Deerfly Diaries

Women's Pheasant Hunt at Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge in South Dakota

I just returned from a week of pheasant hunting with five other women at the Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge in Frederick, South Dakota. It was a 16 hour drive from my home in Carbondale, Colorado, but worth every minute. Just ask my two German shorthaired pointers, who also got to come along for the week of bird dog bliss in the heart of pheasant hunting country.

Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge

Daybreak Lodge is owned and operated by the Haglin family. Mark Haglin (below left) got his first springer as a gift from his wife Sophie in 1975. Now the company operates Pine Shadows, the country's largest English springer spaniel kennel, located in Brainerd, MN. Mark's son Morgan (below right) is the head dog trainer and one of several guides at Daybreak.

The Daybreak Lodge is ten square miles of private hunting grounds west of Aberdeen, South Dakota, way up in the northeastern corner of the state. The terrain is unique in that it includes a variety of rolling hills, forested draws and sloughs, as well as the more traditional flat farm country that is generally associated with mid-western pheasant hunting. There are two guest houses on the property, the Hudson House and the Campbell House. At one time, the property marked the southern most outpost for the historic Hudson Bay Trading Company.

Women Hunters Convene for a World-Class Pheasant Hunt

The female hunters on the trip included five other women who are all involved with marketing and communications for the hunting industry: Cristie Gates from Benelli USA, Cathy Williams from Federal Ammunition's Media Agency of Record, Kim Eveland of Eveland&Partners who oversees marketing of the Beretta Trident Program, Anna Stubna, Editor of the The Ruffed Grouse Society magazine and Cheryl Riley V.P. of Education and Outreach from Pheasants Forever.

Also joining us were Scott Cherek and Scott Buchmeyer, who handle advertising sales for PF and RGS and several other hunting and conservation publications. Scott and Scott graciously organized the trip and invited me to come along with my dogs to document the trip for a future Pheasants Forever magazine article.

Daybreak is equipped with several ATV "Mules" and even a 4-WD "short bus" to transport hunters into the field. It didn't take long to realize that the cover in Daybreak was exceptional. My jaw dropped when I first saw my bouquets of hundreds of birds explode from the cover. With the help of our guides and their hardworking dogs, everyone got their fair share of shooting and birds. We even had one female guide named Joan (below right) who was an experienced and successful dog handler.

Joanie's husband, Lynn (above left) was our chef extraordinaire for the week. Breakfast and dinner were served family style in the dining room. Lunch and happy hour were served in the Post, a relaxed meeting building adjacent to the Hudson House where we all stayed. There was no lack of nourishment. Despite all the walking and hunting we did, my scale claims I came back three happy pounds heavier. 

It was a blast to share the week with other women who share my love of the outdoors. The camaraderie was similar to any other hunt, yet this was the first time as a women that I was part of the majority of hunters. There was little pressure to "bag our limit." The agenda was to have fun, enjoy the adrenaline of the hunt and learn everything we could from each other.

Daybreak sent us home with cleaned, packaged and frozen birds, along with a selection of their favorite pheasant recipes. I hated to leave the lodge, but I packed up and headed west with my dogs to some wonderful public walk-in access that topped off my week of hunting. The next day I drove all the way home from Pierre, SD. I had plenty of time to reflect on the successes of the week and to dream about the next time I meet my friends at Daybreak.

A big thank you to Pine Shadows Daybreak Lodge and staff, the Haglin family, Scott and Scott, and of course my new huntress friends.

 

 

Reflections on the Past Shape Plans for 2010 on the Deerfly Diaries Outdoor Blog

The Origins of Deerfly Diaries Blog

I started writing the Deerfly Diaries in April of 2007. I had just started a new job at Backbone Media and, on the same day, taken possession of a brand new 8 week old German shorthaired pointer puppy. I spent days behind my desk doing PR for several companies in the outdoor industry. Evenings were puppy runs and bird dog training, often in pastures amongst swarms of biting deer flies. 

 Deerflydiaries.com had two main purposes when I started writing it. The first was to act as a log for my dog training I was doing with Elsie, her litter mates and my older shorthair, Porter. The second was to add credibility to my PR work. It was important to me to let writers and editors know that I was not just a PR person, but rather an outdoors woman that gets into the field and also uses the gear that I promote. 

Evolution of an Outdoor Blog

My little eight week puppy is now almost three years old and Porter is going on six. Two months after I started the blog I met Glenn and we have since gotten married. I wrote about our adventures bonefishing on our honeymoon in the Bahamas, fly fishing the mountain streams and archery elk hunting in the Rocky Mountains. I have also moved on from Backbone Media and have started my own public relations and freelance writing business specialized for hunting, fishing, shooting sports and resource conservation.

Plans for 2010 for Deerflydiaries.com

The blog will continue to log Glenn's an my outdoor adventures, but I feel that we have a lot more to offer the outdoor community. To that note, my goal is to provide a useful, entertaining and consistent resource for other outdoors men and women and to engage a community of readers who are interested in sharing their experiences in the outdoors.

In the upcoming year, you can expect to consistently read more:

• Dog training how-to's and tips
• Fishing how-to's and tips
• Shooting how-to's and tips
• Gear and book reviews
• Profiles of other outdoors woman
• Links to other outdoor bloggers 
• Outdoor glossary
• And current affairs in the outdoor industry
• Hunting, fishing, and shooting videos

Thank you to everyone who currently read my blog. I hope it has provided you some entertainment. Please tell your friends about it and I hope to hear from you in the upcoming weeks.

Nothing like a puff on cigarrette gets young ladies going in the mountains

LUCKY STRIKE, GIRL WITH SNOWSHOES
Originally uploaded by George Eastman House

Can't say that it ever worked for me to smoke cigarettes before or after a workout. Regardless of the unhealthy message that this Lucky Strike advertisement sent thousands of unsuspecting young women back in 1936, it is a darn cool photograph. They nailed the "sexy sells" concept. You gotta love the vintage mountain look.

We got a fresh dump of snow over the weekend. The mountains came alive again today and finally winter is in the air. 

Cast your vote on the next Extreme Huntress: Top 10 finalists are posted

Voting is now open for the Extreme Huntress contest. The contest, sponsored by Primal Adventures TV and Prois Hunting Apparel, asked women to submit two photos and write a 500 word essay on why they should be chosen as the most Extreme Huntress. The lucky winner gets an all expense paid 14 day bighorn sheep, mountain goat and black bear hunt with International Sportsman, Inc. in southern British Columbia. Not bad!!

Ten finalists were chosen by a top-notch panel that included Larry Weishuhn, host of Winchester Whitetail Revolution, Remington's Linda Powell, Jim Zumbo from the Outdoor Channel, Prois Hunting Apparel's Kirstie Pike and Denise Miller of Otis Technology, Inc. 

Click here to cast your vote and read the ten finalists' essays. This is one group of cool ladies who get after it while juggling things like career, family, and health. Check it out and cast your vote before December 31, 2009.

Good luck to all the women who entered!

Sue Melus specializes in PR & marketing for hunting, fishing, shooting sports and resource conservation. Learn more at www.melusoutdoors.com.

POMA (Professional Outdoor Media Association) 2009 Conference in St. Louis was huge success

I just got back from four days of information packed business sessions at the 2009 POMA Conference in St. Louis, MO.  Outdoor communicators including writers, editors, photographers, videographers and artists convened together to strengthen their skills and to network within the industry.  The conference was generously supported by a long list of POMA Corporate Partners who also attended.

Despite the fact that print media is hurting in our current economy, it was a real boost to see the largest conference registration since POMA had its first conference in 2006 (I think it was 2006). Spirits were high among everyone and there was a real sense of family among the participants.

The business sessions included two popular ones called, "I Suck at Negotiating" and "Website Marketing," by Detroit photographer Blake Discher.  "Legal Do's and Don'ts," by Texas copyright lawyer, Hank Jones and "Video Saved the Magazine Star," by videographer Perry Trest who owns POSTDIGITAL, Inc.  There were many more valuable business sessions on the four day agenda.

It was great to catch up with some familiar faces like Jay Cassell and Peter Mathiesen of Field & Stream, and Tom Opre from Tahoe Films Ltd.  I was psyched to hang out with some of the other ladies in the industry like Tammy Sapp of the Women's Outdoor Wire, Keli VanCleave of PinkOutdoors.com, Lisa Metheny of Outdoor Inspirations, and Cara Peebles of Otis Technology, and Kirstie Pike of Prois performance women's hunting apparel.  And I can't forget Laurie Lee Dovey, the POMA Executive Director who made it all happen.  A huge thank you to LLD. 

I have started my own business, Melus Outdoors, LLC.  As a freelance PR Pro, outdoor writer, and photographer, the POMA conference was invaluable to me for the networking, business skills, and friendships I took home with me.  I'm happy to answer any questions about POMA or the annual conference or get you in touch with the right person.

Field & Stream's FSHuntress Blog is Cut

Yesterday I heard that Utah was cutting it's State Parks budget and totally eliminating one park in particular.  Today I read that Kim Hiss' FSHuntress blog fell subject to budget cuts by Field & Stream. I am always saddened to hear when budget cuts are directed at outdoor recreation, natural resources or woman's sports or programs. 

I know everyone is struggling with the economy and this was probably not an easy decision for Field & Stream. I'm also sure that Field & Stream knew that the page views of the FSHuntress blog were just a fraction of what they are for its five other blogs. But like my last blog post pointed out, the average hunter in the US is a 55 year old man.  Considering the life expectancy of a man in the U.S. is currently age 75, then these numbers do not bode well for the sport.

The future of hunting, fishing and shooting sports in our country depends on getting new blood (no pun intended) involved and in the field. I think the FSHuntress blog was a great place to recognize the women who do hunt, encourage new women hunters to get into the sport and to foster a dialogue among men and women who share similar interests.  I am sad to see it go.

Run and Gun Turkey

My turkey hunt on Saturday morning proved successful and a whole lot of fun.  I was offered a guided private land women's only hunt with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, co-sponsored by National Wild Turkey Federation and EnCana.  The day before we did Turkey 101 including calling, patterned our guns, ate dinner, and roosted the birds.  They even gave us new Ol' Betsy Primos slate calls.

They've determined that these programs pay for themselves through new hunter retention.  Considering the average hunter in the U.S. is a 55 year old male, it's important to something to encourage women and kids to get out and hunt.

I've been upland and big game hunting for several years already, but this was my first successful turkey hunt.  We have Merriam's turkeys here in Western Colorado. The population we we hunted included some beautiful white phase birds.  They had a gorgeous silver tone on the breast and white wing feathers.  I took it at about 30 yards with my Remington 1100 12 ga.

A huge thank you to all the sponsors, Kathleen Tadvick from the DOW, and especially my guide, Dan Uhrich.  Dan did an excellent job of calling to some uncooperative birds, but his persistence paid.

 

Roaring Fork Valley Women Take to Handguns

As reported this weekend in the Aspen Times, five local women from the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado are learning gun safety, marksmanship and how to protect themselves with a firearm, specifically a handgun.  But the 10-hour course, which is just getting underway at the Basalt Shooting Range, is as much about self-confidence as it is about nailing bull’s-eyes, says instructor Mathew Bayley.

Check out some video from the class here.

New "Women's Outdoor Wire" puts women in the news

For years, the Outdoor Wire has been the daily source of news and press releases in the outdoor industry, specifically hunting, fishing, shooting, and natural resources.  Last week, women's involvement in the hunting industry gained some more credibility in the market by earning its own women's specific space for news and relevant releases.  The Women's Outdoor Wire will be published on a weekly basis by Editor Babara Baird with help from Erica Shepherd.  They have promised to include information on industry news, scholarships, job opportunities, events, career moves and product information relevant to women in the outdoor industry.  Three cheers to the Women's Outdoor Wire.

Barabara Baird requested any input for the Women's Outdoor Wire be emailed to her at Barbara@womensoutdoorwire.com