Looking back at the pictures, I still can’t believe that we actually saw the Taj Mahal. That beautiful and unusual structure gracing National Geographic publications, making cameos in movies, popping up in geography textbooks, and occasionally appearing in history books.
But it was real, and it was incredible. I think it may be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life (and it will probably remain that way!).
Before turning in for the night at Agra Fort, we snuck down to the backside of the Taj for some pictures and a little sneak peek at what our next tour would have in store. Even from here, there was something mysterious and beautiful about the glowing building across the river from us.
The Taj was much further away than it looks; it’s just that big!
We woke up before the sun could stretch over the horizon and headed to the Taj Mahal under cover of darkness. Sunrise was supposed to be one of the best times to go because there weren’t as many people, and you could supposedly see it “glow”. I was a little skeptical about something built of out of marble in the 1500’s glowing in the dark, but I was excited to see it.
We entered from on of the main gates and were taken aback by the difference in architecture between the Taj and Agra Fort; it was like everything we had seen at the fort, but more. More ornate, more special, more perfect.
Nothing could prepare me for when we walked into the main part of the gardens. The early morning haze made it look almost like a ghost hanging over the reflecting pools and gardens.
This was looking back towards the gate we walked through
Sometimes, I just can’t believe it was real. It was too beautiful.
Here are some quick facts about the Taj Mahal before I just spam this post with pictures:
Emperor Shah Jahan built it for his favorite wife, the Empress Mumtaz Mahal; it took 17 years and 20,000 artisans to build.
The white marble is incredibly rare! It “glows” in the light and is incredibly durable. In the sunrise and sunset hours, it sometimes appears to change colors.
Originally, they were going to build a mirror image mausoleum in black marble for Shah Jahan; in a Game of Thrones-like moment, his sons overthrew him and he spent the rest of his life under house arrest at Agra Fort. When he died, he was fittingly buried at the Taj Mahal with his beloved wife.
The Taj was built to completely symmetrical; symmetry was a key component of its design.
Gemstones were inlaid into the marble in patterns very similar to those at Agra Fort. When the sun hits them just right, they glitter!
The tomb is actually underneath the main area of the inside of the Taj Mahal; they open it to visitors one day per year, the anniversary of her death. (We missed it by about 2 weeks!)
A mosque and a guesthouse flank the mausoleum. Though they have different purposes, they were built to look identical.
Interesting, right? I want to read to much more about this time and place in history after visiting Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal; the people and the relics they left behind have captured my imagination!
It was so incredible to see all of the details up close. It was already a wonder from far away, but as more details emerged up close, it kind of left me speechless. We have nothing even close to this in the United States and it was humbling to see something so ancient and so beautiful.
Unfortunately, it was forbidden to take pictures inside the mausoleum. But I’m the pictures above, you can see all of the inlay detail; imagine it everywhere! In the smallest details, all over the walls in every direction… it took my breath away.
And as we slowly descended down the steps leading away from the gleaming marble structure, the sun’s rays glinted off of turquoise, lapis, coral, carnelian, malachite, and amethyst inlaid in the side of the guest house. As if the Taj wanted to give us one more little show before we left her for the next part of our journey.
I’m still at a loss for words about how it felt to walk along the gardens below the spires of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
Maybe that is the qualification to become a “Wonder” of the world; that you fill people with such wonder, they don’t have the words to describe what they’ve seen and how it makes them feel.
With her dying breaths, Shah Jahan’s greatest love asked him for two promises. One, that he would be kind and loving towards their children and wouldn’t separate them.
Two, that he would build something the world had never seen before.
And so he did; the greatest shrine to love ever built.
When we landed in Delhi, it felt immediately different from Amsterdam. The hazy skies gave a smoky sheen to the skyline and the air felt heavy in my lungs. We had traded chilly, rainy winter for something that felt more like home with humidity and warmth in the air.
Our time in Delhi was short, though; after meeting up with two other friends for breakfast, our little crew began the trek to our first stop on our tour of the Golden Triangle of India; Agra.
It only took a moment on the road for us to realize just how different India was going to be from anything we had ever known; it’s not everyday in the United States that you pass a herd of cows barging through traffic like they own the place!
A smoggy sunrise in DelhiDelhi’s Cricket stadium!There was so much color!The only Starbucks I remember seeing!Just one of many beautiful wedding venuesI loved the gate and lettering!
For my outdoors enthusiasts out there, it was on the first day as we traveled to Agra that we saw our first native Indian nilgai! They waited in the fields along the highway, nearly hidden in the crops and grasses growing there. Who would’ve thought that this South Texan’s first sighting of a nilgai would be halfway across the world in India! My only regret is that we couldn’t get our cameras up fast enough to snap a picture!
At first glance, Agra felt like another Delhi as we entered. That is, until you caught a glimpse of the ghostly form of the Taj Mahal in the distance, a hazy yet familiar shape hovering in the skyline.
But we wouldn’t venture to the Taj Mahal quite yet; that would be our final stop in Agra in the early hours at sunrise.
Today, we would see the home of the Empress who inspired the Taj and the Emperor who built it for her; Agra Fort. Built in the 1500’s by the Mughal kings, the enormous fort is still used by Indian military today. Our tour guide shrugged when he explained that we would only get to see 30% of the entire fort, but we didn’t know at the time that 30% was a lot of fort to see!
As we walked through the enormous gates, I suddenly felt so small; this structure had been here 500 years, and it would probably still be here for centuries after I was long gone. I had never had the sensation of being around something so ancient and it was a really unusual feeling.
Once we walked through the main gates, we came to the outside of the palace, surrounded by manicured lawns and flower beds.
In the third picture, this was a bath that was actually found in the courtyard. It was HUGE! (They’re not entirely sure how it ended up there!)
In the last picture, you can see a smaller arch above the large one at the ground level. The Emperor would ride the elephants up the ramped path you saw up above and would dismount the elephant in that small archway, where his lovely Empress would be waiting to greet him. Literally an elephant door!
The fort has an interesting mix of Indo Islamic architecture You can see the Taj Mahal from one of the terraces!
As we walked through the archway above, I gasped audibly. We walked into a courtyard for the White Marble Palace and it was pretty incredible to behold. It was built by Shah Jahan for his chief wives.
This was my favorite part of the entire Agra Fort, honestly!
In some of the pictures above, you might have noticed the darker colored designs on the walls; those are actually carved into the walls and used to hold gemstone inlay! As the fort was conquered again and again through history, people pried out the gemstones until there were none left.
The pictures below are of an area that still has almost all of its gemstones inlayed on the walls, and it has been cordoned off so the gemstones will remain untouched.
If you think this is impressive, wait until you see the same kind of work on the Taj Mahal!
Next, we came out into an area that was reserved for all of the women in the harem; they could shop and sell goods to each other, like a “ladies only” market. Only the Emperor and a few select servants could go there.
This is also where Shah Jahan would’ve met the woman to inspire the Taj Mahal!
From there, we entered the pavilion and courtyard where they held the royal audiences. It was truly a beautiful place!
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we walked through only 30% of this enormous fort that was built before America was even discovered. How many people walked those same steps? How many times has someone gazed over those same gardens in wonder? How many times has someone leaned against the open window to get a better view of the Taj Mahal?
Again, I couldn’t help but feel so small beside this ancient structure that had endured over time. I just couldn’t imagine anything coming close to the experience we had ending the day among the spires of Agra Fort, even the Taj Mahal.
You’ll have to stay tuned for the next blog post to find out!
I took a little break from my blog for a couple of weeks while my husband and I set off on a grand adventure; traveling around the entire planet in ten days. We only had 2 stops planned, but the idea of completely traveling east from Houston until we ran back into Houston just seemed too wild of an opportunity to miss!
The itinerary was simple; we’d spend an extended layover (2 days) in Amsterdam on our way to India. Once we landed in Delhi, we would travel through the Golden Triangle of India and end our trip celebrating with our friend and his fiancé at their wedding.
As excited as we were for this trip, I don’t think either of us were truly prepared for the experience ahead of us.
But I’m getting ahead of myself; our grand adventure around the world started along the chilly canals of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Why Amsterdam? Because I’m very Dutch. I grew listening to my Grandpa Roorda telling stories about his family coming over from the Netherlands and settling in a Dutch community in Pella, Iowa. He told me everything it was to be Dutch, how proud he was to be Dutch, and taught me so much about our heritage.
Amsterdam was about halfway between Houston and India, so it was a great place for us to enjoy while acclimating to a new time zone. As soon as we got on the plane, I’ll never forget my husband, Court, looking between me and the Dutch flight attendant in surprise. When she walked away, he looked at me and said, “you really are Dutch; she could’ve been your sister!” This would be one of many times that people on our trip thought I was 100% Dutch.
We landed in Amsterdam at about 7:00am Dutch time on February 18th and we wasted no time getting to the hotel and hitting the streets. Our hotel, the Die Port van Cleve, was situated about a block from Dam Square, the central square in the historic district; we were easily within walking distance of the Anne Frank House, Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam (the Royal Palace of Amsterdam), the Oude Kirk, and tons of canals and historic buildings.
We started the day with a mandatory coffee while configuring a plan for our first day, which turned into explore everything within walking distance. In case you were wondering, a mocha in a Dutch coffee house is probably the sweetest, chocolatiest mocha you’ll ever drink (also, be warned that a “coffee shop” in Amsterdam refers to a very different establishment, which we did not partake in while we were there…). Mellie’s, just outside our hotel, was also known for their stroop waffles; if you ever travel to Amsterdam, you’ve got to try them at least once.
After some caffeination, we walked through the Dam Square and pretty much walked until we couldn’t walk anymore.
This is the Royal Palace in Dam SquareAnother view of Dam SquareThe canals were lined with these beautiful historic buildings!I’ve never seen anything like it!Closer detail of the architecture of the Royal PalaceAnother canal view!A little Dutch coffee to start our adventure!
At lunch time, we got some good intel from our hotel concierge on some local fare. Lunch varies in America, but most of us probably eat something savory. Our concierge informed us that a common Dutch lunch was pancakes, waffles, or tomato soup with grilled cheese. So we headed down to Pancakes near the Anne Frank House for some standard lunch pancakes.
This was where I recognized a dish for the first time on our trip; poffertjes. Growing up, we took a few trips here and there to Pella, Iowa to celebrate Tulip Time and spend time with family. Whenever we visited, we made a point of enjoying some poffertjes from a local joint that made authentic Dutch street food. Back then, I couldn’t imagine anything better than these little fried pancakes topped with butter and powdered sugar.
Apparently, not all poffertjes are made equal. Sorry, Pella family; the ones in Amsterdam are just on another level!
Left: Court with our poffertjes! Right: a savory pancake for lunch! It had bacon, onion, and mushrooms.
After a quick nap to reenergize and allow our lunch to settle, we set back out for a canal tour through the city. They took us around to see many different museums, historic homes, points of interest, and included a lot of historic anecdotes about the city. We even passed a home that had been built in 1590; and yes, someone was still living there!
We finished off our day of exploring with a couple of Dutch brews and a charcuterie board of local sausage and cheeses. I’m a little ashamed to admit that I didn’t know the Dutch were known for their cheese, and it was good enough that my non-cheese-eating husband was a fan.
20,000 steps through Amsterdam on our first day brought so many sights and experiences that I had only dreamt of, and we still had another day ahead of us!
Day 2: Windmills, Cheese, Clogs, and Islands
Our second day in Amsterdam started early as we picked our way through the quiet streets to meet up with our tour guide and bus. We quickly boarded the bus and headed to the outskirts of the city to Zaanse Schans (sounds like “zohn schons”).
We saw the windmills long before the bus stopped in the parking lot of the picturesque little village. After a quick explanation from our tour guide, we were free to explore the windmills and village for about 40 minutes before boarding the bus again.
Windmills!There was water everywhere. Here was a small canal.More canals!More windmills!Up close with the windmill we got to tour inside!Close up! The top of the windmill was made of thatch.More canals! These helped keep water out of the fields and flowed towards the larger canals.Did I mention there were windmills?One more!The inside of the windmill! This one still made dyes!
Our next stop, and probably my favorite, was the medieval village of Edam (sounds like “ay-dohm). This little village was full of homes even older than those in Amsterdam! They even had an old bell tower from a church that had long since been torn down and replaced by an even bigger one at the edge of town. Our guide was quick to point out that the Dutch were efficient and practical about building on their swampy delta land, and this village was no exception.
The streets of Edam!Canals in Edam!The streets and alleys and were super narrow; you could tell they’d been around for awhile!Cobblestones cobblestones everywhere!Close up of some of the brick on one of the houses we passedThis was the lone clock tower; it was actually leaning! Also, the bells on the outside are unique!The homes here were shaped very differently from AmsterdamAnother street viewMore narrow streets and alleywaysThe big church! It’s a relic from the Reformation; you can see the pedestals where statues of saints were removed when the Netherlands became Protestant.
From there, we got to learn about Dutch cheese and the wooden clogs! The cheese shop we visited explained how cheese was made and how the same cheese could taste different depending on the age; I never knew there was young, middle-aged, and old cheese! We also got to watch one of the few people who knew how to make the wooden clogs by hand create a small pair of clogs. I didn’t buy any, but apparently they’re good for posture and lower back pain!
As for the cheese, we got to sample at least 12 different types and I think my husband likes cheese now!
For lunch, we visited the waterside town of Volendam (sounds like “vull-ihn-dohm”). It looks just like you might imagine a little Dutch village overlooking the water; and although it might look like the sea, this body of water is freshwater! When they built the dikes to protect the town, the water of Markermeer Lake slowly turned from salt to fresh.
After walking the cobblestone streets (and deftly avoiding some cars and bikes!), we stopped at a restaurant highly recommended by our guide. Our hostess sat about 10 of us down at a table together and stared us down as we quickly had to decide between the fish and the chicken (though, as she recommended tersely, the fish was best!). Bowing to peer pressure, we each ordered fish and awkwardly started introducing ourselves. Over a meal of amazing fried fish, potatoes and salad, we bonded with people from Minnesota, Scotland, Singapore, and London. You just never know who you’re going to meet when you hop into a tour bus!
Markermeer Lake from the top of the dike!Walking along the dike into the portStrolling through the port! We had to dodge the occasional car lolThe Halve Maen; you can take tours, but we didn’t have timeMore port views in VolendamIt was beautiful!These wafels were Insta-ready!Court made a new friend!
Last, but not least, we drove around Markermeer Lake into Marken, an island village. We walked around the village along a dike, shocked to see that the water level on one side of the dike was much higher than the homes and businesses on the other side. We learned a lot about the ever present threat to the Dutch way of life: the water.
Ever since people settled in the Netherlands, the water has challenged them in the same way that it challenges New Orleans in Louisiana. The windmills, dikes, and canals that have made the Netherlands famous were all designed to pump out the water, protect homes, and reclaim land. With rising sea levels, the new challenge is learning to keep the water out and/or live with it. In fact, one of the cheese we tasted near Edam was made from milk taken from a floating dairy farm.The Dutch have dairy farms that float.I can’t even make this up!!
The Beatrix Bridge and all others in Marken are named after Dutch royaltyDifferent cobblestones!The homes here were very different than other villages.Most of the buildings here were built on stilts, much like the island buildings back home!All the buildings were painted with marine-grade paint for extra protection.So much of Marken reminded me of the island in Corpus Christi! Less pastel, more freshwater.Just another view!Some Dutch signs for you!
As we walked the streets full of electric cars, bikes, and a noticeable lack of one-use plastic, it all made sense. They strive to protect the environment so they can protect their way of life, and I can see how someday, electric cars could make a difference here, too. I don’t think the technology is there yet, but as someone who loves nature, I think there is definitely promise.
After our tour, we grabbed some souvenirs and ended our time in Amsterdam with another brew and charcuterie at our favorite Dutch pub. (Okay, the only Dutch pub we visited!)
Final Thoughts
On Monday morning, we packed our bags and prepared to leave. I looked out over the city one more time from our hotel room and felt this sadness deep in the pit of my stomach. While eating the food, meeting the people, and seeing the land with my own eyes, I felt more connected to my family’s heritage than ever. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt Dutch.
But when I looked back at the top of the Royal Palace and thought about how long that incredible building had stood there, I realized something. Amsterdam had been here long before I had ever set foot on her cobblestoned streets, and she would be here long after.
The sun setting over Amsterdam one more time before we left.
I think I could write a book about our short time in Amsterdam, it was such an incredible experience! This was my first crossing one of the oceans to travel, my first time in Europe, and my first time in a country that spoke a language other than Spanish or English. Wow. I will leave you with a few other anecdotes and thoughts about our time in Amsterdam:
There are a lot more canals than we expected, even knowing there were supposed to be a lot of canals!
I didn’t know that the Dutch were known for their cheese, and I have to say it was probably the best cheese I’ve had!
The Dutch seem to love their sweets! The poffertjes are truly delicious.
I was initially hoping to find an authentic Dutch Letter (this is a pastry I love from the bakery in Pella!) but I’m also kind of relieved because they won’t be ruined for me!
Stroop waffles are worth the hype. Most definitely.
It takes a minute to get used to where the road and walkways are; the electric cars are silent, but they’ll try not to run you over. The bikes, on the other hand, will kill you.
There are bikes everywhere. Everywhere.
People leave their curtains open; Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans, Edam, Volendam, and Marken. Our tour guide said they kind of operate under the idea that “good citizens have nothing to hide”; maybe there’s something to it.
You’re probably wondering about the Red Light District, and we accidentally wandered into it the second night! It’s mostly bars and clubs, and the famous red lit windows seem concentrated around the Oude Kirk (the old church!) of all places…
Our tour guide mentioned that while he was living in Amsterdam (he was originally from New Jersey!), he learned that culturally the Dutch could be very direct. Not rude, just a little more direct than we were used to in America. We wouldn’t experience this until we were trying to track down our luggage in Delhi, when a Dutch passenger would tell me where she had found her suitcases and that if I would “just look at the screens above the carousel; it says it right there!” (It did not say it on the screens lol.)
Two days was not enough time for us to see everything we wanted to see, but it was just enough time for us to know that we will definitely be coming back someday!
When you hunt on a deer ranch in Texas, there really aren’t too many unexpected creatures that might wander up to the feeder.
You’ve got your whitetail deer, of course. A small herd of wild hogs might bowl through the bushes and massacre the corn at the feeder. You could also be visited by a handful of sneaky little raccoons, or gobbling wild turkeys. In a rare moment, a spotted bobcat might even saunter past your stand. The coyotes may not show themselves, but you wouldn’t surprised to hear them barking at each other in the shelter of the thick mesquite trees.
But an Axis deer? Or a nilgai? A big spotted deer or giant, dark grey elk-looking animal with tiny horns probably wouldn’t be on your radar.
And yet… these exotics are slowly making their place in the South Texas ecosystem.
We’ve encountered just a handful of axis deer while deer hunting, and it’s truly amazing how foreign they seemed grazing on the same corn as the whitetail around them. Next week, my husband and I will (hopefully!) have the unique opportunity to see them and the other honorary Texan exotics in their original habitat in India!
Don’t mind me, just nerding out about large game animals over here…
So before our trip, I thought it would be neat to look into the three common native Indian species that have found a new home in my home, Texas.
Axis Deer
Ever since I got into hunting, I have dreamed of someday harvesting an axis deer. With their unusual antlers, smattering of white spots, and chestnut coloring, they are truly a unique animal to behold in North America! They’re native to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and were originally brought to Texas in the 1930’s as a new game meat. Since then, small groups have escaped captivity and established themselves in the warm wilds of Texas, particularly in the Hill Country and South!
There is no exact rutting season for axis deer, so you’ll see many bucks in different stages throughout the year; some in velvet, some antlerless, and others ready to go! I can also say from experience that axis deer meat tastes slightly different from our native whitetail venison… dare I say… better?
Since they’re considered an exotic, you can hunt them year round at any game ranch with a population on their property; there are many reputable ranches scattered throughout Texas if you’d like to see one up close!
Most people can’t agree on how to pronounce this one… but we can all agree that they’re incredible animals to behold. A strange cross between an elk and a horse, they tower over the softly waving grasses of Coastal South Texas like otherworldly creatures. The bulls will range from a chestnut brown to a nearly blue-grey hue as they age (they’re affectionately known as “blue bulls”!). Despite their imposing size, they have small horns and flash unusual markings and stripes on their hides. They were also brought to Texas in the 1930’s to the King Ranch along the coast, where they quickly acclimated to the humid weather.
Like the axis deer, they’re considered an exotic in Texas and can easily be found on game ranches in the southern part of the state. Come check out one of the most unique large game animals you’ll find in North America!
Of all the exotic species you might see while driving past the numerous high fence ranches in our area, this was the first one I’ve ever seen in person! Almost every time we make the short trek to the family ranch, we pass a high fence on the way with a front yard full of blackbuck. It’s typically an all ladies’ party, but we’ve seen a wildly horned buck a time or two, as well. It was one of the first moments that exotics truly captured my imagination.
Though not as common, another native Indian species on game ranches throughout South Texas is the Blackbuck! Original to India and Pakistan, they were released in the 1930’s on the Edwards Plateau as an alternative game animal. This animal definitely looks like it non-native with its curling horns and tiny, compact body. The bucks are black in color while the does sport a brighter shade of copper.
Like other exotics in Texas, they don’t breed during a specific time of year and can be hunted year round on game ranches, especially in the Edwards Plateau region!
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably noticed a common trait between these three animals; they’re typically found on private ranches with plenty of opportunities to hunt them year round. So if you find yourself a little bit curious about axis deer, nilgai, blackbuck, or any other number of exotic animals that have found their way into Texas, you might need to take a little visit to our great state and check it out for yourself!
As for me and my husband, we are so excited to travel to India to see them in their true native habitat, where the only shooting that will be done is with my iPhone 8 camera.
This deer season felt and looked very different from those in the past.
Instead of social media feeds filled with the typical “grip-n-grin” photos of bucks with enormous racks under the colorful autumn trees, my feed was oddly quiet. Trail cameras full of photos of target deer in the past were unusually empty.
As the season wore on, the general reaction wavered from “Wow, I’m having terrible luck this year!” to, “Is anyone else struggling this deer season?”
The short answer: yes. Across the board with my online connections around North America, this was an unusually tough year for whitetail deer season. Mature bucks from years past had mysteriously vanished; bucks left to grow up a little from last season didn’t seem to grow at all. Even the does seemed a little less active.
What happened?!
I’m no scientist or biologist, and definitely not a deer expert by any means. But at least in South Texas, we’ve been a little suspicious about the drought this past summer. The drought this summer was one of the worst I’ve ever experienced in my life; here on the coast, we went almost two months with 0 rain. Literally 0 inches of rain.
A lot of plant life in our area was practically roasted by constant unimpeded sunlight, 100% humidity, and no rain over the hottest part of the year. I can only imagine what must have happened to the wildlife that relied on the same rain for food and water.
I’ve decided to blame abominable nutrition and extreme weather conditions for the difficulties of this deer season. It’s a tough pill to swallow sometimes, but even people that are as connected to nature as we hunters/anglers are need to be reminded that Mother Nature doesn’t follow any rules but her own.
It seemed like all the bucks were just really young this year! Hopefully with a little more rain, he’ll be bigger and stronger next season!
I guess the lesson in this situation is that if you have the means to support your deer population with good nutrition and water sources, you should do it! It may mean the difference between a healthy herd and decimation.
There’s another lesson in all of this, too. With our freezer a little emptier than we’d like, I can’t help but feel grateful that we got one deer at all! It’s not that we don’t feel grateful for what we have, we just get used to living a certain way.
Has your electricity ever gone out? Not even during a storm or blizzard, when the implications of no electricity can be truly terrifying; in the middle of an afternoon over a weekend, when you were hoping to catch up on your favorite tv shows or vacuum the house. Suddenly, we don’t know what to do with ourselves; how did we ever survive without electricity?! And when it comes back on, you heave a sigh of relief and enjoy every second of electric lights, your tv, and the ability to easily clean your house with the vacuum.
But after a few hours, you’ll probably forget what it was like to live shortly without electricity.
I feel the same about deer hunting, sometimes. When you’re used to harvesting several deer a season, including a few nice bucks, it’s easy to forget what it was like when you didn’t enjoy so much success. When you were thrilled to even see a deer, much less harvest one. When you were thrilled to have a single deer in the freezer at all. We become a little complacent in our gratitude, and we forget how truly special it is to harvest an animal to feed your family.
Tough seasons like this are the brutal reminder that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to nature. No matter what the guide or ranch promises, there’s just no way to 100% guarantee what will happen when you set out into the woods.
This is the reality check that will make a good year that much sweeter. It’s all relative, and unfortunately, you can’t enjoy the highs without a few lows here and there.
I am still so beyond grateful that this doe walked out back in November!
So if you had a tough deer season this year, know that you’re not alone! And I hope that this experience will make next season that much better.
Until then, let’s go get our hearts broken during turkey season!
What is it about deer hunting that seems to bring out the turkeys?
One minute, you’re sitting in your stand, gazing around the sendero through your binoculars at any movement or remotely deer-shaped shadow in the brush; the next, a flock of jabbering turkeys trots into the pasture like a pack of smaller, less toothy velociraptors.
They poke around the corn, strutting their stuff, puffing up their feathers, and flapping their striped wings like they know they’re beautiful. And to be fair, they are.
For several years, when my husband, Court, would take us deer hunting, I would groan a little bit when a bunch of clucking hens would wander under the feeder. We were hunting deer, after all! It seemed that every fall, at some point during one of our sits, those turkeys would walk out and we would giggle at their bobbing heads and catwalk struts.
It wasn’t until we devoured a smoked wild turkey breast covered in a bacon lattice on Thanksgiving one year that I understood the whole turkey hunting thing; I immediately had turkey fever.
Well. The thing most hunters don’t tell you is that turkey hunting is hard. Deer will give in to hunger, fall into a routine, or make silly mistakes during the rut; even the smartest deer will eventually slip up.
But turkeys are different; they’ll play mind games. They’ll lull you into a false sense of confidence as you cluck at them and they gobble back. Their gobbles will eventually draw closer and closer to where you’re at; your hopes will carefully rise with each response until you can hear him just around the corner from you…
And then he’ll go silent. When he finally responds, further away than ever, it’ll sound like laughter through the trees because he knows he’s won.
Ever since I caught the turkey hunting fever, I have never seen a legal turkey during turkey season. Not a one.
So when we got permission to harvest a mature tom at a friend’s property, I was grateful for the opportunity to be humiliated by a turkey again. We had never seen turkeys at any deer stands on this property before, so I had no expectations. That’s Rule #1 of turkey hunting; have no expectations of seeing or hearing anything.
We packed up my .270 and prepared to bring home some venison; after all, we were heading out to a stand where I’d had great luck in the past.
As expected, as soon as our ride vanished into the darkness, deer started emerging from the shadows and nibbling the corn left in the truck’s wake. The wind brushed the tops of the trees, but it was otherwise silent.
At around 7:00am, the feeder went off loudly in early morning quiet; Court and I both brought out the binoculars as more deer spilled into the open. Straight in front of us, the deer scattered at a thunderous sound through the trees.
No less than thirty turkeys dropped gracefully out of the trees to feed on the corn. My heart skipped at least a couple of beats; it couldn’t be real. At a stand where there had never been turkeys, there were thirty. Sorry, thirty-three; we actually counted them.
Hens EVERYWHERE.
Court and I swung our binoculars to the giant flock of feathered velociraptors and searched for the toms. Despite one bearded hen, there was not a single tom in the entire flock.
Thirty-three hens and there was not a single tom in sight! Typical turkey hunting. Laughing as the hens poked through the corn, we turned our attention back to the deer on the other side of the stand.
I had a new monocular with me that I was dying to try, so I rigged up my phone and started practicing filming the enormous flock of hens. Even if they weren’t the birds we were looking for, it’s hard to beat watching them in their element, completely unaware that we were there.
This was the blurry result of one of my attempts with the monocular! It was still fun to mess with!
At about 7:10am, I heard a quiet gobble to our right, taunting us from the trees. “Did you hear that?” I whispered to Court, and he confirmed the gobble. “Figures he would be smart enough to wait in the trees.” With the gobbler quickly fading from my mind, I turned back to the deer.
By now, the hens had congregated to the left of the feeder; I took more videos and pictures with my monocular and had just lowered it to make some adjustments when I noticed a lone, bearded turkey further out to the right. It was sauntering slowly towards the larger group, almost like it was sneaking up on them. Something looked different about this one, though, and suddenly I saw it; a big red and blue head and a huge beard.
“Is that a tom??” I whispered to Court.
“Holy… yes! Get your rifle up!” I grabbed my rifle, managing to bang it on probably any and every surface in the blind. “Aim low on the neck,” he quietly reminded me as I finally got my rifle up and into place.
I slid the safety off and coaxed the crosshairs onto its neck. His head wasn’t tucked all the way into his body, but it wasn’t exactly extended, either. This would be a tricky shot and I was mentally prepared to miss.
“Should I wait until he extends it a little further?” I whispered. When there was not response, I turned to look at Court, and he had his fingers in his ears.
I quickly turned back to the scope, willing the turkey to completely extend his neck. He had moved a little closer to the hens and I knew that if he joined the group, it would be almost impossible to make a shot.
He jutted his little blue head a little bit more and I decided to take my chances.
BOOM!
All I saw through my scope was an explosion of feathers as the others turkeys flapped away loudly. As I slowly lowered my rifle, my entire body started shaking in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. I just shot a wild turkey, I thought, scarcely believing it was true.
I looked at Court and he beamed at me. “Good. Job,” he whispered and somehow I managed to fist bump him. “Let’s go get him.” He started climbing down the ladder of the stand and it was all I could do even try to move to follow him. The ladder shook violently as the adrenaline pounded through my veins.
We walked up to where the tom lay on the ground and I couldn’t believe it. There he was and… oh no!
If you’re not familiar with ballistics, the .270 round is meant to take down animals that are over 100 pounds, like a deer or a wild pig. Big game. And I just shot at a bird that weighs anywhere from 17-21 pounds… You can imagine the kind of the damage that can do.
Without going into gory details, I saw that the bullet had certainly hit its mark, but there was a pretty good chance that some of the meat was damaged. “Do you think the breast was damaged?” I asked, laying a tentative hand on the tom’s feathers. He really was so beautiful up close.
Court laughed at me. “You just got your first turkey! Don’t even worry about that.”
We took a couple of quick snapshots and carried it back to the stand so we could continue deer hunting. It was only when we were back in the stand, settled down and looking for deer again that Court ranged the small pile of feathers still laying on the ground; one hundred yards.
It’s absurd. I spent a couple of years waiting in stands during deer season and wandering through the brush calling into thin air during the spring in the hopes at having a shot at one of these beautiful birds. And when the chance finally came, I would take one with a 100 yard neck shotusing a deer-hunting rifle.
But that’s turkey hunting, I guess.
It’s so much work and so difficult to harvest one of these birds. I have major respect to the hunters out there that are able to harvest one every season; I’m for 1/3 for so far! And despite the heartbreak and toil of a few seasons, I’m already hooked for life.
On December 31st of 2022, I finally fulfilled a New Year’s Resolution that had eluded me two years by harvesting my first turkey. Time for some turkey tacos, y’all.
P.S. the breast meat wasn’t damaged! What a way to end the year.
Can you believe there are only a couple of days left of 2022? I can’t. It’s been such a wild year for me, and I can’t believe how much my life has changed (for the better!).
Here are just a few highlights!
Winning Buckmaster for the first time
It was such an honor to finally take my turn as the Buckmaster in the family competition. I am so proud to be a part of this tradition and thankful for such supportive family members! It will be a treat to crown the next Buckmaster this year!
Taking on a bigger role with ReelCamo Girl
Being able to put my marketing skills to work for a group of women that I admire and a cause that means so much to me has been so rewarding this year! I am so blessed to work with women from across North America who work everyday to make the outdoors industry more inclusive.
Being chosen as a Prostaffer for DSG Fish
Being a Prostaffer with ReelCamo Girl has been such a treat, and to add a company like DSG to that list was such an honor. The gear that they make for outdoorswomen is so thoughtfully made, and I couldn’t be more proud to represent them alongside anglers that I respect and admire so much. I hope to get the opportunity again this summer!
Check out some of my favorites from their 2022 line! (Click on the picture!)
Catching my first oversized redfish
I’ve been after an oversized redfish for a few years now, and it finally happened this summer! After countless casts, hundreds of hooks, and disappointing defeat, I finally caught one. He was 28 1/4″, so I’ve the bar pretty low as far as personal best oversized reds, but I look forward to the challenge!
Click on the picture to read more about that experience and how we caught him!
Cooking new recipes
Since starting my own business and working from home, I’ve had a lot more time to cook; before this year, though, I really wasn’t the best cook… Taking time to learn has built my confidence and helped me remember what it’s all really about; meat for the freezer!
This was some osso buco that I made earlier this week from a venison shank! Who knew one of the toughest cuts could fall off the bone when cooked properly.
Harvesting my doe
I know, I talk a big game about being very conservation minded and trying to look beyond the length of the fish or the size of the antlers, and I feel like I was reminded of what that really feels like this year when I harvested a doe. It’s the first one I’ve taken since 2017, and I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity at all. I try to live what I believe, and I feel that I did it this year during deer season.
Click on the picture to read about her harvest a few weeks ago!
There are so many more amazing things that happened this year, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have experienced these things.
I’m not here to brag, though. Like I said, these are highlights.
They don’t include the toll on my mental health from starting a new business and struggling. Or the frustrations of dealing with multiple injuries throughout the summer and fall. Or the overcooked venison, missing ingredients, and fudged instructions. Or the burnout from trying to maintain a YouTube channel, blog, and multiple social media outlets.
This year had plenty of challenges, and I’ve got a few to overcome at the start of 2023.
But life is short; so why focus on the negative? Even as I’m writing this, I’ve had a frustrating morning full of setbacks. Instead of wallowing in my regrets and disappointments, though, I’m choosing to dwell on the good things from this year and use the rest as lessons to carry me into the new one.
So cheers to the all of the happy highlights of 2022, and all of the better things to come in 2023!
If you’re still looking for some gift ideas for the outdoorswoman in your life… here are some ideas to help you get started!
1. Heated Clothing – DSG Outerwear
I can personally vouch for this company and the amazing gear that they make for women! I enjoyed the opportunity to be a ProStaffer for their open water fishing line this summer and it was very thoughtfully made. Their designs compliment the feminine form while also having real pockets (so many pockets!) for utility. I’ve switched my hunting gear to their hunting line and have heard so many wonderful things about their heated line.
A heated vest is great for hunting, trapping, or really doing anything outside! They have vests, leggings, socks, and more; check out the entire line here!
2. Tactacam REVEAL X-Pro Game Camera
Upgrade your hunting experience with these wifi enabled trail cameras! When you get them set up properly, they send pictures straight to your phone in real time any time the motion sensors take a picture. Keep a close eye on what’s happening in the woods without disturbing the woods so you’re ready for your next hunt.
Sord has created high quality, durable knives to expertly fillet any fish from more delicate inshore varieties to the thickly scaled offshore species. They offer a wide range of lengths and flexibilities, with their 7″ Medium Flex being the top seller. My husband has this knife and loves it! It lasted an entire summer of guided fishing trips before he needed to sharpen it. They also make a 5″ utility knife that would be great for hunting, too, but it’s sold out until spring of 2023; keep an eye out for a restock!
If she’s like me, then she loves taking pictures and videos of the animals she sees while hunting! This monocular helps take sharp, magnified images easily instead of wrestling with a phone and binoculars.
There are so many different options out there, but this one had great reviews on Amazon and came in at a great price point; check it out here!
5. Southern Bullets Kydex Holster
Does your lady conceal carry? She will love these kydex holsters by Southern Bullets! They have a special clip that allows them to attach easily to thicker materials, like denim, and lighter fabrics, like spandex. It doesn’t hurt that there are a lot of fun patterns, too. This is my go-to conceal carry holster for my Glock 43 and I know she’ll love it, too!
Those are my quick recommendations for Christmas! I wish I could say these were affiliate links, but these are all products that I or someone I know has used in their outdoor adventures.
For many across the country, hunting season is in full swing; in just a few weeks, we’ll transition from the quiet challenge of bow hunting to the booming confidence of rifle season.
And if you’re like me, you won’t get a chance in the woods until November.
Ugh.
So what do you do until then?!
If you’re also like me, you might appreciate a good book to get you into the hunting season spirit. Here are three of my favorites to tide you over until it’s your turn to get into the woods!
Girl Hunter, by Georgia Pellegrini
I didn’t really know anything about Georgia Pellegrini until picking up this book on a whim off Amazon. Pellegrini’s journey started while working at an award-winning farm-to-table restaurant, when she was tasked with preparing a live turkey for a meal later in that day. That experience awakened a new curiosity in her about what it really means to harvest what you eat, and how it can affect your quality of life.
This is a light read that I flew through in just a day. Pellegrini’s stories are captivating, diverse, and allowed me to experience hunts and places that I had never even considered before. And yes, she includes some amazing recipes that I’m anxious to try!
As a late-onset outdoorswoman, I really connected to her experience and found her perspective really relatable. Whether it’s your first deer season or your 20th, this is such an enjoyable read by a woman who truly understands the reward of meals that are truly field-to-table.
I first came across this book at the family ranch in Goliad, Texas. One of the inside flaps of the cover marked a spot where it remained unfinished by another family member. The little deer on the front captured my interest, though I had no idea what it was about.
Maybe it’s the Texan in me, or maybe it’s the whole context of how I originally came across this book, but it’s a beautiful memoir about a very special deer camp. Rick Bass shares colorful stories about hunting with his family and the amazing memories he shared on their ranch in the Texas Hill Country.
It’s beautifully written, a quick read, but deeply emotional and meaningful. Though I haven’t spent as much time on the family ranch as my husband, there were similar stories that I felt I almost got to experience first hand through this book. Bass’s stories are the all-important reminder that hunting is so much more than going into the woods every fall; it’s about family, nature, and freedom.
I read this book immediately after my second time spring turkey hunting and it was simultaneously one of the funniest and most relatable hunting books I’ve ever read.
Tom Kelly is a retired United States Army Colonel who has always had a deep passion for turkey hunting. After his retirement, he self-published this book about turkey hunting based on his experiences growing up.
I can honestly say it is one of the few books I’ve ever read that actually made me laugh out loud! It’s another light, quick read that’s perfect for getting into the turkey hunting frame of mind. As the Colonel would say, “this book isn’t about turkey hunting; it’s about why we turkey hunt.”
Cold leaves and dried mud crunched beneath our boots as we strode back to the Fiddler’s Green. After an exciting hunt yesterday, we decided it would be best to hunt the same stand one more time.
A tiny knot of uncertainty curled in my stomach as we neared the gray stand. I had passed on a potentially legal buck the night before and a legal doe hoping to see something this morning. Deer were never guaranteed at the family ranch, and my desire to prolong our hunting weekend might just backfire.
I had asked my husband, Court, what he would do if it were him.
He looked me dead in the eye and said, “if it were me, I would shoot the first legal deer that came out this morning. Doe, spike, buck, whichever came out first.”
My mind drifted back to the 2020 deer season, where we had hunted this same stand. I had been blinded by my own competitiveness and desire to get another big buck after harvesting a wall hanger the year before. We had hunted so many times that season at the family ranch, and I had passed on legal buck after legal buck while waiting on the legend of the ranch; Big Boy. And the longer I had waited, the less often he appeared on camera cards. After an entire season of horn hunting, all I had to show for it was plenty of pictures of legal deer and the sting of disappointment.
As I settled back into the dark stand, I made a pact with myself that I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
The grinding sound of corn shuffling out of the feeder erupted in the morning silence, startling both of us from our games of solitaire. I carefully lifted my binoculars up, ready to scout out anything that might be attracted by the sound of a feeder going off.
Deep down, I hoped that Sparky, the excited 8-pointer from the night before, would give us a better look this morning.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a doe came running down the sendero. Her head drifted side to side, wary of any bucks that might be lurking nearby, but she quickly trotted out to the corn.
Court looked over at me, nodding to my rifle. “It’s up to you, but we’ve got a deer at the feeder now.” I considered the doe taking hesitant mouthfuls of corn at the feeder.
“I’ll give it 5 minutes.” He nodded and we both watched the doe in silence.
My mind was loud with a tumble of thoughts as I did the math.
On the one hand, I could wait for a large buck; Sparky could come back, and there was that elusive 9-pointer still out there. Another buck could appear; she had run in pretty quickly, so maybe she was being followed.
I thought back to every buck we had seen on this weekend with the rut in full effect; a nice 8-pointer, a broken-off 10-pointer…
And neither had been legal. And none of the bucks we consistently saw on the trail cameras were legal, either.
There were spikes of course, but we hadn’t seen any in several days even before the storm had scattered them to the wind. We had no way of knowing if there were any in the area.
I glanced at my watch; 3 minutes. Movement caught my eye at the feeder; the doe was getting antsy, looking around every few seconds as if she expected unwanted company at her breakfast. My anxiety mirrored hers, and I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.
“I’m going to do it,” I whispered while carefully maneuvering the rifle through the slot in front of me. The moment I put my eye to the scope, my heart immediately started pounding like a drum in my chest.
The day I don’t get a rush of adrenaline while aiming at an animal is the day I quit hunting.
I took deep breaths in an effort to calm my heart while waiting for her to turn more broadside; she quartered toward me as soon as she lifted her head, and I wasn’t ready.
With each passing moment, she grew more antsy. The doe leapt in and out of my scope as if she knew what was about to happen. “Just take your time, she’ll give you the shot,” Court whispered as he watched through his binoculars.
I took one more deep breath, mentally running through my shooting technique; wait until she’s broadside, keep the crosshairs on the shoulder, squeeze the trigger in one smooth motion, follow through on the shot. The moment she stepped broadside, I squeezed the trigger.
I watched her fall through my scope and the adrenaline rushed through my body again as I racked the chamber of my rifle and put the safety back on. A wave of relief washed over me as I sat back, smiling ear to ear at Court.
We exchanged a fist bump before starting to load up our gear in the deer stand.
When I finally was able to brush my hand over her, I felt immense gratitude for this animal. Even with a healthy deer population around the ranch, a harvest was never guaranteed. Just when you think you’ve found their pattern, deer seem to immediately change course. At the end of a weekend full of nasty weather and crazed bucks, I was grateful to have even harvested an animal.
More than anything, I felt that I had proved myself a mature hunter to me. Jess of two years ago would have let that doe walk. She would have waited, hoping and praying, for a deer that would never come and left empty-handed. There would be one less deer for the freezer, that many less meals for the coming year, and another chip on her shoulder going into the next season.
Ever since the 2020 deer season, when I held out for a legendary buck at the ranch, I have worked every year to hunt smarter. To focus on gratitude for the opportunities I’m given and take the chance to fill the freezer when it arrives.
Let’s be real; deep down, every hunter wants to come home with a huge, monster buck. It’s part of what draws into the woods every year, the quiet fantasy about the kinds of animals that dwell in the shadows of the trees.
And it’s okay to want to bring home a big ole buck with giant antlers and a great story.
For me, I find more fulfillment in bringing home meat for the freezer. To be able to bring food to family or friends and say, “I made this possible; I took that thing from the field and now I’m sharing it with you, providing for you.”
At the end of the day, there are so many valid reasons that people hunt and fish; to provide food for their families, to be out in nature, for the sport, to socialize, for the challenge, to grow as a person, to get away from the bustle of daily life, etc. I am proud and excited to have found one more reason to enjoy the outdoors and the opportunities it has to offer.
On this chilly, windy Sunday morning, I finally took the chance to do that.
Jess and the Outdoors 