For a while, she was like a friend to those of us in the Midwest who had read her blog, but never met her. Then, a bunch of us met her at a Team Huntress event in South Dakota and she and I were roommates. Holly Heyser, aka NorCal Cazadora, wrote an outdoor blog for almost five years. Today, she calls it quits.
Through her blog, NorCal Cazadora, she took us along with her on her journey to becoming a stellar huntress. When she writes about her angst, she means it. She is one of the few outdoor writers I’ve met who sound like and act like and are — just as they are in real person. No false persona there. No grandiose huntress, rubbing blood on her face and high-fivin’ everyone after the hunt. Just a passionate California hunter who works with the God-awful system they have out there, and who analyzes not only every step in this journey, but also in her daily life.
And I figured out why I like her so much. She was in band in high school and she was proud of that …
Not a lot of people say that out loud. But I knew what she was talking about when she said she would learn a difficult passage or master a marching maneuver. I knew.
And when she said that she looked up in the sky and saw geese reflecting the sun and it sent shivers through her system — I remembered that when I saw a similar flight of geese, on the way home from South Dakota and our time together.
Holly Heyser loves duck hunting, we think, more than any other type!
But, she’s not going away.
Maybe she’ll write a book.
Maybe she’ll start another blog.
Whatever she does, she’ll do it with thought and care and excellently. Because, that’s Holly and NorCal — the same chica. Check out NorCal Cazadora.
And, she’s still blogging over at Irwin Greenstein’s fine online publication, ShotGun Life.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
I recall the first time I stumbled across her blog, and have been a fan ever since.. I hope to someday actually meet her in person.. her writing is marvelous!
Aww, shucks – thanks! I’m glad that post about the geese in the sun over the fog line stuck with you. It remains one of my very favorite moments in hunting – my own personal Maxfield Parrish scene.
And Gretchen, I’m sure it will happen sooner or later. 🙂