Camp Wild Girls.com’s Terri Lee Pocernich, a wife and mother from Ashland and formerly Hayward, Wisconsin along with her youngest son Kale Williamson of Hayward, Wisconsin are competing in a new reality bow hunting show called the “Battle of the Bow”. The two have paired up as Team HuntingLife.com. The show is airing on the Sportsman Channel and will be a 13 wk series.

The contest consists of 10, two member teams, all from Wisconsin. Each has filmed their entire bow season in hopes of winning the contest. Viewers and fans can vote for their team once a day on here and they can also text team1 (no space) to 99503 once per day. The text is free to those who have a text plan on their phones. The winners will walk away with the title of the 1^st Battle of the Bow winner, and also possibly cash and prizes. For more information on the team you can go to www.wisconsinoutdoorsnetwork.com.

Here is an easier way to vote online for us! You can also text the message team1 (no space between the word and number) to 99503. Text message is free if you have a texting plan in place. You can vote once a day per I.P. address and once a day per text message. Thanks for your continued support.

Photo courtesy of Raven Eye Photography

This week brought the introduction of the first Camp Wild Girls “Hunting Party” featuring Prois Hunting Apparel and Camp Wild Girls Gear.

What is a “hunting party” you might be asking yourself? Well remember all those home parties that you didn’t really want to go to because they didn’t have anything you really wanted to buy? Well we are going to change all that. As one gal put it “Oh it is like tupper**** party only for kick @$$ chicks!” Exactly my friend!

You will  now be able to try on all the Prois Hunting apparel, and Camp Wild Girls clothing in the comfort of your own house or maybe a friends. It will be  getting a bunch of “wild” gals together for a wild  kinda time!

If you have an interest in attending, or throwing a party or possibly even becoming a rep, please contact me at party@campwildgirls.com. Please be patient until we can get to your area since this is a very new program

As I look back at 2009 I am amazed at how quickly it went by. It seems like just yesterday I was heading down to Florida for something called a S.H.O.T show. I had no idea what that event would start in my life, but it kicked off a series of events that I cannot believe.

It was at S.H.O.T. that I met 2 very important people. The first was Kirstie Pike of Prois Hunting Apparel. We had talked on the phone and I was carrying her line of clothing on my site, but this was our first in person meeting. It was pretty brief as we were both going in different directions but we really hit it off as we knew we would, much like our first phone call months earlier. (That conversation was not brief by any means.)

The second person I met there was Barbara Baird of the WON. Barbara and I were involved in a meeting that encouraged mentor/mentee relationship. They would help us get paired up with the person we needed. Within a few days we decided on our own that we would work together well and she would mentor me. She added me to her line of “Bag Ladies” (Now the Gear Court). I had not ever planned on writing articles or gear reviews but she encouraged me and I got my start there.

Along the way I had surgery and some major down time. I wanted to continue to promote my business so I decided to try some  social networking. Twitter to be exact. There, I found some very important contacts and friends.

I met Kevin Paulson of HuntingLife.com who was looking for a female pro staffer and ended up on his pro staff. I met Mike “Hawk” Huston, from Journey with RedHawk and his wife Stacey with A Focus on the Wild and her beautiful photography. There were lots of others, too numerous to mention, and they have all helped promote me along the way. It was one of the best tools I have found to promote business, along with face book and several other more hunting specific sites.

I also met Joey Brunner from Wisconsin Outdoors Network. He called me and we chatted about some business things he was doing. While we chatted he mentioned the “Battle of the B.O.W.” contest the network was doing. There would be 30 2 person teams to start. They would have to get sponsors to be in the contest. 10 teams would end up on a video. He asked if I would get a team together and I did. I talked HuntingLife into sponsoring us, along with CampWildGirls.com. Within a few months the entire contest would morph and we would now be involved in hunting reality show to be aired on the Sportsman Channel. Wow who would have ever thought. Me on a hunting show.

As Babbs and I continued to talk through the next few months,  she continually encouraged me. I started my blog on Skinnymoose. I updated my site and started writing more.

Babbs also told me about about an event called Team Huntress. I knew that this outing would be something I didn’t want to miss out on and I somehow finagled my way into attending the event.

Team Huntress Family

This was to be one of the best weekends of the year. Kirstie and Babbs were both there, as well as Mike and Stacey. Add Anne Vinola from Annie Got Her Gun, Lynn Pankey from Real Tree, Holly Heyser from NorCal Cazadora, and it was like I had died and gone to Heaven. Top it off with Jane Keller from Team Huntress and Dave Olsen from Pheasant Phun and I was over the top!

Amongst all of this chaos, I was traveling between Ashland, Wisconsin, and various towns in Louisianna with a not quite 2 year old. It was a 2-3 day trip each way in my truck, just to spend a week or two at a time with my husband.

Mid July we started filming b roll footage for Battle of the Bow as well as scouting and setting up tree stands.

CampWildGirls.com was going to host the Aug. event  for the Team Huntress, to be held in Wisconsin but logistics of the range did not allow it and we moved it back to South Dakota and Pheasant Phun, an 8 hour drive from home.  I attended and took my good friend Amy Sharp from Jaskar Outdoors. I shot some great footage at that event! (Oh yeah, now I am filming too!).

Mid September brought about archery season and filming. Every chance we could we were in a tree trying to get the elusive Split-tine buck whom we were seeing on camera on a daily basis.

My July “Woman of the Wild” Tanya Poppe also went on a special hunt, that I could not miss filming.  I travel 1 ½ hours each way for what was started out to be, a 3 day hunt. I made four trips back and forth, to film the continuation of that saga. (It was something I would do again, and again, though Tanya!)

End of September thru mid October arrived and I am helping do the work on the two decks that we are adding to the house, along with putting up all of the wood and baiting some of the stands and checking trail cameras. I also continue to take care of the website updating and the ordering. Now just for good measure, and just in case I didn’t have enough to do, I decide to insulate the attic by myself. (What in the hell was I thinking?).

Mid October brought another trip down to Ellsworth for the Battle of the B.O.W. and the mid season wrap up. We did some interviews and have a group outing. It is a 4 hour drive there with a two year old, and 4 hours back.

Right after returning the pre rut begins and we are hunting even harder than before,  right through mid Nov and the peak of the rut. I finally take down a 9 pt. leaving only one day to spare in the “Battle”.

This is just so happens, to be 2 days before “Holy week in Wisconsin” otherwise known as Rifle Season.  I cram in getting the orange hunting clothing ready for myself and my husband, cook some food for both camps (no we do not hunt together), and get the 2 year old ready for Oma and Opa’s.

I know some of you gals are thinking, can’t he get himself ready for season? The poor guy has been working 6 days a week, 10 hour days and then driving 3 ½ hours home on Saturday nights to see us, only to turn around and drive 3 ½ hours back on Sunday just to be to work on Monday. This will be his only time off until breakup and I felt sorry for him.

9 days of rifle season whizzes by and hubby heads back to work. I process 2 deer.

Christmas shopping and preparations began immediately and more wood needed to be added to the basement so we will stay warm for winter. Christmas comes and goes and The Battle of Bow series starts. So does the endless task of getting people to vote and watch the show.

I make one more trip to Ellsworth for final interviews and recaps. I am lucky enough to make this trip alone and I am thinking it will be the last one for now.

As I am sitting here writing all of this, looking back at how life and my business has evolved. I finally realize why I was too tired to go out tonight!

It has been a very fun, interesting, and exhausting year, filled with excitement and hard work. I can only hope that 2010 will be less eventful.

Let see, interview for TV program on Saturday, and a radio interview on Monday. I am leaving on the 7^th for an elk hunt in Utah. The Camp Wild Girls “Hunting Parties” start the end of January…

OK maybe not.

I really debated on putting our “Christmas Card” on the Camp Wild Girls website. What if I offend someone and they don’t like me anymore because I am a Christian? And then a thought occurred to me. I really don’t care if I am politically correct or not.

If no one wants to buy from my store or visit my site because I wished them a Merry Christmas then so be it. I believe that Christmas is about the birth of the Christ Child and he is the very reason we have Christmas. So why, should I feel like I might be offending someone else with my beliefs? I am not offended if someone wishes me “Happy Hanukah”, or “Happy Kwanzaa”. I know they are wishing me well even though I have different beliefs than them.

I have also refused to buy “Happy Holiday” cards this year. I purposely picked ones that said “Merry Christmas” (even though I think it is kind of ironic and rather humorous that the word Holiday is simply Holy Day).

I no longer abbreviate to the ever popular Xmas (which by the way spell check makes you capitalize?). Previously, and I must say quite  carelessly, I would use this shortening of the word Christmas.  I began thinking about how someone started that trend, and realized they were trying to void the Christ out of Christmas. I now take the time to write the whole thing out.

Maybe I am feeling a little rebellious in my later years, or maybe I am just fed up with the whole movement to try to shut down Christianity thing, but I have decided to give everyone I meet and greet this season, a most hearty and heartfelt “Merry Christmas”. I love hearing that everywhere! It makes me smile each time I say it and/or hear it. I  feel like we are getting away with something!

So, I say to all of those people that are wondering if they are politically correct, don’t be afraid to offend someone else if you believe the way I do. Stand with me and say very loudly and joyously “Merry Christmas”. It feels really good this year, to be NOT politically correct.

CALLING ELK BOW CLOSE

Whether hunting public or private land, the fundamentals of calling elk remain the same

By: Michael Waddell

We heard the bull bugle at first light and snuck into his core area. When I hit a lick on my bugle, the bull sim­ply came unglued and stormed our position like a tank, crashing through brush and small lodgepole pines like they were match­sticks. Before we could react he was in our lap and we were pinned down, myself hiding behind a camera, too afraid to even touch the tripod for fear of my shaking hands would run the footage. All I could see of my partner wedged against a stunted pine was the tip of his undrawn arrow shaking uncontrollably on the rest. Before a shot presented itself, the bull smelled a rat and disappeared as quickly as he arrived. While this experience didn’t result in a dead elk, it did hopelessly addict me to calling them.

 It seems that in all walks of life, be it the animal kingdom or humans, communication is a key ingredient for all social interac­tion. However not all living things communicate to the same degree. If you ask my wife, I am sure she will tell you I lack in the communication department, in fact I am sure she believes I don’t listen to her at all, but when it comes to communicating with animals I can barely shut up. Of all the animals I love to communicate with elk rate right at the top.

 By nature elk are very vocal. The uninitiated often simply think of bulls bugling, but cows, calves and bulls make all sorts of noises year around. If you encounter a larger herd of elk while you might not hear a thing from a distance, if you get close you will hear lots of subtle vocalization. Most of the time these are sounds of contentment, but depending on what’s happening the vocalization reflects it. Elk can convey contentment, danger, curiosity, or a cow in heat. Bulls for instance only bugle primar­ily in the rut, but they also communicate to establish a pecking order. After spending a considerable amount of time chasing the mighty wapiti, I’m convinced every elk in the herd knows each other by sound alone. This happens with the cows as well as the bulls and based on my evaluation somewhere in this mix is the deadly secret to calling elk archery-close.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

It seems that the more vocal a herd the better the odds are for success at calling them. Some cows call subtle, while others are loud-mouth ladies actively looking for a date. By listening it gives you a better opportunity to imitate the particular tones and intensity of the herd.

Master the cow call and you will call in elk bow-close. Use the bugle to locate as well as seal the deal on an aggressive bull.

By calling we are automatically intruding into the social club without an invitation. The closer we can sound to a known elk, and match that intensity the better the odds are of filling a tag. Even though we may sound like an outsider to the herd, luckily for us, love crazed bulls are not looking to be intimate with just one or two cows they are looking for all the love of every cow in the world, so taking advantage of their sexual frustrations and promiscuity is what we aim to do.

It doesn’t take a world champion elk caller to trick bulls within range. By simply paying attention to the herd and under­standing simple elk rhythm, tone and more important volume when calling, a hunter can depend on an elk call to be a valuable asset to dulling broadheads.

Public Versus Private Land

Since I started hunting elk 16 years ago, on private as well as public ground, I have realize that comparing these two  different types of ground are like comparing night and day and it is all about the amount of pressure each receives. Generally speaking private ground bulls are way easier to call than public ground animals, but this is not always the case. Some private land does get a lot of pressure, which can make for some pretty tough calling duels with elk that can serve you up a humble pie every time you bust out a call. While conversely some public land either through sheer remoteness or hard-to-get tags is like calling the best private land in the nation.

Hunting un-touched land and cow calling to bulls that have never heard a Hoochie Mamma would obviously be nice and it wouldn’t take long work­ing over these uneducated elk to start feeling like an elk calling pro only to be deflated the first time we went to the national forest and mixed it up with bulls so well-known by local hunters that they have knick names. However, regardless of where you hunt the basics of calling remain the same.

Start with mastering the cow call and all its various inflections. Your basic reed type calls are the easiest to learn as well as get proficient with. You will find two kinds; both are bite down reed-type of calls, one being enclosed and the other having an open reed or reeds. These calls make a very realistic sound and before your wife can run you out of the house you will master the basics.

I rely heavily on the cow call and think most of the time hunters are better off sticking with it over a bugle no matter where he is hunting. But learning how to make a basic bugle is important, especially for locating bulls at a distance before getting close and working him with your cow call. In addition, sometimes it is the bugle that finally provokes a dominant bull to commit, especially during the early season when bulls are still sorting out their peckin’ order.

Earning Your Public Ground PhD

Lets face it, unless you have deep pockets much of the private ground in the West is pretty much off limits, so you have to learn to hunt public land. This is not a bad thing as public ground comprises millions upon millions of acres across the West and happens to have some of the biggest bulls found anywhere. While it can be tougher than private, once you learn how to hunt it you won’t be disappointed. Over the years, one of my favorite places to hunt is the Gila National Forest, in New Mexico, and even though this is a trophy area tags are fairly obtainable through application.

The “Professor”, Waddell’s largest bull came from the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Public land bulls like this can be call shy and may require some double teaming with a separate caller to fool.

In the Gila, the trophy potential is off the chart, sporting some of the biggest bulls in the country, but just because the big ones live there doesn’t mean that you automatically make one call and they come running to get in the back of your truck. These mature jokers have a PhD in avoiding hunters.

Over the last six years I have hunted this area religiously and have had the op­portunity to shoot some nice bulls all by using elk calls as an aid to close the coffin.

Notice I said, “as an aid”, meaning the call was just one thing in a bag of tricks to help smoke these monarchs. My biggest bull that came out of the Gila was a 378 P&Y bull that had earned the name Professor because he always seemed to take you to school when you applied too much pressure. However, this bull was vocal and would bugle his butt off. He also seemed to be fairly easy to find, not only by his gnarly, raspy bugle that set him apart, but frequently he could be found early in the morning in a large meadow just south of a particular water hole that always attracted a large herd.

The Professor was not the only bull in the area that had large headgear, but it was The Professor that seemed to call the shots. I had caught this bull in the open several times, but calling seemed to really make him uneasy when you were in close. The Professor however would bugle hard to distant cow calls and seem to be whole heartedly interested, but had a sixth sense when you moved in for the attack.

Finally we decided to have a caller stay behind as we worked him coming off the meadow at daybreak. By doing this we could keep him interested and bugling as we stalked in closer. The caller always was no closer than 80 yards behind me. While the caller kept him occupied, I slid within 50 yards and gave him a G5 Tekan right behind the shoulder. This hunt was really a stalk, but the call and caller had a big part to do with his demise. Once we started quartering the bull up, we found a piece of an old arrow lodged just below the backstraps, so obviously someone had him in close before and gave the Prof and education, which explained why he was so wary.

The Double Team

As this old bull showed, hunting with a partner can work extremely well. It not only puts the hunter out in front of the call, but it gives the hunter a chance to move and adjust the angle based on where the bull might be ap­proaching. Likewise, the caller has the flexibility to move as well and apply a lot of different calling techniques.

This public land bull didn’t sound like much when he bugled, but he turned out to be a lot better of a bull when he responded to some subtle calling and snuck into 16 yards.

The double team plan worked again on another hunt. It had been hot and the bulls were only bugling early and late. As soon as the sun would rise the elk woods would turn in to a ghost town.

Just after daybreak on the fourth day of our hunt we heard this bull bugle. He hit it only two times, both very weak and he sounded like the littlest rag horn in the land but with no other game in town we went after him. Getting as close as pos­sible to where we thought the bugle came from I eased up and sat down by a pine stump while my buddy moved back and to my right about 40 yards. Neither of us were very optimistic about our chances. My buddy made one or maybe two very soft cow calls on a two reed diaphragm then he started raking a tree and rolled a few rocks. We sat there for possibly 10 minutes in silence, then out of nowhere appeared a wide 340 inch 6 x 6 coming directly to us, at 25 yards the bull let out a soft chuckle, looked over his surround­ing and kept walking in the direction of where the last rock had been rolled, which led him 16 steps from my pine stump. By now I was at full draw waiting for a broadside shot. When the arrow left my bow, I knew we had killed a call shy monster by keeping it low key and stay­ing patient. Needless to say, I was never convinced by the two times he had bugled earlier that he was a shooter. This was a lesson in itself. Never judge a bugle until you can see what is making the sound.

The most exciting way to bag a bull elk is to get him in close, and the best way to do that is with a call. Confidence in your call is critical, because if you’re insecure about using your call there is a good chance you will spook elk. Have confi­dence in your calling ability and become just another elk in the herd where you are hunting. Find a call that works for you and not what works for some else. Think like an elk and do as elk do. Real­ism, rhythm, and volume control can make the difference between bringin’ them in or running them over the next ridge. And remember its not always about calling, it can be just patiently listening to the sounds around you and applying minimal calls, while practicing good woodsmenship, and stalking skills that could help you put that monster on the back of the truck.

http://www.petersenshunting.com  

I never realize how time consuming filming for a TV show could be. As I watch the shows on the Sportsman’s channel and other hunting channels, I have always thought “It would be so cool to do what they are doing hunting all the time. I now realize it’s not quite as easy as it looks.

I never dreamt I would have the chance to be on a show and now that I am I have tons of stuff to work around.

As most of you know I have a two year old that I have to find a babysitter for, just to get out hunting. I also have to work around my husband Tom’s schedule, my partner Kale’s schedule, Joe’s schedule (my camera guy), his wife’s schedule and their kids’ schedules! Sometimes it is a miracle when all things align and we actually get out into the stand.

All in all it has still been a really fun season with some great footage. Hope you all join us this season on the Sportsman’s channel for the Battle of the B.O.W the end of Dec. We will be on Tuesday nights at 7:30 CT. If you haven’t done so also join us on www.wisconsinoutdoorsnetwork.com and add Team HuntingLife as a friend. Then you can vote for us once the show starts!

Find more videos like this on Wisconsin Outdoors Network

REVOLUTIONARY TEAM HUNTRESS OUTDOOR ADVENTURE CLINIC

COMBINES OUTDOOR INSTRUCTION WITH THE PAMPERING WOMEN LOVE

Just because a woman wants to learn outdoors skills doesn’t mean she wants to stop being a woman. That’s why Team Huntress created the Outdoor Adventure Clinic, a revolutionary three-day event that caters to women who want to learn or expand on their outdoor skills while enjoying beautiful accommodations, spa treatments and the camaraderie of like-minded women.

Following the resounding success of its inaugural Outdoor Adventure Clinic for women June 12-14 at the Pheasant Phun/OJ Bar Ranch in Hitchcock, S.D., Team Huntress has announced plans for its second clinic to be held at the beautiful Buffalo County Outfitters in Mondovi, Wisconsin Aug. 21 -22 - 23. 2009.

The Outdoor Adventure Clinic offers training in archery, firearms, wildlife photography, gear and survival skills from the expert Team Huntress staff of prominent women hunters while a team of clinicians offers the kind of pampering women love: massages, facials, foot rubs, nature walks and wine tasting.

Because the majority of the teaching staff is female, the environment is particularly welcoming for women who are interested in learning outdoor skills, but intimidated by the overwhelmingly male nature of the shooting sports. Team Huntress understands that women want and need a supportive and pleasant environment for learning - no ribbing about missed shots, no competitive bravado, no substandard accommodations that make a woman cringe.

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.

The Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic is the ideal gift, whether it’s a woman treating herself to something she deserves, or an outdoorsman who’s been looking for a way to bring his wife, daughter or girlfriend into the lifestyle he loves.

Team Huntress Wisconsin Outdoor Adventure Clinic

Empowering Women for Outdoor Success

DATE: August 20. 21, 22,& 23, 2009

 SPACE IS LIMITED: Only 20 Participants; Call today!

LOCATION: Buffalo County Outfitters, Mondovi, WI 54738  

FOR: Women ages 18 and over who want to learn or expand their outdoor skills 

BY: Team Huntress, an expert staff of prominent women hunters and outdoor enthusiast including Terri Lee Pocernich Camp Wild Girls, Kirstie Pike Prois Hunting Apparel, Barbara Baird the Women’s Outdoor News, Stacey and “Hawk” Huston A Focus in the Wild, Holly Heyser NorCal Cazadora, Jane Keller Team Huntress

 INSTRUCTION: Archery, firearms, gear, wildlife photography  

SPA SERVICES: Massage, facials, foot rubs, nature walk, wine tasting

ACCOMMODATIONS: 2-3 women per room, 5 full bathrooms, spacious great room

TRAVEL: Mondovi is 25 miles south of Eau Claire, 1 hour and ½ from MSP airport; pick-up and drop-off will be offered on the 20th & 23 if August. 

COST: $995 - includes instruction, meals, spa treatment, gifts from sponsors (clothing, skin care, and food), lodging and transport two and from airport for those who fly in. 

SHOPPING: Women’s hunting apparel from Prois, Camp Wild Girls will be available for purchase at discount Team Huntress rates. The Team Huntress camp store will be open.

# # #

CONTACT: Team Huntress founder Jane Keller, jane.keller@yahoo.com, 605-450-0931

I often see hunters, that wait until their children are “old enough”, to take them out in the woods. I feel this is a big mistake. My kids went with from us from day 1.

I have never let having little ones stop me from enjoying the great outdoors. I just adapt to bringing the child in the woods. For me this often means bringing the diaper bag along with snacks and drinks and toys to keep the little one busy.

My youngest, has been riding with us in the Rhino, to check deer stands and enjoy nature, since she was 2 months old. We buckle her car seat right into the ATV. She loves riding through the woods and seeing all of the things in the outdoors.

Children love to explore and see all the things in the woods. Touching the leaves and climbing the rocks, looking at the sky and clouds, and especially seeing all the animals with them is such a blast.  On our rides or walks will often see deer, birds, turkeys, mice, snakes, and occasionally a bear. Little kids get so excited when they see animals. We can teach them right at this point, that we have to be quiet or we will scare the animals.

My older kids were always in the woods playing in the woods. (For those that don’t know me, I had 3 kids in 3 ½ yrs, and then 19 ½ yrs later, had one more.) They even came back to the house with what they thought was a great big set of “sheds”. They were absolutely ecstatic at their priceless find! You couldn’t wipe the smiles off of those beaming little faces!

In reality, it was my first 10 point buck. A bear had stolen the rack and scull a couple of weeks earlier from the top of the old truck. They happily chopped the scull in half with their little hatchet, making it easier to carry, and brought it to me announcing… “Mom, mom, look at these sheds we found!” to which I sadly sighed and answered. “Good find kids, but sheds don’t have the sculls attached!” Oh well, they thought themselves pretty cool, and I would never have had it back if they hadn’t found it!

As they grew older we started taking them with us hunting. It was usually a frustrating yet rewarding day, when we would take one or two of them with us. (One per adult) Those of you, that have taken kids with you, know exactly what I mean. Children don’t have much of an attention span and usually get bored easily. Holding still, well that is almost impossibility.

I remember having my oldest daughter with on the stand one time (we group hunt, stand one drive one). I had her sitting slightly behind me next to a tree. I was trying to minimize her movement and desperately hoping that she might even fall asleep. First came the breaking of the logs. Ok they were little twigs, but they sound mighty big when you want the cherub to be quiet.

I told her, “be quiet and sit still”. She replied, “I can’t see.” So I answered back, “Alright stand up very slowly and quietly so you can see”. Of course she jumped up quickly and not so quietly.

I waited and watched, even knowing nothing would be coming my way. There was still a lot of movement behind me. I whispered again very sternly this time, emphasizing each word, “What, is, wrong? To which she replied, “I still can’t see!” At this point I turned around to see what was going on. There she was, with her orange stocking cap pulled clear down over her eyes, and moving her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder!

Now this story would be really very comical, if she had been four, but she was twelve (ok it is still funny). I was really not amused, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I realized at that moment that it didn’t really matter. There would be other chances to see deer, and that that day was about learning and having fun together and fun we had. (We did however have a discussion later about the importance of being quiet and staying still while hunting.)

Things like this are going to happen when you take kids into the woods, they are just learning and exploring. Like any other skill, while they are being introduced to kids need to, and will make mistakes! How we respond to those mistakes will determine if our kids continue hunting or not. Our attitude is everything!

I have seen kids that have not been in the woods much when they were young and when they finally are allowed to go it is very hard for child, as well as their parents because they have not been taught how to act in the woods. It is much easier to teach them when they are young. I have also seen kids that were brought into the woods very early, and those kids are as comfortable in the woods as any experienced hunter. Sometimes they even teach me a thing or two! It makes a huge difference.

Is it easy to take kids into the woods? No, absolutely not. I am not saying you have to take them every time.  No, there are definitely times when it is not appropriate. As parents we know our kids and what they can handle, but don’t leave them out just because it is easier for you.  They are our future and it is well worth the hard work, taking them with when they are young. You will teach them skills that will last a lifetime and build memories that will amuse you forever!

Monday was just one of those days. You know the kind I am talking about. You get up in the morning and wish you hadn’t!

The day started out with the typical Monday morning flurry of phone calls. Now Tali, is not a very patient two year old (patient 2 year old would be an oxy-moron), and she wanted her breakfast right now. So we got her made her some “wheat”, (maple flavored cream of wheat) and got her settled into the highchair. The whole time, I was speaking to a potential product sponser, with the phone tucked into my shoulder, as I so often do.

At this point I was no longer giving my cherub my full attention. I continued talking with the gentleman, as Tali was making raspberry sounds with her “wheat” in the background. I am most certain that the potential sponser was thouroughly impressed by my professional ablility, to completely ignore what was going on, in the background.

As I was finishing that conversation, I heard, “Uh Oh mommy, mess!” You guessed it “wheat all over her, her hair, the highchair, wall and floor! No problem, I can handle this! I take another phone call while I clean up the sticky mess, put child into the tub, and answer questions for a potential client.

Wow, I think I am doing great, until I heard that sweet innocent voice announce, “Uh Oh, momma, poop…float!” to which the client bursts out laughing, while I am apologizing profusely and asking him if I can call him back in a couple of minutes! I am sure he was also impressed with my professional manor!

O.K. dry off the rug-rat, get diaper on, get her dressed and clean out the tub. Throw the new birthday movie, into the VCR we are good to go for a while. I finished the call with the client who was very understanding and quite amused.  The morning finished pretty smoothly.

Lunch went by, pretty uneventfully too and lulled me into a temporary but peaceful existence. It is now naptime for Tali and I am excited to get back to my work! With her asleep I can really accomplish something, without being interrupted to go monster dance or stack blocks only to knock them back down.

Day is looking better and then…unexpected company shows up! I now have to entertain, because her husband dropped her off for a visit! (I am at home all day anyway, Lol)

No big deal, I will work later this afternoon! Two hour naptime is over, the company is still here, and the phone is still ringing! Frazzled is beginning to take on a whole new meaning! Finally, company returns home and we eat supper, a very uneventful boring supper! (I like it).

Hubby calls from out of town, and during the course of the conversation says “You, really need to get a ‘real job’!” (If this isn’t real honey, get me out of this dream! Lol) Now, I know what he meant was, that I should get paid for what I do, but on that particular day, in my state of mind, his choice of words could have been a little bit better chosen!

Loosing my patience fast, I know it is time to go outside, shoot the bow and blow off a little steam! Shooting my bow always makes me feel better! It’s a beautiful calm evening and Tali and I go outside. She is playing so nicely on the deck, and as I unzip the case I hear that sweet little voice saying once again…Uh Oh mommy…mess! I look inside my bow case and she has hit it right on. Mess.

A critter had chewed its way through the nylon zipper of the case and made a nest inside. I gingerly removed the unoccupied nest and took my bow out to examine it. Wouldn’t you know it, those dirty little mice had chewed my sting, which was now unsafe to shoot.

I just sat down and started laughing. Tali and I laughed until she got the hiccups. I guess the site of mommy loosing it was quite amusing to her! My dad always told me…”cheer up things could get worse,…and sure enough you cheered up, and they got worse”.

We finally decided to go inside and get ready for bed, knowing that the next day would be better. As I started to drift off to sleep, I could smell the unmistakable odor of our former, under-the-garage occupants. Can you believe it, the skunks were returning home after being gone for weeks!