What To Get Your Wilderness Babe For Christmas

Over the past few weeks several people have asked me what on earth they should get their huntress friend/girlfriend/wife. So, I figured I would share a few of my brilliant ideas. (Well I think they're brilliant anyway!!!)


Yes, I KNOW Christmas is less than a week away...but for those of you who don't know what to get an outdoor woman for christmas...here are a few ideas that are more unique than your average gifts. If you already got her something, then save these ideas for next year!!!!


1.  If she likes jewelry, get her something from the Lucky Buck Club. I think that their jewelry is beautiful, though some of it isn't exactly my taste I love that it's outdoor themed. Go to http://www.luckybuckclub.com/ to see their whole collection.

2. Here's something interesting...a handgun holster that fits in your bra. Now, I'm not exactly sure how it would work, or how comfortable the thing would be but its certainly a unique and interesting gift. It obviously wouldn't be something you would use if you were going to a gunfight since it would take a few minutes to pull your shirt up and pull the gun from the holster (though that might work to your advantage since your opponent may think he's going to get a show). I can see that it might come in handy when you want to feel safe but don't want to be obvious about carrying a weapon. Not sure if this would work on small chested women. The girl in this picture is wearing one, and you cant tell. You may want to include a push up bra with this gift!!! 

http://www.womensoutdoornews.com/2011/12/week-4-of-bang-bang-boutiques-giveaway-streak-featuring-the-flashbang-holster/

3. Scent free bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, and body spray!!!! This is something that as a women hunter I LOVE. Most scent free products dry my hair and skin out and make me feel like I have alligator skin and two million split ends. It takes me weeks to get my hair and skin back to its usual self. My favorite product so far is from His & Hers Outdoors, my skin stays moisturized and my hair stays moisturized and keeps its usual body instead of falling flat...

It's like a small miracle. 

http://www.hisnhersoutdoors.com

4. One of my favorite ideas (but that's just me) is fun camo clothing, specifically lingerie. It's the gift that keeps on giving if you are her boyfriend/husband. My favorite site of all time is www.camodiva.com, and I also love www.camochic.com. I do believe it's time for them to come out with some new things since I own pretty much everything on their sites already!!!

Or you could get her a dress, this one is super cute and comfy (I own it)

Or...

It's your choice!!! I promise she will love it.

5. If you want to check out some more super cute apparel, check out www.trophychickapparel.com...A new clothing line with a unique twist specifically made for outdoor women. 

6. For something else that is unique, outdoorsy and extremely beautiful, check out my friend Rochelle's handmade wreaths. You can find them on facebook at: 

http://www.facebook.com/OWLFEATHERSWILDWREATHS?sk=info 

AND you can even design your own!!! If you love deer hunting, you can make it more of a whitetail theme, if you're into pheasant or turkey, make it more themed to that...each one is one of a kind!!!

This one is my favorite...

Turkey and deer hunting, and it reminds me of fall.

And, that's about all I could come up with for now...

Merry Christmas!!!

New Article Published on hunting.outdoorzy.com

Recently got another article published on a website, I've decided to share it here :) I would love it if you could go comment/share/let me know what you think!!!

The hunting world is made of mostly of men, and being a woman in the middle of it all can be a challenge. Though most people welcome women into the hunting industry, not everyone takes kindly to a woman hunting, and many people have a biased opinion of what women who hunt will be like. Being a woman in the hunting world myself, and also living in a rural area where not many women hunt, I have dealt with the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am by no means a feminist, but I sometimes feel that I have to defend myself a little too often as a woman hunter.

Women who are trying to make their way into the hunting world have a much harder time getting there than the men. If a woman is looking for a job in the hunting industry she has to be twice as smart, work twice as hard, and be twice as careful about how she is portraying herself, in order to get respect.

Just because you hunt, doesn’t mean that you have to give up being a woman, as many people don’t relate the two. Hunting is and always has been my favorite thing to do. However, I am very proud to be a woman. There is nothing wrong with trying to remain feminine while being tough, hardcore, and adventurous. Some of us have that drive in our blood. We need to chase it, but remain proud of who we are. Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, and most importantly an individual who dares to pursue her passion.

That being said, it is much easier to be feminine in the world of hunting now that there are a lot more great lines of clothing for women who hunt, clothing that promotes a woman’s appearance both in and out of the field.

This of course leads to the question, ‘are appearances an issue for women in the hunting world?’ Of course, this wouldn’t be fair, but that’s just how the world works.

A few years ago was the first time I went to the Harrisburg Outdoor Show in Pennsylvania. I waited in line to meet The Crush Team, Lee and Tiffany Lakosky. The line was long, really long. My sister and I waited in line for nearly an hour, which really wasn’t so bad since we could talk to other people while we were waiting. Most of the people in line were guys, wanting to meet Tiffany. I mean, really, what guy would want to meet Lee when Tiffany is around? After finally meeting the Lakosky’s, my sister and I decided to check out the Whitetail Freaks booth, where Don and Kandi Kisky were. To my surprise, there was no line whatsoever at their booth. Kandi Kisky is a wonderful person, friendly, down to earth, a pretty woman and an amazing huntress. Yet, she was up against curvy blonde Tiffany Lakosky whose smile, among other things, won over fans all across the country.

Being a fan of Tiffany Lakosky, I myself have often wondered what she has had to put up with because of all her male fans. It is true that the Lakosky’s use Tiffany’s good looks and personality to their advantage. Some people dislike this fact, and have lost some of their respect for the Lakosky’s. Does this make Tiffany Lakosky the sex icon of the hunting industry, as some people like to think???

In reality, women in the outdoors are a saving grace to the whole hunting lifestyle. Hunters overall have declined but women hunters have increased significantly over the past decade. To quote Brenda Valentine, “I believe that not one buck, bull or gobbler I’ve shot cared one whit about my gender”.

Really, it doesn’t matter what others think, as long as you are doing what you love and are passionate about it, but these questions have been asked many times by different women. There are many different opinions and views on the topic of women hunters, yet there are women out there like Brenda Valentine, Tiffany Lakosky, Kandi Kisky, and Vicki Cianciarulo, who have proved time and again that women can and will succeed wonderfully in the hunting world, and still be beautiful doing it.

What are your thoughts about women in the hunting industry? Do you think they give hunting a good image?

http://hunting.outdoorzy.com/author/bharris/

And the LUCK continues

Our Bear hunting trip to NJ didnt' exactly go as planned. Mike and the kids and I left Ohio at a reasonable time, calculating that we would be in NJ in time to hunt the next morning since it only takes about 5-6 hours to get to there. But, our GPS had other plans. We were sent on a wild goose chase off route 22 in PA, weaving off and on the interstate and wasting 40 minutes of our time. Needless to say we got there a little later than planned.

We had made reservations in a local motel so that we wouldn't have to stay at my parents and kick some of my siblings out of their beds; so the first night there Mike and I headed down to the motel to check in and pay the motel.  At the sight of our room, we changed our minds. We would just kick my siblings out of their beds and stay at my parents; the room was so disgusting that even standing in it made me feel like I would catch a disease. If we stayed we would probably end up abducted or something.

And of course it was raining. It felt like it was summer, it was nearly 60 degrees and it rained for the first three days we were there. The bears don't really appreciate strolling around in the rain. Besides the fact that there were probably 2 million deer hunters doing drives around the area, the bears were coming in the middle of the night to eat the bait that we scattered around. They didn't touch the corn but they loved the apples. Who knew bears would be so picky??? Only in NJ...

The fourth day it was sunny and WINDY and FREEZING...also not ideal bear hunting weather. When it gets super cold the bears find some hidey-hole and cuddle up until it gets a little warmer. Mike and I spent hours walking through the rhododenrons and azaleas out in the swamps looking for even a glimpse of a bear. 

The last day there we finally saw signs of life in the forest again...we saw several deer, running away. And we almost got shot. Good times.

Needless to say it turned out to be an unsuccessful trip and we didn't even SEE a bear, which was a huge disappointment. 

Now that we're back in Ohio I've been out hunting several times and my luck has yet to change. We put up some new deer stands and its snowed last night. Last night I actually saw a deer here, which is the first time in weeks I've seen a deer while hunting. It was a tiny little fuzzy fawn that was so tiny that at first I thought it was a rabbit. Someone had shot a doe near there that morning so I'm assuming he was looking for his mama.

Tonight if he comes back I think I may try to catch him. I went out this morning to see if he was still bedded down but there was no sign. He may have been eaten by the coyotes already, I doubt a fawn that tiny is going to survive the winter. 

Wish me luck tonight. It's gun season but I've been taking my bow out (which is legal) since I really would rather shoot one with my new Ross than with my muzzleloader. Maybe just MAYBE a big buck will walk by.

Where Have All The Deer Gone???

When I first moved to Ohio, I was scared to death. I'd just left behind my family, my friends, my dog, emptied my bank account, and was leaving all that was familiar behind me. I would be moving in with someone for the first time; I would be taking care of the house and cooking and cleaning but not only for myself anymore. And would also have to be a mom for two kids who I wasn't even OLD enough to be a mom too.  So, really I had plenty of worries when it came to everyday life in Ohio.


One thing I never took time to worry about was the deer season in Ohio...Mike and his dad and plenty of other people from Ohio were always telling me about the hundreds of deer that they saw every season, of the giant bucks they saw and shot. In New Jersey you could hunt for years and never even SEE a deer as big as what they had here. Heck, I was more excited than anything to hunt here!!!


Needless to say, this season hasn't been that successful. My last encounter with Mr. Big the 11 point is still my last encounter with him. I have yet to see him again. Mike has caught glimpses of him several times but hasn't had any shots. It's been weeks since I've seen a deer while I'm hunting...the only deer I see are when I'm driving down the road and see them in fields, or see them crossing the roads.


I would like to say it's just me having bad luck, but it's not. No one else is seeing anything either. Mike shot a doe a few weeks ago on a bitter cold day, right at dusk. But, the next day it was back up to 50 degrees again and there was no more deer movement.  And hasn't been any more deer movement.


This is really a depressing season. I hope it changes soon.


Opening day of firearm season here in Ohio was Monday, and I missed the first few days due to being sick. I went out yesterday and saw nothing, going to try again today. Monday bow season opens up again, but early Tuesday morning Mike and I will be packing up our guns and the kids and heading to New Jersey to hunt some black bear. Who knows, maybe I'll have a chance to shoot a buck back in New Jersey. How ironic would that be???