This is NOT a Moose Hunt-It’s Practice!

          It has been a few months since my last blog.  It is because I have been angelically behaving myself.  Should you be laughing, I so had a hard time typing that sentence with a straight face!  BUT, I have been denying you all with a read describing my first ever hunting experience in the fall of 2014!  First, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  I am uncertain if it is because I got to spend so much alone-time with my bestest (it’s an industry term) friend in the whole-wide world OR because we laughed so much; perhaps, a mixture of both.

One of the early mornings out, we arrived to an area we used for scanning for white-tails.  As we patiently waited for the sun to peek over the horizon, Jim tended to his hunting forums on his cell phone while I settled down for a quick morning investigation of my eye-lids.  Apparently, Mother-Nature decided she would see what kind of hunter I would become and what kind of weather I could tolerate for my first time ever hunting adventure.  I think she was hoping to break me early by throwing out a variety of weather obstacles.  Within seconds of parking, the radio reported, “Wind speeds are to reach 100 + miles an hour.”  Pffttt-wind!  Is that all you got Mother-Nature?  With this being reported, we basically woke-up to take our truck for a ride, allowing it to test out the supply of energy we recently supplied him with!  Dratz!

Next, Mother-Nature decided she would put down some of the most gorgeous, freshest, yet crunchiest snow to assist me with quietly stalking my potential harvest not just one day but multiple mornings and/or late afternoons.  Pfftt-snow!  I am NOT afraid to dress in multiple layers of clothing, to think warm thoughts, and/or to turn up the heater in the vehicle.  This woman grew-up in a place referred to as, “The Ice Box 0f the Nation” (This is a factual industry term; I highly advise you to Google it).    

During my first time hunting experience, I learned a lot.  Such as, snow despite it being fresh, or gorgeous, or crunchy that crap is slippery especially when climbing, straight-up-vertical!  Luckily for me, my hero was behind me and was able to stop me, with rifle in hand, from falling to my death.  AND as a double-bonus, my sailor comments were kept to a minimum-UGH!!

Additional learning solidified the idea that I have a Kindergartner mind!  My attention span is overly sharpened ONLY and I repeat ONLY when there is white-tail spotting.  Otherwise, I am contemplating in my head a variety of scenarios that potentially could occur when having in my possession some duct tape, a gum wrapper (metal kind of course), string, and a paper clip…McGuyver has NOTHING on me when it comes to ingenuity! 

Last in-depth learning I experienced, I should never double-dog-dare my hunting partner with shooting the occasional predator like a raccoon.  Then, additionally encourage him to take it home so we can boil the skull, keeping it as a show-and-tell item!  Though, the results of it are so freaking cool:
  

Double-dog-dare!

The finished product!

  Although, I didn't get the biggest of the herd, I definitely had THE BEST TIME:  laughing, double-dog-daring, and enjoying being outside with my husband and occasionally with our girls.

Show-off!

King of the hills!

Who's is Who's?!?