Our First Hunting Trip

Last week, our family went on its first hunting trip. We left Thursday evening and drove for about 5 hours to eastern Washington. We arrived about 11:30 pm, unpacked and then the guys that were there had a skeet shoot competition. I held the light so they could see the clay pigeons.

The next morning, we introduced the girls to shot guns. They got to try their hand at shooting clay pigeons. They didn't hit any, but got a feel for what it is like. I took my turn and hit about half of my clay pigeons. Much better than the first time I tried about 18 months ago (I only hit 2 of 30 that time). This time I hit about 12 of 25. We then went for a 3 mile hike up some very rugged terrain to get a lay of the land and also so Ralph could shoot some video. So there we were carrying rifles, shot guns and cameras. We must have been quite the sight.

We then headed to the farm house of one of the owners of the 10,000 acre ranch we were on. They have a pond behind their house that they keep stocked with trout. The girls got out there and were very successful in a short time. They caught 6 trout between the two of them in about 20 minutes. Alicia was especially happy since it was her first time to catch a fish.

We headed back to the farm house we were staying at so I could get the stew I had made a head of time heated up for the guys who had been out hunting that morning. After lunch, we took a "ride" with the other owner of the ranch (the owners are father and son). The girls said it was better than Disney World. I called it cow pasture moguls. We rode around for a couple of hours through cow pastures, up and down VERY steep hills. It was a lot of fun.

The next morning, we went out on a practice hunt with the girls. We each carried a shot gun and Hannah carried a rifle (just in case we saw a coyote). We walked for a couple of hours, then headed back to the house for lunch. After lunch we had to do a video shoot, then it was time for the pheasant hunt. But first we went to an old farm house that was full of pigeons and shot a couple of pigeons. We then had our bird dog take off and find the pheasant for us. She found one, but it was too far away from where we were to get it. So then we were off again. We went up and down very steep hills, covered with knee high grasses. I began wondering what a sedentary homemaker like myself was doing out tramping through the brush and up and down hills to find a bird to shoot. But I didn't give up. Ralph shot the first pheasant. It was a beauty. We were so in awe of the colors that God put on this bird. The variety was incredible. We then sent the dog off to find one for me. She tracked one and stayed on it until I was able to get there. Then they let her go and I took two shots. I nicked it but didn't get a good enough shot to get it down. We spent about 90 minutes trying to see if it went down over the hills, but never found it. I was really disappointed, but I am really glad that Ralph got his.

Ralph and his first pheasant

While we were there we also made friends with the younger couple on the ranch. They have 4 little boys and we found out we had a lot in common. Alicia had fun as she was able to spend some time with the baby, holding and rocking him. The girls were also able to feed the cows and chickens and help collect eggs.

We had a wonderful time on this trip and look forward to many more. It was great to spend the time together as a family.

Preparing for the hunt

Ralph and I were busy on Saturday morning looking for the proper hunting clothing we would need. We have the other gear we will need, but not the clothes. So we decided to take advantage of our trip to my Dad's to make a stop at Cabela's in Lacey, on the way to my Dad's. The girls had never been there, so they were very much impressed with this huge museum of stuffed animals and fish of ALL kinds and even a small plane hanging from the ceiling. They were having a great sale for Father's Day so we went to work finding what we would need. Ralph found the pants, shirt and jacket he would use. I wasn't sure, as I love my dresses and skirts, but I did find a pair of over alls that I felt wouldn't leave me less immodest than the pants. I will have to do some altering to them, as I am a little short for what they had to offer. I also found a jacket. Now we just need to wait for the proper time and get out there and bring home the "bacon".

Here is Ralph and I "modeling" our hunting clothes for the girls. Can you see us in all the camouflage?

Here is a close up "shot". Not a bad couple, if I don't say so myself!

New Experiences

Last night, Ralph and I purchased our first hunting licenses. I am excited about the prospect of being able to bring home our own meat. I have never been hunting before, so I am a little nervous but know that Ralph will be a great help in calming my nerves. I look forward to being in the great outdoors, enjoying God's creation and finding food for our family. With the price of food these days we must do all we can to lighten the load there. So we have a good garden started and now we hope to bring home at least a couple of deer or elk or big horn sheep for our freezer (that we still need to buy). Our food bill will much less if we don't have to purchase store bought meat that is filled with antibiotics and hormones.