Break Up Letter

Dear Hoyt Kobalt,

I want to thank you for being such a great bow. We have been through a lot together. You were there for my first big game harvest and were also there when I had my epic miss on a great buck. When my shooting confidence was low you were consistent and always spot on and brought my confidence back up. I told you I would never replace you and would use you until your limbs fell off.

But, I need to be honest with you I have met another bow. The Hoyt Vicxen is designed to take a lady bowhunter like me to the next level. The feel of the Vicxen is heavenly and the draw is oh so smooth! The small details like the custom grip gives the Vicxen a feminine touch without being too girly. Did I mention it has an FPS of 306?

Don’t be sad Kobalt, this isn’t the end for you. I will still take you wherever I go as backup. Just realize the Vicxen is the new bow in town.

Your Good Friend,

Shannon

Big SC Deer

The words in this post's title are not ones you expect to see written together. SC is known for great hunting, but big deer are few and far between. However a good friend of mine recently arrowed this great whitetail while hunting near a White Oak that was dropping acorns. The deer had been seen before but ironically it was thought he was only an 8 pt. Nice Surprise for my buddy to find 10 points.

Ladies Bow Hunt with Archer's Choice

October 10-16 I got to spend time in Pike County, Illinois with my good friends from Archer's Choice Media for the 2^nd annual ladies bow hunt at Eagle Lakes Outfitters. What makes this hunt so unique is that women from every corner of the United States and Canada, from all different walks of life come together to share one common interest…bowhunting!

After catching up with everyone it was time to pull out the gear and get ready for the hunt. The temperatures would be in the low 40’s (which is freezing for me), so Tina let me borrow her SHE C4 suit. THANKS TINA! At the end of the hunt it was hard to give the C4 suit back. It kept the wind, water and cold out.

The first morning I was excited to get back in the stand with Zendal (he filmed me last year in Pike). While waiting for the sun to come up, I saw dark figures roaming around my stand; I knew it was going to be a great morning. I glassed a bunch of young deer with my Nikon Monarch X binoculars.

A doe walked into my shooting lane at about 16 yards, I was so pumped to have a shot on the first morning! I drew my bow back and let my Beman ICS fly. I shot too high giving her a haircut and became the first of our group to join the MBBA (Muddy Broadhead Bowhunters Association). Last year I did the same thing to a nice big buck, same stand and shot angle. That stand has now been renamed ‘The Barber Shop.’

My confidence was brought down a notch, but Zendal reminded me that it was only the first day and not to get down on myself. I am so thankful to have Zendal in the stand with me, he has taught me so much in the two seasons I have spent with him.

The week was a tough hunt, the weather changed constantly and the deer did not move. When they did, the wind would swirl and every shooter in Pike County probably got a whiff of me. Tuesday afternoon we went out in a downpour with the wind working against us, but we did have one thing going for us, we were sitting in a persimmon tree (last year I learned from CJ that deer can’t resist it).

Late that afternoon a doe wandered in, Zendal could see her, but a big branch blocked me. She put her nose to the air, she knew something wasn’t right and disappeared into the woods behind us. Once again, my confidence was brought down a notch and the tough hunt was wearing on me.

About an hour later deer were piling into the field in front of us, but they were too far away, they wouldn’t work their way to the tree before dark. It was then from the corner of my eye I saw the doe from earlier to the right of me at about 10 yards. I quietly grabbed my Hoyt Kobalt and drew. I was a shaking mess and asked Zendal to stop her for me. I got so excited that when he did stop her, I simultaneously released my arrow. In the future, I need to learn to be more patient!

I watched her run about 50 yards and drop. It was such a good feeling to see her go down that fast. I called my guide Ronnie and we loaded up my doe and headed back to the lodge before sundown. I had a huge smile on my face that evening.

A big thanks to everyone at ACM and Eagle Lakes, you all are family to me and I can’t wait to hunt with you all again! Thanks to my guide Ronnie who always comes up with the best deer strategies. Thank you Zendal for spending countless hours with me in a tree/blind!

Shannon's Gear List:

Nikon Monarch X Binoculars and Archer's Choice Rangefinder

SHE Outdoor Apparel C4 Suit

Hoyt Kobalt 27.5 @ 49 pounds

Beman ICS Hunter Arrows

New Archery Products HellRazor Broadheads

WATERMELON HUNTING

If you have not had a chance to see the Taurus Judge "Melon Head" spot it is definitely worth checking out. Taurus wanted to visually demonstrate the capabilities of the Judge for close-range self-defense uses and I think the latest commercial gets the point across for sure.

This production was a team effort from start to finish. All of the actors and shooters are even Chevalier employees, including Kris as the star female exec. A high-speed camera was flown out from NY to capture some amazing slow motion footage and a freak snow storm did not stop us from getting the project done on time.

Our team is currently concepting for the 2010 spot. Any ideas?

See Where Your Shots Are Hitting

Earlier this year Winchester Ammunition introduced a new ballistics calculator to the world and it has been a huge hit. They incorporated alot of cool features and it's pretty easy to use..."even a caveman can do it."

Shooting Sports Retailer said it was the most innovative product at the 2009 SHOT Show. The calculator is now live at www.winchester.com/ballistics.

The Winchester Ballistics Calculator allows users to choose their type of ammunition and compare up to five different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistic charts and graphs. You can customize ‘shooting’ conditions by entering wind speed and outside temperature, adjust zero marks for sighting in—then print or save the ballistics for later reference on the range or in the field.

I would definitely suggest giving it a try before heading to the range or the woods to shoot your rifle. It can't hurt!

It seems like the Oregon crew are always giving Jonathan and myself grief about being the redneck representatives since we live in the south. I wanted to share this photo I snapped at a local gas station to illustrate just how sophisticated southern hunters are.

Not all Southerners ride around in rusty old 4-wheel drives with rifle racks. Some prefer the easy ride, style and amenities of a nice sports sedan. Note the attention to detail with the pine boughs on the stand for camo.

Livin the Dream magazine

If you haven't seen this yet check it out on a newstand near you. Other companies have tried SIPs (single issue publications) in the past but none have tried this angle. Our industry celebs are always in demand so it seemed natural to offer fans some behind the scenes info. Livin the Dream does that and more. It's a pretty cool concept and one we're all excited to be involved with. Thanks to Intermedia for doing a great job putting it together.

Speaking of print, I've heard a lot of people lamenting that print is dead and I just don't agree with that.

Certainly in this economy some of the fluff has been trimmed but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Furthermore, I'm always cautious when someone with a vested interest in only one side of an issue (they only do TV or only web, etc..) bad mouths the other. So I brought up the subject recently with Mike Carney, InterMedia's Sr Vice President

"Almost all of the major broadcast TV networks have experienced significant ratings drop offs with their horizontal approach, offering a wide-variety of loosely-themed programming for an ever splintering TV audience," said Carney. "Meanwhile, many of the vertically-focused cable TV networks, like Sportsman Channel and others, are having record years."

The same can be said for print products. "The broad-based editorial print products, like daily papers, news magazines and general interest titles, are truly struggling, but we've never been in that business," emphasized Carney. "InterMedia specializes in very niche, vertically-defined subject matter, like that found in Bowhunter Magazine, North American Whitetail Magazine, Guns & Ammo Magazine, and specialty content like Livin' The Dream, and delivers very detailed, in-depth information from real-world editors and experts, who live, breathe and eat the subject matter they cover on a daily basis."

More targeted approaches are the smart move now be it online, print or TV. Consumers have too many avenues available to get only the content and info they want. There's no reason for them to suffer through unappealing content.

Our media consumption is ever evolving and it certainly pays to stay current and try new ideas....just not at the expense of proven methods.

Weekend in the Eastern Oregon

Here in Oregon, October 3 meant the statewide deer rifle season opener. I did not draw a tag this year but my boyfriend Matt did. Matt has never hunted for deer before, and since I didn’t draw a tag, I was going to be his guide in the Sled Springs Unit.

We met up with Chevalier Advertising office manager/bookkeeper Sherri and her husband Sam Saturday morning to hunt. It was a cold and rainy day. Sam, Matt and I loaded into the truck and headed out to a field and started walking. Grouse would flush every 300 yards; they would often startle bedded doe, but no bucks in sight.

Matt and I split off from Sam at a wooded area. Sam went into the woods while Matt and I skirted an alfalfa field. Sam must have driven deer out of the woods because two doe came running out and stopped about 20 yards in front of Matt and I. We stood completely still while one doe blew at us and the other one stood there and didn’t notice us. I am pretty sure that was the closest Matt has ever been to a deer. It was pretty cool.

A few hours later, and with no luck, Sam took us up the hill to show us where they hunt elk. The higher we went, the more it snowed. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous Eastern Oregon is and how fortunate we are to be able to hunt there.

Daylight was getting shorter by the minute and we decided to head back down to camp. We would stop every so often to glass. I am so glad I had my Nikon Monarch X binoculars they gathered so much light at sunset!

Then it happened, Sam spotted a doe and a buck by an abandoned barn about 100 yards away. Legal shooting light was fading fast and this buck wasn’t going to wait all day. I told the boys, ‘you have one minute!’ As soon as Matt declined the shot, Sam had his gun to his shoulder and a shot off.

The buck ran about 30 yards and dropped, and excellent shot! Sam was like giddy like a girl that just got asked to prom! Sam showed Matt and I how to field dress the beautiful eight point whitetail and we were all in the truck in no time.

I asked Matt why he declined the shot and what he said made me smile, “Sam has been hunting this area for 11 years, he has earned that buck.” What a great guy!

Cold, wet and tired, back at camp we ate our hamburgers and retold the story over and over to everyone at camp. What a great weekend!

Gear List:

Nikon Monarch X 8.5x45 Binoculars

Nikon Fieldscope III 60mm ED

Winchester Power Max 30-06 Sprg

Nikon Binocular Tip

Did you know a binocular has a diopter? Well I am embarrassed to admit this but prior to working in the outdoors industry I did not even know what a diopter was. I had been looking through binoculars for two decades that were not correctly set for my eyes. I have since learned that I was definitely not alone.

Setting the diopter is an essential step to making a binocular your own. This adjustment compensates for the natural differences that ones eyes may have. Using a binocular without setting the diopter may mean the users eyes will not be able to focus at the same distance at the same time.

Nikon ProStaffer Forrest Rowland explains in this video (produced by Chevalier) how to set your diopter. Spending five minutes making this adjustment can make a world of difference. I know it did for me.

Highlights from the 2nd annual High Plains Pentathalon

What else could we ask for…great weather,

great food, antelope, pheasants, prairie dogs and lots and lots of target shooting during the 2^nd annual High Plains Pentathalon sponsored by Winchester Ammunition and Merkel.

This trip definitely had a lot of character…and characters.

While participating in the Pentathalon, I had several “firsts,” such as:

1. First antelope hunt

2. First antelope kill

3. First time tasting antelope (John Haviland did a great job cooking it)

4. First time I’ve ever shot .30-06 and .375 H&H double rifles

Here are a few images from the event/hunt:

John Haviland shooting sporting clays. He was quite the shooter. John broke 17 out of 25 targets. Nice work John!

Suzi Huntington sighting in her rifle with Winchester Ammunition’s Power Max Bonded ammo.

Not only is Brian Pearce a great long range shooter, but he’s not to shabby when shooting sporting clays either. He and Haviland were teamed up and both broke a lot of clay targets.

Shari LeGate showing us how it’s done on the double rifle course. There were three stations on this course (1. Still target, 2. Pop-up targets and 3. Running deer target). And yes…the target that Shari is shooting is actually moving. She did really well with her shot placement.

Dave Campbell admiring one of the pheasants he shot. He and I were paired up and we had the opportunity to hunt behind world class hunting dogs (Drathaars), trained by Roger Green of Wyoming.

After a week of shooting and hunting, it’s back to the office to prepare for Winchester Ammunition’s 2010 new product PR plans and for the SHOT Show. Hard to believe it’s only a few months away.

Remember…ya stay in the woods…ya stay outta trouble!