CAMOUFLAGE FACE PAINT-NATURE'S PAINT

  • HOME
  • HUNTING
  • SPORTS EYE BLACK
  • SHOP
  • BLOG
  • HOME
  • HUNTING
  • SPORTS EYE BLACK
  • SHOP
  • BLOG

Harvesting an Elk with My Bow—A First-time Experience

7/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Harvesting an elk with my bow, was more than just a hunt. It was a culmination of preparation, hard work, practice, sweat, tears, teamwork, coordination, and overcoming an injury. It also taught me perseverance and humility.

I didn’t grow up hunting. I just knew this was something I wanted to do. I bought my first bow in 2010, but only managed to go out a couple of times. I didn’t really have anyone who would take me—that is until I met my husband.  Although when I first met him, I just wanted him to be my hunting partner.

We spent almost every weekend hunting together during archery season, and I learned quite a bit from him that year, even though I still had yet to harvest an elk.

Almost immediately after that first archery season, I started having back issues. I went from doing Cross Fit regularly, running, snowboarding, and everything else that was physically active, to are not able to walk. When you are in your 20’s, used to a life of adventure, and then suddenly are faced with the inability to get out of bed in the morning, it is a very humbling experience.

Fortunately for me, I had back surgery 10 months later which was successful. The downside of it was that I was not sure if I would be able to do everything I did prior to the surgery, including archery hunting. I just wasn’t sure about my ability to hunt and pack out an animal if I was successful.
Picture
The thing about bow hunting is that to increase your chances of a successful hunt, you need to go where most humans are not willing to go. That being said, we hunt in some of the most rugged and dense forests the coastal mountains have to offer. We also go several miles in to make sure we escape civilization.  Because of this, I was extremely nervous about my back.

Shortly after my surgery, I learned about a North West Ladies Hunting Camp. I attended the camp in 2016 and learned a lot. First off, there are a lot of female hunters out there and there are a lot of really good female hunters. I took classes on all sorts of things and learned a lot about how to increase my odds of success. 

I spent months talking to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife biologists in the area, I went down the Forestry Department and ODFW and obtained maps, I learned the geography and lay of the land to figure out where the elk may spend their time. I would shoot my bow every day after work. We even went into our spot, ahead of season, and cleared some brush to help us make a quieter entry once the season opened for hunting. All of this preparation paid off.
Picture
On the morning of the second day of the season, I killed my first elk. He was a 6 point Roosevelt bull—easily weighing more than 1000 lbs. It was just my husband and me, so it took us over 14 hours to pack out the elk. The terrain was so steep, I worried I would fall because of having to carry all that weight in my pack. There were moments I questioned my sanity, moments where my eyes teared with joy, but most of all, I was just thankful. I was thankful for the elk giving us his life so we could have organic meat in the freezer, I was thankful our hard work paid off, and I was thankful my back held up during this trip.

At Nature’s Paint, we are on a mission to provide the best hunting face on the market. For this reason, and more, our paint is always composed of natural ingredients that you can pronounce and are both safe for you and our environment. Our hunting face paint is always easy on, easy off, 100% natural, and environmentally friendly. Go ahead, try it for yourself, and notice the difference.
Article by Catherine Sandor-Korte, Team NP
Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2022
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    April 2018
    March 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed


STAY IN TOUCH!

Join our NP mailing list. 

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.


CONNECT

Facebook
Instagram
YouTube


​EXLPORE

Hunting
Sports Eye Black
About
Making a Difference
Blog


​SUPPORT

Contact Us
FAQ
Terms and Conditions
Copyright © 2021 Nature's Paint LLC