The Outdoor Scene

On the way home from turkey hunting the other day, I compiled a list of excuses to explain the culprit behind a lackluster season so far. Before you shed a tear for me, I have killed a turkey this spring. However, it was one of those hunts that left me wanting more. My husband Wes and I plunked down against a tree, called and about five minutes later he marched up to our decoy, looked around and caught the number 6 copper-plated train to heaven.

Now I yearn for a floor show replete with strutting, gobbling, spitting and drumming. Though I’ve spent countless hours afield, I’ve been denied front row seats to a wild turkey cabaret. Here are 7 reasons why:

1) Wild turkeys are ill-mannered. On the roost, their gobbling rivals the incessant barking of neighborhood dogs. Toms seem to bellow out pickup lines such as “Roost here often, baby?” and “Your meadow or mine?” Once off the roost, the pillow talk comes to a screeching halt. Wes and I dash off to where we think they might want to go, mindful of obstacles such as swamps, creeks, thickets and our middle-aged legs. We guess wrong. Nothing and nobody shows up. The only noise we hear is from doves, bobwhites and songbirds. And it sounds like laughter.

2) Turkey hunting is hard work. I had a friend say that to me once, and I scoffed at such a ridiculous notion. Well, as the years add up, getting up in the middle of the night for a week straight can wear you out. While eating turkey is known to make people sleepy, hunting them can make you comatose. Those first rays of sunshine can knock me out harder than a hot bath, smooth jazz and Chamomile tea. Bottom line, you can’t fill a tag dreaming about turkeys.

3) Even when I’m awake I’m easily distracted, especially by other birds. I’m mesmerized by whippoorwills. Bewitched by barred owls. The other day I heard a red-tailed hawk scream as it soared by, and for some reason it made me say “Wes, wouldn’t it be cool if birds were big enough they could swoop down and pick up a person?” Of course, Wes thought that was absurd, yet launched into a SNL-style skit of how people would have to scurry across the mall parking lot with guns aimed skyward to fend off attacks. While the topics of these strange exchanges vary, the end result is always the same…somebody winds up laughing out loud, and that rarely qualifies as good turkey hunting technique (except one time in New Mexico, I did make a turkey shock gobble with my hooting and snorting).

4) I’m experimenting with different progressive contact lens prescriptions, which means my ability to see far, near and in between varies. OK, this is a lame excuse since I’ve only seen one turkey.

5) We’re hunting a new tract so we’re learning the lay of the land. This is a legit excuse, at least for this year.

6) Wes has already killed a monster bird, and I think it injured my psyche, especially since he texted me the photo while I was out of town at a meeting.

7) Brood surveys have shown poor reproduction in South Carolina during the last couple of years, and the DNR’s biologist predicted only fair turkey hunting this spring. I think it’s terribly UNfair, but it does make for one heck of an excuse.

The good news is there are two weeks left in the season. Plus, I have not been kidnapped by gypsies and I don’t have a dog, so my box call is safe and sound.

How is your season going? Leave a comment here, catch up with me on at Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 or email me at tammy@womensoutdoorwire.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Outdoorsmen and women who yearn for international travel dream of many things — escaping their routines, hunting exotic wildlife, exploring new landscapes and discovering different cultures.

Whatever the reason, hunting outside of the United States is powerful juju. A recent HunterSurvey.com, conducted by Southwick Associates, found nearly 700,000 sportsmen and women will act on that longing to hunt an international destination in the next two years while a half million people already have in the last three years.

One woman who has collected her fair share of frequent flyer miles is Peggy Vallery, president of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Peggy, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., has traveled to Africa 16 times on big game safaris in addition to hunting Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, China, South Korea, Spain and throughout North America. During the last three decades, she has taken 109 different species around the world including a world slam of wild turkeys, the African Big 5 and the Spanish Big 5. Peggy was the first western woman to hunt Bulgaria and pheasants in South Korea. She also was the first woman to take an elephant in South West Africa, which is known as Namibia today, and has bagged world record trophies. Listing all of her international hunting accomplishments could eat up several megabytes.

Growing up hunting with her dad and grandpa in Maryland, Peggy said she always dreamed of going to Africa. When a group of friends from Safari Club International invited her on an African safari, she jumped at the chance. Though she has traveled back 20 times now, she never tires of the continent regarded by many as the birthplace of humanity. Peggy has hunted South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe (and Rhodesia), Namibia, Zambia, the Cameroons and even places such as Sudan, where you can’t hunt anymore. She’s not done yet, either. She is planning to revisit Africa possibly as early as 2011.

Peggy pointed out how important hunters are to the international destinations they visit, especially developing nations. The dollars hunters spend in these countries provide obvious economic benefits in the form of jobs and money for schools, hospitals and safe water supplies. In addition, hunting provides conservation benefits such as keeping wildlife populations in check, and it elevates the value of game animals. The locals begin seeing wildlife as something more than competition for their crops, and conserving wildlife becomes a better option than subsistence hunting to feed their families.

When people go outside of the U.S, especially to developing nations, the experience changes them and not just because of the hunting. Peggy said being exposed to the plight of others and forming an emotional bond with the local people is transformative. She witnessed firsthand the devastation that HIV/AIDs have caused in Botswana. The suffering of the many orphaned children compelled Peggy to contribute to the Matlou Fund, and her dollars were used to build a home for a young girl and her siblings. The Matlou Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the long- term well-being of the local people, wildlife and habitat in remote areas of Botswana.

Hunting outside of the U.S. is not all lollipops and roses, though. There are a myriad of hassles to deal with ranging from uncooperative airline employees and customs agents to the reams of paperwork and regulations that dictate your ability to transport firearms and ammunition.

Peggy recommends that even if you have the savviest outfitter in the world, you should check with the U.S. Department of State to better understand exit/entry requirements, safety and security issues and other pertinent travel information. It’s also recommended you line up a taxidermist before your trip and be sure you understand what permits are required to export any trophies you take.

She also noted international destinations expose travelers to different foods and water that can make them sick as well as the possibility of disease. So before you hop that plane, see your doctor or a physician who has expertise in the country you’ll be visiting. Get the vaccinations you need, refill necessary prescriptions and make sure you have a clean bill of health.

Another barrier to international travel is cost. A big time safari can run thousands of dollars when you consider daily rates, trophy fees, gratuities, and charges ranging from government concessions to importing guns/ammunition and preparing trophies for export. According to HunterSurvey.com, on average hunters spend $6,718 outside of the U.S. on international hunting trips. While 19 percent of hunters who responded to the survey spent more than $10,000 outside of the U.S., the good news is 29 percent of hunters spent only $2,001 to $5,000. As Peggy observed, it would be hard to find a quality elk or sheep hunt in the U.S. for that price.

There are some hurdles to jump for those who decide to hunt outside of the U.S. However, anything worth doing takes time, money and work. And hearing Peggy tell her stories of hunting other countries leaves no doubt it would be the adventure of a lifetime.

With ample time between flights, I kicked back in concourse C at O’Hare to catch the unofficial fashion show. There was the lady in the leopard print pants that were so tight they resembled an exotic sausage casing. Then there were the hat people modeling everything from tweedy newsboys and houndstooth berets to fedoras, turbans and a lid only Boy George could love. Legions of men and women passed by wearing tracksuits, presumably in case the opportunity arose to knock out a few jumping jacks at 30,000 feet. Of course, the business suits marched by with their pin stripes, two-button, single breasted jackets and silk neckties. There were cargo shorts and flip flops, skinny jeans and purple ankle boots and t-shirts communicating the wearer’s love of Coldplay, the Red Sox and Harley Davidsons.

And every now and then somebody wearing a Mossy Oak Break-up tee-shirt or a Realtree Hardwoods baseball cap cruised by. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see them. Were they proud to fly the flag? Or completely unaware of the statement they made? Either way, I always feel like some secret handshake should be exchanged when we who hunt run into each other in improbable places.

But is an airport really an unlikely place for hunters to bump into each other?

Actually, the answer to that is “no.”

According to the 2006 National Survey on Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Associated Recreation, out of the 12.5 million hunters they count, 10 percent of them hunt in other states and their state of residence while 4 percent of them hunt only outside of their home state. Some of them take to the friendly skies, too. A report entitled Hunting in America: An Economic Engine and Conservation Powerhouse shows out of the $25 billion in retail spending by hunters in 2006, nearly $160 million went towards commercial air transportation.

If you’ve ever flown into Little Rock, Arkansas during duck season or Rapid City, South Dakota during spring turkey season, you’d think everyone at the airport was a hunter. Baggage claim is dominated by gun cases, rolling camo duffel bags and throngs of happy hunters.

I caught a flight a week or so after the horrific events of 9/11, and you could roll a bowling ball down the concourse and not hit anyone. Other than a few road warrior businessmen and women, some of the only other folks flying back then were elk hunters heading west. To me, they were a welcome sight. When the world felt like it might never be the same, hunters conveyed a sense of normalcy desperately sought in those dark days following the terrorist attacks.

While seeing my fellow sportsmen and women at airports always lifts my spirits, it also should put a smile on the face of flight attendants, pilots, store clerks and others whose livelihoods benefit from hunters’ dollars. When you add it up, hunters support nearly 600,000 jobs in a wide variety of industries. When hunters spend money on travel, lodging, food, gear, gas and more, the ripple effect of their dollars total a whopping $66 billion in overall economic output.

With today’s slumping economy, hunters likely are sticking a little closer to home. However, the dollars they spend not only support wildlife conservation, they also may help contribute to our eventual economic recovery.

So, if you don’t have enough reasons to go hunting, add that one to your list!

Most people my age and older remember our childhoods as a time when we were free to roam. Lucky kids lived in the ‘burbs, the outskirts of town or in rural areas where we could jump, climb, run and play. Chasing frogs, toads and butterflies was part of the fun.

My parents didn’t shuttle me from gymnastics to swim team to soccer and if there were pervs in our neighborhood, we didn’t know it.

Though my mom didn’t have a Ph.D. in child psychology, she knew playing outdoors alone or with other kids was good for me. Plus, it allowed her to catch up on household chores. And back then, we had only three channels. While I found Gentle Ben, Flipper and Daktari pretty riveting TV, they were no match for the real deal. I don’t recall subjecting myself to appointment viewing, especially in Wisconsin where decent weather was in short supply.

Today’s newer parents never experienced the freedom of outdoor play unless they were raised in the country, and that has become less likely with each passing year. Their lives can be summed up by two meanings of the same word: monitor. They’re lives were regularly supervised and spent in front of a screen. And while knowledge means power it can also engender fear, especially if what you’ve discovered are registered sex offenders living in your community.  Thus, you can hardly expect this generation of parents to let their offspring bounce around the neighborhood unsupervised.

Jodi Valenta, a mom, blogger and wildlife professional, is committed to sharing different ways parents and kids can have fun by playing outdoors together. While it may seem intuitive to us, it might not be to a 30-year-old who grew up in the city. So, Jodi got down to business and uncovered research that should convince concerned parents everywhere why families need nature.

One study Jodi found revealed students who participated in environmental education programs at school did better on standardized tests in math, reading, writing, and social studies. For parents hoping to better their children by exposing them to classical music before they’re born, the promise of higher test scores through outside play should be pretty tantalizing.

Another study Jodi looked at indicated the ultimate raw material for much of human intellect, emotion, personality, industry and spirit is rooted in an accessible and abundant natural environment. Caring parents want nothing more than to give their children advantages in life. This research makes it apparent they can provide a broad array of benefits without spending anything other than their time.

Those are only two examples from Jodi’s top 10 list. There are eight other compelling research-based reasons why every parent should spend time with their children puddle jumping, watching birds, peeking under rocks, examining spider webs, backyard camping, hiking and gardening. And these are all things you can do without ever leaving your yard or neighborhood. For more information, see Jodi’s blog: http://www.kidsdiscovernature.com/

Take it one step further by making a commitment to get outdoors by attending one of many events on National Hunting and Fishing Day, this Saturday, Sept. 26. Events are listed at your state wildlife agency’s site. Find your agency at this link: http://www.fws.gov/OFFICES/STATELINKS.HTML

You can also visit the National Hunting and Fishing Day site for more information: http://www.nhfday.org/Page/Events.aspx

Get outside and improve your mind, body and spirit!

Angela DelDotto, forecast analyst for Pure Fishing, saw the questions about pink products at anglersurvey.com and huntersurvey.com recently and had this to say in an email:

“Funny you mentioned “pink” in your survey this month. A group of us just had a conversation on the ladies market the other day.

“It’s a relatively untapped market but I don’t think we grasp why women buy pink. I think each person is different. Here are the four reasons I came up with:

1. It’s cute…as hard as it is for me to admit it, there are women out there who actually care about looking “cute” in a boat. I’m not one of them.
2. The product is easily showcased as made for a woman, implying that it has product features designed for us. In an overwhelming category, the product stands out.
3. The breast cancer awareness factor. If we’re faced with a buying decision and one donates and the other does not - it’s an easy decision.
4. Our husbands won’t use it. It may sound ridiculous but if I own anything pink it almost guarantees me that my stuff will be exactly where I left it. These same reasons apply across categories. Golf balls, hammers, garden tools…etc.

Angela is definitely onto something. I bought pink Papermate pens because I knew it would cut in half the universe of people who might “borrow” them. And the pens supported a good cause, City of Hope for breast cancer research.

Love it or hate it, I know there are strong opinions out there about pink outdoor products for women. Your views are important, too. Make them officially known at http://www.anglersurvey.com/ and http://www.huntersurvey.com/ . By completing the survey, you will be entered in the monthly drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of your choice.

Once the survey results are in, we’ll take a look at what they say.

I’d love to hear from you. You can find me at Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

 While they’ve rolled up the carpet at SHOT, the outdoor industry’s mega trade show, my feet won’t soon forget the 715,000 square feet of exhibitor space. There, with 48,907 other attendees, I dashed from booth to booth, frantically trying to visit as many as possible of the 1,800 exhibitors. While I fell wildly short of seeing it all, my show floor travels took me to some pretty interesting places.

One thing that really jumped out was the growth in women’s outdoor apparel. For years, serious female hunters and shooters have clamored for apparel that fit, looked good and performed. And for years, retailers told us we don’t make cash registers ring. However, one women’s apparel vendor I talked to pointed out that in the past women weren’t offered what they really wanted. Often choices were limited to a token camo shirt and pair of pants cut down from men’s sizes. Or if there was something in a store or catalog, you’d have to be the guy on the Mentalist to find it. What I saw this year, more than ever before thanks to this industry’s female entrepreneurs, were entire booths full women’s shooting apparel, cold weather clothes, upland pants and vests, base layers and more. All the pieces were extremely well thought out with everything from  waterproof zippers, thumb holes to keep sleeves from riding up and pockets  exactly where you want them. And I practically drooled over the look and fit. Gone are the days when cold weather clothes made you look like the Michelin Man. Today we have sleek comfort thanks to performance fabrics and styling. What I didn’t see a ton of, and I’ll gladly stand corrected because I’ve already admitted I didn’t visit every booth, were women’s sized turkey vests, duds for duck hunting and boots.

Another topic on women’s lips is the proliferation of pink. I saw pink guns, pink apparel and pink backpacks. One exhibitor I talked to swore that it “flew off the shelf.” However, many of the women I talked to were skeptical of this hue’s place in the hunting and shooting world. One well known female hunter said when the pink trend first started on behalf of breast cancer she could see the relevance. However, as a marketing ploy, she found it condescending. I’m already looking forward to SHOT 2010 to see what shakes out.

It also was evident at SHOT that women have more of a voice than ever before. The Women’s Outdoor Communicators, a committee of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, met at the show and initiated a mentoring program. A new organization, the Women’s Outdoor Media Association, also launched there with the goal of offering networking and mentoring opportunities. The real challenge for both of these efforts will be reaching outside of the core group of women who are already in the know.

With the hunting and shooting ranks starving for new participants, all this comes as good news. Whether or not this innovation really moves product remains to be seen. Stay tuned because 2009 is shaping up to be a wild ride.

Sitting in a deer stand is time well spent, and not necessarily for the most obvious reason (filling your freezer).  Sometimes it’s the only chance for peace and quiet. I call it treestand therapy. Receiving the benefits of treestand therapy takes practice, though. There have been some hurdles to overcome before I could truly reach nirvana 14 feet up. I’ve spent many years perfecting my technique, and I can tell you about the positives and the pitfalls.

The biggest positive for me, a person who is driven to fill every waking moment of my day with productive (or manic?) activity, time spent in a deer stand requires stillness. Silence. Observation. Physically, I am quite capable of all three. However, stillness and silence of the mind takes a lot more willpower than I realized. My first forays into treestand therapy occurred as an adult, when I’d already experienced quite a bit of life. Within minutes of settling into my ladder stand and getting squared away with my rifle, grunt tube, binoculars and other deer hunt staples, the brain would kick into high gear. As my eyes swept across the landscape to create a baseline inventory, I was already sifting through things I could think about. My first thoughts would usually be pretty run of the mill…Thank goodness I didn’t run into that bear!” ”Brrr, it’s cold” or “what a pretty day.” Pretty soon, though, the uncontrolled mind would move onto other more substantial subject matter.

Often, the first place undisciplined thinking goes is the list of things I should have done or need to do. The words to this woulda, coulda, shoulda song often sound like this: “When I get home, I really need to balance my checkbook, make a dentist appointment and take care of that mountain of laundry that’s building up. Dang, why didn’t I get to the grocery store and the gas station already? Now, I’ll have to rush to do it when I get back.”

After I’ve either exhausted myself with those possibilities or I’m somehow able to get a hold of myself, I take a short mental timeout to debate whether what I’m seeing in the far off is shrub or magnificent rack. It’s shrub. Rats.

Despite the momentary disappointment, happy thoughts crowd in. “I am so glad to be here. I hope I see something.” For the next several minutes, I’m admiring the colors of autumn, the warm sunlight on my face and the new turn my thoughts are taking. “Hunting is such a great experience,”  I think. “I’m lucky to have done so many neat things. Let’s see, downhill skiing in Colorado. Check. Whitewater rafting the Snake River. Check. Trout fishing in Wisconsin. mountain biking in Oklahoma and duck hunting in Texas. Check! Check! Check! Sure wish I have a chance someday, though, to take that Alaskan cruise. That’s a biggie on my bucket list.”

Just the mere thought of the bucket list (all things one wants to do before kicking the proverbial bucket) my thoughts wander to an unforeseen hazard called regret.  It usually starts off harmless enough. “I wish I hadn’t forgotten to send a birthday card to my aunt. Boy, I bet she thinks I’m a real pill.” If not caught at this early, fairly harmless stage, it can advance to more serious topics. “I hate that I didn’t work harder at my master’s thesis. And, geez, maybe I shouldn’t have moved away from my hometown 20 years ago.”

Of course, thinking these type of things is as ridiculous as succumbing to the urge to shoot that armadillo, which has sounded maddeningly like a deer coming up behind me for the last 15 minutes. While the “possum on a half shell” deserves a .243 cartridge, it will surely ruin the rest of the evening’s hunt. So these days, when I can feel my ruminations threaten to veer off to an unpleasant detour, I tell myself to let it go and just enjoy the moment. Yes, bad things have happened in the past, and they may happen in the future. But for right here and right now, life is good and I deserve to enjoy it. And then I make darn sure I do.

One important tip to ensuring that treestand therapy gives you a welcome respite from the drama and trauma of life is take control of where your stand is located (even if that involves you personally helping with the loathsome task of putting up a ladder stand or tripod). Not only will this prevent the embarrassment of getting lost, you can pick what you consider to be the best place to see deer as well as other wildlife. Seeing other wildlife is extremely important. Yes, I relish the satisfaction of knowing I’ll be eating venison tacos, chili and spaghetti the rest of the winter. However, watching birds and other animals is one of the greatest remedies for stress I can think of. My memory of watching a bobcat stalk some unseen critter is easily as strong and uplifting as the beautiful 8-point buck I took later that year. A few weekends ago, I watched a fox repeatedly jumping to knock the low hanging fruit from a persimmon tree. I was so mesmerized watching this little gray fox go about its business, that when I finally made my routine scan, I realized I was eyeballing the biggest antlered buck I had ever seen while hunting. Though that big boy never gave me a shot, the memory of the fox and then the sun glinting off the tall, wide rack is powerful medicine.

Like most things that are worthwhile, mastering the fine art of mental self control isn’t always easy. But it is key to really enjoying yourself and therefore worth learning. Now when I take the time to sit in my treestand, I can fill my head with all the good things about life and leave the rest of it on the ground. I hope you can, too.