WOMA Member Kay Miculek Wins 3GN Lady Championship and Team Event

Story by Chad Adams posted at  3 Gun Nation -

GLENGARY, WV – Kay Miculek defeated FN’s Dianna Liedorff to win the inaugural 3GN Lady Division Championship at the Peacemaker National Training Center here Nov. 13, taking home $5,000 from Cheaper Than Dirt.

Miculek, who qualified as the number one seed, began her run with an opening round win over Deb Cheek, who had learned only days before that she was in the running after SureFire’s Maggie Reese was forced to pull out due to a knee injury.

Cheek, who attended a wedding in Indiana on Saturday, drove all the way to West Virginia for the opportunity to mix it up with the top ladies in the game. There she found Miculek in the Shoot-Off, who pulled ahead on the rifle and finished strong on the pistol to advance.

Liedorff, who earned the number three seed, squared off against young phenom Katie Harris, who had earlier in the day given up her spot in the Junior Shoot-Off to another young 3-gunner. A fitting match-up, as Liedorff and Harris have battled each other all season in Tactical Optics, as Harris has quickly become one of the top ladies in the sport this season.

Fittingly, their Shoot-Off run was a competitive one, with Harris getting off the shotgun first before Liedorff pulled even on the rifle. Liedorff surged ahead by a plate with the pistol, and as both ladies engaged their final targets, Harris transitioned from her last target and inadvertently knocked down Liedorff’s stop plate, ending a very tight bout.

But Karma turned the tables on Liedorff in the finals against Miculek as Liedorff jumped out to an early lead before Miculek began closing on the pistol. Liedorff engaged her last pistol popper, transitioned to the stop plate and knocked it down. However, her last plate did not fall, which eliminated Liedorff as Miculek knocked down her final targets—a thrilling finish to the first 3GN Lady Shoot-Off.

Miculek would go on to participate on the winning squad in the 3GN Team Event later on that day, running her career 3GN earnings to $6,000.

Kay Miculek, just minutes after winning the 3GN Lady Shoot-Off, captained the winning squad in the 3-Gun Nation Championship Team Event, presented by Brownells, at the Peacemaker National Training Center here Nov. 13. For the victory, each member of the winning team received a check for $1,000 from Brownells.

Miculek was joined by FMG Publications’ Scott McGregor and Andrew Daun. The opposing team, captained by 3GN Junior Champion Cody Leeper, featured Noveske’s Jansen Jones and Kerry Dematos. Miculek and Leeper were appointed captains in recognition of their top Lady and Junior finishes, respectively, in the FNH USA 3-Gun Championship. The remaining competitors are chosen at random from those not qualified for the main event.

The 3-Gun Nation Team Event is a three-person relay race on the 3GN Shoot-Off stage. Team captains choose which competitors get on each gun. The contest concludes when the last leg knocks down each pistol plate, including the cross-over stop plate.

Team Leeper jumped out to the early lead with a strong shotgun run by Jones. However, Daun was strong as well, setting up McGregor, who laid down a solid rifle run to overtake Team Leeper. With a big lead, Miculek finished strong on the pistol to seal the victory.

Along with the cash payout to Team Miculek, each member of the Team Leeper received a Brownells 3-Gun Bag.

HEARTBEAT of the WOMA for November 2011

I’m so proud!  I’m actually getting my monthly “Heartbeat of the WOMA” blog out before the last day of November; it’s like a miracle. In tune with the theme of November I’m going with notes of Thanks Giving for the people and events that entered my life this month. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that it was God’s blessings on me for the way this month turned out.  For instance…

THANKS to Ducks Unlimited (DU) and Bay Flats Lodge for inviting me, along with other women in outdoor media, on a “Blast and Cast” trip. This event made a lifetime impression on me and it was only 48 hours long. FYI – I’ve already written an article for the WOMA about my experiences in the duck blind and fishing, but what I didn’t write about is the blessings I received in terms of new gal pals!

To give you some brief history, the WOMA was created in 2008 to concentrate on media of any type that related to women in the outdoor venues of shooting sports, hunting, fishing and archery. Like any new kid on the block, the WOMA struggled in the beginning for recognition and to figure out where we belonged in the outdoor media world. When we started the WOMA, there were already two large outdoor media groups in existence, the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA).  To be blunt, I wasn’t sure if POMA or OWAA wanted much to do with the WOMA, so we weren’t working on building a relationship with each other.  I’m thankful that is now a thing of the past!

Last spring, I was invited by an OWAA board member to join their group, and I have very much enjoyed getting to know the OWAA executive director, Robin Giner, and other members of the OWAA team. Then at the recent DU trip, I had the opportunity to share a hunt and meals with the executive director of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Laurie Lee Dovey and POMA board member, Lisa Metheny.  Long story made short, our WOMA president, Marsha Petrie Sue, became a member of POMA within 24 hours of my leaving the DU event.

Kudos goes to Laurie Lee for sending over a benefit that is immediately available to all WOMA blogger members: a no-cost listing in the online directory at www.outdoorbloggerdirectory.com.  And another big Kudos because within a few days of leaving the DU camp, Laurie Lee became a member of the WOMA!   I feel blessed to have new outdoor friends and I don’t think a woman can ever have too many (right?)  I’m already trying to work out a date with Lisa, (on the left in the second photo), so she can take me turkey hunting. I’m not sure how that will go, since I found out I’m not allowed to talk and I can’t do my normal yoga in a blind movements.  All that said if Lisa’s game to make me into a turkey hunter than so am I!

THANKS go to Julianna Crowder, a fellow WOMA member, who also operates aGirlandaGun.com, and Sheldon Carruth of TexasMultiGun.com. Julianna knew that our Babes with Bullets firearms program (I’m the camp director) was looking for a place in Texas to host an event and she had women already recruited for us. We struggled to find a range with the bays and equipment we needed, along with a reasonable day rate. We had just about given up hope when Julianna stepped up with a commitment from Sheldon to cover a significant amount of our range fees through their Texas Multi-gun club and he also provided equipment, like target stands. To Julianna and Sheldon, you both “walked the talk” of getting more women involved in firearms training -thank you!

THANKS to my awesome Babes with Bullets instructors, most of them are also WOMA members, for making the last 2011 camp in Tucson a huge success! I’m sorry that each and every one of you can’t be with me on December 10th as I meet up with the BBC here in Tucson. The BBC is coming to tape a docudrama pilot on Babes with Bullets and you can bet I’ll get some information about the WOMA in there too!

Next month I’ll be reporting on the new board of directors for the WOMA, along with updates on SHOT Show quickly approaching in January. The WOMA has secured a booth, L344, and it has a great location near the NSSF Press Room. My prayer for you in this next month is that you each go and make a newfriend in the outdoors and most importantly remember to hold Thanks Giving in your heart through the holidays.

Deb Ferns
Chair

Ducks Unlimited at Bay Flats Lodge Offers Unlimited Fun!

Last year, I had the opportunity to attend the Ducks Unlimited “Women in Outdoor Media” event in Arkansas. The accommodations were nice and the food was good, though unfortunately, the birds weren’t flying. Still, I returned from that trip in awe of all that Ducks Unlimited (DU) does for conservation; for waterfowl habitat in general. I never considered I’d be offered that opportunity again, but then earlier this summer I was contacted by Mike Checkett of DU with an invite to return to their event coming up in November 2011. He also suggested that I recommend a few more members of the Women’s Outdoor Media Association to attend with me.

The big question right off the bat was “Who to invite?” It finally came down to deciding which members would place stories in established magazines or newspapers, which members would get the most radio or tv interviews done for DU? Just doing an article for the WOMA, like I am now, is nice but the real “meat & potatoes” is getting other forms of media involved in creating more opportunities for DU. The dilemma was that many WOMA members wanted to go and there just weren’t enough slots to accommodate everyone.

After discussion this summer with the WOMA board, it was decided that media trips, such as this one with DU, could easily be abused if someone attended and then didn’t do the follow up work expected, or if someone participated and didn’t realize they needed to make room next year for other WOMA members to attend. With that in mind, I relinquished my spot for the DU event this year and turned it over to another WOMA member on the wait list.

Well, let’s just say God must have really wanted me to go duck hunting, as my connection with Outdoor Channel came into play and I went on their slot. I took along my camera supervisor, our “Saint” Marilyn, who is now busy editing a couple of webisodes for Ducks Unlimited that should be out by late December (I’ll post in the WOMA when/where those are ready for viewing.) FYI – Marilyn also did a quick video piece for our camp host location which is already playing at their website at www.BayFlatsLodge.com .

So now that I’ve bored you with the “how I got to DU camp”, let me give you a little bit of background on a fast 48 hours spent at camp. On arriving Monday afternoon we were greeted by our host extraordinaire, Captain Chris Martin. To say that Chris lives and breathes duck hunting and fishing is an understatement. He has his hand in everything from the lodge website and social media, to training the hunting dogs. His wife Deb is the strength behind the throne, as she oversees maintenance of their beautiful lodge and works shoulder to shoulder with the kitchen staff to make sure everything is done right. This is no impersonal hotel, it feels more like a large B&B that is warm, friendly and of course the scenery is breathtaking in the Barrier Islands.

Just in case you are like me and don’t know much about the Barrier Islands (I could barely find Sea Drift, TX, on a map to get us there) check out one of many links talking about this unique coastal area at www.TexasWetlands.org/Barrier.htm . I was so taken with this area that for Christmas this year, I’ve purchased a three day “Blast and Cast” event for our family with duck hunting in the morning and fishing in the afternoon.

Getting back to the DU event the first evening (Monday), we had the opportunity to meet & greet the other women in our media group along with the two DU gals joining us for the event. I very much enjoyed getting to know Alicia Wiseman, a biologist for DU in Louisiana, and Emily Tyner, a DU Communications Manager located in Washington DC. The work that both of these women do for DU is invaluable, and just as importantly, I am impressed that DU is a leader in conservation groups that hire women!

The next morning (Tuesday) came with a wakeup call at 3:30 am to go duck hunting; pulling out of the docks by 4:30 am to head out in groups of three assigned to each boat, where our captain guided us through the Barrier Islands. We lay claim to one of the many blinds established along the waterways, or maybe the more appropriate term is “flyways”, and setup for business. This is where I have to delve into a sideline story about chest waders. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me that chest waders will give you diaper rash if you don’t wear the right things underneath them? So I’m here to share with the rest of you that normal “wick away” long underwear is the wrong choice for under chest waders with temps in the Barrier Islands of 74 degrees. Just so you know, it’s hard to shoot ducks with a shotgun with one hand while the other hand is down inside your chest waders keeping them off your body! I survived; I even shot a couple of ducks, one Redhead and one Pintail. Then mid-morning, we headed back to the lodge, where I happily discarded my chest waders and got comfy in my yoga clothes just in time for lunch.

Now I’d already eaten a big breakfast, after being reassured that the boat ride to a duck blind was not going to be the high rolling seas I experienced recently on a Carnival Cruise. I’m not sure why I felt I needed to eat a big lunch as well, but count me in as the Bay Flats Lodge chef dished up a wonderful Red Snapper entrée. Now that I think about it, dinner the night before was outstanding as well and who could say no to Tiramisu for dessert? (Did I mention that the food at Bay Flats Lodge is awesome?)

After lunch, we had time for a couple of quick interviews and we were off to go fishing for the afternoon. I was on the only boat that afternoon that didn’t “strike it lucky”, but all the other gals had multiple fish stories with fish in tow as backup. To say I was envious was an understatement, but bless her heart, one of the gals in our group, Lisa Metheny, gave us some of her fish to take home. After admiring everyone’s catch, we arrived back to the lodge just in time for… yep, DINNER! Small wafers of duck breast served in raspberry sauce and this time Crème Brulee for dessert. (At this point in time I was really wondering if my chest waders were going to fit me by the next morning.) The rest of the evening was informative and fun, as first Emily gave us a brief synopsis of why membership in DU is so important; after all, in Washington DC the voters of large conservation groups get heard first!

Here is where I share with you that I became a DU member right after my first trip last year and I just renewed my membership again; though this year I “upped” the contribution amount. The work that DU does for waterfowl habitat isn’t just about more duck hunting, it’s about CLEAN water and salvaging the wetlands which have a direct impact on everyone, not just duck hunters. My dad was an active duck hunter, living his whole life on Lake Huron. I’ll be honest that I never quite understood it as the Great Lakes in the late fall and early winter are cold, windy and wet.

With thoughts of my dad and how excited he would be to see me duck hunting, we headed out on the last morning (Wednesday) to go duck hunting. We woke up again at 3:30 am to see Stephanie from the Bay Flats Lodge staff smiling at us yet again while she served breakfast. Then, we were back in the boats by 4:30 am, arriving into the blind by 5:30 am and that’s when I had my duck hunting epiphany. Insert drum roll here…I sit in a blind in the Barrier Islands with a good guide (thank you Jason), with a retriever (our sweet Sadie) and along with a couple of new gal pals (Alicia Wiseman and Judy Rhodes.) It’s windy, the ducks are flying, we’re shooting, we’re having fun, the dog is happy retrieving and for a little window of time all is right and good in our part of the world. Understanding how blessed we are to be born women in America where we can own guns and go hunting hit me with full force. Understanding how blessed we are that Ducks Unlimited continues to work diligently on conservation efforts to benefit the ducks, benefit duck hunters and to benefit humans with fresh water. (Do I hear a big AMEN?)

We headed back mid-morning with many ducks in tow, which by the way is what I’m serving for Thanksgiving this year. It was a fast packing job for Marilyn and me as we were heading to another event back in Austin. We only had a few moments to hug our new friends, plus thank our hosts at both DU and at Bay Flats Lodge. How it happened that one of the most moving trips of my life took place in 48 hours I’m not sure, but I’m heading back to Bay Flats Lodge to try it again in the hope to recreate the magic for my family. Now if someone could just figure out how to help me eliminate diaper rash with these chest waders, life would be close to perfect for my next duck hunting trip!

If you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift, consider a Ducks Unlimited membership for your family members and especially the younger kids in your clan, as DU has a special program just for them. Visit www.Ducks.org for more information. Till my next DU adventure this is Duck Hunting Deb signing off…

Elk Hunting With My Husband for the First Time

I’m walking through the dense pines thinking to myself. The pine needles are crunching underneath my feet. This momentarily takes me away from my wandering thoughts and back to my present situation. It’s October and it’s second rifle season. It’s dry and it’s loud walking. A little frustration builds up in my gut. I look up to see my husband several feet ahead of me. He’s sneaking through the trees as quietly as he can. His large 6 foot frame is tip toeing around dead leaves and over fallen logs. It’s kind of a funny sight and I giggle quietly, but then respectfully smile at his efforts.

This is Gary’s (my husbands) first elk hunt. He’s hunted with our family before, but never has he been the one to carry the rifle. After moving back to Colorado last year, he’s now a resident and doesn’t have to get out a loan to get a license. I’m excited and nervous for this hunt. I was so giddy the night before that I didn’t sleep a wink. I never sleep before the opening day of elk hunting, but this was different. It’s always different when you are taking someone hunting for the first time. I have to admit that I love doing it. I love taking someone on their first hunt and seeing the excitement in their face as they get their first animal. There’s nothing else like it in the world. It’s very rewarding.

I again look at my husband and smile. If it were by his effort alone, he’d already have an elk. But a lot of what hunting is all about is being in the right place at the right time. My thoughts are interrupted by a loud crack. My teeth grit together and I look up to my husband who is looking back at me. “Sorry,” I mouth. I’ve just stepped on a stick and broken it, making a loud noise that seems to echo through the woods. My husband just smiles at me, turns and continues down the ridge. He doesn’t care. He’s just loving being out in the woods with me. And I should be a little more relaxed about it like he is, but being a bowhunter as well, I pride myself in being sneaky. And these conditions today are anything but sneaky.

It’s late season elk hunting and it’s hot. Which means the elk are held up from the weather and from being pushed around for 2 and a half seasons already. They’ve been pushed into that deep dark timber, where it’s likely that no one will find them. Which is what we are attempting to do… find them. We are on a hillside where if you are just standing up straight facing the hill, you can reach out and touch it. It’s steep.

Normally during gun season, we let people push the elk to us, but it’s been a slow season. There have been very few shots, and people seem to be sticking to the roads. Which is why we are covering ground. The elk are out there, we just have to find them. We move along a ridge, crest the top, and drop down into another thick set of pines. There’s elk bed and sign everywhere, but no elk. We move along, keeping the wind in our face, sneaking as best we can. The day moves along and the sun with it. We have covered so many miles today that our feet are dragging. My husband has dutifully carried his dad’s very heavy 7mm all day in his arms, not putting it on his shoulder once, waiting for that one opportunity.

We did manage to see a huge bear walking across an avalanche chute. It’s big frame meandered across the rocks, searching for any bit of food to fatten it up for the winter hibernation. The sun starts to set and we drag ourselves back to the car. I kick the tire knowing that the end of season is ticking down.

My husband has to work tomorrow, which makes the season even shorter. I think there should be some law against making someone work during elk season. With all the national holidays and religious holidays out there, there should definitely be one for hunting season. Am I not right in saying that for most hunters, hunting season is a religion?

Two days later the storm that I was begging for hit the high country. Snow was dumping out of the sky. I almost licked my lips in anticipation. This would get the elk moving and there was one thing I loved about hunting in a storm, and that was fresh tracks! There was no hiding from us this time.

We wound our way up in the mountains and onto the back roads. Our pickup truck struggled to stay on the wet muck that had become the road. It was sloppy mud, but the snow was collecting everywhere else. Everything was white. I was hoping my husband would get an early Christmas present today.

We stepped out of the car, bundled up, grabbed our gear and headed out into the woods. We walked up and over a few ridges and saw some promising sign, but nothing too fresh. This time our steps were muffled by the new fallen snow. It was quiet everywhere. Almost that eerie quiet you get when the snow is falling so softly it’s like putting a sleeping baby to bed. You are aware of every small sound, a breaking branch over 200 yards away that carries over the frozen ground.

We crest the top of a ridge, drop down through some thick trees and come out into a small clearing. This clearing has rewarded us with a view of the opposing hillside. There’s snow everywhere on the trees and makes everything white, well, almost everything. My husband is glassing the hillside and sees some movement in the trees. After a closer look a small 5×5 moves out into the open. The shot looks to be about 350 yards. My husband is a great shot so I see no problem with him taking such a long one. He steadies his rifle on a branch, settles the cross hairs on the shoulders and squeezes off the shot.

There’s almost a delay from when the bullet leaves the barrel until the sound of a solid hit, but we watch as the elk buckles and falls to the ground. I’m ecstatic! I throw my arms up and start doing the Rocky victory dance. I’m pumping my arms in the air, moving around like a complete idiot as I celebrate.

Meanwhile I look over at my husband who is just standing there smiling. Is that it? I think. No, surge of adrenaline? No, fist pumping? No throwing your shirt over your head and running in circles? Where’s that excitement you see from hunters on TV that make them almost fall out of their tree stand they are shaking so bad? Nope, he’s a calm one. He just smiled and gave me a huge hug and a high five. We then made our way over to his very first elk. A huge grin spread across his face. Carrying his dad’s rifle that helped him get his first elk. His dad would for sure have been proud!

The excitement of the successful hunt was building. We called my mom and dad and told them the news. My dad immediately decided to come up to the mountains to join us and hear the story. My mom was on the fence. She had an important appointment early the next morning and was debating on whether to go because of what would be such a late return from the mountains. My dad then said, in a very animated voice, “you have to come… this is what we do!” He was referring to hunting.

For as long as I can remember hunting has been a family event, something we all participate in, even in our own ways. That was all it took, my mom quickly changed her clothes and they were headed to the mountains. My mom and dad then met us on the side of the road up the canyon from where our truck was. They were our ride back as we had done a long loop and packing out was easier if we just cut down to the road. They stepped out of the car into the cold air and handshakes were exchanged and pats on the back. It never matters how many times a hunting story is told, it gets better every time. The smile on my husbands face was priceless. That to me was worth every bit of work it took to get that elk.

The next day it became even more of a family event when my aunt and uncle from Florida came along for the pack out. It was a true family affair. It was great for them to be able to see what went into getting those really tasty elk steaks that they love so much. It was a great experience for everyone. Lanny, my dad, Gary, and I all had on packs to get out the remaining meat. Gary’s bull didn’t have a huge rack by any means, but it was a good sized animal and had a ton of meat for the coming year.

We made the trek up to the meadow. As we got closer I spotted the camp robbers. Those birds don’t miss a thing and are always the first on the scene when an elk goes down. We crested a hill and I hear my aunt, “Oh my word… Oh my word!” “What is that?” she questions. “Is that the elk?” I look over to see the huge gut pile sitting out in the field. “Not exactly,” I say. “That’s the gut pile. The elk is over there.” I say and point to a thick patch of trees where the quarters are hung. She’d never imagined something so huge coming out of an animal like that. It was neat for her to be able to see the elk.

To this day I am still fascinated by elk, and get excited to cut one up. My mom was a high school biology teacher, so her love for science rubbed off on me. There is nothing more exciting than an anatomy lesson when cutting on an elk. It’s absolutely fascinating. It certainly gives you an appreciation for what your body does.

We then finish cutting all the meat off the bones, fill the packs and start heading back down the hill. This was probably the most exciting part of the trip, but not in a good way. With all the recent snow and mud, it made for one crazy rodeo. Almost everyone spent some time sliding down on their behind. It was comical watching everyone weave trying to find some sort of traction. Everyone made it down the hill safe and sound. Then covered in mud and blood, we headed to the local pizza place where the atmosphere is as colorful as our grimy clothes. We celebrated Gary’s successful hunt with 3 large pizzas, a few games of pool and a beer.

It was so great to see everyone’s excitement for Gary. I know that this will be a hunt he will never forget. It didn’t take long for him, but he’s now got the bug. He’s already talking about which seasons he wants to hunt next year and of course, the size of the bull he’s going to shoot.

Pleasant Pheasant Feast

When my husband Al returned from North Dakota Pheasant hunting, accompanying him was a cooler full of these game birds. I had no idea what to do with them but knew that I would find new and interesting ways to prepare this delicacy. Searching and asking friends brought this wonderful dish to our table.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 pheasant
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water or broth
• Barbecue sauce, optional
• Marinade:

-       1/3 cup soy sauce

-       3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

-       3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

-       2 tablespoons minced garlic, optional

-       1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

-       1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

-       3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-       Onion powder, to taste

Preparation:

Rinse pheasant. Place pheasant in a large bowl with salt; cover with water. Let pheasant soak for 1 hour – drain and rinse.

Combine marinade ingredients. Put pheasant and marinate in large non-reactive container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally to keep pheasant coated.

Discard marinade and transfer pheasant to slow cooker; add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. 
Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. About 30 minutes before done, coat pheasant with barbecue sauce, if desired.

I accompanied this dish with wild rice and a green lettuce salad.  A wonderful bottle of Pinot Noir is a great accompaniment.  Bon Appetite! And thanks Al for adding to our game reserve in our freezer!

 

A Time to Honor

A couple of weeks ago, I found something unusual in my mailbox.  Read more

Making the Most of Trade Show Traveling

October 31st I packed and headed to Reno, NV for our NASGW Show.  This is the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers, www.nasgw.org.  This is a much smaller venue than the SHOT Show in January but a very important show for the industy’s manufacturers.   This is the time to set appointments in your booth with your Distributors to present the 2012 pricing, programs, and get any new products set up in their listings.  SHOT Show is too late to make it to market for that year with most Distributors.  So, it looks to be a busy and packed few days while here.

I arrived into Reno at the Grand Sierra Resort about 9:30 PM and run into one of my buyers and several of our reps already.  Head up to the room to get settled in so I can get moving early tomorrow morning!  Booth set up is open at 8:00 AM.  HIVIZ has just a 10×10 booth here, so I don’t expect it to take too long.   I hit registration and booth selection for next year and then head over to tear into my crate.  After so many shows, I’ve perfected…or improved upon, my set-up.  By 10:30 I am finished.  My day is clear until the Industry Awards Dinner later that evening.

I had only fly-fished once before, so there was some “re-training” involved for me!  Drop flys, wet flys……and all that other fly fishing techy jargon doesn’t mean much to me yet, but I’m learning!  The weather is a little chilly and the wind is picking up.  I cast and haven’t hooked any trees yet.  That is a plus for me.  I’m getting lots of good stories and getting to know Dave and Clay a little better.  I’m a bit of a story teller myself, so we’re yuckin’ it up quite a bit.  I see a huge brown trout jump out of the water just after my fly passes that spot – WOW, he was huge! Of course the dumb thing missed my fly, don’t know how that happened.  He’s actually really dumb or really smart…I’m thinking it was the latter though.  Dave changes the fly and rod on me.  A little different casting style on this one.  Roll casting?  My first cast was beautiful; second cast stank worse than the fish!  After what Dave termed “breaking my wrist” on the second roll cast, he decided to call my first cast good and leave it at that.  He explained we were using barbless hooks.  I don’t know about barbless, but on one of my attempts at the second roll cast I hooked Dave’s cap – ooops…he didn’t tell me I had the “man-hook” on my rod!  At least I didn’t get any flesh…thank goodness.   After freeing himself, he moves a safe distance from me.  I’m a little paranoid now and I turn and look over my shoulder during the cast to see Dave standing there with his face guard…whatever you call it…pulled up over his nose!  Gee, there goes my confidence!  The guide is nervous!  I can see him laughing in his eyes.  I thought the “man-hook” comment was funny….guess it didn’t feel the same on the receiving end.

…And the fish stories abound, Clay let me hold HIS fish for the picture!

Now doesn’t this beat sitting in the casino all afternoon?!  This is my way to spend free time at a trade show!

Christmas Dilemma…

This is going to be a different Christmas gift article than you’re used to seeing. I’m not going to suggest a whole lot of products that are hot sellers, or slow sellers I want to get moving. I’m going to tell our women readers a “guy-secret.” We, as in the men in your life, really do want to get you what you want, especially if you like to hunt and shoot! We don’t intentionally buy you the wrong thing or dumb thing. We are simple creatures and hints are lost on us. I’ll give you a for instance…I once sat on a bench in a department store, for well over 30 minutes, agonizing and trying to sort out what my wife (now ex-wife) meant by, “Imagine you’re having an affair with me, what would you buy me?” I chose wrong, of course, and got the silent treatment for two weeks.

If a woman says, “Oh, anything will be fine, it’s the thought that counts ” well, you might just get something from the counter at the local Stop N Rob. Or if she says “Something for my shotgun,” trust me that still isn’t enough. I encourage women to grab a catalog from Brownells, or Prois, or whoever, and mark it up. Attaching sticky notes is a good idea as well. Make sure you leave it in a pile with other mail we normally go through. Don’t leave it lying around for us to find; we’ll just wonder who scribbled all over the pages. Tell us you’ve marked it up and those are ideas for Christmas.

We’re not total idiots and sometimes we do get inspired and thoughtful all at the same time and come up with a perfect gift even without a ton of hints. But, the same guy that can grab your heart with an inspired gift one year will forget your anniversary/birthday/whatever next year. That same guy will buy you the proverbial clothes iron or frying pan; unfortunately I know this from firsthand experience. We do remember what you say (yes, it’s true) so if you make a comment like, “Oh I like those,” about a pair of hunting boots, be prepared to get a pair. If you liked them, but didn’t want to actually wear them, you’ll be disappointed and we’ll be crushed and/or angry thinking you set us up.

If you want hunting clothes be SPECIFIC, otherwise you might end up with desert camo when you wanted Realtree. Left to our own devices, we men will buy you what we want to see you in. And that may not be what you want to wear in the field; a camo teddy comes to mind. Please mark your favorite catalogs, complete with sizes, which I realize is a sore subject. Here’s another hint from a guy’s perspective; we don’t remember the sizes, we don’t judge them if they say size Small or size 4XL. We just want to get the right thing and be able to give you something special for a special holiday. Even though we don’t say it as often as we should, we really do love you and want you to be happy. It means a lot to us that you share our love of the outdoors. We just need a little help to make sure we get you the right thing at the right time.

 

Tracy and Lanny Are Heading to Sweden!

Here’s an update on Tracy and Lanny’s races in Utah and their upcoming schedule:

After the trials races in Vermont in August and Utah in October, Tracy and I secured the top two spots at the trials and secured a spot on the World Cup/ Europa Cup team heading to Sweden in a few weeks. We have a training camp in Ostersund, Sweden and then we’ll compete in World Cups and Europa Cup races in Scandinavia and Central Europe before Christmas.

This winter we will travel to Sweden, Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Russia. We’ve made a lot of great progress in our ski speed and shooting and can’t wait to use it against the rest of the world in the races coming up. Once we leave for Europe, we won’t be back in the States until the end of March.

World Championships are in Ruhpolding, Germany this year and we hope to be representing the US there at the races in March. They are expected to have record crowds at the races with close to 50,000 spectators at every event. We will fill you in on the how the races go and our schedule of races as soon as we get to Sweden. You can watch our races live on www.biathlonworld.com and we’ll keep our results, pictures, and adventures on www.twinbiathletes.com and blog on http://thewoma.com/category/the-road-to-russia/.

Currently we are some of the only biathletes in the World getting on snow training as most of Europe and Scandinavia are too warm for snow. I guess it pays to breath a little harder and live at altitude! We hope this will be an advantage for us when the first races roll around in a few weeks!

Editors Note:  Tracy & Lanny Barnes are part of the US Olympic Biathlon team. Their WOMA blog, “Road to Russia” gives wonderful insight into what these talented athletes are going through to take a medal in February 2014 at the Winter Olympics held in Russia. It will be their 3^rd Olympics and we encourage all the members of the WOMA, along with companies you may know, to help these twin sisters with donations and sponsorships. For more information, or to make a donation, visit their website at www.twinbiathletes.com.

Deer Fever…It’s Time

(blog for Illinois Outdoor News)

I’m a little late turning in a new blog, but knowing the reason is simply a matter of
looking at the date; Sweet November has arrived. Even as I drove around our
hunting sections on the afternoon of Halloween, and realized that deer were
everywhere, I was tempted to tell my kids that trick or treating had been
canceled and rescheduled for June 31 instead. But, even during deer season I
have a conscience, so we took our candy-hungry little misers trick or treating.

The simple fact is that my mind won’t allow me to concentrate on anything else but
deer hunting despite my desperate attempt to do just that. Our cupboards need
groceries, my house is in desperate need of TLC, writing assignments are due,
and I’m leaving for Texas thanks to my great friends at the Women’s Outdoor Media
Association, and Ducks Unlimited who provided me with an opportunity of a lifetime
to duck hunt and salt water fish on the gulf of Texas, and there was no way I was
going to turn it down.

Still, I continue to focus my efforts on checking weather, driving around hunting
sections, and viewing rut reports. A fantastic resource is Deer Nation and can
be found on the Cabelas’ website. Anyone can give reports, and it’s a great way
to see what’s going on with the rut in other parts of the country as well. When
you provide reports, you can enter into drawings for awesome prizes! I’m also
constantly talking with other hunters, but most of all, I’m in the woods spending
countless hours in various treestands. There’s comfort in knowing that I’m not
alone and that there are thousands of other hunters suffering from deer fever right
along with me!

Unfortunately, it seems that despite what I’m hearing other hunters say and the
slightly amped up deer activity on my “observation drives,” I’m not seeing much of
anything when I’m actually hunting. Every year though, I go through this same panic.
Early season, I always see lots of does and then the woods seem to go into a
lull of some sort. We do have a lot of corn that needs to come down yet and I
know it will only bring positive changes for the rut when it does. Until then,
I’ll keep seeking information, observing, but most of all, I’ll keep on
hunting! ……… Sending well wishes to all readers of Illinois Outdoor News suffering
with a constant ache from their annual case of deer fever!

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