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It started as just a regular black bear hunt and it became an obsession.
I was guiding bear hunters in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and a group of hunters from Wisconsin had sent us some trail cameras. We had six well-established baits spread over our hunting area and they were already getting hit hard even though it was only late April. I was excited to get the cameras out and early the next morning I made the rounds to see if we had any pictures. I was hoping for three or four. We had eighty. Hmmm… Who woulda guessed? One of our bears looked like a monster. It wasn’t a great picture and at first glance, isn’t very impressive until the next day when we noticed that he had been about 20 yards beyond the barrel and the tracks…. oh the tracks.

Our first glimpse of Toad

As the weeks went on we got pictures of him visiting most of our baits and we confirmed it… he was huge. We called him “Toad” and he was the type of bear you dream about. Not only was he big, but he was a deep chocolate color to boot. Our Wisconsin hunters were ecstatic. Not only because of Toad, but we had a nice blonde bear spotted for them as well.

This is Blondie and he was on the hit list too

So, our hunters showed up in mid-May and for five days they passed up bear after bear in their quest for Toad and Blondie, neither of whom showed up for the party. Hunters came and left all season and our two stars never made a showing, although they did continue to pose for our cameras. On the last day of the season we didn’t have any hunters so I hunted Toad’s favorite bait and he did come in, but it was after shooting hours. I sat in the stand watching him in the moonlight for a long time… drooling. The next two seasons were more of the same and he began to become a legend. Our hunters all left with nice bears, but not THE bear.

Toad standing in front of the bait barrel

A big bear will look long and short. That’s a big bear.

In 2007 we purchased a new hunting area in the Frank Church Wilderness and I knew that my chance to get this great bear was coming to an end, so I set our with a vengeance and hunted hard. I only put out one bait, but it was in a better area with thicker cover and much harder to get to. I figured that this would give him fewer choices and I hoped that he would feel more comfortable in the thicker cover and come in during the shooting hours. I hunted hard and I passed on a bunch of nice bears. Big ones, blonde ones, chocolate ones, red ones and even one that I called “frosted chocolate”.

I’d like to say that it ended with a hero shot of me and my bow and a big bear named Toad… but it didn’t. It did end with a BANG! though.

You’re probably asking yourself, “I thought this was about Blazing Saddles“, well, here it comes: Our bear hunting truck was an old piece of crap Toyota and it was on it’s last leg. On my final trip in to hunt Toad I was 20-some miles from the lodge when I smelled something burning. I was on an old logging road with overhanging brush, so I didn’t want to stop and burn down the whole forest, so I pushed on hoping to get to a spring that crossed the “road” a few miles below. Before long, the cab was full of smoke, my head was out the window and there were flames coming out of the passenger side floorboard. I was flying, desperate to make the spring. As I skidded around the last corner I tried to slow down, but the brakes lines had burned through I guess… uh oh. The only option I had was to run into a big willow growing out of the spring. That put a stop to things real quick.

I bailed out and tried fruitlessly to put the fire out, but soon realized that it was just too big, so all I could do was salvage what I could, back off, take pictures and try to put out any forest fire that might start. The smoke was incredible, the flames were huge and the tires blowing (I think it was the tires) were surprisingly loud. It didn’t take long for that old pickup to burn to the ground.

That old Toyota burned to the ground. It was impressive.

I’m surprised the firefighters didn’t show up

Once the fire was out, I put on my backpack and started a long walk back to the lodge. I didn’t take the roads so it was only about 15 miles as the crow flies, but it still took most of the day. I flew out the next morning to start a new adventure. My quest for Toad the monster black bear was over.

Last spring a friend of mine who hunts the same area showed me a picture of a huge chocolate bear at one of his baits. The legend continues… and since I’m not outfitting anymore, I just might re-kindle my obsession.

See the original article at GotHunts.com

Passions Found…

The sun slips silently lower in to the lush South Dakota Grasslands, casting a soft golden hue across the landscape, as we slow to take the turn onto the familiar gravel road that will lead us back to Pheasant Phun… The excitement builds as I look forward to once again seeing old friends and the prospect of meeting new. As the gravel crunches beneath the tires and the dust rises behind the truck I fondly think back to my last trip here for Team Huntress. Two Months ago I came along to Team Huntress with the intention of teaching. I was there to help with archery instruction and to see if I could get some photos of the event. I planned on staying back and observing… and stepping in to help out were needed. I am not the type of woman who ever thought she would do something like this. Throughout my life, I have always had more male friends than female. I was the girl in high school who hung out with the boys cuz they did all the cool stuff. I was never interested in cheerleading, or shopping. There were always better things to do, and all of them included being outdoors.

Moments after arriving at this beautiful place it was clear that there are no strangers here.. Jane Keller and her family welcomed us in with open arms and quickly made us feel comfortable and at home. A safe haven if you will. I spent an amazing weekend getting to know some beautiful and inspiring women – hosts, instructors, as well as guest. For me as a wife and mother who enjoys the outdoors, there was nothing so cool, as for me, to watch some of these girls grow and blossom before our eyes as they found a common passion., and realized their natural talents. To see how quickly they were drawn to and found enjoyment in new things that they never thought possible.

I fondly recall the huge grin that unfolded upon one woman’s face as she put aside her uncertainties and shot a pistol for the first time. For reasons of her own, she had an inherent fear of handguns… With gentle instruction and thorough teaching of how to safely handle a handgun, she found herself standing at the shooting range and actually enjoying each hole that the pistol in her hand was punching in the paper plate before her.

Another guest discovered a natural talent when it came to shooting and we all shared her excitement each time she shot the bow, pistol, and shotgun and hit the intended target. Some moving and some stationary! We all felt the pride as her mother watched on. How special for mother and her grown daughter to be able to share that moment of learning and discovery together. There is no ego at Team Huntress only companionship and gentle encouragement that only ladies know how to give. Team Huntress is not about hunting, Team Huntress is about educating yourself, taking the opportunity to explore, and maybe even discovering something new to enjoy, and giving yourself permission to just relax and have fun.

We pull into the yard and are once again greeted by old friends that have grown beyond friendship to hold a special place in my heart. I am nervous about the courses I have so eagerly agreed to instruct, but that nervousness is quickly replaced with excitement about connecting with the new girls and the new adventures that will be shared. I have spoken with many women about the Team Huntress events, and once in a while I hear someone say “Team Huntress is not for me. I would like to meet the people there, but I don’t think I would fit in… I am not a hunter… I don’t like guns… or spiders and dirt, I might cut myself with arrow… And… and…and” My answer to them is “Stop making excuses! No matter your outdoor skill level… Team Huntress IS for you.

This is not a camping trip… Or a survival course… You will be fed gourmet food and sleep on amazingly comfortable beds in an amazingly beautiful lodge…with indoor plumbing and a hot shower. You will have the opportunity to learn outdoor skills alongside other like-minded women; all while being pampered with massages, and foot rubs and facials. It is ok to give yourself permission to relax and have fun, and maybe even try something new. You might even surprise yourself.. You might actually have fun..lol”

Though I can tell you a story about every one of the girls that I have had the honor of meeting at Team Huntress.. I would like to recall a story about one particular woman that came along to Team Huntress, I think, just to humor her friend. She had no real desire to shoot a bow, let alone a gun. As the day progressed with food and pampering and gifts and skills the instructors made sure not to pressure her into anything she did not feel comfortable with, but after a few moments of watching the other women, and seeing how much they were enjoying archery, she found herself with a longbow in hand and that familiar spark in her eye when she popped a balloon…Success!

Later that evening while we relaxed around the lodge, enjoying conversations and sharing stories from our day… She confessed how easy and fun it actually was to shoot a bow, and that she was now afraid to tell her husband, because that would mean that for all these years “he had been right after all“. She said that she would like to get a recurve when she got back home just do some target shooting in the backyard.

A few months have passed since the last Team Huntress event and as I sit here at home writing this article … I smiled to myself as I read the message That I just received from her friend that drug her along to Team Huntress. This particular lady, who had no desire to shot, or go out hunting with her husband, had just returned from an evening in the woods.. recurve in hand…and her husband was there to share with her and video the whole thing!

Women from all over the U.S. come together for the Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic… each for their own reasons.

Some searching for something personal, some not really searching but thinking they have come along to support a friend or a relative, and some think they are there just to teach. However, one thing is for certain. After an enjoyable and unforgettable weekend, bonds will be made, and lifetime friendships forged. But most importantly, we will all have learned, in more ways than you could have ever imagined.

Team Huntress is more than just a women’s outdoor clinic.

~Stacey Huston Team Huntress Outdoor Ambassador

Huston is an outdoors woman to the core. She would much rather spend time in the high country than in the local shopping mall, and feels more at home in heavy timber than in a salon. She is an accomplished photographer and is the staff photographer for Journey With Red Hawk T.V. series. Stacey is also a licensed falconer and raptor rehabilitation volunteer, helping injures raptors to once again soar on open skies. She resides with her husband of 18 years and their two boys in the mountains of western Wyoming.

www.staceyhuston.com http://afocusinthewild.blogspot.com

See the original article at TeamHuntress.com

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