December 19th, 2011

Próis Hunting & Field Apparel, the leading manufacturer of performance-driven hunting clothing for women, continues to celebrate females who dominate in the field with its annual Próis Awards. And the competition will be stiff, as there is only one winner who will take home the coveted prize: a hunt of a lifetime for Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail and Wolf in the pristine Canadian Rocky Mountains with Savage Encounters and Sports Afield Editor-in-Chief, Diana Rupp. Plus, she’ll be fully outfitted with the latest hunting gear from top equipment manufacturers and Próis Awards sponsors — a killer package that rings in at more than $25,000 in value.

“Próis and its contest partners are passionate about recognizing strong, successful female hunters who consider hunting a lifestyle, and are involved in conservation, management and the hunting community,” says Kirstie Pike, CEO for Próis Hunting & Field Apparel. “We had over 70 entries for this contest and the competition was stiff. The top 12 finalists were determined by our panel of judges and each woman had an amazing story to tell. This whole process is quite humbling.”

Essays and photos were reviewed by a panel of industry expert judges, and the top 12 chosen were posted onto the Próis Awards website on October 15, 2011. Here the hunting community had until December 15, 2011 to cast their vote on which candidate they believe should be crowned the 2011 Próis Award Winner. Once online voting was complete, Prois added in the accumulated judges scores to the online votes to determine who the winner would be. Andrea will be introduced as the winner to the industry at both the 2012 Archery Trade Association Show in Columbus, OH and the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, NV.

2011 Próis Awards sponsors include: Próis Hunting and Field Apparel, Savage Encounters, Outdoor Connection, Sports Afield, Blacks Creek, Hunter Hills Journal, Ripcord Arrow Rest, Bowtech, Swarovski Optik, Bog-Pod, Acli-Mate and Zamberlan.

The Próis Awards panel of industry expert judges includes Diana Rupp, Editor in Chief of Sports Afield Magazine, Kirstie Pike, CEO of Próis Hunting & Field Apparel; Craig Boddington, Outdoor Writer; Guy Eastman, Publisher of Eastman’s Hunting Journals; Ron Shmeits, Presdent of the NRA; Ron Spomer, Writer, Wildlife Photographer & TV Host and Brenda Valentine, NWTF Spokesperson & TV Host.

Congratulations Andrea!!!

If you head to your local sporting good store you will soon be awash in a sea of camo. There are your huge companies  who market to serious hunters as well as making trendy fashion duds, like Realtree and Mossy Oak, and there are a few smaller companies also, but the one that has really caught my eye lately is Elusion Camo. THIS is some cool CAMO!

I see many of them each year at SHOT Show and  many different companies send me press releases when they launch things through the rest of the year. I like most of them in one way or another,(except that one with the naked girl profiles which is just tacky) but I was REALLY excited when I found Elusion Camo on Facebook. I was curious enough to contact the developer and genius behind the brand. What he told me made me really sit back and take notice.

Lee Dufresne owner of Elusion and the man behind the creative process, said he wanted to generate  better camo patterns that had the ability to blend in naturally. “Our camouflage is by far the most advanced camo to ever be released.”

Lee went on to say, “For the past few decades we have seen camouflage evolve from the basic woodland patterns to the more intricate and artistic renderings of outdoor-scape and  settings yet none of the patterns were derived with natural colors and generally stand out like a black blob past ten yards.

Skeptical and having heard it all before, I had him send me a unit in the Forest Ghost pattern so I could see for myself how well it worked.  I put it on went outside and stood by a big tree and had my son take a look. He was totally impressed.  A fierce and highly successful hunter,  Tony  saw the value of this camo and wanted a unit for himself. What was REALLY interesting was the fact that no matter where I stood I blended in, whether blending in to tree bark or appearing as a tree against a green background.

Elusion...NOT your grandfathers CAMO!

My husband Jerry came home a few minutes later and also had some great things to say. A hunter his whole life, he has worn just about every other brand and pattern one time or another, but he quickly saw the difference in Elusion.  I now know what I am getting my guys for Christmas!

OK, so I am impressed, but what makes Elusion so good?

Elusion utilizes true high definition images, incorporating a patent pending sublimating process  to create a linear, non-repetitive, highly natural camouflage pattern.  “HUH, Lee can you ‘splain?”

Elusion camo is a unique correlation of true HD images developed into the fabrics. Our patterns can’t be printed as they are too detailed and require a specialized process to even be applied to fabrics. With Elusion camo the fact that w use natural images and colors makes the pattern not invisible, but not distinguishable by a game animal or bird as a hunter in regular old camo, due to  the absflection ability to adjust itself into any habitat. Absflection is defined at the ability to absorb and reflect light the same way as in nature.

Mr. Dufresne has been creating and perfecting this technology for over 16 years and has launched 11 patterns so far with the newest being the Winter Dawn pattern which is amazing!

One of the things I appreciate most about Elusion Camo is the dedication to being a 100% made in America product, made by Americans.

I see a new tide sweeping across the great camo sea, and it’s name is Elusion!

Elusion Camo; real to life patterns for real to life hunters!

If you are an outdoor clothing manufacturer and would like more information to acquire licensing to use Elusion Camo patterns contact:

Lee D DufresnePresident / CEOElusion Camo LLC, 1100 North Branch St. Bennington, VT 05201

May 16, 2011 – SPRINGVILLE, Tenn. – Founder of the “Legends of the Outdoors” National Hall of Fame,
Garry Mason, released early this morning the 10th Anniversary of the “Legends of the Outdoors”
National Hall of Fame’s 2011 class of inductees.

This year’s banquet and induction ceremony will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Sunday, August 14th in conjunction with the Bass Pro Shops Land and Wildlife Conservation Expo. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. followed by a banquet and the induction ceremony.

This year’s 2011 class of inductees are Steve Coleman and Ronnie Capps– seven time National Crappie Champions

Mark Sosin – Salt Water Angler, National Television show host

Larry Shockey – 8 time World team Turkey Calling Champion and three time Grand National Turkey caller

Roger Raglin –National Television host

Joella Bates – 5 time World Champion 3-D Archer and the first woman to
take Africa’s Big 5 with a bow.

“Legends of the Outdoors” National Hall of Fame members scheduled to attend to help welcome and
induct the 2011 class of inductees are Gary Yamamoto – Yamamoto Custom Baits; Harold Knight –
Knight and Hale Game Calls and television show; Mike McLemore – McLemore Game Calls and World
Champion duck caller; Brenda Valentine – First Lady of Hunting and World Champion Lady Bow hunter;Roland Martin – Nationally known professional angler;Alex Rutledge – Host Bloodline television show and nationally known deer and turkey hunter; Jack Oliver – Hunters Specialties national hunting team; Tommy Akin – National outdoor products promoter; Ray Scott – Founder B.A.S.S.; Ralph McDonald –Nationally known wildlife artist; Judy Wong Professional Lady Bass Angler and wildlife artist, and Emily Shaffer – Professional Lady Bass Angler.

For room reservations, please contact the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center directly at
888-777-6779 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-777-6779 end_of_the_skype_highlighting on or before Wednesday, July 13, 2011 to request the room block group code X-LGNDS
for the group rate of $159.00 plus tax.
The event is open to the public, individual ticket price is $75 per ticket and sponsorship information may
be obtained through the “Legends of the Outdoors” website at  www.legendsoftheoutdoors.com, or by
calling 731-593-0171 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 731-593-0171 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or 731-693-7770 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 731-693-7770 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Tickets must be purchased on or before August 10, 2010.

Mission Statement
Legends of the Outdoors National Hall of Fame
The “Legends of the Outdoors” National Hall of Fame has been established to
recognize those outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen who, through countless hours of
hard work and devotion to the outdoors, in both hunting and fishing, have played an
integral part in setting the standards and guidelines for the rest of the outdoor world to
follow.
Selection process for the “Legends of the Outdoors” National Hall of Fame inductees:
Names of potential inductees are submitted to “The Legends of the Outdoors” by both
outdoor writers and previously inducted members. From here, a list of potential
inductees is submitted to a select group of outdoor writers and sportsmen. They are
asked to chose up to 8 from the list and return the ballot with those names to “The
Legends Committee.” The committee then takes the ballots and compiles a list for
research, of the seven or eight names that received the most votes from this select group
of outdoor writers. Each potential inductee is sent a letter stating that they have been
nominated to be a “Legends of the Outdoors” Hall of Fame Member.
If chosen, they will be invited to attend this year’s banquet to accept their award. If,
for some reason, they cannot attend, their name remains on the list each year until they
can attend. Once a potential inductee becomes chosen by “The Legend’s Committee,” he
or she will become a future inductee. His or her name cannot be removed from this list,
and each year will be sent a letter of nomination until they are able to attend and thus be
inducted.

Tony's first turkey age 13! He is a grown man and rockin turkey guide for his Ma now!

My son Tony, 17  is an accomplished hunter and  is also very fun to be with. He is a very busy teenager so the time I get to spend with him is precious.  I was looking forward to hunting with him  as my guide  as he knows way more than I do. It is super fun to see all the encouragement his father put into his hunting and shooting training pay off. It is what parents hope for, to have their kids love what they do.

I had never been turkey hunting before.  I knew guys that had hunted them for years and I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to be able to get one either.  Who am I kidding? I don’t know what I am doing!  I “self-talked” myself into a major lack of confidence.

I have been practicing with my Darton DS-3800 bow (which I love) for weeks. I was a little nervous because the last few times I had been to the range, things didn’t go quite as well as I wanted them to. I  wanted to try for a turkey with my bow but…I am NO Joella Bates! That lady is amazing, she is  the first lady to take the turkey grand slam WITH A BOW! I am proud to call her friend but I know I will probably never be quite in the same category as she. BUT she does inspire me to keep trying!

I am totally amazed that anyone can kill a wild turkey at all whether with a shotgun or a bow or any other way.  They can see you blink, they seem to hear you think and are incredibly wary.  Just getting close to kill distance is super hard. I love hunting pheasants and quail with my shotgun so this would be an awesome thing also, so I wasn’t going to be sad either way, I just really wanted to do it with a bow.

I was whining the night before over a text to another  friend Tara Andvik about how I wasn’t sure about using my bow and how I should  take my shotgun. She gently but firmly told me I could do it and gave me plenty of encouragement. I felt better, but still wasn’t convinced. Tara is also a bowhunting powerhouse and of course SHE would be able to do it! I got both my shotgun and my bow ready and went to bed.

The next morning I jumped out of bed and got dressed in my Prois hunting gear to go hunting. I woke Tony up, he promptly rolled over and went back to sleep.  Teenagers!

I made coffee and then woke him up a little more forcefully…this time he got up since I said I was going hunting with or without him.

I grabbed my bow, paused thinking it was early in the season so I would try with my bow a few times and if I didn’t I would take the shotgun.  No real confidence still..but willing to make an effort. I knew I needed to at least give it a good try.

Off  through the back door to the dark and quiet field  we went watching out for skunks and made sure the horses left us alone. It was cool and we hoped the birds would be moving around.

We worked our way to where we had seen the birds come out a few days before. There was a small group of trees where we felt there would be some decent cover. We set ourselves up and waited for the sun to start coming up. and birds to make an appearance. We waited… and waited…nothing.

It was so peaceful and serene waiting for day to begin. I was thoroughly loving my time outside and Tony was thoroughly enjoying his morning off of school…Yes, I do believe that sometimes hunting with the family is more important than going to school as long as grades are doing well.. but that is another story.

We waited a little longer and my leg was cramped because I had picked the most uncomfortable position possible to kneel. I started to wiggle around to find a better spot so my legs could get some feeling back into them and just about that time Tony called to the birds. There was a huge commotion in the trees and turkeys started making a huge racket. I stopped breathing and froze. Of course I was in some sort of weird mid crouch stretch position and now couldn’t move  for fear of scaring the turkeys. The tree I was hiding behind was NOT wide enough for me to maneuver around so  I crouched back down to see if the turkeys were coming over the hill.  Nope, they just went back to sleep again.

They were quiet and I was too chicken to move now. I knew they would come over the hill soon, and didn’t want to run them off. My leg was totally and painfully asleep and I wondered just how long I could live like that and still function when I needed to shoot. I just squatted there trying to calculate my strength and pain vs my willpower; hoping I had what it took to shoot and grab the bird.

We waited for a bit more and the sun started to peek through the trees a little more.

I felt a drop. RAIN??  SERIOUSLY? It is a very dry year and hasn’t rained or snowed in a LONG time and it rains on us now!  I was perfectly warm and dry in my Prois jacket and pants though so I wasn’t too worried, but really! Rain NOW??

The turkeys stopped gobbling and went silent….ugh…my leg throbbed and we were just in a holding pattern waiting for something…for forever it seemed.

Tony decided after about 25 minutes of this nothingness and rain that we should back off and try again later in the day. I agreed and really wanted some coffee  and breakfast back at the house.

We backed slowly and carefully away from out spots (well, after I paused and  straightened my legs out and could actually put weight on them again), and started to head back to the house. We were discussing our plan for the evening hunt when Tony stopped and peeked through the trees. I stopped after I ran into him. He pointed through the trees to just over the hill we had JUST been watching.  We saw about 20  turkeys come flopping (yep flopping, ‘cuz that is how they move) over the hill toward us.

We were sort of behind some bushes but also in the open so they could see us if we moved at all.  I knew this was not a great spot to be in but we were caught.

We walked straight toward the birds VERY slowly and carefully did not move our arms and barely blinked. We stood still for a long time with Tony calling them toward us. There were about 14 of the birds in the flock; mostly larger jakes and a couple really nice toms with only one or two hens. It was SO cool watching Tony call them and have them come over to us.  Then our little flock saw two toms on the far east end of the field and all took off in a fast lope. They were SO funny to see. They ran over to these toms, high-five’d them and then loped back to our side of the field after a nice blast on the call from Tony. They reminded me of football players greeting each other on the field.

During this whole show, several deer came into the mix. The deer were naturally standing behind the turkey’s we really wanted so that messed up our shots even worse. We were not about to try for a turkey and accidentally kill a deer, BAD hunting  juju!

Each time the flock came close something would make them stop just out of range. There were even some geese that flew in and landed in the fork of a big cottonwood tree. THAT was weird and resembled  an airplane smacking the tree! I don’t know how often the turkeys see that but they all turned and looked at the geese like they were nuts. I had never seen geese fly into a tree so just watched for a while.

After the turkeys volleyed back and forth for what seemed like ages with us standing  like statues waiting. They seemed to  settle down for a while and were of course just out of range. We carefully moved our bows into position and waited, still standing in the open hoping they wouldn’t spot us.

Tony worked the birds for several more minutes and all of a sudden one started running toward us with the others sort of behind him. I checked to see if he was a he and could tell that he had a bit of a beard and that made him legal. Tony was a bit in front of me and stepped back to let me have a shot. I raised my bow and checked the sight as the bird was coming toward me. I couldn’t believe this!

I let the arrow fly and saw feathers fly. I saw the bird go down but he fell behind a tree. I quickly nocked another arrow just in case and as I did, Tony said “You hit him!”

Tony also said “STOP DON’T MOVE” because he was pulling up on another turkey. Too late!  I freaked the others out and they took off. I felt SO bad! (note to self, you are NOT the only one hunting!) I STILL feel bad.

Tony missed the shot but looked at me and with his eyes at big as the moon said “You did it Mom!” I did a little tap dance in the field and we ran over to pick him up. He wasn’t huge, but he was mine!

I quickly took a field shot with my camera and sent it to my husband and then to my friends and of course posted it on Facebook before I even got out of there!

Field photo of my turkey showing the shot!

Tony picked the bird up and handed it to me. I threw it over my shoulder like I knew what I was doing and trudged back to the house…stopping to catch my breath several times. That was a heavy bird!

My pretty turkey!

We took pictures when we got back and tried to get one of both of us with the bird and couldn’t quite get it. I know now what I need to do to get better pictures, but I did get some decent ones. I took several of my shot but I forgot the fanned out tail one…DUH.

My first turkey hunt will most likely be my favorite one. I had my son take me out and we had so much fun together. I was able to see just what an  amazing hunter, guide and man my son is. The day would have been perfect if he had gotten one also, but he was SO proud of me (and almost as shocked as I was) that he said he didn’t mind. THAT is an awesome hunting partner and totally the way to make me proud to be his mom.

P.S. The turkey was awesome deep fried that Sunday for dinner!

My turkey rests above my desk in my office with the Muzzy Broadhead attached to the fan.

My turkey fan with the broadhead attached!

April 13, 2011
Contact: Douglas Warren
Email:dw@alaskashealinghearts.com
Phone: 903-276-1246

Alaska’s Healing Hearts will be taking 14 United States wounded veterans on their annual black bear huntin May 2011. Eight women and six men will get the opportunity to hunt alongside a number of celebrityteam members. Team members include S.E. Cupp (Fox News), Aaron Tippin (County Music Star), Rick Monroe (Country Music artist), Kristy Lee Cook (County Music artist and host of Goin Country on Versus),Gary Zimmerman (NFL), Chub Eastman (Sports Afield magazine), Joe the Plumber (Obama Election), KenOnion (Ken Onion custom knives), Doug Painter (NSSF), and Colorado Buck (TV Show host).

To kick off the hunt, Sportsman’s Warehouse along with many local area businesses are hosting 2
separate Meet and Greet functions, May 19th and 28th. Both of the Meet N’ Greets run from 12PM –6PM
and include gun raffles and silent auction tables.

Sponsors include- Ken Onion Custom Knives, Baitem 907, CRKT-Columbia River Knife and Tool, Digital Litho, Trijicon, Thermacell, Last Frontier Air Ventures, ATK- Federal Ammunition, Champion, Outers, Weaver, Blackhawk, Shooters Ridge, Alaska Air Boats, Sports Afield Magazine, Mossberg, Leupold, Nosler, Browning, Winchester, Sportsmans Warehouse, Three Bears Alaska, Nabors Drilling, LifeMed Alaska, HAVA-Honored American Veterans Afield

Contact:
Doug Warren
Alaska’s Healing Hearts
dw@alaskashealinghearts.com
903-276-1246

Alaska’s Healing Hearts’ year round nationwide outdoor programs include hunting, fishing, and other
outdoor recreational programs for America’s wounded warriors. These programs are designed to help
these brave men and women re-establish their ties to the outdoors, while providing a relaxing,
therapeutic backdrop and the opportunity to establish new relationships.

Founded in 2010, Alaska’s Healing Hearts is a group of dedicated outdoorspeople and business owners
who decided to make a difference in the reintegration process for our wounded warfighters. The
organizational goal of AHH is to provide positive, therapeutic outdoor experiences, relationship building and a relaxing environment to show America’s appreciation for our men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much.

Gunner and I

I was a little freaked out this morning when a friend told me that my picture was on a music video…a what?? Seriously?
I clicked on the YouTube link and low and behold… THERE I WAS! A music video for a song called Hardcore Huntin Hotties.

I had to laugh out loud…DO THEY know me?? Do they know how old I really am? I think not! (I’m not telling you either)
I had VERY mixed feelings about it. First I was  in a bit of a snit because no one asked me and poof there was my photo and next I was really flattered.

I was a little concerned because I don’t even know this song, What if it is sleazy or foul?  I listened to it.. tappin my toes…cracking up! It has a snappy beat and good guitar… fun lyrics.. “She don’t take no noise…from the boys.” Ok, the grammar police aren’t thrilled with that but it makes musical sense here.

I really started to laugh when the song said something about a “camo wearin, smokin body” Do they EVEN KNOW me? I am not even close to those other gals! MY photo is taken in the winter with a puppy! At least they have the “camo wearin” part right! There are gals on there that I would give my left leg to look like! Someone is surely smokin’ something!

I went from being in a snit to being flattered pretty quickly when I mentioned this video to a few of my hunting girlfriends and they actually said “How come I didn’t get picked?”  I have NO idea other than to say I am sure they hadn’t been SEEN!  These gals are really much cooler than I am!

The song is done by a really fun country singer named Steve Conover with Huntingmusic.com. He is a multi talented fella with an ever growing fan base. I sat and listened to several of his songs and enjoyed the thoughtful writing and creative melodies. Steve sings songs I am not usually drawn to, but this is really pretty good stuff! I think he is somewhat like  Chris LeDoux for the hunting folks a little corny in a few spots but honest, real, gritty and down to earth…(I like Steve’s voice more than LeDoux)

I sent him a message and asked him how he got my picture and he said he posted a request months ago and someone must have sent him the photo… Hmmm I wonder who did that!

Here is the link to the video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6mdbOp3ylE

I appreciate the credit Steve gives to women hunters. I really like that he didn’t use a bunch of goofy slinky girls wearing bikinis in the swamp trying to pretend they are not getting chewed by mosquitoes as they hunt, or have body parts hanging out of a piece of shredded camo. I am a real huntress and really do not like to have serious hunting women portrayed as silly women that can’t really shoot.

Go take a peek at HuntingMusic.com you will have a good time!  I have a date with Miss Clairol…  to get ready for the next video!

This post was sponsored by Sportsman’s Guide’s climbing tree stands.
Check out Sportsman’s Guide for quality sporting goods at great prices!

Angie Haas Tennison 2011 Extreme Huntress Winner!

In a contest that is fast becoming the “Miss America” of the hunting world, a new queen has been crowned! This contest does not involve evening gowns or swimsuits but beautiful, accomplished  and  extremely serious hunting women.

At the upcoming January 17-21, 2011 SHOT Show in Las Vegas; Angie Haas-Tennison will be awarded the title of  2011 Primal Adventures/Prois Hunting Extreme Huntress. The big event will be held at the Prois Hunting Apparel booth in the Sands Expo Center during a reception and press conference. The event will be attended by some of the biggest names in the hunting industry.

Rebecca Francis the 2010 winner went on the hunting trip of a lifetime will be on hand to help award Angie her prize package worth over $20,00 that includes a New Zealand hunt for tahr, chamois,and fallow deer with Fraser Safaris New Zealand and all of the necessary gear such as optics,clothing,boots,firearm and ammo.

The Extreme Huntress contest began in August with each contestant submitting an essay and photo explaining why she is a hard-core hunter. The judges narrowed the field down to 10 and in November the top 10 scored entries were posted on the Tahoe Films, Primal Adventures website where the hunting public was invited to vote through January 1, 2011.

The judging panel for the 2011 contest included hunting notables such as Larry Weishuhn host of  the Winchester Whitetail Revolution, Guy Eastman of Eastman Hunting Journal, Prois Hunting Apparel CEO Kirstie Pike, Sport’s Afield editor Dianna Rupp, Chris Brackett from Arrow Affliction T.V Rebecca Francis the 2010 Extreme Huntress and Tom Opre Host of Primal Adventures.

I asked Angie some questions  about winning this prestigious award and here is what she said…

Q. How did you feel when you were told you won?
A. On Jan 1st. all of my family and friends were watching the clock and the votes like a hawk.   We were all so nervous that something would happen and one of the other contestants would all of a sudden get a spree of votes and I would lose in the final hours.  Even when the website announced that the online voting had ended, I was still a ball of nerves until I finally got an Email from Tom Opre asking for my personal info to book a flight to the ATA show.  That pretty much cemented to me that I had officially won and a whole new set of nerves took over….now it was nervous anticipation, excitement and also a sense of relief and accomplishment.

A. My sister, Mickey Carr, and I have been hunting partners our entire life.  We are very close in age and have shared almost every hunting experience together.  One day she called me up and said that someone had told her about this contest called the “Extreme Huntress contest”.  She told me that she thought I’d be perfect for it and should enter.  My sister has good instincts both in the field and out so I took her advice and thank God I did.

A. Whatever type is successful! hahaha…. honestly I love to hunt.  I’d hunt anything and everything I could if given the chance.  My most favorite type of hunting here in Montana has to be archery hunting for Bull elk.  There is nothing more exciting than hearing the scream of a bull in the distance and then working the wind and terraine in an attempt to make a sneak on him. Talk about an aderinline rush.  I also get that same rush during the white tail rut trying to rattle in a big buck.  I can rattle for hours.  I’m just certain that the buck is going to come in if I just give him five more minutes….

A. Maybe I should give you the old stand by quote of ” my favorite place to hunt is in the woods!” HAHA
I love Montana and have basically done the majority of my hunting in my great home state. So, Montana takes the cake for me. Although each hunting experience offers something new and unforgettable. I was able to join my husband on a Grizzly bear hunt in Northern B.C. He won the hunt through a raffle for the wild sheep foundation, and that was an amazing experience I’ll never forget.  While I went to school and worked in Minnesota I spent some time hunting pheasants, ducks, geese and whitetails in the farmlands of western Minnesota.  It was a totally different type of hunt then hunting in the mountains and thick forests and it gave me a new appreciation and awareness of the migrations of the waterfowl and the ability of a deer to totally disappear into the smallest patch of tall grass or brush in an area where you’d swear no animal could hide.   I dream of someday being able to hunt the world.  When I think of future vacations I’d like to take they always revolve around what type of animal I’d like to hunt and what amazing new adventure that it could take me on.

A. I am married to my wonderful and competitive hunting husband Travis Tennison and we have 2 beautiful children,  our daughter Quin is 4.5 and our son Trent is 1.5.  We live just outside of Kalispell Montana up in NorthWestern Montana in Glacier park country.  We spend every minute that we can in the outdoors and we joke that we only work to afford to Hunt.  Our children could both say Buck and Elk before they could even say Mom or Dad.  My Daughter and Son can both cow call and bugle.  My daughter keeps asking when its going to be HER turn to shoot the buck. As for my work,  I am a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist ( MRI tech) at Health Center Northwest in Kalispell. Which means that I am the person who puts you in the noisy tube and takes pictures of your insides.  I went to school at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis MN.  After school I worked in BonnersFerry, Idaho as a mammagraphy/ xray tech, and worked for several years for a Mobile Imaging company based out of Madison, WI where I managed 7 mobile MRI scanners in 3 different states including WI, Iowa, and MN.  I have been very fortunate in my work life and have been able to work with and for some very wonderful individuals and they’ve all been very understanding and tolerant of my hunting addiction.

A. Respect the animals, respect the land, don’t take more than your share, and always give back.   I plan on hunting with my children for as many seasons as God grants me and when its my time to go I want to make sure that my kids have learned from me that in the end Hunting isn’t about killing.  Infact, sometimes the most memorable day you’ll have is one when you come home empty handed but with a great animal encounter, an accomplished hike, a thrilling experience, or just a day full of laughter.

A. I am excited about the possibilities.  I am thrilled about the gear that all the wonderful sponcers will be outfitting me with.  Any hunter loves good quality gear. I can’t wait to meet all the new people I will be introduced to over the next several month and hear all their great hunting stories and share a few of my own.  And of course I can’t wait to go to New Zealand. I want to hear a Red Stag Roar.

Congratulations to Angie Haas Tennison 2011 Extreme Huntress!!

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Check out the awesome new website at www.Proishunting.com! Prois has updated and refreshed their web site and it is BEAUTIFUL! Be sure to check out the STAFF gals under the Community page and say HI to all of the fun and accomplished huntresses and shooters on there!
Also! BIG Congrats to Angie Haas-Tennison 2011 Extreme Huntress!!
More to come about Angie!! WAY TO GO GIRL!

1.  ANYTHING from Prois Hunting Apparel! This company has FAR surpassed the competition in comfort, wearability, and practicality for the huntress.  I have never worn a better hunting apparel product and I now exclusively wear Prois when I am in the field. My favorite pieces this year are the Sherpa Reversible Vest the Prois Pro-Edition Jacket and the Prois Ultra Fitted Pants. Each piece comes in the most popular Realtree patterns and are made in the USA. Have your huntress be warm, comfortable and of course look great in the field!

Prois Pro-Edition Jacket

2. Alpen Optics Binoculars. I love Alpen Optics Pink Binos because I can find them easily, my men don’t grab them quite so often, and Alpen Optics makes an annual donation to breast cancer research with their sales of pink binoculars. I have put these binoculars up against more expensive pairs and have found them crystal clear and very comparable. I really enjoy using them and find they fit my face easily and comfortably, which is something I usually have a hard time with. A great company and great gear. Check out  the  Alpen Pink 263P 8×25 compact and the Alpen Pink 393P 10×42 full-size binoculars.

Alpen Optics Pink Binoculars

3. Darton Archery DS-3800SD Compound bow. This year finally shot my first buck with a bow and my Darton DS-3800SD bow was the bow I used. What a GREAT bow! The power and speed rivals that of a larger bow but with a shorter draw length for my shorter arms. During practice, I shot against the fellas at my range and all of them were very impressed! I carried it up into a tree stand and also to church…refer to  http://skinnymoose.com/annevinnola/2010/10/22/mama-shoots-a-big-buck-at-church/ for that story! The DS-3800SD is the perfect bow for your lady!

Darton Bow-Victory Archery Arrow

4. With my Darton bow, I used Victory Archery‘s V-force 400 arrows I was confident in each shot I practiced with and then again when I shot my deer.  They are attractive arrows but much more importantly, they are deadly. Every shot should start and end with Victory!

5. My all time favorite hunting boots are my Pronghorn GTX boots by Danner Boots. One of the criteria I measure boots with when working on my reviews is that they are comfortable straight from the box and the Pronghorn GTX boots are like slipping comfy slippers on to traipse around the mountains! I wear them hiking in the summer as well as in the fall during pronghorn, deer elk and while upland bird hunting. I never have a problem with cold feet or blisters even on really cold mornings.  THESE are the boots to get your gal!

Danner Pronghorn GTX

6. Camp Chef …WOW! There is no product in their lineup that I have not really enjoyed using! My favorite products so far are the dutch ovens. I have used both the Standard 10″ and the Standard 14″ models and these by far out work any dutch ovens I have ever used! Camp Chef has so many clever products for the sportswoman that there are too many to name in this space. check out Camp Chef for yourself you will NOT be disappointed!

Camp Chef- Awesome Dutch Ovens!

7. I found this book earlier this year and love it!! Gut It Cut iIt Cook It -The Deer Hunters Guide to Processing and Preparing Venison by Eric Fromm and Al Cambronne. Excellent full color detailed photos and well done text walks the hunter through the entire process of taking care of your venison (and any game meat) from kill all the way to the table. This book features very detailed descriptions of every thing you need to know from shot placement, to field care to finally taking care of your trophy antlers and cape. Grab this book and you will learn a lit whether you have been hunting for many years or just a few seasons! Published by Krause Publications found on Amazon.com and at GutItCutItCookIt.com

Gut It,Cut It, Cook It, By Eric Fromm and Al Cambronne

8. SigSauer P-238. I am a big proponent of women learning to protect themselves and one of the pistols I enjoy shooting and carrying is my P-238. It is lightweight, easy to handle and packs quite a punch. Sig Sauer has a solid reputation for awesome products and I recommend many of their guns. I like that this pistol fits in my waistband holster for easy concealment. It fires smoothly and has all of the features I consider important for personal safety.

SigSauer P238 Excellent Concealed carry weapon!

9. Taser C2 If you prefer a non-lethal alternative to carry, I recommend my TaserC2. It features replaceable cartridges, a 30 second cycle to allow you to escape dangerous situations and training DVD to help you  read  and react to potentially dangerous situations. Ladies, you must get serious about protecting yourself and your loved ones! This can’t be stressed enough!

Taser C2 Non Lethal Protection

10. Mary Kay Cosmetics Why be ugly in the field or let your skin suffer from the elements? I know this may seem really funny, but as a Mary Kay Consultant for many years I saw the difference in great skin care and poor and believe it is vital to take care of your skin in the outdoors. The Mary Kay Timewise line is amazing  and formulated to protect and hydrate your skin and protect it from the elements and the Day and Night Solutions help protect and repair your skin. They have some awesome Facial Cleansing Cloths where all you need to do is add water and you have a soft cloth with cleanser already on it. I see no reason not to look and feel your best while hunting or representing the outdoor industry! Look for a Mary Kay consultant near you!

This rounds out my 2010 Christmas list for the amazing products I love for your favorite sportswoman!

Have a Merry Christmas!