Women in Hunting Series Part 7: How to Learn How to Hunt

Interested in learning how to hunt but don't know where to begin? It can be pretty daunting, especially for women, since hunting is a male dominated sport. Since I began writing the Women in Hunting Series a few weeks ago, I have been contacted by numerous women stating they would love to start hunting but have no idea where to start. I began hunting over 10 years ago in my early twenties and have helped several other women along the way in getting started with hunting. I thought I would share some helpful tips I have learned along the way to help you acquire the skills and confidence you need to start hunting.

Gratitude Sunday

G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

Today we are joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}

This last week I was grateful for:

-Warm fires in the woodstove to keep us warm while it snows outside!

-Harvesting a white tail buck on the second day of rifle hunting season. We've been busy butchering this week and it feels good to be stocking meat in the freezer to feed our family throughout the winter.

Snacktime Saturday Week 8 Guest Host

I am so excited this week to be guest hosting Snacktime Saturday so a big thank you to Margaux and Leah for this fun opportunity! Why do I love Snacktime Saturday so much? Between my high metabolism, a husband who can devour a box of crackers in one sitting and our little nugget who loves foods she can feed herself we are constantly in need of new snack food recipes to make instead of buying expensive store bought snacks. I can't wait to see all the yummy recipes you all will link up this week!

If you'd like to be considered to guest host Snacktime Saturday as well, fill out the form at the bottom of THIS page.

My Feature:
 We're entering cold and flu season around here so I'm always looking for natural ways to boost our immunity and fight off those nasty germs. The Fall-Fighter Smoothie recipe included in this feature post sounds like a yummy, healthy snack our whole family will love!

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate chip banana bread has been a family favorite since I was a kid but now that I have a sourdough starter growing on my counter I embarked on an adventure to combine the two! This Sourdough Chocolate Chip Banana Bread turned out so delicious our little nugget and I couldn't stop eating it and polished off half a loaf in one sitting!

Women in Hunting Series Part 6: Interview With Hallie

This is the sixth post in our Women in Hunting Series, have you been inspired to learn how to hunt yet?  We are a small and growing group of women who hunt and it has been an amazing experience to connect with other women hunters like Krista, Kristen and Hallie to share their stories.

My hope is that by sharing our hunting stories we will inspire more women to join us and start hunting for your meat.  Read Hallie's story below and be inspired by this amazing huntress!

Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello! My name is Halli and I live in Northern Idaho. I am a Forester for a private family-owned company. I have been married to my hunting buddy and best friend for the last 9 years! We love where we live.

Why do you hunt?

I love to be in the high country and experience all that nature has to offer. The challenge of the hunt and the thrill of success make this experience one of a kind. Just seeing a mature bull elk or a big whitetail or mule deer is so thrilling. My husband and I hunt because we love to eat!! It feels wonderful to sit down for dinner and know that the meat we are eating is lean and healthy. We process all our meat at home, so when I cook dinner, I know exactly what I'm putting into my recipes.

A Hunter's Giveaway

Welcome to the First Annual Hunters Giveaway hosted by Andersons Angels. This event will end on November 12th at 11:59pm EST.

Up for grabs in this hunting themed giveaway are a Mathews Inc. Hat and 2 Decals, ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent and Holster, Teton Sports Sleeping Bag with a total prize value of $200!!

G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

 Writing and thinking about my gratitudes each week has been so helpful for me to emphasize the positive things in our lives and keep me on an optimistic path in my life.

G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

Today we are joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}

The highlights of my gratitudes for the week:

-The spectacular colors of the fall leaves that never ceases to amaze me! Although we have primarily coniferous forests around here we do have some trees that change colors in the fall: aspen, cottonwood, larch, some non-native maples and a lot of ground cover and shrubs that turn dramatic colors.

-Going on a walk with our little nugget one afternoon this week and collecting a pile of colorful fall leaves for her to play with. 

Foodie Friday: Tomatillo Salsa aka "Salsa Verde"

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote in this post that I volunteered at the local community garden and brought home a bunch of veggies? Part of my haul was a big bag of beautiful dark purple and green tomatillos!

Elegant Earthtones Review: Antler Earrings

If you've been reading our blog recently and following our Women in Hunting Series,  you know that I am a hunter. I love all things hunting from camo to guns and antlers. I bet you didn't know that my wedding ring is an elk ivory (tooth) from an elk my husband harvested! His "ring" is an elk antler tattoo.

Living Rural and Eating Healthy on a Tight Budget

Welcome to the October 2012 Natural Living Blog Carnival: Ethical Shopping Choices This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and The Pistachio Project through the Green Moms Network. This month our members have written posts about how they make purchasing choices.

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I’ve always been a frugal shopper and strive to save money on groceries. Even more so the last eight months since I resigned from my full time job to stay home and raise our baby. Money has been a lot tighter and I've embraced the challenge of finding ways to live more simply and frugally while still feeding our family healthy, wholesome foods.  I wrote a post in the spring titled "Natural Organic Eating on a Budget" about ways we were saving money on groceries and still able to afford buying natural and organic foods on a small budget. I've been doing so much more since then so I'm going to share with you a variety of ways we save money on groceries.

Women in Hunting Series Part 5: Kristin's Story

As part of our Women in Hunting Series I want to share the stories of other women hunters with you in hopes of inspiring more women to hunt. Today we are honored to have Kristin share her story with us. She blogs over at Baby Giveaways Galore. Read on and be prepared to be amazed as this awesome mama shares about her life as a woman hunter!

G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

Today we are joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.}

My gratitudes for the week:

-A much needed "screen free" break. Last weekend we went on a four day family camping trip to the  the wild, rugged northwest corner of Montana where most of the people (very few live there) live off grid. We fished, hunted, camped, explored, and most importantly we relaxed!

Women in Hunting Series Part 4: Bow Hunting for Grouse and Wild Grouse in Garlic Butter Recipe

I've mentioned in some of the other posts in our Women in Hunting Series that I love to hunt grouse with my bow. Most people hunt for grouse with a shotgun but I prefer my bow since it is more of a challenge and hones my archery skills. The first grouse I harvested this season with my bow was a 20 yard quick kill neck shot while the bird was sitting about 30 feet up in a tree. Some of it was skill but I think there was a lot of luck that played into that shot too!

For those of you who many not be familiar with a grouse, it is a wild upland game bird. There are several different types of grouse in Montana: Sage, Franklin, Ruffed and Blue Grouse. Some mountain species grow as large as an adult chicken; these are my favorite to hunt for and often are found at higher elevations.

Women in Hunting Series Part 3: Interview with Krista H.

As part of the Women in Hunting Series, we have been connecting with other women who hunt to share their stories with you in hopes of inspiring more women to hunt. We recently had the opportunity to visit with Krista H., another avid female hunter, and interview her for the series.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I live in Nebraska on a farm. I stay at home and raise cows, chickens, goats, pigs,dogs, and cats. My hobbies include hunting,fishing, hiking,camping, gardening, sewing, canning, exercising, and pretty much anything else outdoors, or having to do with animals. I've been married for 8 years, no children yet, but plan on it. We are foster parents right now.

Why do you hunt?

I hunt for the meat and also for the pleasure. We process all our own meat and eat everything we harvest. I also think its great fun just to be outdoors with wildlife and watching them. I don't get upset if I don't fill a tag because its just as much fun to be out there watching them walk by and be a part of nature.

International Baby Wearing Week Baby Carrier Giveaway

 

We're a baby wearing family. Our most used and well loved piece of baby gear is our baby carrier and I don't know what we would do without it. Whether I am vacuuming the floors, at the grocery store, cooking supper or making mason jar solar lanterns our little nugget is on my back. 

When I found out we had the chance to join in and share a giveaway with over $700 worth of baby carriers with you I was thrilled! You may not know this, but this week is International Baby Wearing Week. Perfect time for a baby carrier giveaway isn't it?

This generous giveaway is hosted by Happy Mothering, Eco-Crazy Mom and Green Moms Media.  There are 8 different baby carriers in this giveaway which means that there will be 8 lucky winners!

Foodie Friday: Simple Dutch Oven Lemon Roasted Chicken

I’ve been writing in our Women in Hunting Series about my love of hunting and wild harvesting the majority of the meat we eat throughout the year. The meat we wild harvest is primarily red meat. We hunt for grouse during archery season but we never harvest enough to last throughout the year. This means that when I get a craving for white meat like chicken, I have to head to the grocery store since we currently don’t have a good space for raising chickens. 

I love a good roast chicken. The best part about taking the time to roast a chicken is all the additional meals you get out of that one chicken:  chicken broth, chicken salad, and chicken tetrazzini are my three favorites to make after I make a roast chicken. 

I've written in this post and this post about how much we love to cook in dutch ovens. Roast chicken in a dutch oven actually cooked faster than our gas powered oven in our kitchen. The chicken came out juicy, flavorful and had a nice light browning on the outer meat. 

Women in Hunting Series Part 2: Why You Should Hunt and Wild Harvest Your Own Meat

I mentioned in the first post in this series that many people are surprised to find out that I hunt. I actually love to hunt, it is one of my favorite things to do outdoors and something I look forward to every fall. Every summer we count down the days until archery season opens in early September. We typically don’t plan any meetings or events on weekends from September through November since we spend almost every weekend out in the woods hunting.

For us, hunting is a way of life. There is no greater feeling than harvesting wild game, butchering it ourselves and feeding our family this meat throughout the year.

So why should you hunt? Here are my top six reasons why I advocate for others to start hunting and harvesting your own wild game:

Blogger Sign ups Now Open for the Outdoor Gifts Giveaway Event

Do you love adventuring outdoors? Are you looking for gift ideas for the outdoor adventurer in your life? The Outdoor Gifts Giveaway Event is bringing together bloggers with a passion for the outdoors to give you the chance to win some really fun outdoor themed prizes just in time for the holiday gift giving season!

This fun event is sponsored by Happy Mothering, Silent Springs and Montana Solar Creations. The event will run from November 15-30, 2012. Since this is an outdoor themed giveaway, prizes can be anything related to outdoor adventuring such as hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, rock climbing, bird watching, boating, etc.