Here's to the bowhunter in you.

Selecting a bow can be just as confusing as buying a new car. There are so many varieties so many options so many subtle differences that you may or may not know what exactly they do. The best thing that you can do once again is research. The second thing that you can do is find a really great archery shop that is local to you that you can make a few visits to, asking questions and hopefully they will allow you to shoot the bows. One of the few things that I have been told over and over and over is that you will know when you have the right one. Just yesterday I came to experience such a thing. It started by me getting off work early and deciding that I was going to meet my friend Joe at the local archery shop, Joe is one of my good friends and mentors that knows a ton about bows. I went in there with no intentions of buying a bow that day but I wanted to look around, see my options, feel them, and get measured for what size of bow I would need to be looking for. What I wasn't prepared for was falling in love with a bow that somebody had taken in. This bow was not new but new to me and it came as a full set up. I looked at three used bows shot all three and made the determination of which one I felt suited me best. There's a little give-and-take between weight and balance, that is something that is really hard to explain and something that you really just must experience in person. The way the bow is held and feels in your hands, how heavy it is and the stability it gives you, and how the arrow fires from the bow are all things to take into consideration. Yesterday I fell in love with a pre-loved Mathews bow. I didn't know what I was looking for to start with I just knew that I would know when I found it. There are a few brands that are well-known such as Mathews, Hoyt, PSE, and a few various other names out there. Mathews and Hoyt are like the Chevy and Ford when it comes to trucks. There's this fun-loving battle that rages on between the two, I experienced this even with my friends. Regardless of the name it's all about the feel, the confidence that you have in the bow, and how it shoots for you. You can Google or YouTube the parts and how they work, what they do, and how to choose something that suits you best. I started with a PSE bow 16 years ago as a young girl. I needed a bow that would grow with me as my stature changed and my skill progressed. It was a good little bow that treated me well. There have been a lot of technological advances in the last 16 years and I felt that it was necessary and time for me to upgrade if I was going to become a lethal Archer. The idea in my mind of being an Archer means that I need to do my due diligence and practice, I don't want to wound an animal and leave them to suffer and maybe regain health or die and going wasted. Therefore I feel it is important to be the very best that I can be when it comes to this sport and harvesting meat for the freezer. For me it will never be about the rack on their head, the color of their hide, or any reason other than simply providing for myself or family when the day comes. Hunting provides you with the most raw, natural form of meat. People talk about grass-fed beef, what's best for our health, whats best for the animal needs, etc. In my opinion this is as pure as it gets. I know I am getting off on a tangent and I will redirect to my bow. One thing to remember is that this is an investment piece and you will get what you pay for in terms of: will it last, can I get replacement parts if need be, does it hold it's value. By buying an already used and well cared for bow I saved about 50% of brand new price, now this won't happen in all cases but I got lucky and knew if I didn't jump on the deal it would be gone. The shop I stopped into was Advantage Archery in Twin Falls, Idaho. Caleb, the owner has a great wealth of knowledge and treats his customers well. After all, when you live in a small town that's how you stay open and get repeat business. Keep in mind you do not have to have top of the line when you first decide to get into bow hunting, but having good and reliable gear is just as vital as practicing every day. If you are brand new start with the bow hunters ed class nearest you, then ask local places that carry archery supplies where you can take classes to learn more. Remember, SAFETY FIRST!

A pack is a pack is a pack..

For anyone who has taken an interest in backpacking, we all know that a pack is the pack is a pack right? Wrong! Each and every person has a different build and packs come just as different as people do. The best thing that you can do for yourself is your research. Getting online looking on forums like rokslide, going to your local hunting store, doing YouTube searches and reading the comments section below the videos can really give you the advantage to figuring out what is going to suit you the best. They will ask loads of questions, discuss personal experiences, and give honest review of the gear because they are not affiliates of the brand. I for instance am looking for a pack that fits a small framed woman, I'm 5'6" and my weight fluctuates between 125 and 130. Not everyone with this stature will carry the weight the same, for example I have longer legs and a shorter torso. So when it comes to looking at hunting packs that fit my needs the top things I am looking for are quality, adjustability, weight, options for add-ons if needed, good customer service with the company, good reviews, and will the pack do everything I need it to. One thing I suggest doing is making a list; what do I need from this pack, which companies have bags that fit my criteria, how am I going to make a decision on something that is a long term investment. Packs can range from a few hundred to around a thousand dollars with all the bells and whistles. My friend Abe made a great suggestion to me and I'm going to share it with you. If you can narrow the packs down to your top 3 contact customer service of the companies and ask them when and order would need to be placed for expected arrival just before a set weekend and be sure to ask about their return policy. You can put the three packs on your credit card and have them shipped all the same time. Load the packs with some weight (say a bag of dogfood) and test them all out in the comfort of your home. Look them over, make comparisons, and pay attention to how each pack feels to you carrying the load. You will be able to adjust the packs and compare how the weight is carried. Ideally you want 70-80 percent of the weight to rest on your hips and not your shoulders. You also want to be able to keep the load high and tight. This will help with your center of gravity. So far the packs I am considering are EXO mountain gear 3500 cubic inch

( https://youtu.be/27zKzJvah30 , https://youtu.be/6yJWGxZuNP0 ), kifaru native and nomad 

( https://youtu.be/1psQxhGbvXI , https://youtu.be/QwOJwQ7Ckus ), and the mystery ranch metcalf ( https://youtu.be/2EUSy7Usgvk ). Once you have decided on a pack simply send the other options back to the company and it will be credited back to your card. All it costs you in the end to be able to compare all of them at the same time is shipping. That's a small price to know you made the best decision. I will follow this post with a part two when I decide which pack I'm going to go with and why. For now I am still researching. 

The obvious question here is where my hunting story began. My siblings and I were raised on a dairy farm in South central Idaho. I am the youngest and only girl in my family but I was raised no differently than my brothers. We were raised to work hard every day for what you want, instant gratification is not a thing in our lifestyle, and you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to. I have always had a soft heart for animals of all kinds, from the livestock we raised even down to the mice that used to get squished in the hayfeild when it was time to gather hay bales. Killing anything was just not in my bones! My father on the other hand had a good grasp on the cycle of life and it took a long hard road before that was instilled in me in a manner to which I could comprehend. From beef steers going to market, natural death as well as disease processes that were incurable, there were a lot of little breaks in my heart over the years as I grew to accept what life had to offer. When I was in high school my dad took my eldest brother on an elk hunt with a friend of his who happened to be a guide that lived down the road from us. It was an epic hunt as I've heard my father tell the story over the years but little did anyone know that it would be his last. He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and that put a screeching halt to the 7 mile tracking hikes and crazy hunting adventures. I was saddened by the fact that I would never get the chance to hunt with my father the way my oldest brother had, but that wouldn't stop me from sharing the love. It wasn't until several years later that I would have the opportunity to go hunting and fall deeply in love with the sport. I dated a young man who taught me the very basics of hunting starting with upland gamebirds. My first harvest was a beautiful rooster pheasant, one that took me two shots as I missed the first time. Since that day, the moment that I retrieved my first wild game and said a little prayer over him I knew this was something that would last me a lifetime. The next year I went on to put in for draws on big game and low and behold I drew both deer and antelope that year. I was stoked! I had inherited my garadfathers rifle which he had harvest many beautiful animals with over the years and little did I know that when I shot my first antelope that it would make me feel closer than ever to another magnificent man that resided in heaven. It was a perfect shot at 150 yards on a beautiful buck that lay in the grass sunning himself. He never even got up. I was so proud of my accomplishment and so humbled to have been afforded the opportunity. He too received a prayer before the photos and work began. My deer though was another story, one of those that when you're living it in the moment it is gut wrenching. This animal was the best lesson, a lesson of preserving the tough times and doing what is right and ethical. I had hunted long and hard for my deer, nothing about this hunt came easy. So on the second to last day before the hunt closed I finally found buck. He was in a herd of does in brush taller than I stand but my advantage was being across the draw and uphill of him. With the sun going down and an intense case of buck fever I got down into a tripod position to steady myself and took my shot. Out of seemingly nowhere a huge herd popped up and bolted, the hills were rolling where I thought there had only been a half dozen deer. In that moment of excitement, shock, ears ringing, hills rolling I lost my buck. I was confident in my skills but there is so much that can go wrong, so much room for error, and that is when self doubt set in. I took off down the hill looking for my buck, walking in circles, trying to find a blood trail, re-orienting  myself to where I thought he should be, and yet no luck. I was sick to my stomach. I knew deep down I had hit him and he was going to run off and die and I would have taken a life that mother nature would claim, but I was sick over it. Night came and I was forced to stop looking and go home. I had school the next day and I just kept reliving every step over and over the entire time. I decided when I was done with school that I would venture back out alone and look some more, he was my buck and if I had hit him I was going to claim him. It was hot that day with clear skies so I gathered all my essentials and headed back out to the spot where it all went down. I retraced my steps along the hillside and it was in that moment that I used common sense to find my buck, I followed the scavengers. The ravens had already set in on him and I was instantly sad and relieved at the same time. I fought my way through the brush to my buck and did my ritualistic prayer over him. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and it was a good shot. He had fallen exactly where I had shot him and I don't know how I didn't trip over him trying to find him. I felt the meat was too risky for human consumption and while some would have simply walked away and found another deer I tagged my boy, quartered him out, and began the hike to get him out. I kept all the meat and fed it to my dogs and they were in 7th heaven. I learned that year that you dont always have to like the outcome but that its important to take what you can from the experience and make the most of it.

Here's to new begingings!

I would like to start off by welcoming everyone to the brandid-hunter blog. This blog is going to be about the journey as a single woman who wants to get out into the field and hunt. Living a life where you are your own person and the only boundaries are the ones that you set for yourself. I have been hunting for about 10 years now at the ripe old age of 31 and I have chosen to start this blog because I am starting over from scratch. I'll be researching and selecting my gear, doing reviews on the items I get, and documenting my whole journey. With the help and wealth of knowledge of two good friends Joe and Abe my goal is to pass along anything and everything that can help get you started and out into the field. I'll be discussing goals, struggles, setbacks, tips, and tricks. My goal is to pay it forward and instill as much knowledge into other young women or anyone interested and introduce them to a sport that will change their lives forever.