Hog Wild Weekend

Josh and I just finished up an amazing weekend with friends and family. My sister was in town from Mississippi and we had a great family dinner on Friday night. I am working on a trip to visit her and possibly get in some hog hunting while I am there. Saturday was spent celebrating Tim's 30th birthday and graduation from Rutgers University's turf management program. It was a great party! I dug out a spectacular pair of wedges that I bought at the end of last summer. For everyone who thinks camo is not fashionable...check out these!

Steve Madden Camo Wedges=Girl Hunter Love

Before we headed to the party, Josh surprised me with a gift! It was the thing at the top of my wish list, and I'll give you one guess. Give up?

HOG CALLS!!!!!!

I am SUPER excited to practice with these. I have been obsessed with hog calls since I saw them in a hunting magazine. I cannot wait to get back down to South Carolina to see what the hogs think of them. As soon as I quit sounding like a dying squirrel and sound like an actual hog I'll post some videos.

Top 10 Weekend: Reflection

Reflection. We all need it in our lives, though may of us never do it. Sometimes we need it at work, with family, or to help us through a difficult time. This week’s Top 10 list is centered on reflection when hunting. We have all had those times in a blind or a tree stand where nothing is moving and we may feel like our time has been wasted. This also relates to you non-hunters because I have found the list below to be true when I am running.

You may or may not agree with me on these, but this is what I take away from time in the woods.

1. Enjoy the quiet. Life is too busy, noisy and chaotic 99% of the time. Take this time to really look at the world around you and appreciate what you have and what has been created for you. Josh’s Blackberry is going off non-stop, and mine isn’t much better. I always enjoy a few hours on a Saturday morning when we are forced into quiet.

“The best thing about animals is that they don’t talk much.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Be thankful. Especially for the important people in your life. If you are hunting with a parent, child, spouse or even a friend take this time to reconnect with them. Some of Josh and my best conversations have happened when we were sitting in a stand waiting for pigs to come out. I usually find myself counting my blessings when I am outside.

“Write your worries in the sand, then carve your blessings in stone. “

3. Listen.  I am guilty of this one. I often do more talking than listening, and it is something I am trying to work on. Listen to the sounds around you; the birds, squirrels, wind and even the thoughts in your head. Nature has a lot to tell you if you just listen to it.

4. Gratitude. Take a minute to be grateful for the opportunity to be out in the woods. Other people may be working, dealing with hardship, or taking care of a sick child or parent. Be grateful that you have the resources to go hunting and outfit yourself for it. I am always grateful that I get to spend time alone with Josh when we are in the woods together…I am also grateful for the green apple licorice that I get to bring with me.

5. Remember. Think about why you started hunting. Was it a passion for being outdoors? Was it to spend more time with a parent? Get back to the real reason you love the outdoors. Harvesting a massive 10-point is great, but I doubt that is what got you hooked in the beginning. I began because I was curious about what Josh was doing for all those hours in the woods, and because I wanted to spend more time with him.

6. Recharge. Your phone is on silent, your children and spouse are at home and work is a million miles away. Enjoy what you love.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu

7. Sort out life. This relates to recharging and enjoying the quiet. Sometimes problems seem too big to tackle. Sometimes you have a difficult choice to make or you are faced with a situation that seems intolerable. I have been known to use my time hunting to try and find a path through a difficult time. I don’t always find an answer to my problems, but I am able to clearly sort through my thoughts.

The best remedy for those who are afraid,
lonely or unhappy is to go outside,
somewhere where they can be quiet,
alone with the heavens, nature and God.
Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be
and that God wishes to see people happy,
amidst the simple beauty of nature.
I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.
-Anne Frank

8. Be inspired. Some of my most creative ideas have come to me when hunting or walking through the woods. This blog was one of them, as were some of the creative elements of our wedding.

“Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein

9. Document. Josh and I are passionate about documenting our experiences in the woods. We videotape almost everything, and I take tons of pictures. Last Christmas, I made a scrapbook for Josh from hunting pictures of when he was younger. I want to continue documenting our adventures, not only for the blog, but to show our children and grandchildren one day.

10. Educate. I have learned so much about nature, myself, my relationships and probably a million other things when I have been out in the woods. Josh has been an amazing teacher to me. I was the girl who had no idea what she was holding when she found her first shed. Now I am able to read deer trails, scrapes and rubs in the woods without help (most of the time). Use your time to teach your child, spouse, or parent something you know about nature/life. Hunting is working on teaching me patience, though I may need a few repeats on that lesson.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pheasant

This past weekend Josh was at a pheasant hunt, which brought back memories of my last encounter with a pheasant.....

I like to think that I am a pretty good cook. I mean, I can make Martha Stewart’s macaroni and cheese from scratch using all the fancy cheeses that I can’t even pronounce. To me, mastering one of Martha’s recipes is a major life accomplishment. I wouldn’t say that I make the fanciest meals, Josh is rather picky, but I have added my own touch to many well known dinners. In fact, earlier that month we had made pumpkin waffles in my fancy new Williams-Sonoma mini waffle pan. Delicious.

The pheasants had been harvested when we were at Martz’s pheasant hunt back in the spring, and they had been sitting in the freezer since then. I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t getting sick of seeing them there. Josh was away at the cabin for Buck Hawk Week (the boy’s annual trek to the cabin for a week of Mohawks, hunting, and whatever else boy's do at hunting camps) and I was feeling brave. I knew that Josh would be home briefly on Wednesday night for dinner, so that seemed like the perfect time to roast up a pheasant. I had never made pheasant before, but I had made roast chicken so I figured I could handle it. I got out my game cookbook and selected a delicious looking apple and cinnamon roasted pheasant recipe. I took the pheasant out of the freezer and let it thaw out. The next morning I placed it in the fridge to stay cool until I got home from work. According to my recipe, the pheasant should only take 30-45 minutes to cook. I went to my friend Courtney’s after work to visit her and her baby, and as I was sitting there talking to her I began to panic. I hadn’t taken the pheasant out of it’s bag so I was assuming that it was ready to be cooked. I mean I knew that it had been plucked and cleaned at Martz’s, so they had taken the insides out….right? I raced home from Courtney’s and grabbed the pheasant out of the freezer.

It was clean all right, except for about a million teeny-tiny hairs sticking out of random points on its carcass. How in the world was I supposed to get these out? I sat there picking them one-by-one, cursing myself for ever deciding to cook this silly bird. I flipped the bird around trying to see if it still had organs, but I couldn’t see up the cavity. In a panic I called my friend, Stephanie, for her advice. Her family had hunted for years, so I figured she would know what to do. She didn’t, but she did call her mom.

“Well honey, just stick your hand up there and see.”
“I am NOT sticking my hand up this bird! That’s gross!”

“I’m pretty sure that they would have taken all of that out.”
“Well I’m not going to take any chances. Hold on I found a butcher knife. I’ll just stick this up there.”

I delicately shoved the butcher knife into the cavity and wiggled it around. It didn’t meet any resistance and it came out clean, so I figured I was safe. I gathered the apples and stuffed it, basted it, and placed it in the oven. Feeling proud of myself for cooking a delicious dinner for my fiancé, I roasted potatoes and sautéed peas. Josh walked through the door just as I was lifting the bird out of the oven. Its skin had a delicious, crispy, golden color to it. The aroma wafting through the house was mouth-watering. I proudly handed Josh the carving set.

The bird disappeared into dust. Poof. Gone.

Well not exactly, but if any of you have seen A Christmas Story, that is how I felt. There was nothing on it! No breast meat, nothing. All I had to feed my family were two drumsticks and two wings. Not quite a bounty of meat.

“I don’t know what happened?! I cooked it exactly the way the recipe told me to! I’ve

never ruined dinner before!”

“You didn’t ruin dinner. I’m sure it is delicious, I mean, it smells good. It just doesn’t

have any meat on it. That’s not your fault.”

I stormed into the garage to our large freezer and yanked two frozen pizzas out. Cursing the pheasant I reheated the oven and tossed the bird into the trash.

 
...Josh has returned again this year with more of these birds, and I am once again feeling inspired to cook with them. Apparently I did not learn my lesson the first time. I'll be trying out a recipe next week, so stay tuned!

Top 10 Weekend: Gadgets

This week's Top 10 list is dedicated to the variety of hunting gadgets that I have either acquired over the past few years or wish to acquire immediately. My birthday is coming up this summer if anyone is interested...

1. Camouflage Duck Tape. I have no idea why you would need this, but I feel the need to use it on everything.

2. Range finder. Pretty obvious, but just make sure you know how to use it. :o) This will tell you the distance you are from the animal you want to hunt. When you are bored in your stand, you can also check how far the various trees, birds, squirrels, and flowers are from you.

3. Butt Out. I am obsessed with this, although I have technically not used it yet. I got Josh one for Christmas and we always seem to forget to grab it when it comes time to clean out the deer/hog. Disgusting, yes, but also pretty awesome. I would explain this for the non-hunters, but I'm pretty sure you can figure it out on your own.

4. ThermaCell. This will save your life when you are turkey hunting. This nifty little device has a card with bug repellent on it that you slide behind the screen. Then you ignite the heater and it dispenses the repellent into the air around you to keep the bugs off you.

5. Cough silencer. Yes, they make something so that you can cough with no noise. This is not only useful for hunting, but any situation where silence is golden. (Ali, you should have had this in SC last weekend).

6. Night vision. Not legal to hunt with obviously, but SUPER cool to play with! Just don't turn on any lights when you are using it or expect to go blind.

7. Earth scent wafers. They actually make a little disc that smells like dirt. Very weird, but very cool. For those of you who are unfamiliar with hunting, you want to use scent eliminating spray to take away the "human" smell. Then you want to make yourself smell like either dirt, or animal pee. Gross, but necessary if you want to be successful. Just don't do what Josh does and store real deer pee in our freezer. (Maybe I shouldn't have admitted that, now no one will be accepting any dinner invites).

8. Windicator. Nothing more than baby powder in a squeeze bottle, it will tell you what way the wind is blowing. Ingenious.

9. Gum-o-flage. Make your breath pine tree fresh. Perfect for your next date with a deer.

10. Snake Fence. I have just found out that these exist, and will be purchasing one for turkey season. They claim that snakes "can't and won't" cross it. I wonder if I can make a bubble out of it to walk around in when I'm in the woods...

Everything on my list can be found at your nearest Cabela's, or online!

Pictures from the weekend!

Here are some pictures from our weekend trip down south!

You would never guess we are master hunters!

Show me the pigs!

Pig down!