First EVER…Ladies in Camo Co-Ed Hog Hunt

By popular demand, this is the first co-ed hunt offered by Ladies in Camo. This hunt will give the “other halves” the opportunity to share the fun of these fun hog hunts. It will also give all those that have requested to have a cameraman along the opportunity to film your hunt.

This hunt is an awesome opportunity for you to enjoy a weekend hog hunting with other couples sharing the same interest at a nice lodge in beautiful southeast Alabama all for a fantastic discounted price. This hunt will be for a maximum of 6 couples and will fill quickly, so book your hunt early. You will be hunting hogs on 3,000 acres of agricultural land, pine plantations and river bottoms. No harvest limits or size restrictions. All box and tree stands are already placed in prime hunting spots. The weapon will be hunter’s choice. This will not be a night hunt-however, a management hunt will be offered at a later date.

Date:
February 25-26, 2012
Arrive on Friday afternoon/evening, hunt Saturday and Sunday and depart on Sunday evening/Monday morning.
NOTE: Additional days of hunting are available with this outfitter at an additional cost. This would be a great opportunity for you to take advantage of the discounted rate.

Outfitter/Guide:
Rack Nine Outdoors
Terry Garrett
See YouTube Videos:
Rack Nine Outdoors

Location:
Clio, Alabama in Barbour County. Email me for a link to a map if you would like to see the property.

Cost:
The outfitter has extremely discounted the price of this hunt. The fee for this hunt is $500.00 per couple ($250 per hunter); which includes lodging, meals, and transportation to and from your stand. This hunt is limited to 6 couples so reserve your spot early. Skinning and quartering of hogs to place in your cooler is included. Meals will include dinner on Friday night and continental breakfast and 2 meals on Saturday and Sunday. Non-alcoholic beverages will also be available at all times during the hunt.

License:
The required license:
3-day Non-Resident Small Game License $40.00
License can be purchased online https://www.alabamainteractive.org/dcnr_license/welcome.action

Equipment needed:
THERMOCELL (Bring this just in case)
Firearm and Ammo/Bow and arrows
Safety Harness
Camo clothing that you can layer
Rain wear and gear
Personal toiletries (towels and wash cloths will be supplied)
Cooler to take your harvest home in

Reservations:
To reserve your spot, or if you have any questions, email me at guruhuntress@centurytel.net. A 50% non-refundable/non-transferable deposit is required within 10 days of booking your hunt.

Guest Post: Diane Hassinger shares her success of her hunt and “of life”.

This was my first time meeting Diane Hassinger from Pennsylvania, but I can promise you that I will not forget her any time soon. Diane’s life story is such an inspiration. Diane’s personal struggle and success gave new meaning to a quote I once read by Helen Keller: “The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive, and Godlike. It teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

I am so thankful that our paths have crossed and I had the opportunity to share camp with her. Here is Diane’s story from her hunt at Rack Nine Outdoors with the Ladies in Camo.

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I happened to see a post on Shenanigans from the Field about a Ladies in Camo Ladies Only Hunt at Rack Nine Outdoors in Clio, Alabama. What caught my eye was that it was a buck, doe, coyote, hog and bobcat hunt. This was just too much to ask for. I had found this post only 2 ½ weeks before the hunt, so a lot had to fall into place for this to happen. I am a firm believer in fate and it would work out if it were meant to be. Well things fell into place perfectly and on December 7th I flew into Montgomery Airport to catch a ride with Richard and Nancy to the camp.

Pulling into the camp I immediately felt at ease and knew this had been a good choice. The lodge felt like home, and the few huntresses and guides that were there felt like family from the start. While everyone pigged out on pizza, we made our plans for morning. There would be 3 of us hunting, while the rest were to come in staggered over the next 2 days. Four a.m. came early the next morning, with temperatures below freezing, and having not brought all of my cold weather gear, freezing is what I did too! Terry put me in a tree stand overlooking a food plot. It wasn’t long before the show began and I forgot all about being cold. I had a nice 8 point bucks with 2 girlfriends come thru, just pausing long enough for me to know I could not get a shot off at him. What a tease!

Shortly after that another 8 point entered my view, and took his good old-time about entering the food plot. He was joined by 2 spike buck that entertained me for almost an hour with their sparring and play. Meanwhile my 8 point was raking the trees nearby and making a scrape right in front of me. After 15 minutes of wonderful memories, I decided that if I would shoot this guy on the last day, the first day was a good day too. Almost right on cue the buck turned broadside then quartered away just slightly.

Two young bucks spar on the greenfield, keeping Diane entertained while she waited for the opportunity to take a shot at an 8 point. Photo Credit: Diane Hassinger

As I pulled the trigger, I was thankful I was able to be here at this time. You see 2 ½ years ago I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, and underwent a bilateral mastectomy. They also removed some lymph nodes to check for the spread of cancer. Following my surgery, no one could answer whether I would ever be able to fish, bow hunt, or shoot shotguns and rifles again. No one had ever asked these questions of my doctors, I was the first! Well I am delighted to prove to everyone, that not only is it possible, but you can still be successful as well!

My buck tucked his tail and hunched up telling me I had hit him good. I sent a text to Terry and continued watching the two spikes play. They never even flinched when I shot, and I videotaped them for the next 15 minutes. Unreal! In Pennsylvania I would have chased off every deer for a half mile with that one shot. When Terry and Doug arrived, we started looking for a blood trail, and panic started to set in. I knew I had hit him good, but there was no blood to speak of. We finally found 1 drop 10-15 feet from where he was shot and then 1 drop at a time, at 5-10 feet intervals, for about 70 yards. I was just about heartbroken when Doug said “there he is”. He had only gone 75 yards and piled up under a pine tree. He was nice high 8 point, and I was thrilled.

Diane Hassinger from Pennsylvania and her nice buck harvest. Photo Credit: Terry Garrett, Rack Nine Outdoors

The next evening I was placed in a ground blind, in a tract of woods near a food plot. Both Terry and Doug had said to feel free to spot and stalk hogs, so that was my goal. Coyotes were howling nearby as I slowly hiked about ¼ mile down a logging trail from the blind. Before long it sounded like a football team racing thru the woods. Slowly and quietly I inched into a position to see the hogs. It did not take long to find a big sow, and with a lot of luck she walked into the one sight window that I had that was big enough to shoot thru, about the size of a coffee can. Holding my breath I took the 75 yard shot, and was rewarded with watching her drop not 3 feet from where I shot her.

Diane Hassinger with her nice 130 pound sow harvested at Rack Nine Outdoors. Photo Credit: Terry Garrett, Rack Nine Outdoors

I continued to look for my next shooter, but this group turned tail and ran. After texting Terry that I had a hog down, and that I was going to continue looking for her friends, I marked her location and started tracking the herd. It did not take long to locate them across the logging road. I had to go into the cramped quarters of the paper mills pine forest. At one point I had 3 groups pretty much surrounding me, easily 100 wild pigs, all squealing and rooting and paying no attention to me at all. As much as I tried to, I could not down another pig, but what a rush to have that many wild pigs around you!

I am already planning my next trip to Rack Nine with my husband this time. I hope he gets to experience situations like I had here. And I will be excited to be here to share it with him. I am proud to not only say I am a cancer survivor, but I am enjoying life! Everyone should get out and do what they love every opportunity they can. “Love the Life you Live, Live the Life you Love” (Bob Marley)

Guest Post: Michelle Harmes reflects on her hunt with Ladies in Camo at Mountain View Plantation

Driving up to Mountain View Plantation was amazingly peaceful and beautiful, the winding roads, the fall leaves, and the creeks reflecting the colors of fall. The scenery made me forget about how anxious I was to hunt, I couldn’t wait to see everyone and have a weekend of hunting and to try my skills at the Outdoor Competition that our outfitter had set up. I had been practicing but not nearly enough.

I pulled up to the lodge and immediately was struck by the view of the mountains than the feeling that I could totally live at this awesome place. Even before I got out of my car I saw the 5 station shotgun range, the 3D archery range, and the giant fire pit. I knew this weekend was going be amazing!

The Cheaha Mountains in the distance make for a beautiful view from the back porch of the MVP lodge.

I opened the door to the lodge and walked straight into a picture perfect lodge. Everything made out of natural stained wood, pool table, fireplace, deer on every wall……I must be sleeping or dead cause dang if this ain’t my kinda heaven!
Everyone started to get in and we all packed our stuff into our rooms. Bunk beds with pine cone bedspreads, it was a page out of a catalog!

The interior of the lodge was beautifully decorated with natural wood, wild game mounts, a cozy fireplace surrounded by comfortable seating and even a pool table.

We gear up and hit the stands, I was dropped off first and walked to my ladder stand overlooking a huge food plot with deer sign everywhere. The sun set on my hunt with no sightings of deer but the evening had just begun. Everyone came back to the lodge, some seeing multiple deer but no shots made. We sat down to dinner for the first of many amazing meals cooked by Stephanie.

Next was gathering around the campfire to hear stories of big black bear and cougars that roam not too far away. Perfect for making me paranoid for the next mornings dark walk to the stand.

The fire pit was a welcoming spot to share stories and laughs after the days hunt.

Early morning and the lodge is busy with everyone getting ready to go. We load up in the dark and get dropped off. Me again being dropped off first, in the most dark. I turn on my headlamp to red, preserving my vision and less scary to deer. I am walking slowly, debating how exactly I will defend myself from black bears in the dark with a bow. Just as I am about to turn to the path to my stand, the bush in front of me explodes and a creature emerges, running through the leaves! My heart is racing! I am ready to fight of the…..scan with the light, scan with the light, where is this thing and what the heck is it???

I see its eyes glowing red from my light, its in the road, its…its….its got long ears and a fluffy tail, its a dang rabbit!

I get in my stand, its still dark and wait for the sun to come up because I am freezing. I didn’t pack my cold weather gear because the temperature wasn’t bad but the wind was trying to freeze me to the tree. A small hawk almost lands on me but when I saw him flying at me I turned my head and he “put the brakes on” and had his wings out trying to back pedal. He landed on the tree to the left of me and tried to figure out what I was and so I squeaked at him and he flew a little closer. After deciding I wasn’t food he flew off, that was a great experience!

Not long after, a spike pauses at the edge of the field and walks out to eat. I wait for the next deer to come, as the spike was in shooting range. He ate for a bit and then walked off to the woods on the opposite side as silently as he came in.
No other deer came that morning so I climbed down to sit in the sun till my ride came.

Lunch was amazing and then it was time for the Women’s Outdoor challenge. We divided into groups and I went to the 5 stand shotgun first and got about 50% of my shots, not bad for my second time firing a shotgun. Next it was archery and I put the wrong pin on the pig and missed but made up for it by shooting a dead on bulls-eye on the deer. Next was bait casting and the were so small and cute compared to my giant catfish ones, it was an adjustment! I didn’t do well, got one in the circle. Finally it was time for the last round, shooting a tiny .22 with iron sites. It was hard and I aimed way too high and missed. Scopes are my friends.

Points wise I got second place and it was a ton of fun, I did a lot better than I thought that I would. I can’t wait to go again next year!

We all loaded up and went for our second afternoon hunt, I asked to be moved since everyone was seeing more deer than me. Unfortunately I forgot that I had switched to my field tips and didn’t bring broad heads with me. I had to hike back down for a total of a half mile of hill (both ways). I was asked by one of the guides if I had them and I thought that I did but the nap I took erased my memory. It had happened to a lady on the hunt the previous week so I feel slightly less bad about myself. I was able to get them on the phone before my phone died and they came and I ran in the lodge and they took me to a different place where I ended up seeing two large does cross the field but they were about 100 yards away.

Night came and more good food and fun around the fire. We found out that Kat had made an amazing shot on a doe at last light and they were able to find it easily after they came back and warmed up a bit just to make sure that they didn’t track too soon. Kat will have some great venison to eat and I can’t wait to hunt with her in the future.

Saturday night football got everyone in a good mood as we talked about the deer we saw and the days competition. We also got to re-fletch some arrows using Bohning equipment that Nancy Jo brought. Great stories were told that had my face hurting from laughing.

The final hunt morning I went out to the first stand from the night before and didn’t see any deer, just squirrels doing noisy squirrel construction.

After lunch of moose hotdogs(courtesy of my husband and his massive Alaskan moose) I went and practiced more 3D shooting and did some skeet but my shoulder was sore from shooting the day before that I only shot a few times.

For the last afternoon hunt I asked to be put at my second stand from the night before because it over looked a food plot and a corn field that still had some ears. The temperature was perfect but slowly cooled down, almost no wind but it was in my favor.
Suddenly I felt a chill come over my whole body and I knew that something was coming, sure enough to my right out popped a young doe followed by 3 more and the last one being the biggest. They were walking and eating getting perfectly set up for me to make a shot if they had just walked a little bit farther but the squirrels started barking at them so they walked into the corn field.
I could see the corn moving when they were eating the ears and they slowly made their way out and right in front of me just before last light, the largest dow was out front but her vitals were behind a branch that was just in my way. They were stopped and she was looking towards the road for what seemed like forever.

I was quickly loosing light and decided to go for it. I put my pin on her chest, I knew where she was because I had spent the afternoon ranging random parts of the field so I would know when the time came. I fired and they didn’t move till I heard a hollow thwack. Then they ran and kept running. It as a solid hit.

After a bit I climbed down still shaking from taking a shot and waited for my ride. We went back to the lodge to wait for the others since I didn’t see her fall. When everyone came we gathered up and headed to go look for her.
Unfortunately we found no blood. No blood and no arrow. With a downward facing shot at 35 yards it most likely didn’t exit and she may have only bled internally. Everyone searched high and low but there was just too many corn stalks and you can’t track when there is no sign.

We went back and I ate a late supper and joined the other ladies around the campfire. Some of the ladies left that night but others stayed and we visited till late in the night knowing that we were not hunting in the morning. I could hardly sleep knowing we were going to go out in the morning and look for blood in the daylight. I woke up very early and was able to see the sunrise on the Mountain and it was so beautiful. It was a very cold morning. The outfitter and I went and looked all over the frost covered ground, but there was nothing to be found. Disappointed but still at peace that we looked as hard as we could, I got back to the lodge and packed up.

I cannot wait to go to Mountain View Plantation again, I felt so at home there and felt like we were all family. It was such an amazing weekend in beautiful country that will I daydream about future hunts there for years to come. I was so impressed with the whole operation and how well they knew all of their land, they always set me up so the wind was in my favor and the stands I was in couldn’t have been in a better spot. They did everything in their power to set me up for success but with fair chase hunting you have a fair chance of nature having its own plans.

I want to thank Nancy Jo Adams and all of the staff at Mountain View Plantation for making such an amazing weekend possible.

Anniston Star Outdoors Article-Beauties & Bows

Charles Johnston, Outdoor Editor with The Anniston Star, came by the Mountain View Plantation Hunt and shared some time with the group of ladies attending the Women’s Whitetail Bowhunt. We enjoyed lunch with Mr. Johnston and sharing stories with him while the the ladies competed in the Women’s Ultimate Outdoor Challenge.

Here is a copy of the article:
Credit to The Anniston Star, Outdoors Page 2D, November 6, 2011

The Anniston Star, Outdoors Page 2D, published November 6, 2011

Ladies Hunts Scheduled for this Fall…Come join us for awesome hunting and great fellowship.

Ladies, are you looking for great hunting opportunities at very reasonable pricing? I have been fortunate enough to find several outfitters who are excited about promoting women in the sport of hunting and giving women hunters the opportunity of some great hunts. Here is a list of hunts that are on the calendar. Subscribe to my blog to be the first to know when a hunt is posted. Click on the BLUE link to take you to the announcement to read the details of each hunt:

December 8-11:
Ladies Deer, Hog, Bobcat & Coyote Hunt at Rack Nine Outdoors, Barbour County, Alabama

I have 4 spots available on this hunt.

January (26)27-29, 2012
Ladies Rut Whitetail Rifle Hunt and Quail Hunt with Mountain View Plantation, Clay County, AL

I have 2 spots available on this hunt.

I am working on coordinating a turkey hunt, bear hunt and two hog hunts. Deposits are non-refundable. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to be the first to know about future hunts. Hunt hard, harvest ethically and may your drag be short. ~Nancy Jo

Oh yeah! Here we go again….

This afternoon I will meet 8 women at Rack Nine Outdoors in Barbour County, AL for another ladies hog hunt. I am really excited because Terry Garrett worked really hard all week scouting, watching hog movement and locating stands in active areas for all the ladies.

I have all my gear packed and I am ready to hit the woods. This afternoon, I will be sitting in a ground blind with Cameryn Melton. I am really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the woods into the corn field.

There will be 5 ladies returning to Rack Nine Outdoors: Jennifer McKinney, Michelle Harmes, Michele Branning, Shannon Markley, Amber Markley. We have three attending for the first time: Charmen McAlpine, Cameryn Melton and Andrea Main.

Stay tuned for stories, photos from the field and updates throughout the weekend. Also, check Facebook for updates.

Feathers of a different sort.

I just spent another wonderful weekend at Mountain View Plantation in Delta, Alabama. This time I was chasing a turkey in those foothills. We arrived Friday evening to a wonderful dinner of fried turkey, mashed potatoes, yellow corn, gravy, biscuits, banana pudding and some of Alabama’s finest sweet tea. I tell you, if that isn’t enough to make your taste buds slap the roof of your mouth, you haven’t had true southern cooking.

The turkey was compliments of Chase Miller who was lucky enough to score on the bird the prior morning. MVP head chef, Stephanie Hendrix, cooks with the wisdom you would expect of an elderly woman who has learned all the secrets to divine southern cuisine. If you go hungry while visiting MVP, it will definitely be of your own doing; as soon as one plate is done, a bowl of dessert is placed in front of you. Absolutely divine meals.

Stephanie Hendrix of Mountain View Plantation. This woman can cook like there is no tomorrow.

We were up early Saturday morning with plenty of time to spare. By the time we drove to our destination and unloaded Hank the HuntVe it was still dark. The full moon helped light the two-rut road that we crept down on Hank. Our first spot to check out was a beautiful ridge. We had nearly walked to the point of the ridge when we decided to stop and wait a little bit before making any noise. The morning was warm but not really humid and the temperature was surely going to rise fast once the sun came up.

As soon as it was light enough to hear some tree yelps, we made owl calls…we got nothing in return. We waited a bit then made some soft tree yelps, still nothing. We followed that up with some tree yelps, a few more owl calls and then finally a fly down cackle. No sounds from turkeys at all. A few songbirds and cardinals were beginning to chirp, but no turkeys.

We drove the road system creeping along and surprisingly we were quiet enough on Hank to slip up on several flocks of hens, mostly feeding in green fields. We saw a total of 23 hens and two unknown birds because they flushed from a side trail out of the brush before we could get a good look at them. When the birds started slipping out of the hot sun and into the woods we headed back to the truck. The turkey woods were really quiet—not only did we not hear a gobble, yelp, or purr; we didn’t hear a single fly-down.

When we returned to the lodge, we could smell the ham cooking when we stepped out of Clyde. Another fine meal was in store, no doubt. Saturday’s lunch included baked ham, pork tenderloin smothered in cream of mushroom gravy, pinto beans, cream potatoes and gravy, yellow corn and apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I was so thirsty from the hunt I drank 3 glasses of sweat tea. I was now in dire need of a nap…in a chaise lounger outdoors.

Good Ol' Southern cooking and plenty of it!

MVP was hosting a Continental Pheasant Hunt just after lunch and Richard was there to videotape some footage of the hunt. I thought I would step over to Clyde and catch me a nap—that didn’t happen, I was too busy watching the shoot and seeing what birds were shot. I am definitely going to have to give this a try sometime in the future. I had the opportunity to do it on Saturday but I knew all too well that if I got down there on that field with my shotgun in my hand, shooting at those pheasant—I was not going to want to come in to go roost a bird, and after all, that is what we came for. I wish I had but glad I didn’t. It was really fun watching the shoot and I was even able to “fetch” a few downed birds.

We headed back out to the turkey woods around 4:00 p.m. and boy was it hot; 86 degrees and it wasn’t much cooler in the shade. We set up on a strut zone in a well-traveled area where we had seen numerous tracks. We stayed there until dark and never got the opportunity to see a turkey. We still had not heard a turkey—hen or gobbler—all day.

When we arrived at the lodge from our afternoon hunt, we were able to visit with some of the shooters from quail hunt earlier in the day, including Hank from Wisconsin aka the “Damn Yankee”; who is now a transplanted Alabamian. It was interesting sharing stories from what seems to be two different worlds. We headed to bed early and looking forward to Sunday’s hunt. We already had a place in mind which Richard had already brushed in the area for us to sit earlier in the day. I went to sleep with the thought that surely we would hear a bird tomorrow.

On Top of this Mountain…

We left Montgomery, Alabama shortly after 4:00 p.m. today headed to Delta, Alabama to hunt with Mountain View Plantation. Clyde was neatly packed with room to spare; you could actually see through the back and side windows. This, in its self, is amazing on one of my trips. I am a true believer that I would rather have one of everything than to not have that one thing I really needed.

We arrived just as the sun was setting and were greeted by Richard Sprayberry and Stephanie Hendrix as they were coming from the kennels. Both Richard’s took off to the stand to hang a cameraman stand and I stayed behind and talked with Stephanie as she grilled steaks; handling the grill like a pro.

Tonight’s dinner was my first-ever free-range steak and it was absolutely fabulous. We had beef steak, loaded baked potatoes, fresh garden salad with all the special fixings, yeast rolls, a wonderful apple dessert with vanilla ice cream and sweet ice tea….pure mouth watering, tummy pleasing, stick to your ribs kind of meal that satisfies you clean to the core. Mmmmm…Mmmmm!!

We sat around the lodge visiting a little before finalizing the plans of our morning hunt. I am anxious to see the morning spring to life in these hills. From the back veranda at the lodge you can see Cheaha Mountains in the distance—just absolutely breath taking.

I took some pictures of some of Mountain View Plantations deer harvests from over the years. All of the deer were harvested on property owned/managed by Mountain View Plantation. Sorry, some photos came out a little blurry because my camera is having an issue with the lens sensor…got to get that checked out. I also wanted to share with you the beauty of the lodge.

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Mountain View Plantation Buck Harvest

Richard playing pool

Nancy Jo trying to figure out which ball it was you are not supposed to hit in…Ha!

The pool table and living room area.

The living room area fire place, so inviting.

View from across the living room to pool table.

Living room area.

Front Bedroom. Notice the bunk beds are FULL size bunk beds.

Bedroom on the back side. 2 bunks of full-size beds.

The bar area…where the coffee pot is located.

The fire place….gas….so inviting.

Bedroom in the rear w/2 full size beds.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw this turkey mount…I think my heart skipped several beats

Not only did he have “4” beards…he had hooked spurs. Outstanding Tom!!

Shortly after Richard and Stephanie left, Richard and I played a quick game of pool and I took some photos. I prepared my gear for the morning hunt and I set Crackie to wake us up. We will be up at 4:00 a.m. and headed to the stand around 5-5:15 a.m.

Not taking into consideration the moon phase when I scheduled this hunt, it ended up that I choose the weekend of the full moon…but that is not going to damper my hunting any differently, I will just need to sit a little longer into the day. No matter what transpires, tomorrow will be a wonderful day…it already promises great fellowship and good food; besides, I get to waste a few rounds shooting 5 stand tomorrow; 5 stand will be another first for me and I am really looking forward to it.

The lodge is so comfortable, if it were not 50-60 degrees out I would have started a fire in the fireplace and read a book in front of it until I fell asleep; Just so beautiful!

Dreaming turkeys during early bowseason!