Chasing the Chital: Part 1

All of my hunting experience, my outdoors career, it was all coming down to this one weekend; my first exotic hunt.

Get Ready With Me: Exotic Hunts Edition!

With the excitement of hunting dreams being realized, we’ve started preparing for a weekend on the hunting ranch, but there’s still plenty to do… so, in the least Instagram-influencer-way possible, get ready with me!

Killers and Accomplices

“Come to think of it, we are all killers or accomplices,” Gennady Soloviev says as he works an ermine pelt. Meanwhile, I am sitting on my couch in South Texas watching Werner Herzog’s documentary, “Happy People”, marinating in a little frustration after another unkind comment on one of my hunting posts on social media.

Love and the Outdoors

We’re just weeks away from Valentine’s Day, and if you’re like me, sometimes you look up and think, “what am I going to get my honey for Valentine’s Day this year?!”

Back to the Woods: Axis Edition

While a lot of things in the latter half of 2023 didn’t go as planned, it did prompt me to do one thing in 2024; schedule an axis deer hunt.

Archery Season… 2024?

Ever since I got into hunting, I had dreams of stalking through the woods with my compound bow, silently following a stealthy giant and hoping to make it close enough for a good shot. Well, I’m tired of making excuses and am ready to make something happen!

When in India… or Texas?

When you hunt on a deer ranch in Texas, there really aren’t too many unexpected creatures that might wander up to the feeder.

2022 Deer Season Recap

Across the board with my online connections around North America, this was an unusually tough year for whitetail deer season. What happened?!

Unexpected Turkeys: the Sequel

What is it about deer hunting that seems to bring out the turkeys?

And With That, the 2022 Season Comes to an End

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!

Gifts for the Outdoorswoman in Your Life

If you’re still looking for some gift ideas for the outdoorswoman in your life… here are some ideas to help you get started!

Breaking the Pattern

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.

The Rain and the Rut

Because of my work and ballet schedule, this would be my only chance to hunt at the family ranch this fall. I felt my time slipping away as the rain pelted the roof even harder.

Food, Family, and Football

Some things change, but Thanksgiving will always be the same in my heart; food, family, and football.

First Blood: Part 3

I had taken a life. And I didn’t know how I felt about it.

First Blood: Part 2

After that first hunt, I had weathered crawling through the mud, sitting in the dirt, and waiting in the chilly September rain of West Virginia. And for some reason, I was desperate to do it all again.

First Blood: Part 1

I didn’t like doing stuff outside. Ever. I grew up wearing pink satin, sequins, rhinestones, fluffy tulle, and shiny pointe shoes inside a very nicely climate controlled and clean dance studio. When I wasn’t doing ballet, I was curled up somewhere with a book inside.

Three Reads to Get You Ready for Hunting Season

Here are three of my favorites to tide you over until it’s your turn to get into the woods!

Chasing Turkeys One Last Time

We finally made it out to the ranch for the final days of spring turkey season in South Texas! There was one caveat, though; for the first half of the weekend, I would also be performing 45 minutes away in a ballet production!

Texas Spring Thunder: The Beginning of Two New Passions

Nearly a year ago, I was encouraged by some friends online to try videoing my outdoors adventures to share on YouTube; after a couple of tentative attempts, I finally decided to go all-in.

Outdoors Resolutions – 2022

Last year, I enjoyed the challenge and uncertainty of trying new things. This year will be no different!

The Spike that Won the Buckmaster

Once upon a time, there was a family that passed the tradition from generation to generation. This admiration quickly inspired a new tradition for the family in 1993: the Buckmaster Competition.

Gnarles Barkley and the Hot Shot

There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve got meat for the freezer and memories forever.

New Year, New Deer

As the 2021 deer season slowly winded down, my husband and I found ourselves with a dilemma; we were about one deer short of the venison we needed for the year.

Eight Pointed Dream: The Story of the B.F.E.

From the moment after my first deer hunt, I fantasized about my dream deer on the wall. Most hunters probably do; the deer that outdoorsmen or women’s dreams are made of.

Bow Hunting Part 2: the TenPoint Spike

As we walked out to the Green Stand in the quiet morning hours, I felt different. Hopeful. Maybe even certain that things would be different today.

Bow Hunting Part 1: Lessons Learned

After 6 years, I was archery hunting for the first time. I had watched so many professional hunters bow hunt on their shows, and it was astounding just how much could go wrong.

El Chupacabra de Goliad

Imagine our surprise when this strange picture popped up on the trail camera on our next trip to the family ranch! That’s just not something you see every day.

Turkey Chuckles Part 2

In the previous post, we had just finished relaxing on a rainy afternoon with some domino devastation and Oysters Rockefeller to tide us over until dinner. Right about the time finally let up, we were ready to embark on our second hunt of the weekend…

Turkey Chuckles Part 1

As we drove out to the ranch, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. How was spring turkey season so frustrating and difficult?

Better Late Than Never! 2021 Outdoors Resolutions

Now that I’ve been hunting and fishing for a few years, it’s time to really get serious. And there are a few things that I’ve been wanting to do that I am finally going to make happen.

Redemption: 2020 Deer Season Conclusion

I had always figured hunting one specific deer wouldn’t be easy; nothing is guaranteed in nature, so you just never know what is going to walk out in front of you. I didn’t expect it to be so mentally and emotionally exhausting.

2020 Deer Season Recap: The Hunt for Big Boy

After an incredible 2019 deer hunting season, I excitedly prepared for an even better one in 2020. Preparation and determination is great, but there’s one thing we cannot forget; Mother Nature is always in control.

Learning Curve: Duck Hunting Take 2

Let me start by saying that this hunting trip was far more successful than our first of the year! Spoiler alert; we didn’t bring home any ducks, but we brought home some new strategies for our next outing.

Know Your Limits: Duck Hunting Take 1

This moment is when we need to remember that nature can be as dangerous as it is beautiful, and it’s important to always put safety first. No wild game is worth not coming home.

Kicker: The Goliad Buck

They say in hunting that a trophy is what you make it.

Unexpected Lessons and Turkeys

Nature has this funny way of lulling us into thinking that we have any semblance of control over our surroundings. We set up feeders, create easy paths for animals to follow, and even provide shelter sometimes. But at the end of day, you never know what is going to walk out of those trees, if anything!