didn’t give me the shot I needed. Then we had a hard freeze and snow that really put the brakes on the rut and the elk pretty much stopped talking, no matter how much calling we did. I had pretty much given up on taking a bull, but on Saturday evening, about 15 or 20 minutes before dark, my boyfriend Jeff and another friend decided to give calling another try. And the bull I took let us know he was there. They called and he came charging in, screaming all the way and pushing a good number of cows and calves ahead of him. There was one smaller bull with the group, that I saw first, but couldn’t get a shot on him. I’m glad, because I’m really happy with this guy. I was afraid there wasn’t enough light when he finally came into view, but when I looked through the scope I could see him clearly and pulled the trigger. He hunched up and disappeared into some thick timber. It got dark on us, so we backed out and came in at first light the next morning. Found him about 100 yards from where I shot him. The best part though was having my boyfriend Jeff with me. He contracted the neurological form of West Nile virus in 2007 and it nearly did him in. He spent over 9 months in physical rehab, and last year this time was in a wheelchair. To have him there with me and help call in that bull after all he’d been through was nothing short of miraculous. I think he was more excited than I was. Before the hunt I told him I thought if I got one bull, I’d probably go back to hunting cows, but now that I know how exciting it is, I might have to change my mind. 
…
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
November’s “Woman of the Wild” Sarah Calhoun
Sarah Calhoun- Founder of Red Ants Pants.
Since college I’ve wanted to start hunting. I think it’s important to know where our food comes from. Having grown up on a farm I’d had to opportunity to help butcher pigs and chickens so I had that experience, but I wanted the wild game experience as well. When I moved to White Sulphur Springs, Montana, the hunting opportunities were endless. I bought my first rifle in 2004, a Remington 30-06 with a Winchester bolt. I’ve been lucky enough to harvest a mule deer every year since, but the elk have continued to elude me. We’ll see how this season goes!
Sarah has started her own company called Red Ants Pants (work pants for women) and travels the country doing the Tour de Pants. Here is a poem about that.
| On a farm where Sarah was raised, Playing outside she spent her days. One time she fell and started to cry. “What a bummer,” she thought, “these should have lasted longer.” On summer breaks from college, she helped her Dad with the hay. Instructing for Outward Bound, she led kids in the woods. Next she led trail crews for the SCA. When her back wore out she settled in Montana, She peeled logs and groomed ski trails to bring in some money. At a coffee shop one day, she read her “How to Start a Business” book. He asked her what she was doing, so she told him her thought; This wasn’t just any man – as it turned out. For twenty years, production and design had been his career. With contacts and advice, Sarah was well on her way. |
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You may be asking, why the name Red Ants Pants?
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
Stick To Your Guns
The other day, I was practicing my clay shooting at my parent’s house, and a family friend happened to come by. Ashley, an avid Dove Hunter started watching the dynamics of the practice session and halfway through my box of clays, he spoke up: ‘JoAnna, what kind of shotgun is that?’ I told him that it was a Browning Silver Sporting Micro Clays 12 gauge. ‘Well…’ he stated, and I could see the man getting on the soapbox now. It was as predictable as a summer squall, ‘I think you would be much more comfortable with a 20 gauge shotgun.’ I looked at Ashley and batted my eyes, and with a sticky sweet, sarcastic voice I asked, ‘Whatever in the world would make you say such a silly statement? Do I look like I do not know how to shoot this thing?’ ‘No.’ he stammered… ‘It’s just been my experience that a 20 gauge Shotgun has a lot less recoil, and with your small frame, I think you would just enjoy shooting a 20 gauge a whole lot more.’
My brother Jay, who was listening in on the conversation, and who is a tremendous supporter of my Shooting Sports, laughed uncomfortably, he knew that I had run the gamut of three 20 gauge shotguns before I finally found the Browning 12gauge. It took a year of research, and it was not a buying decision I took lightly. The fact of the matter is the particular model of my shotgun is a gas-auto loader, and the beautiful part of it is I can shoot it all day long, and not get beat up. The shotgun is ideal for a smaller shooter, and has an advanced recoil system, making it much easier to shoot than some of the 20 gauge field guns that I had owned previously. Ashley has a couple of Auto-5’s himself, and is familiar with the mechanics and advantages of automatic loading shotguns, and I was disappointed that he would pigeon-hole any shooter in a particular category. Shooting is so individualized. Each shooter is like each gun, different and so diverse. I knew why he was doing it. I had come to expect it. He was doing it because I was a girl… No girl he ever knew really shot. Any gun… let alone a 12gauge. It was time for him to realize that ladies can and do shoot. And we can do it very well, given the right kind of support. Choosing my words carefully, I asked: ‘What do you know about it, Ashley, and what can we expect to learn from each other? Because I am pretty certain Daddy has a 20 gauge in the Sporting Room, but I will take the Pepsi Challenge with telling you, that I know that this Shotgun is better than a 20 gauge for me.’ What Ashley did not realize at that point, and that my brother and I knew, was that I was armed to the teeth with knowledge, and sometimes, that is your best defense.
Jay spoke up, and said: ‘Maybe that’s what y’all need. Why don’t you let Ashley take a couple of pulls?’ I nodded at my brother knowingly. Ashley took his turn at the firing line. Pull after pull, in disbelief, Ashley had underestimated the power of well and how smooth the 12gauge shot. He shook his head as he handed back the shotgun to me, and said: ‘JoAnna you’re right. This is the right gun for you.’ I looked at Ashley and smiled. I knew it wasn’t a matter of being right. It was a matter of sticking to my gun.
by JoAnna Zurinsky @12gabrowninggal
Know guns, know peace, know safety.
No guns, no peace, no safety.
NorCalCazadora takes her first deer!
The great shock: I finally got my first deer! by Holly Heyser
I GOT A DEER! I GOT A DEER! I GOT A DEER!
I shouted the words into the cell phone this morning, struggling to share the news with Boyfriend as the bars kept disappearing from my screen. Redial. Signal lost. Redial again. Ring ring ring.
I GOT A DEER!
He got it that time.
I went out this morning like I do on all hunts – simultaneously fantasizing about the perfect hunt and bracing for the big goose-egg.
The latter is a good strategy for blacktail hunting in California, which has the lowest success rate of all wild game hunting in the state. But I actually had some reason to be optimistic today.
First of all, unlike last weekend’s hunt with Phillip in the Mendocino National Forest, I was on private land. It was only 50 acres, but it was 50 acres that hasn’t been hunted in who knows how long, and I had it all to myself.
Second of all, unlike last weekend when we did not see one single legal buck, I’d already seen several on this land. But let me back up for a second.
Boyfriend and I were actually supposed to be hunting wild boar here. Owners John and Peg Poswall were going out in the mornings and finding their landscaping all dug up. Peg knows Boyfriend through the food world, and she thought her hunter friend might be able to help alleviate their problem.
The only hitch was that they had never seen the pigs during the day, which we knew might be an insurmountable obstacle – you can’t hunt pigs at night. But John mentioned that they had tons of deer that we were also welcome to hunt, so I picked up a deer tag Thursday morning.
When I arrived Friday afternoon ahead of Boyfriend, John took me on a tour of the property and I found tons of pig sign and deer sign. At the end of the ride, I even saw several legal bucks (forked-horn or better) skitter across their fence. Sweet!
Boyfriend and I spent the night and when we got up the next morning, I took him to a spot where I’d found a pretty good pig trail. We perched on some boulders and waited to see what would come, but nothing did. Then I looked up the hill and noticed deer munching on cypress trees on a walkway leading to a fountain. They were about 180 yards away.
I angled up the rock for a better shooting position and one of the bucks in the group turned broadside. My heart raced. My bipod shooting stick was too low. My position was awkward and unsteady. In the early-morning light, I couldn’t see clearly what was behind the buck (I think it might’ve been a chicken coop, but there were lots of marble statues in the vicinity that had me just as worried). And on top of all that, it was 180 yards away – a little far for me. The buck moved behind a tree, and then the whole group trotted off and the opportunity was gone.
Boyfriend totally would’ve taken that shot – and made it – so I felt like a moron for holding back. But he was nice enough about it. “If it doesn’t feel right, you shouldn’t do it,” he said.
We decided to take a quiet walk around the property so I could show him other promising spots I’d seen. As we walked along a creek at the bottom of a hill, we bumped four does on the open hillside above us. Then we went to a pond where pigs had been wreaking havoc. By this time, it was getting pretty late and we began talking in normal tones instead of a whisper. We figured we’d spend the rest of the morning mushroom hunting.
“You know what we haven’t seen yet?” he asked.
“What?”
“A rabbit.”
And just then, something burst away from us on the other side of a bush.
“There’s one,” he said laughing. Then we realized it wasn’t a rabbit; it was a buck. Forked-horn, and a nice size. He’d let us get ridiculously close to him.
The buck sprinted up the hill and then came to a stop. Broadside. Right in front of the house.
Hell!
I looked back at Boyfriend, chagrined to have lost my second chance of the morning.
“Oh, even I wouldn’t have taken that shot!” he said.
We called it quits not long after that. But it was really bugging me that I knew deer were there and I hadn’t gotten a shot at them. When John and Peg made it clear I was welcome back anytime, I said, “Could I come back tomorrow?”
That was how I found myself walking down that trail again at 5:50 this morning in the near-blackness of the new moon – alone, because Boyfriend had work to do today. I hadn’t gone 20 steps down the driveway when I bumped a deer – right where we’d spooked that forkie the day before. But I couldn’t see what it was. Too dark.
I circled around to the place where we’d seen the first deer of the day on Saturday, and as I made my way to an oak tree I could back up to, I bumped another deer that I could hear, but not see.
Crap. Would this be the only time I’d see the deer here?
The answer was yes. I spent nearly two hours under that tree and watched all variety of geese and ducks and woodpeckers, and heard not one but two flocks of turkeys down the hill from me. But not a single four-legged critter came by. And with the wind swirling all over the place, it was no surprise – my scent had to be stinking up the whole area. The only excitement had been hearing rifle fire from somewhere nearby. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Damn, either you’re not a good shot, or you’re not hunting…
I decided to bail.
I walked back to the pond where we’d bumped the forkie to see if he’d make the same mistake twice, but he wasn’t there.
It was 8:40 and I hadn’t seen squat. But I decided to make one last swing – down to the creek, then back up to where I’d started – before calling it quits.
I walked down the trail toward the creek quietly, scanning the big, open hillside where we’d bumped the does the day before, wondering where they were now.
Then I saw antlers sticking up out of the dry grass. They were attached to a head that was pointed my way.
Where I saw antlers
My heart leapt into my throat and the rest of my body went the other direction, sinking slowly toward the ground, right there in the middle of the trail. I set up my shooting sticks, raised the gun and took at better look at what I’d seen – a lone forked-horn buck bedded down, broadside to me, about 80 yards away. He was looking my direction, but the wind was in my face, so he couldn’t smell me, and he clearly wasn’t spooked.
My stick was positioned too low, so I slowly reached for each of the legs and extended them a bit. Looked through the scope again. Still a forked-horn – looked like the one we’d seen the day before. Shooting stick was still too low.
One more adjustment and it was perfect. And the buck still wasn’t moving.
But boy, my gun was. My heart was thumping wildly.
Calm down, calm down, calm down, I told myself. I put the crosshairs on where I thought his vitals should be, but the grass obscured his body.
No need to take that shot, I told myself. He’d have to get up soon – his nice shady spot was starting to get sun.
Calm down, calm down, calm down.
I kept the scope on his vitals, but my eyes kept wandering to his antlers. A forkie may be no big deal in whitetail country, but this was a respectable deer. A legal target. My heart raced more.
Just look at his ribcage.
After five minutes, I finally calmed down enough that I felt I could take a shot.
If he’d just get up. He seemed to be in no hurry. He looked this way and that. No hurry.
My arms trembled from holding the gun steady for so long.
Finally, the buck heaved – rear end up first, then the front. He took a step, quartering slightly toward me. I put the crosshairs behind his elbow and the rest of what happened became a crystalline memory.
BOOM!
He staggered a few steps and dropped. Good!
He got back up. Problem?
Even without the scope I could see a bloody hole in his ribcage, glistening in the sunshine that had ended his nap. Good hit – definitely hit lungs.
He wobbled, and collapsed.
Yes! These are the shots I dream of. Not some botched shot that sends an animal into the woods to suffer until I find him, maybe dead, maybe alive. The shot that takes him down before he knows what happened. No suffering; just rapid death.
I watched the spot, then checked my watch. Boyfriend and I had gone over the what-if scenarios the night before. How long should I wait if I shoot a deer and it runs? How long if he just drops on the spot?
Ten minutes, just to be safe. It was 8:54:03.
I was trembling uncontrollably. I peeled off my gloves, jacket and hat and watched the spot to make sure he didn’t get up. For a moment, I saw the grass twitch spasmodically where the deer had fallen. Not struggle; just the nerve reactions that follow death. I’ve never killed a deer before, but I know what that looks like.
I glanced at my watch. 8:57.
Oh my God, I got a deer!
“Thank you,” I said out loud. For the deer’s sacrifice. For the dumb luck that had allowed me to spot him, and to take the time to regain my composure, and to be presented with a perfect shot.
I looked at my watch every 30 seconds, and finally it was time. I marched up the slope and searched the knee-high star thistle. There. On the ground. Eyes open and tongue out. Dead.
He looked a little smaller than I’d thought from where I shot him, but I didn’t care – he was a good looking deer.
I went back up to the house to get some things – like Boyfriend’s truck, which I could take down the trail. I saw Peg and John at the house.
“We heard seven shots!” John said.
“Only one was mine,” I said. “The last one.”
They seemed relieved. “John was saying, ‘She must not be a very good shot…’ ” Peg said.
I laughed, and told them I needed to get back to the deer to field dress it.
But first, I needed a picture. I’d brought my camera, a tripod and a remote control, so I could take a picture of myself:
The gutting was a pain. The biggest mammal I’ve ever dressed was a jack rabbit, so this was more challenging. I struggled through it and got almost everything out. That’s when I noticed the very full bladder still attached. I felt around it, trying to figure out how to liberate it without emptying it all over the meat, with the animal lying on its side on a gentle slope. I was stumped.
Blood up to my elbows, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Boyfriend. “How do I get the &^@#! bladder out?” I yelled. His answer was not helpful. I went back to the deer, and after several attempts, hoisted him up by his hind legs to get the bladder hanging, pinched off the tube leading into it, cut the tube and tossed the bladder a safe distance away.
Whew!
And here’s where I felt really blessed to be hunting where I was: I was able to drop the tailgate of the pickup, angle it toward the hillside, and drag the deer 20 yards to the bed of the pickup. Total luxury!
I went back to the house to get the remainder of my stuff and gave thanks to my hosts. Peg looked at me – bloody and stinking – with what looked like a mix of intrigue and horror. She was totally cool with the hunting, but for all I know, this was her closest encounter with freshly-killed meat.
“All right,” I said. “I’d give you a hug, but I’m disgusting and smelly, so I’m just going to get out of here.”
On the drive home, I began texting and calling my hunting friends to share the news. I’d tucked the deer well into the bed of the pickup so nothing would stick out, but honestly, I had the urge to parade him around and show everyone: I’d just gotten a deer. By myself! My first deer ever. A blacktail! I just wanted someone in a taller vehicle than mine to look into the bed of that truck and give me the nod of approval.
I was amused by my reaction. I’ve not really cared that I hadn’t gotten a deer in my previous three years of hunting, but I was as proud and excited as if it had been a lifelong goal.
When I got home, I got what I was looking for. I found Boyfriend working in the garden, but he came to me immediately to give his stinky, bloody girlfriend a big hug. He was proud of me – I’d done it on my own.
I kept grinning through the rest of our work breaking down the deer, and wondered why I was so taken with the experience.
“I think we’re just hardwired to hunt deer,” he said. “We’ve been hunting deer since before we were ‘we.’ ”
Maybe it’s that. Maybe it’s the odds. I’d gotten my Second Chance buck on my sixth day of deer hunting ever. Statistics say it takes 33 days of hunting to get one. Phillip had told me it’d taken him four years to get a blacktail.
Maybe it’s the antlers – the thing that allows you to instantly measure your quarry. This was the first antlered animal I’d killed.
Maybe it was the fact that I’d done it myself. Sorta. While I was alone at that moment, the reality is that every action I took was influenced by what I’d learned from people like Boyfriend, Phillip and even random TV shows. But I’d made all the decisions. I’d spotted the antlers in the grass. I’d taken the good shot.
I don’t know. I probably won’t figure it out tonight. I may not figure it out ever. But for now, I’m just happy.
© Holly A. Heyser 2009
For more stories from Holly go to www.norcalcazadora.com
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
Sponsorship Case Study – Team Huntress
People look to others they trust to help them make decisions – including purchasing decisions
Increasing your business’s Web presence begins with forming trusting relationships with your customers. There is a lot of transparency on the Web and the companies that are able to build trusting relationships with customers are the ones who will succeed in the future.
One of the ways to build trust with customers is through sponsorships and becoming involved in creative ways with the people, businesses and organizations your potential customers already trust.
Due to the recent conversation in the HBM Forum on Race Car Sponsorship, I’ve wanted to write the opportunities for hunting businesses to gain exposure with new audiences through sponsorships, but I wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. Then, a short while ago, Dave Olsen of Pheasant Phun and Team Huntress contacted me and introduced the concept of Team Huntress.
After hearing what the program was about I thought it would be beneficial to look at Team Huntress and the companies who sponsor the program in case study format so you can get a better feel for the opportunity to market your business with sponsorships like the ones offered by Team Huntress.
Let’s take a look at the Team Huntress story and the opportunity for you and your business to grow through sponsorships such as the ones other hunting businesses have done with Team Huntress.
Team Huntress
First, a little background (please read the entire description at the Team Huntress Website):
Team Huntress was formed as an avenue to direct and empower women on their path toward outdoor success. By providing exploration and discovery in a safe and secure environment, ladies will be aligned to boost their confidence and self esteem.
Team Huntress also offers:
* Certified Hunter Safety Program
* Instruction for proper firearm (handgun, rifle, and shotgun) and archery use
* Small class size – 18 or fewer per outing
Read the following reviews for more on Team Huntress:
The Team Huntress secret formula: Guns + Archery + Massages = Happy Women
For $995, you get the best of both worlds that outdoorswomen inhabit – archery and firearms instruction with tons of spa treatments and tons of cool gifts that you find someone has left on your bed each night (seriously, I came home last time with some great swag from Prois, RealTree, Doeville and Tanka Bar).
Revolutionary Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic
That formula – instruction, female staff and pampering – proved highly effective at the inaugural Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic at Pheasant Phun in June. Women who’d never fired a gun felt secure taking those first steps and found they really enjoyed what they were learning. By the end of the weekend, participants were abuzz about the shooting sports and the new friendships they’d formed.
Interview: Jane Keller, Team Huntress
The end of the weekend, participants were abuzz about the shooting sports and the new friendships they’d formed. Participants and instructors evolved into a close network of outdoor friends. It is the goal of Team Huntress to leave you with an “I can do anything” attitude. I have bonded with friends in the vast outdoors who will guide and support me every step of the way!!! Team Huntress is here to help empower you for outdoor success, support and encourage you on your journey through life, and always be Your Personal Outdoor Adventure Network of Friends.
Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic
What do the ladies of Team Huntress have in store for you:
* Firearm and archery clinics
* General outdoor safety and first aid clinics
* Outdoor photography
* Wild game cooking
* ATV, GPS and nature walking
* Yoga, massages, wine tasting, star gazing and much more
Team Huntress Sponsors
Beyond the price for attending each outing, Team Huntress uses sponsorships for monetary and product needs. There are a variety of ways businesses can get involved with Team Huntress. Here are a few of the businesses that are sponsoring Team Huntress.
Doeville – Product Sponsor
As part of the Team Huntress Outings, participants receive gifts each day. Doeville became involved as a product sponsor with Team Huntress by providing a leather hunting diary ($40 value) for each participant in the Team Huntress events.
Hunting businesses that are just starting out are often strapped for cash initially, but the need to gain exposure still remains. One of the ways to gain exposure without giving direct monetary compensation is provide product sponsorships that resonate with potential customers.
By providing a hunting diary for each participant in the Team Huntress event, Doeville was able to get their product and name in front of potential customers. Not only will the participants of the event remember Doeville for hunting apparel, jewelry, and art products for themselves, but the products at Doeville also make for excellent gifts for others.
There is opportunity for your business to provide product or service sponsorships with events and organizations that cater to your target audience. By putting your products in front of your target audience and letting them use the products in a setting where they can understand the full benefits of the product, you’re connecting with potential customers while building trusting relationships that can mean long-term business.
When considering a product sponsorship opportunity, think about the audience and who they connect with. In the example of Team Huntress, it might make sense for a hunting apparel business to outfit the event with the necessary shooting apparel while also offering an introductory offer on related hunting and shooting apparel that includes men’s, women’s, and children product lines.
Faini Designs – Sponsor a Scholarship
Faini Designs became involved with Team Huntress by sponsoring a scholarship for a woman to attend the Team Huntress Event. Faini paid the cost of the outing and the participant was able to partake in the event that she may have never been able to attend without the sponsorship.
Today, as a result of Faini providing the scholarship, the participant is shooting archery nearly every day while being active in the outdoors.
Having your business attached to success stories is most importantly a wonderful way to give opportunities to those who may not otherwise be able to participate in such events as Team Huntress. Also, having your business as the sponsor in a situation like Faini is a way to build trust with your potential customers. Not only did all of the participants at the event become exposed to Faini, they now have a story to tell when they talk to their friends and family about their Team Huntress experience and the name attached to the story is Faini Designs.
Team Huntress also takes time during each event to highlight each of their sponsors and the benefit they provide for their customers. They also offer space on their Websites for sponsorships, which are year round marketing opportunities to expand your audience and build trust with your potential customers.
By attaching your business with stories that your potential customers connect with, you can begin building the trust necessary to acquire long-term, quality customers that can carry your business for a long time.
Look for opportunities to sponsor individuals who can participate in events like Team Huntress. Look for a story that can be shared by your potential audience and look for genuine businesses that can help you build trust with your potential customers.
Other Ways to Sponsor
As an outfitter, Dave Olsen knows that it’s difficult for outfitters to offer free outings for businesses who promise video time or reviews for the hunting experience. There can be lots of disappointment as expectations are not always met with such arrangements.
It’s for this reason that outfitters need to look for these opportunities to provide access to facilities and hunting property with quality and trusted organizations and businesses.
By establishing clear expectations for return on investment with trusted organization, there is a lot of opportunity to expand your audience by being a host outfitter.
Be a Host Outfitter
Hosting an event like Team Huntress provides great exposure for an outfitter who is looking to expand their audience. By hosting such an event, an outfitter can become part of the story that will be shared by all who take part in the event.
In the example of Team Huntress, Dave hosted an event at his property with Pheasant Phun Outfitters. Pheasant Phun has actually been named the most women-hunter-friendly outfitter in the United States and such recognition can mean business. Such recognitions can increase the level of trust between outfitters such as Pheasant Phun as he looks for hunters who are looking for comfort with a quality hunting experience.
Look for hunters who can provide experiences that include:
* Video
* Podcasting
* Positive, but reputable reviews
* Potential repeat customers
In a situation like Team Huntress, there may be potential for participants to return (possibly with their entire family) if their experience through Team Huntress is positive. This would be an example of building a trusting relationship that provides return for the hosting business.
Hosting an event like Team Huntress provides opportunity for outfitters to market their businesses without providing cash for advertisements and the like. However, there are risks involved with hosting events since the investment of hosting hunters without cash payments is always risky.
Be sure to perform due diligence with organizations and businesses before offering to host an event. Once you’re sure you’re working with reputable and trusting individuals, work to make their experience a story that can be shared throughout the hunting industry and watch your audience grow as you potentially gain a larger audience and more trusting customers.
Full Sponsor
A final way for a business to fully embrace the sponsorship opportunity is to become a full sponsor with an organization like Team Huntress. Hunting businesses, especially those in the consumable arena (ammunition, targets, scent, etc.) can become involved with sponsorships and see great return on their investment.
In a situation like Team Huntress, participants are generally new to hunting or are looking to expand their knowledge of the sport and the outdoors. Through the event, participants get a lot of exposure to products like ammunition, for example. This exposure would be away for an ammunition company to build a trusting relationship with potential customers are they become familiar with the products. When the participants leave the event they will look for products from companies they can trust and are familiar with as they continue the participation with outdoor activities such as shooting.
The opportunity to become involved with organizations and events like Team Huntress can mean great reward for businesses. Look for organizations and individuals that look to build trusting relationships with their own audiences. Look for individuals that are passionate and serious about their craft. Passion is contagious and its passion that breeds the stories that customers share.
Opportunity to Reach Women in the Outdoors
When Dave contacted me he brought up an interesting point about the opportunity for businesses to reach a potentially underserved audience – women who are passionate about the outdoors, shooting sports, and hunting.
Team Huntress is filling a need for women who are looking to empower themselves and become more involved in the outdoors and activities such as shooting sports and hunting.
Is your business exploring the potential in reaching out and connecting with the eager women in the outdoor audience? Perhaps your business could be the one to fill a need like Team Huntress.
Another example of a company reaching out to build trust with the female audience is Harley-Davidson with Women Riders.
Acquiring new customers is difficult and as business owners we look to align our products with audiences and potential customers who have the highest likelihood of connection with our business. Acquiring new customers requires businesses to look at all options and there may potentially be a mutually beneficial option for your business and women in the outdoors.
Conclusion – Building Trust
There is opportunity for your business to connect with new audiences while building trusting relationships with potential customers through sponsorships.
The form of sponsorship can vary:
* Product
* Scholarship Sponsor
* Host Outfitter
* Big Sponsor
The goal of any sponsorship you consider is that the relationship with the organization and their audience should be about building trust.
Have you had experience with sponsoring events, outings, or other hunting businesses?
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
To contact Team Huntress about sponsorship opportunities:
Jane Keller Founder/Outdoor Concierge
Team Huntress
18526 398th Ave
Hitchcock, SD, 57348
Phone: 605.266.2848
Cell: 605.450.0931
Fax: 605.266.2887
Email: jane@teamhuntress.com
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Please note that no monetary, product, or service has been provided to Hunting Business Marketing or me (Dayne Shuda) for the writing of this article. http://huntingbusinessmarketing.com
No horsing around, Epona Rivers offers equine facilitated learning workshops
Guest Talk: No horsing around, Epona Rivers offers equine facilitated learning workshops
October 21, 2009 by Women’s Outdoor News
It’s difficult to say “equine facilitated learning” three times fast, but after Holly Pollock, proprietor of Epona Rivers, explains the reasons for equine facilitated learning, it’s not too hard to understand why a workshop at the Kingswood Stables in Malabar, Fla., would be a great way to learn coping skills and to recharge life’s batteries. Here, Holly answers questions about her newly launched business that involves humans, horses and a bit of yoga thrown in for good measure.
The WON: What is equine facilitated learning all about? I mean, why would you want to practice coping skills with a 1,000-pound animal?
Holly Pollock: To start off, horses are hyper-aware of their environment and the energy around them, and they are very sensitive. This enables them to be reflective for you, a “mirror” to develop self-awareness. The brain only processes about 20 percent of what it takes in. We lose some very valuable information there, about yourself and your surroundings, and how you really are with other people. A horse can show you in a second if you are being “heard”, (whether that be in a company, serving on a board, with hunting friends, or in any relationship) or if you allow people to walk all over you. When you develop the ability and feel for to stopping a 1000-pound animal from getting in your space, it makes it easier to bring to your relationships with people. Also, if you can “see” things as you really are, you can then be more congruent. And when you’re congruent, meaning your feelings are in harmony and you are not wearing a “mask” for others, you have much more energy and more authentic happiness. People always want to be, and feel positive, but without the tools needed it can be very difficult when life gets messy.
The WON: What is the appeal of this type of workshop to women who love the outdoors?
Holly Pollock: It seems to me that women who are attracted to being outdoors are “hands on” type of women. They like to take in life by putting their hands, eyes, ears and heart into things. That is what Epona Rivers is all about. You get an opportunity to connect not only to yourself, but also to nature, and to be outside with horses.
The WON: You correlate yoga moves and shooting skills. How do they relate? What can we learn from yoga to take to shooting and vice versa?
Holly Pollock: In yoga we practice standing still, using your breath, and quieting your mind. All of this applies to shooting, whether you shoot a bow, pistol, rifle or shotgun. Going within your “heartspace” with a still body, and a quiet mind, you will make your best shot. In the EFL work, we distinguish some of the negative patterns we play on our head that can sabotage our calm and “feeling good” state. We work on suspending judgment of yourself, and others for that matter, so you can let tension go and reach for calm and equanimity, feeling out what works best for you in whatever situation your hunting trip takes you.
The WON: What have you learned from equine facilitated learning workshops?
Holly Pollock: This is hard for me to sum up in just a few words! It has had such a profound effect in my life and in those around me, but very simply put, life stopped being so hard. Your emotions are there to serve a purpose to help and guide you, not to overwhelm or stuff, so now I can more fluidly “process” what goes on in, and around me, and with others. I learned to stop being my own worst enemy – for real this time! When I first started with this work I talked the talk, but did not walk the walk, now I can say truly there is joy with myself and all the relationships in my life are better tenfold!
I believe we are here to have a happy fulfilling life, pursuing hobbies and things that make us buzz with delight. It is so refreshing to not buy into the ebb and flow of the drama in life, to practice staying in a feel good state even when the world is throwing me fast pitch after fast pitch and all I have is a fly swatter! I have learned that this is a skill and discipline we all need in life, and the people who attend my workshops want to learn the skills to do this effectively.
The WON: What are your plans for future workshops?
Holly Pollock: Starting a business in this economy has been interesting! I believe this work helps everyone, and it’s a big world out there to spread the news! So I am concentrating on doing my “core” Epona Rivers methods which focuses mainly on teaches participants to recognize negative thought patterns, use breathing techniques to tap into their calm and learn the messages behind their authentic emotions. Educating people that this is another vehicle out there to help you grow, and learn about yourself. I want to develop more yoga into the workshops, to show people it’s all about the practice of staying calm and letting go of tension. There is no goal in the yoga I teach, it’s all about the inner work of relaxation and tension release, it’s about the practice of staying clam while you’re in the challenges of a pose. I’m also working on bringing some archery into the program with Kimberly Pezzeminti from DoeVille, as well as a farewell fireside dinner. I can go on and on with the things I would like to do, and I hope people out there will share with me what it is they want!
The next Heart of Epona Workshop will take place on Nov. 13-15, 2009. This Epona workshop is at Kingswood Stables in Malabar, including horse work, snacks, beverages, lunch and instructional materials. All horse work is done from the ground, please wear whole shoes when out with the horses. We will be working in the air-conditioned workshop room, where slippers or sandals are fine to wear. Please bring items to protect yourself when we do horse work outside, such as sunscreen, hats, sunglasses. The cost of this workshop is $495. Once your payment has been received through PAYPAL we will contact you within 1 business day. See http://www.eponarivers.com/retreatsandworkshops.htm.
© 2009, womensoutdoornews.com. All rights reserved. Please provide a link to The Women’s Outdoor News if you republish this post.
Outdoors Victory: Learning How to Listen to Success.
In a heated argument, with a friend’s name long forgotten, the words struck me like a bullet between the eyes: ‘Your problem JoAnna is that you are just as afraid to succeed as you are of failing.’ Waves of incredulous disbelief crash over me, as I realize how true these poignant words are. How many times in life, do we set ourselves up for failure, while on the converse we sabotage our successes? The words were spoken to me in a moment of passionate anger. I forgot how exactly the conflict started. The sentence uttered to me trumped whatever chances I had of ever effectively rebutting the statement. I did not have the desire to win the petty debate with my friend, because the words however painful, were true.
Adversity, much like disappointment in life does two things: It either teaches us or keeps us from doing our absolute best. I started my quest to become an Outdoors Person; I did not realize that it simply was not a journey but a transformation. The desire to succeed in what I enjoy so much helps me battle the monstrous demons of self-doubt, even though the war is not won. I face adversity whenever I go out, and so many times whether it is a particular stand, at the skeet course, drawing my bow, or something simple like the pistol range: It always dons on me… You are just beginning. There are so many things for you to learn. This is what goes through my head. What is going on externally is also a fight of epic proportions: You are just a girl…in a man’s sport. The later is not entirely accurate. I am not just a girl in a man’s sport, but it is what I have been told. It is my choice if I am going to believe this, and accept it as truth.
Succeeding in anything, not just shooting sports or the outdoors, involves a desire to which you must be true, and often more daunting than the prospect of failure; especially if you do not know how. This statement does not make me an expert: I am not an authority of anything, except for my own experiences and how they relate to my actions. I know in order to succeed I must want to learn the task. Success requires practice and discipline. I cannot shoot 100 on the sporting clays course, not even close to it. My success is I choose to go out there and do it, despite being told by others that I cannot. I believe I can, and I will. If you want something bad enough, you will find a way in which to do it. Do not allow others to dictate whether you will or will not do something. They are wishing failure upon you. Allow yourself to become one in thinking outside of the realms of ordinary. You will succeed. You may not be the best at whatever is out there, especially when you are learning or new at something. You will however, be the best at succeeding over failure, simply by doing it.
Life has many lessons to teach us through both our failures and our victories. It is imperative that one listens to their inner- voice. Plan what you will do when you reach your goal. Treasure your worth and savor each win, no matter how small. Success may whisper to you softly, if the inner voice is screaming self-doubt, you may not hear what success beseeches you. Still your mind and get out there: You will silence your critics and succeed by doing it and you will prove to yourself everything worth having in life is worth working
for.
by JoAnna Zurinsky @12gabrowninggal
~By seeing the seed of failure in every success, we remain humble. By seeing the seed of success in every failure we remain hopeful~ Unknown
Próis Pro, Kirstie Pike goes on a Gator Quest!
Próis Hunting Apparel owner, Kirstie Pike, writes about her 
GatorQuest
Air Sickness and Air Boats…what’s a girl to do?
Gator Quest…day 1! We flew into New Orleans late last night following a vomit inducing flight from Gunnison to Denver…ok, didn’t really vomit, but wished I had. As with typical travel days, we experienced near homicidal frustration with all proveyors of transportation. So- did you realize that you can be charged $30 for a 10 minute taxi ride by a non-English speaking cabbie who does not use a meter? Nether did we. As well, upon our late night check-in to a rather sketchy hotel- I got the unique opportunity of visualizing a cockroach that was literally the size of a mouse…need I mention my dismay that the hotel room smelled of Raid.
It was all absolutely worth it! We arrived in Springfield around noon, at which time we teamed up with Chad and Dana Wall of Gatortrax tv. We had the unique opportunity of touring their gator farm which is nothing short of amazing. Within a couple of hours, we found ourselves on Tickfaw River in an airboat cruising deep into the swamps. As a homegrown Colorado girl, I found myself utterly slack jawed at the beauty of the swamps. Cypress trees, Spanish moss, lilly pads and lush folliage thickly surrounded us. The airboats can go ANYWHERE, and we quickly learned that Chad was NOT kidding when he said they can cross dry land…they can! We also had an interesting experience involving a boat, a trailer and near capsizing…I’d love to divulge the facts but I was pinky-sworn to secrecy.
We hit the hunt at 6am tomorrow and we’re ready to roll! I wonder if I can find Starbucks on the way…
I have to say, when I accepted Chad and Dana Wall (of Gatortrax TV) to head down to the swamplands of Louisiana, I was more than just a little intrigued. Being from Colorado, I had all sorts of images in my head of what the swamps and gator hunting would be like. Of course, my primal fear of bugs came to mind. Oh, and my fear of snakes. Can’t forget about murkey water, leaches and aligators (which I have learned ARE the top of the food chain in the swamps). OK, and let’s face it…who HASN’T seen the movie, ‘Deliverance’? I came to Louisiana equipped with all sorts of cliche’d propoganda in my head..
As we set out in the morning, I was taken by the absolute beauty of the surroundings. The cypress trees, spanish moss, saw grass and lillies were beautiful. As well, there is a unique slant of the sun at sunrise through the swampland that casts an unparalleled. I had never really heard the sound of bullfrogs in the caucophony of noise that comes from everywhere. Now, the only way I can really explain it is this…if you have ever ridden the African Queen boat ride at Disneyland and recognized the canned jungle noises along the lazy river…well, now you got it! OK, but as Chad and Dana will attest, despite my appreciation for the beauty of the swamps, I may have still reacted like a school girl in response to the baseball size grasshoppers that seemed to have quite an affinity for the boat.
Ahh, but what about the hunting? All I can say is that it was a thrilling experience! Day 2 provided us with numerous gators. I am heartily humbled by the difficulty of the hunt in terms of hitting a very, very small killzone. Slight deviation in any direction will result in bullet placement into the animals inpenetratable armor. As well, only a very small fraction of the animal’s head will surface which may or may not provide a shot to the hunter. Clearly, there is a reason why these pre-historic animals have survived for millions of years! Chad, a 5th generation Springfieldian who has hunted these waters since he was a child, spent endless hours teaching us the patterns and habits of the aligators. We encountered a number of gators, but after some heavy rains and a 45 minute staredown with a sizable gator, I was able to get a kill with my CVA muzzleloader!
We ended the day with 3 gators and a cantankerous boat motor that threatened to strand us in the water. We made it safely to the landing (as we knew we would) and beat a hasty retreat to the ladies room as we determined that under NO circumstances would we venture off to take care of business in the swamps.
Day 2 of the GatorQuest started out just as early as day 1…We launched out to another gorgeous sunrise as we ventured out to the swamps. I was still utterly awestricken at the beauty of the area. I have to also admit that I was more than just a little bit excited that we didn’t have Gigantor the Grasshopper and his closest friends on the boat this day!
Today was action packed and we spotted numerous animals. I must admit that it took me some time to differentiate the splashes of jumping fish vs. movement of gators. More than once I performed a spastic bout of arm waving and finger pointing at jumping fish that I was certain was a passing gator. After two days of this, Chad and Dana just ignored my fits to save me the embarrassment.
Jennifer got on the first animal of the day and pulled a nice gator. He was pulled aboard and we moved on for the next gator…or jumping fish depending on who you ask. We set about the various waterways and it was my pledge to not drink a sip of water today for fear of having to go to the bathroom. Chock that up to another valuable lesson learned. As the day drew to a close we pulled in some nice gators and headed out to beat the heat. Jennifer and I discovered a long lost love in Springfield, Louisiana…Strawberry Slurpees! Giddy with anticipation (and some pretty severe dehydration!) we indulged not once, but twice in these delectable treats! OK…so they weren’t as good as we remembered, but hey… who couldn’t get excited about a frozen treat chock full of high-fructose corn syrup!
Our experience was awesome as was the company of the Walls. We look forward to another adventure with Chad and Dana…maybe in Colorado…if we can cure Dana’s fear of Mountain Lions. If you ask me, they aren’t nearly as scary as leaches and ginormous grasshoppers! Until then…bring on the GOAT!
Do me a favor. Check out www.gatortraxtv.com to find out more about Chad and Dana Wall and their tv show, Gatortrax Outdoors. All fair chase, all fun! Oh…and did I mention they are quite entertaining as well!?
Original Post found at www.Proishunting.com
See the original article at CampWildGirls.com
The Team Huntress secret formula: Guns + Archery + Massages = Happy Women
Hey folks, if you were bummed out to have missed the fun at June’s Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic, now’s your second chance to get in on it.
Jane Keller is organizing another women’s clinic that combines outdoor instruction with the ridiculous pampering that even a hardass tomboy like myself can’t resist. (Yeah, you shoulda seen me when we came back from an afternoon of skeet, my feet baking in my boots, and I saw three women wearing spa aprons ready to give us some luxurious foot massages. I would’ve shoved Mike Tyson out of my way to get to that). Hide
The Team Huntress clinic will be held Aug. 21-23 at Pheasant Phun in Hitchcock, South Dakota. For $995, you get the best of both worlds that outdoorswomen inhabit – archery and firearms instruction with tons of spa treatments and tons of cool gifts that you find someone has left on your bed each night (seriously, I came home last time with some great swag from Prois, RealTree, Doeville and Tanka Bar).
Unfortunately, I can’t be at this one – the date is too close to the resumption of classes where I teach. But I know a lot of the folks who will be there, and frankly, I’m a little jealous about the fun they’re going to have without me. Wah.
If you want to know more about how these events work, click here, where I wrote about it in more detail back in June. I’ll just add this today: A Team Huntress weekend would be a great gift for a woman who’d like to learn more about the outdoors, but somehow gets left behind when the guys are all out doing their thing. Just a thought, guys…
For more information, you can get in contact with Jane Keller.
© Holly A. Heyser 2009
Posted by NorCal Cazadora at 6:42 PM
