Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!

I Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable halloween.

The boys had a blast and by the end of the night, they could hardly carry their treat bags.

I actually think Guners weighed more than he does. It was so wonderful to watch them walk up to each house and say "trick or treat". They are growing up so fast....too fast.

When we finally made it home they were both ready to crash in front of the fire place to warm up. What a joy!

With the closing of another month, and November upon us, it is time to put the ghosts and gobblins away and start focusing on one thing.....the RUT! Good luck to all of my fellow lady hunters out there!

Until next time......

Jessi >>----->

Coming of Age

Well, it's official...my oldest son is a hunter! Opening day of squirrell season proved to be his first time in the woods actually hunting with Steve and I. What an awesome experience! Although not a lot of squirrells showed up (for obvious reasons), it was enjoyable just spending time in the mountains with Ridge. He had a great time hanging out with Mom and Dad "hunting" and to be honest, it was one of my best days afield. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
At times he really got into trying to find squirrells in the trees or on the ground, but it didn't take long for him to revert back to the ways of a 3 year old. What a joy! After a quick snack of Oatmeal Cream Pie's it was back to business. Ha! Ha!
Well the morning hunt was a little different. I managed to bag 4 squirrells with one of them bieng a Fox (red) squirrell...my first!!!!! I was pumped beyond belief. And to top it all off, I actually beat Steve....he got 2. In his defense though, I think he spends most of that day "scouting" for deer. He NEVER stops.
As the day went on, one by one members of the family would stop by my grandmothers to drop off their squirrells. At the end of the day, they are all cleaned and prepared for our annual "Squirrell Gravy Breakfast" the following morning. Like ol' Hank Jr. said....."It's a family tradition"!
















Looking back the weekend was one to remember. My first Fox squirrell in the morning, my oldest son's first "hunt" with Steve and I that evening, and a big Squirrell Gravy Breakfast the next morning with all of my family. Does it get any better than that? I don't think so.

Until next time....



Jessi >>----->

Heaven on Earth?

Colorado!!!!! I don’t know what to say. The land is indescribable. We arrived in Taylor Park awe-struck. Crossing over the Great Divide at some 12,000 feet was unbelievable. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We have mountains in WV but nothing compared to what I saw when we reached the summit of the Cottonwood Pass. The backside was a 12 mile stretch of dirt road that twisted and turned its way into the heart of Taylor Park Trading Post (our home for a week). On the way down we were greeted with a few Mule Deer and more awesome views.

I wish I could say that I tagged an Elk on this trip but it just wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t for a lack of effort though. Each day was filled with long hikes that essentially put us 5-7 miles back into the wilderness at altitudes ranging from 10-12,500 feet.

Got oxygen? You have to remember, this was a public land Do It Yourself (DIY) hunt. It doesn’t get any tougher than that.

However, the Wilderness Athlete products (wildernessathlete.org) we brought along were a huge advantage. They kept us hydrated and energized throughout the long, leg burning, lung busting hikes. Thanks coach P!!!!!

Without question, my Lady Dream Season suit performed flawlessly. It kept me warm and comfortable the entire time. More importantly, it kept me scent free and the awesome Mossy Oak Treestand camo made me virtually invisible.

Blake did an awesome job guiding us through the rugged backcountry for a week and even though I didn’t get an opportunity to loose an arrow, Steve did manage to get a shot opportunity on the second day of the hunt. Although, a mis-judgment in yardage resulted in a clean miss.

The bulls were unusually quiet, but on the 4th day Steve and I did manage to hear several bugles late in the evening. What an awesome sound to hear! The next day, day 5, brought an end to our long awaited trip. Honestly, I missed my 2 little boys more than words can say. I wanted to see their little smiling faces so bad.

Looking back I can honestly say I had an awesome time. Steve and I made a new friend in Blake, witnessed things we may never see again in our lifetime, and by weeks end felt that much closer to God. You can’t surround yourself with a place like Colorado and not feel something deep inside. When you leave, you leave a piece of yourself behind; amongst the tall pines and bright yellow aspens.

No, I didn’t come home with antlers like I had envisioned for so many long months leading up to this hunt. But you know what, it doesn’t really matter. I have no regrets. Besides, I think if your goals revolve around antler size and bragging rights then you are missing out on what the whole bowhunting experience is really about. That is what matters to me…the experience. And this trip was the most awe-inspiring, breathtaking, and humbling experience ever. "Filling" a tag or "not filling" a tag will never take away from that…..ever. I just thank God for blessing Steve and I with the chance to glimpse a piece of heaven on earth……Taylor Park Colorado.

Until next time,

Jessi >>---->

Passing the Test

Prior to our trip to Colorado Steve and I headed down to the local pro-shop to get out bow rigs looked over to make sure everything was in good working order. There is no one we trust more with that responsibility than Addington’s Bowhunter Shop in Winfield WV. Frank and Kathy Addington have been in business for 30 years and they know exactly what they are doing. You don't stay in business that long unless you are doing something right. Frank’s shop is a little out of the way for us, but well worth the near 50 mile drive. When it comes to your bow’s performance you can’t skimp on the service.

After carefully examining everything, my trusty Mathews Ultra 2 was given the green light to head out west. While waiting on Steve’s bow to get a “once over”, I happen to notice a cute little girl in the corner looking at the new bow’s with her dad. How cool!!! I wanted to talk to her but I didn’t want to interrupt this special occasion. I mean, how often does someone get their first bow.

So, I kind of just hung back and watched. In my mind I could see myself going through the same process with my own children someday. What a neat moment. Well, after insuring that she was done getting aquainted with her new bow she kindly agreed to a quick snap shot for my blog. Her name is Taylor Adkins and she is well on her way to joining the ranks of bowhunters everywhere. Wish her luck this year as she jumps into the greatest sport ever…..Bowhunting1

Good luck Taylor!!!!!!!!

Well, with bows ready to go we hung out with Frank for a short while to get caught up on all the recent news. Frank isn’t just our Pro-Shop guy, he is our friend. After that we said our good byes and headed home. One day closer to Colorado.

Until next time,

Jessi >>----->

One Of A Kind

When the opportunity came up for Steve and me to join Blake Christopher of Outfitters Edge on a DIY Colorado elk hunt, we jumped at the chance. In the weeks leading up to the departure date we racked our brains trying to come up with a neat arrow wrap design in order to showcase the Scent Blocker name out west. That’s when we found arrow wrap specialists Scott and Mindy at Onestringer.com. After looking over their web site and considering different designs and color schemes, we eventually meshed them with some of our own ideas and came up with a final design for our Scent Blocker arrow wraps. After a few friendly e-mails the finished product was on its way.
Within days of our initial request, the wraps arrived in a nice and neat package and Steve quickly began preparing our arrow shafts for their new face lift. I couldn’t wait to see the finished product. One by one, each arrow was assembled until at last…. 2 dozen, freshly constructed Scent Blocker arrows sat quietly in the corner. WOW! I couldn’t believe how great they looked. The quality, color brightness, and attention to detail were outstanding. As an added bonus, they were actually 2 grains lighter than the store bought wraps they were replacing! Awesome. There were a lot of details in the design and Scott and Mindy had really hit a home run with these; everything about them looked great.

An additional strong point regarding Scott and Mindy’s product was a neat little wrap called the “Double Dog”. This thin, clear wrap actually goes on top of your standard wrap and acts as a protective covering to preserve the finish and safeguard it from wear and tear during shooting or while hunting. However, Steve thought the clear “Double Dogg” wraps would be a great solution to a problem he has had in the past.
If you’ve ever used a fully camouflaged shaft then you understand how difficult it is to remove old fletching without scuffing up the fine camo finish you likely paid extra money for. Well, by using the clear “Double Dogg” as your wrap, you don’t have to cover up your favorite hunting camo, plus you can remove old, worn-out vanes without fear of ruining the finish in the process. Simply remove the clear wrap and vanes and underneath you will find a camo finish that looks as good as it did the day you bought the arrow. Very cool! If you are in the market for some custom arrow wraps then you need to give theses guys a call or simply e-mail your request. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. Nothing makes you stand out like a set of custom made arrow wraps. And believe me they have got some really cool ideas and schemes on the web-site to choose from. Steve and I found the designing of the wraps really exciting. The sky is the limit. If you can think it up, Scott and Mindy can likely put it on a wrap and have it in your hands within a matter of days.

Onestringer Arrow Wraps

442 East GraceRepublic, MO 65738

http://www.onestringer.com/

417-732-4424

Thanks guys for sending us a wonderful product that not only looks great, but does what it is supposed to do as well.