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

Tags: adventure, boys, cool, family, family-welcomed, hunting, life, people, public relations, recurve bow