Babbs in the Woods: We came, we saw, we won

My husband is a lucky man. He’s attended two Friends of the NRA banquets in his life and each time, he’s won a gun in the raffle. He wins guns that I like to use, too. The first year he won a Beretta ES-100 12 gauge that quickly found its way on a dove hunt with me, and this year, I walked by the gun table and touched the Uberti .45 Long Colt, single-action revolver and said something like, “Oh, I’d like to shoot that one!” Read the story »

Outside My Comfort Zone: ‘I stopped a runaway dog sled’

Unfortunately, Deb Ferns was not wearing a helmet cam when she leaped across the frozen tundra in Alaska during her Mushing 101 course to stop a runaway dog sled. Sit back, relax and enjoy the tale of Deb and the Cosmic Forces of Chaos in this video. Oral history … you can’t beat it. Please leave your comments below. And grab yourself a gravatar if you’re so inclined so we can see who you are! Read the story »

Camo Mom: Where she finds ‘The Man Cave’

Camo Mom Tammy Ballew finds The Man Cave in an undisclosed location in the United States. She and camera woman Barb Baird slipped in, took a look around and slipped out again — leaving this video for you to enjoy, a real tour of a genuine Man Cave. Read the story »

My Job … My Outdoors: Laura Benjamin and life outside the boardroom

Oh, why did we instantly like this outdoor woman? Could it be for her nicknames? “Blondie” in high school and “Little Bit” in Basic Training? Or maybe it was for her first publication, “The Flockette Gazette,” produced on the old dirty purple machine when the “nuns weren’t looking!” Or because at her blog she lists her favorite foods in this order: elk steaks, merlot and chocolate ice cream?

She’s an educator, a facilitator, a consultant, an entertainer, an elk hunter. Read Laura Benjamin’s story about her job and her outdoors, her life in Colorado as a single mom who made the choice to work close to home, and gained a love of the outdoors in the process. Also, don’t forget to check out her three blogs. Read the story »

Guru Huntress: She’s gone hog wild over Haydel’s ‘Boss Hawg’ and ‘Pig Squealer’ calls

I know, I know …I  am supposed to be posting product reviews on turkey products. I just couldn’t keep from sharing this one since it is legal to hunt wild hogs year-round in most states.

I coordinated a women’s hunt in Liberty, Miss., this past weekend where seven women and I hunted hogs. One of the ladies was nice enough to bring me a gift of a couple Haydel’s Game Calls hog calls. We practiced with the calls by the bonfire the night before our first hunt. Read the story »

GEAR COURT: Hear No Evil with Radians Electronic Earmuffs

One of the hardest things about shooting is getting used to the hearing protection. You have to wear it, but it reduces your ability to hear when you’re trying to catch every word that your instructor is saying. Once you master the fundamentals of shooting, the reduced hearing is still inconvenient especially hearing range commands.

Soon after I started shooting, I learned about electronic muffs and I use them now whenever I can.  Electronic muffs not only let you hear as well as you do without them, they accentuate your hearing. This year I used them on the deer stand. With them dialed up, you can hear a squirrel’s toenails on a tree 40 yards away.

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