Women’s big game clinic
It didn’t dawn on me how much Ridge Patrol has made an impact until the women’s big game clinic I hosted at Bear Creek Outfitters LLC. I had been planning this weekend all winter and was ecstatic to have three women sign up and attend. Our subjects of focus on this clinic was navigation 101, glassing 101, identifying big game habitat, and e-scouting 101 and then applying all we learned in the field on the last day with a 3-d course/scavenger hunt. I had met one of the ladies a few weeks back at a women’s archery night I hosted at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear just outside of Denver, and another one of the other gals from the woman’s turkey hunt I had guided in the spring. I was excited to show these ladies my place of work and play and was hopeful they would learn something along the way.
Friday morning was dedicated to learning the basics as we gathered in the main lodge to go over maps, and what we could learn from them. It was easy going and of course there was plenty of conversation that wasn’t about hunting. That afternoon we headed out to set up a trail camera and while doing so we would practice what we learned that morning. The jokes were non-stop and the sisterhood between us four had started to blossom. This is exactly what I was hoping for. We spent the afternoon on the back porch of my cabin watching a summer storm pass through, leaving a vibrant rainbow for us to enjoy.
The previous evening we glassed up some elk and made plans for a big day putting in some miles. So we packed a lunch and headed out to set up a trial camera a few miles into the forest. The foliage was thick and tall making it hard to navigate so we had lunch to cheer us up and give us some energy. As we sat there on the mountainside it felt as though I had known these women my entire life. Picking a tree, or a stump we played ‘guess the yardage’ as we munched on our deli sandwiches. Rumbles in the dark sky were nearly on top of us and our plans to head to the top of the mountain instantly changed. Hiking towards the storm the rain cloud soon was unleashing on us. “Let’s just send it back to the jeep” we agreed, until a lightning bolt struck on top of the ridge just a couple hundred yards in front of us. Huddled under a patch of scrub oak we waited for the storm to pass, enjoying watching the rain fall and the cool temperatures. Nobody talked as we soaked in the moment.
Busting out the corn hole and cold beers we listened to Chris Stapleton radio and laughed as we forgot we were attending a clinic for a moment. The ranch owner pulled up in the driveway and told us a lightning bolt had struck down low on the property and was smoldering. We volunteered to head out for watch at “the rock” and would report back to camp if it was starting to spread. The firefighters were on it and soon the entertainment faded and we headed back for another evening of glassing and sitting around a bonfire.
The next morning was time to apply what these ladies had learned and I was excited to follow along with the camera.
I had hid 5 3-d targets, each with a clue as to where the next one was. These ladies absolutely crushed the course and mean while working as a team to be smart and think outside the box. There’s no doubt that if this group went into a hunt together they would be successful.
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