One of my favorite areas of the land I hunt on. Can you see why it has a calming effect on me? Off to the right there is a hedgerow that the squirrels like to run along.

This is a prickly pear, or at least that is what I call them, they are all over the property where I hunt. The pretty flower is very deceptive, it tries to disguise the fact that there are thousands of tiny little thorns that are terribly annoying if you get them in your skin. Even though we live in Central Illinois our soil is very sandy allowing cacti to grow! You can also open the plant and eat the inside of it, interestingly enough.

Ready to go again

Ready to go again

As I sit down to write today it has been almost a week since I last hunted. I feel the anticipation of hunting building to a point of it becoming a need.  I sometimes just NEED to get out in the woods. I NEED to feel the fresh air moving around me. I NEED to walk through the trails and feel the earth beneath my feet,  to hear the leaves rustling in the wind and the birds singing their songs. I NEED to settle up against the side of a tree and scan the tree tops for movement, movement that tells me there just might be a squirrel moving through the branches, or maybe the sound of nuts being cut as he gorges himself preparing for winter. The sight of that movement or the sound of nuts being cut causes a rush of adrenaline and a reminder to myself to just be patient and wait, to enjoy the moments leading up to the shot.
It doesn't even matter sometimes if I don't get anything at all (although I sure do prefer to get something) I never leave the woods wishing I had done something else. It is a place of peace and restoration for me. A place where the cares of the world evaporate and I can just exist. No dirty dishes in the sink to consider, no laundry that needs washed, no one demanding my attention, it is my oasis. 
Now, as sorry as I am I must go unload my van of groceries.

Until next time,
Melanie

P.S. I hope to soon get a few pix up. I am slowly but surely going to figure this blog thing out!

Introductions and a little history about me

Welcome to Hunt Like a Girl with Melanie!

I have a lot of idea buzzing around in my head about what to do with the blog, but one thing is for sure, it is going to primarily focus on what my experiences have been while learning to hunt. I have certainly had some interesting experiences (at least to me). I have learned more than I knew there was to learn and realize that there is plenty more to learn.

First a little background about me. I am a 47 year old mother of three. As a very young girl I was interested in guns. I have no memory of this, but have been told that I would walk around the house in a dress, cowboy boots, hat, a holster and a cap gun. What I do remember is begging my dad to play cowboys and Indians with me and as an older child playing cops and robbers. What I do not remember ever doing is pretending to hunt. When I was in grade school my parents got both my older sister and I b.b. guns for Christmas. I don't even want to tell you the things I shot holes in with that ( my mom would gladly tell you though ). 

As time went on the b.b. gun was set aside for high school activities and I thought little about it. In 2010 I was reminded of how fun it was to target shoot and began talking about picking it back up. My husband bought me a Ruger 10/22 rifle for Christmas, much to my surprise, and off I went to target shoot. I still loved it just as much as I remember and never expected to go beyond target shooting with it, however, a friend started talking to me about hunting squirrel. I was not convinced it was something that I would enjoy, but I thought it was worth a try, I was up for something new. However, I was pretty sure that if I was able to kill a squirrel that cleaning it would be an entirely different story and if that didn't prove to be a problem I was sure that eating it would! I was wrong, I completely enjoyed the entire experience from beginning to end and believe it or not even my kids will eat squirrel meat! 

I'm not sure exactly what direction this blog will take, but I know that as a woman who hunts I have no trouble at all finding men to converse with on the topic of hunting and I love to pick their brains and learn new things from them. I am always learning new and interesting information. What I do have trouble with is finding other women who have the same passion for hunting that I have. I do meet some from time to time, but they are few and far between and like myself most of them are busy raising families or holding down jobs or both and they have the same struggles I do as far as carving out the time to go hunt. I hope in part that this blog will be a way of connecting with those other women hunters. To learn from them and maybe they can learn from me as well. To share our love for hunting and the outdoors. So, off we go into the wild blue yonder, come join me if you like. 

Here is a link to a pic of me in 2010 with my brand new rifle https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150331499515184&l=311a33f798 

Until next time, Melanie