An Extreme Competition......

 

Remember this: Read the fine print then if your intuition tells you something stinks...it most likely does.

I was perusing the internet looking for hunting when I fell upon the Extreme Huntress Competition. I knew of this from previous searches but each time I always said no and moved on.

This time I looked a little closer.

In my critique, the first thing I looked at was the mission statement:

“Our goal—create positive role models for woman who want to participate in hunting. With 50% divorce rates and kids becoming invested in sports as (web page typo) a younger and younger age, we feel if mom goes hunting, so will her children. “~Extreme Huntress Competition Website~.

This was a poorly thought out mission statement. It needs an over-haul. There is nothing on promoting conservation, diplomacy, policy-making, individuality, family, or any thing definitive that supports this competition.

I was dumbfound. All of these participants were in the hunting arena already; not new-comers. Big truth here, mom going hunting doesn't guarantee or influence whether your child will be a hunter through and through all their lives. Unless the parent takes away his or her right to decision making, individuality, or the fact they have to agree with everything the parent wants them to do. Momma made me do it. I had no choice. Mom going hunting is not going to stop a son from robbing a store, flipping a new car, or having a shoot out with the police. Ergo again, going hunting with Mom is not going to save Mom the anger when her daughter or son finds a unsuitable mate that drags them away to some place where they forget hunting because bills and babies take over. If Mom or Dad is lucky their ideal dreams of a family will come true but the reality in this life time is, under the weight of the world, families are torn asunder. Family members are scattered to the winds.

Some of these women could be mothers eventually but there are some that have kids already. Quite frankly you can't dictate to a woman how she will raise her offspring. Another thought is how an outside entity takes it upon themselves to try and model adults who already have parents that raised them along time ago.

I then thought as Tina Turner would sing, “What does love have to do with it?” Divorce rates have no influence over becoming a hunter. Divorce might facilitate things but its not the one driving factor in break-ups; infidelity, people evolve with different values or ideas, or it shouldn't have been in the first place. What can push you to hunt is the fact you have no money or food and looking at a starving baby with no governmental or community support. You are a lamb tossed to the wolves. You shoot and eat them or they eat you. You either want to hunt or someone introduces you to it, willingly or not.

Mothers are all different. You can't guarantee a mother will be decent. Some women toss their babies in dumpsters. My old Professor of Bones at the technical college was a substitute teacher for the elementary school. She had a really bad kid then went to see his mother. The house had no electricity, food, roaches, and rats while being unlivable. The child in question was left there to fend for himself while the biological mother went out trying to score drugs and food for herself. She called the Child Welfare Agency who later let her adopt the child and he finished school. This substitute teacher wasn't his biological mother. Yet she took him as her own. There are some men that make better mothers than mothers. Having the title mother doesn't mean a thing if you don't do all the things an ideal mother would do (yet we all having human failings).

After I got through with the mission statement, I wondered what exactly in benefits where these applicants getting. I read the rules and regulations. I was concerned these ladies were being taken advantage of. Vanity will open the door for this mishap.

It seemed the Sponsor was the owner of all data. Reading into this I concurred that these women were really being used by the Sponsors because the Sponsors were getting the free advertising over and over for the competition. I bet that people holding it got a fat paycheck. I also went to each site and saw not one whiff of an announcement or even advertisement for what the Sponsor was offering in the way of prizes. As a Sponsor you should be defining what is to be offered to winners and participants because no one should go home empty handed. I gathered this because if you are promoting women in hunting; make it worth their while and don't waste their time or capitalize on their backs. They are not your personal mules for advertising or money; don't white wash taking advantage of someone because you know women want to be taken seriously.

I skipped down to the Finalists.

I see this: This hunt will be filmed for a series of videos called Extreme Huntress Competition. I wondered how much the company makes for these episodes which would be put up on the internet, world wide and television. I then looked at the Grand Prize which is an original award designed by artist Mark James and the fact they will reign as Extreme Huntress  for a period of a year. Any other prize detail will be at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. I guess after this its all merchandising, modeling, and face time to the masses.

Then I see Finalist Expense: All expenses not specified herein are the sole responsibility of the finalist, including without limitation all transportation to and from departure point for hunt competition and awards dinner, award dinner tickets for guest or spouse, award dinner lodging and meals. Texas hunting license, personal expenses, medical insurance packages, trip insurance, trophy prep, taxidermy, and other miscellaneous costs participant chooses to incur.

I thought if you got that far with things the competition Sponsors should foot the bill. Its their contest they made up while sticking the bill to the participants. I am sure the Sponsor will be making a percentage of all earnings off the winner or any of the other participants if they should choose to use them in upcoming competition advertisements, interviews, etc. Trust me, unless they are not financially savvy, someone is making money somewhere. Otherwise ,why do it?

I read the release which makes it sound like the disbursement of the prize is the participation in hunt/skills competition. I wondered if this meant the participants already received their prize in the form of the hunt/competition? I read that the Finalist prize package had a retail value of no less than $5000 per finalist. So there is 20 semi-finalists. I also think I read it changes depending on what you kill. Prized before you compete?

I then see Hunt Cancellation: The Sponsor is not held liable for fees, costs, financial obligations to finalists or Grand Prize winner.

This particular item made me think these people were not people of honor or their word. Here they are willing to walk off with no responsibility for bringing these participants into a game then when things go belly up; walk off and leave the women holding the empty bag.

Really and truly when you read the Conditions and Participation the women have to agree to such terms just to be able to participate. Its not right. They do all the work, one gets some glory but the Sponsor reaps the benefit and moves on to the next face the following year.

My thoughts on this were grave yet appalled. I can't believe some days the lengths people will go to take advantage of people or use a woman for selfish ends.  There must not be much to hunting with these competitions. How can you take another hunter or huntress and put them in a game, knowing they could get hurt or killed then turn your back on them because of a condition the Sponsor and the competition generated? This is sacrificing someone through their desire to be renown for a title that doesn't have much value after a year except to the person who doesn't need it anyway and on top of that there is someone out in the world that could hunt your pants off but they aren't vain or can be manipulated through vanity. I guess the trophy could be melted down, recast and sold as a kudu statue.

My thoughts were this was a sham and a shame. Of course, I could be completely wrong in this but there was no information to dictate the contrary.

I thought instead of a competition, why not review what these women have done over the course of a year because hunting is a life long thing not just X amount of episodes that are under confined conditions for mass consumption and entertainment. Each one of these women could be doing something different and unique unto itself yet they are being defeathered meticulously. Pushing their essays out is one thing but really getting into the grit of a person is another thing. I could probably go a googling on the internet and find someone who really does have a handle on hunting ethic and ideology to bang out a good essay that makes me look like a saint while my true self is questionable.

Instead of telling you who they are and what they are about it the same old thing you can find on the internet, kinda like a telephone monologue at Pizza Hut. "We have thick crust or thin? Which do you prefer?" They will tell you what it takes to get them chosen to win. People lie on job interviews all the time but when it comes time to do the job; you'll be found out.

In the way of competitions, I wondered where were the scholarships, prizes of merit for a mother that would help make her life easier, what groups would this Extreme Huntress be representing, and how much work would she be asked to do to cover ground, or being reimbursed. You can get more done with more than one woman. Who would she be uplifting? What actually are the platforms she would be working from or on? Why make one woman bear that much weight on top of her daily life and trials when she has sisters all over the world? Why weren't these women taken into consideration?

If anyone were going to sign up for something like this you have to question some things. Is it going  to help women who hunt instead of showcase one person with very little or no outstanding of personal ideals on hunting? If this global or national push for showcasing women in hunting can be expressed to the public to uplift anyone or is it really is nothing more than a beauty contest based upon shallow popularity and a short essay?

 

I do suspect there will probably be some anger to my writing this but I am not bashing the competition but I do think the ladies can be treated a little better and with respect; not a commoditity to give a second or third party publicity.

If you are going to expose the world to female hunters find a better way of doing it. The public at large needs to see the forums, the activity, issues being addressed, and average people doing the work. There are faceless people doing astounding things everyday yet we push one or two people because they won a competition that gave them an accolade. A work of art on your mantle does nothing for conservation or hunting. It gathers dust which causes you more work because you spend time cleaning it instead of doing something more productive.   

I read all twenty of the essays. There were several women who I thought of yet I voted for one. The people who quoted work like a resume didn't appeal to me because they were going solely on accolades and accomplishments not personal beliefs or what drove them forward in hunting. 

She was the one that I read her entire essay. The one little girl that admitted being a hardcore huntress didn't look positive. She has thought about how she wants to represent herself and what she is doing. She's honest and tells you she is financially challenged in a humble way. She put in the effort and was offered jobs based on the work she was already doing. Her wording of the conditions of not being taken seriously, how its not about the money its about the experience and the knowledge of learning something in particular. At her age, she understands its not about fame.

Fame doesn't last but it is what you do with fame in the way of hunting and other people being introduced to the sport. The best thing she did was write about her mentality and how she respected hunting as an act. I still liked Sandra Mas and her ballsy-ness at becoming a hunter in Africa, Helga Wimmer, and Nikita Dalke but my favorite was Beka Garris because she vocalized it better. I don't give my vote lightly.

Overall, I could see where this would spotlight women in hunting but it being the best and most well thought out platform; no. Most likely the person who really deserves it will not get it.

Written by: W Harley Bloodworth

~Courtesy of the AOFH~

Here is the link if you would like to vote and give your thoughts. Nothing like free advertising.

http://www.extremehuntress.com/category/current-huntresses/

Turkey Poops On You....Then Laughs.

Click image to Enlarge.
Lean in and take a sniff.

Remember this: It doesn't matter the height one is pooped on. ~Signed: The Pigeons~

You are still pooped on. ~Signed: The Turkeys~

Yesterday was the last day of turkey hunting season. It went out with a heavy rain, a flat tire, a bee hive, and then lots of sunshine. I spent my day down in a pine stand raking straw for my chickens' nesting boxes.

Several days before, I had an interesting encounter with a wild turkey hen and visited the unofficial Turkey Gobbler King of the area. I was out driving the golf cart with Nena Two Feathers; doing some calls in a place I perceived to be vacant of the feathered bird. First, I was down in the pine stand. The tree top fall-out from the previous winter snow storm littered the ground. I piled lite limbs up for housing to whatever wanted to move in. I purred and clucked; purred and cluck. I looked over to see Nena Two Feathers with her head sagging to the side, asleep. Leave it to Nena to nap on the job. I drove down the road like a bandit trying to wake her up without throwing her out; nothing worked.

I came to rest under a great oak tree, calling away, that abutted a wide open field yet untouched by the farmer's disc. I called again, waited, then nothing. I will attest that I was not dressed in camo for the occasion. I wore a red t-shirt with white and black piping and a pair of blue jeans. On reflection, I am sure I looked like a gigantic male turkey head ghosting around on a sea of blue.

I decided to go back down the road. I turned the curve. Up ahead of me was a turkey hen walking out into the road from the pine stand . I stopped hoping the bird wouldn't be spooked. Not wanting to menace wildlife, I watched her slowly walk down the road and into the old dried grass and wild mustard. I drove up and started doing some calls.

The bird was humorous to watch. She reminded me of a small land submarine as she made a semi-circle. Her motions were walk some, up periscope, walk some, down periscope. I followed her movements for about thirty minutes before she finally disappeared. I remembered I watched the movie U-571. Any minute the turkey would send out a torpedo through the dried grass to blow up the golf cart Destroyer.

My suspicions were this particular hen was the one being menaced by a menagerie of little foot-prints up and down the road. When out driving the golf cart, I would look down at the dirt to see canine, feline, opossum, or raccoon prints hot on the heels of the turkey bird. The writing on the clay was a little drama of sorts where the turkey heroine was stalked by all manner of predatory beast. I wasn't sure if those little robbers found her nest and rifled it.

Giving up on this momentary interaction, I put the golf cart in high gear (more of a slow crawl) to bolt down the road like a mad dodger. I drove to the Turkey Gobbler King's house and knocked on the door. A little short man came out with brilliant green eyes. I told him who I was and explained my cell phone was compromised therefore I couldn't call him back on Sunday as promised. He was fine with my explanation. I had my slate call and he told me, “Let's hear it.” I plugged off a couple of different calls. Seeming satisfied I wasn't a total waste of time, we walked down the steps to his truck. He dug inside and pulled out a jacket with his slates inside. He showed me a couple of things then asked did I have any diaphragms. I told him yes but I wasn't comfortable with their use because no one showed me the proper way. He told me which ones he liked and disliked. I think the oral diaphragms I owned were the ones he didn't care for. He began to call and can confirm; he is a boss.

From what I gathered from him, people have him do the calling while they do the shooting. He calls them in under the guise of getting laid only to have their head shot off. All through the conversation he did repeat the lack of birds around the area; behind his house included. He admitted he had stopped hunting because of the lack of quarry. I wondered if it were not because of over utilizing the landscape to acquire birds then not think they would ever disappear. What was there is now gone. He did feel the need to point this out to me: “Its called turkey hunting because you have to call up the bird; not turkey killing.” Here in my state we are not allowed to bait wild turkey but baiting the deer runs rampant. People pour corn out to lure deer on land all year long in some places. This causes very little work on the part of the hunter. Who would turn down a consistent meal? I am sure deer everywhere would be standing in the tree line, not to far from the feeder, like Pavlov’s dog to munch away. Speaking of dinner bells, I remember reading some dated articles where rifle hunting for bigger game in the mid-west wasn't so well received because the bear equated the gun shot with opportunity for easy food.

I then got to thinking about opportunity and forethought. If you have a private land owner who sees turkey breeding on their property, the opportunity to shoot one is there. Whether or not the person has the common sense to avoid taking every male due to opportunity, is a problem source. Going back to the same spot to capitalize on birds without consideration for number of males per females could lead the next season into a labeled “fair” or worse forecast. If you are gunning birds just to show off a kill in a photo or one-upping the Jones, then when there is nothing left, you rightly deserve the deficit. In consideration of predators, disease, natural disasters, nest destruction through farming, or some other malady, not planning into the future doesn't seem so smart. Yet we can not control the future but we can control ourselves.

Watch out for those types that when you bring this up will say under their breathe, "There is nothing to worry about." Or the one that justifies killing off all the jakes and toms because he or she is going to get their bird regardless. People will believe their own lie to justify and act. Some hunters act like there is a magical turkey factory out there in the forest that spits out birds on a regular basis while causing a surplus.

I know the thought does arise, if I don't kill the turkey then someone else will. The travesty of living in a community where everyone has their own ideas of doing things on personal land and in their private time adds to this problem. If not aforementioned, the problem stated exploitation of birds through opportunity with little regard for the following turkey season and lack of rule-of-thumb. I have met people who do not care for the long term propagation of a species. Once they have their turkey, if all of them go extinct, then what do they care. I keep hearing the words, “I got mine” ringing in my ears.

What can be done about this?
Yes, you can educate people with factoids and memberships. Once they get out there in the bushes where no one is watching (bam!); gone is gone and their shifty little eyes look to see if they were discovered. Not that everyone does this but you know who you are. Next comes the “woe is me”. The only way to solve this problem is lead by example and hope for the best.

What good is the NWTF if people go contrary to their work? Not that we need another governing body that dictates rules and regulations while controlling life and resources. The idea is to get as many people on board with the right ideal but amongst those memberships are people that don't follow suit. This is when you have the insertion of control via an outside source because the individual can't tell themselves no on occasion.

Given all of these thoughts I was okay with not getting myself a turkey because I knew that the forecast was “fair” and the weather was atrocious. I have seen other people who are affected by these same conditions but let us hope next year will be a far better score. Pray to the Turkey Gods. If we are lucky, we will not lose one hatchling from a poult.

As hunters we should always go by a rule-of-thumb. If you don't have one then get one. Don't be afraid to seek out people when you need help or a connection. Not all people are nice but try anyway. The ones that didn't give you the time of day will one day wish they had.

One need not be overtly aggressive because patience is everything especially in turkey hunting. I will reiterate while watching or interacting with wildlife, to get the best advantage, do not rush the quarry. You do not want to stress the animal or bring it to flight out of fear if your present intentions are not to harm the beast, bird, insect, or sea urchin. This being a unique situation to observe behavior, I found it quite rewarding.

Written by: W Harley Bloodworth

~Courtesy of the AOFH~