“She didn’t give up then, and she won’t give up now….”
Alright ladies, hunting season is coming up quickly and we are so excited to be following along as you pursue wild game in our clothes! Ridge Patrol is officially a year in business and we couldn’t be more happy about the sisterhood that is starting to evolve. We are the next generation of hunters and we must stand together as we face this new, never before, switch in the male dominated industry. With that being said, I wanted to share a story along with a piece of writing from last years archery season when the lack of sleep and physical excursion all came crashing down.
Hunting has many meanings to all of us but I believe we all have a shared reason as to why we hunt. Personally, I fell in love with hunting when I was a young girl, escaping the home that I didn’t feel safe in. The rain forest of the pacific northwest became my sanctuary and it was the only place that calmed the storm in my mind. As I grew older and moved to Colorado I spent many years alone in the mountains still seeking that same feeling of grounding and peace. The big mountains found a new way of testing me, physically, mentally and emotionally and I found that after each hunt I became more polished, and confident.
Last season we were on day 7 of hunting and my mind, body and spirit were tired and negative. We had several opportunities that I felt I had messed up and I was being hard on myself. I found myself questioning why I was hunting with a bow and not a rifle. With each day that passed by without a harvest I thought about the future years and pondered becoming a rifle hunter, simply to put meat on the table. My body felt strong, lean and energized when I consumed wild game, unlike the meat from the grocery store. As I hiked behind Cameron my legs were tired and each step became heavier. Self doubt crept into my mind and consumed me. My heart started to race loud in my chest and I found it harder to breathe, and then I fell to the ground.
Later that night around the fire I reflected on my struggles that day on the mountain, picked up my phone and wrote this…
“I thought about quitting today. I thought about hanging up my bow for good. And just as the thought came to me, it felt as though I was punched in the gut, and I fell over and wept. My hands found the earth, grabbing onto the small grassy shrubs. I screamed, throwing my head back as my salty tears ran down the cheeks. Through blurry eyes I looked up at the mountain glowing pink in the setting sun, and I asked myself “when have you ever given up because something was hard?” As I wept I gasped in the clarity of the mountain air. Vision’s of my younger self came flooding through my memory. A young girl who ran to the forest to hunt any chance she could get, a girl that found confidence bit by bit in the rainforest- she never gave up, and she won’t now. The rugged mountains and the elk that thrive here, they have things to teach me and today I was their student.”
If you are new to hunting I am here to tell you, you will be tested but with grit you will learn from the moments and wild game you pursue. They build character within us, and there will always be something to take away from it. I’m not trying to scare you off here, or make hunting that much more intimidating, I am simply sharing my journey with you. The thing about hunting is, no matter how experienced you are you will always mess up, and it’s okay. Many women I have talked to have limited themselves to the amount they hunt, how far in they go, hunting alone, etc all because of the intimidation factor. I’m here to encourage you to hike to the next ridge, to spend a night under the stars alone, to try and call in an elk, to take that 2 second window shot, to get out there without a man holding your hand. You are capable of big things, and in those moments alone in the mountains you will find a connection unlike any other.
Best of luck this season and don’t forget to tag us on IG @ridgepatrol so we can follow along!
In closing I am giving away a $10 Ridge Patrol gift card on Wednesday!! How to enter: Follow us on IG and send us a message saying GiftCard for an entry!
We are also giving away a pair of leggings at the end of the month!!! How to enter: With every $100 you spend you’ll receive 1 entry. Share our page on your story and receive 2 more entries. Post a photo of you in our clothes and receive 3 more entries!! This giveaway goes through the month of August. Deadline August 30th 9pm.
Thanks for running in.