Must Have Outdoors

I was fresh out of college and Andrew was finishing up his internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services when the dream of Must Have Outdoors began. We knew that would be a great amount of time, energy, and prayer that would be put into it, but we were ready for the challenge.

There were a lot of firsts that were had for both of us in 2010. Andrew and I were able to host our first season of Must Have Outdoors, be on the cover of NWTF’s Turkey Country, have full page layouts and images in national magazines, travel to over 28 different states together, and meet tons of great people. I was also able to take the first turkey of my career this April with my Dad, and then two more in South Dakota in October with Andrew. Along with killing my first turkeys, I was also able to go on my very first Pheasant hunt. Needless to say, I have fallen in love with both, and look forward to more hunting in 2011.

So the question has been posed to me, what is my favorite memory from 2010? Well, it’s entirely impossible to pick, but one that stands out to me the most was our turkey hunt in South Dakota. Andrew and I had hunted morning after morning trying to get on the turkeys, and as turkeys do, they were never at the same place, or traveled the same way each day.

The last morning we saw them on top of a hill that we had set up on the previous morning. As I saw them making their way down into a small ravine, Andrew’s eye’s lit up and he whispered “Let’s go!”

Let’s go? How in the world were we going to be able to sneak up on a flock of over 40 turkeys in South Dakota with absolutely no cover?

I’ll tell you how. We belly crawled, and belly crawled….and belly crawled, through an old gravel road (ouch!) an old gate, and half way down a hill. When we knew we wouldn’t be seen, we bolted up the steepest hill in South Dakota (I may be exaggerating a bit, but it was steep!) to try to see where the turkeys had traveled.

When we FINALLY made it to the top, Andrew and I carefully peaked over the crest of the hill, expecting to see the turkeys either to the right or left of us, probably down in the ravine a little farther. As we popped our heads over, we saw heads looking straight back at us.

Andrew had worked with me at home and gotten me confident in my shot, so I knew I was ready when the moment came. He had also prepared me all morning for the possibility of us each taking two if the opportunity arose, since we each had two tags and it was our last morning of the hunt.

As we popped up over the hill, Andrew and I both were able to take two turkeys. It was an unreal feeling. We had worked so hard for this through much preparation, several days of hunting, and the final stalk. At that moment, I realized how blessed Andrew and I were. For both of us to be able to do what we love, and being able to do it together, is a dream and we are thankful for that every day.

Thank you for tagging along with us through our first season. We continue to thank God everyday for what He has blessed us with, and are anxiously awaiting to see what He has in store for us in 2011.