PHOTO TIPS

PHOTO TIPS

by: Colleen Richardson

Now that hunting season is underway I thought it would be helpful to give some photo tips of your next trophy. There are a few important guidelines to follow to ensure that your hunt is forever memorialized in great quality photos. There are lots of bad hunting photos in the world but with just a few short steps you can have some great photos to help that hunt last a lifetime! I have shared some of the photos I have taken over the years and they are by no means perfect but can give you some good ideas of do’s and don’ts next time you take some hunting photos.

1) Set up and clean up your animal- tuck his/her legs underneath him, set his best side toward the camera (less blood, entry vs. exit wounds etc.), clean up the blood as best you can from around the wound and especially its mouth, and be sure to tuck that tongue back in (or cut it out). The nicer you make your trophy look the better it will look in the picture. This is purely out of respect for the animal who gave its life for you to provide for your family.

 2) Clean up the area you are shooting in, i.e., remove tall vegetation or debris that is between the camera and the animal. If the scene of the animal is quite bloody, move 5 or ten yards away to a clean open area. You want pictures of the hunter and the trophy, not the large blade of grass that is in front of its face or a pool of blood nearby.






3) Choose a good backdrop. Be sure to look around and get a backdrop that encompasses your hunting environment (tree line, canyon, food plot, sunset) this will be the scenery for your photo, choose wisely.

Photo courtesy of Zac Griffith

4) Put the light towards you (not at your back unless it’s a great sunset) and ALWAYS USE THE FLASH, it’s your best friend! This will help bring good lighting to you photos and help to eliminate shadows. Use the flash even during mid-day shots; this will increase the quality immensely. Be sure to turn it off if taking shots of live animals so you don't spook them either.

These photos were taken back to back and show the drastic difference between a flash and no flash in low light situations. Time of day will play a large role in how the quality of your photos turn out. Below is a great example of a photo with flash and one without in a mid morning light setting.

5) Get eye/shoulder level with the trophy. Taking pictures standing above does neither you nor the trophy any justice. The lower you get the better you can highlight the key points of the animal and hunter.

6) Take shots from multiple angles. Turn the head of the trophy to be sure to get all characteristics of the antlers or horns. Be sure not to sit in front of the antlers or horns so you can highlight them against a light back drop (like a silhouette on a sunset). Sky lighting the horns, antlers or fan tails give the shot some dimension and perspective of the size and characteristics of the trophy.

Photo courtesy of Zac Griffith

7) Place your firearm in a safe position. Do NOT point the barrel of your gun in someone’s face, set it up responsibly (like you know how to handle a gun). If you have an archery trophy be sure to place the bow in for a few shots as well, this will help the credibility of the trophy to record books.  

8) Be sure to get several of you with your trophy but don’t forget to take some shots with your hunting party! If it is a guided hunt, take photos with your guide, the logo of the outfitter or in one of their “photo areas”. This helps to preserve the good memories you had with that guide and helps to give them some good promo pictures they can use to show the quality of hunt and trophies they provide. If it’s a family hunt be sure to get the whole herd together!

Photo courtesy of Amie Riggs, Photo taken by Shane Riggs

9) Be sure to charge your camera or bring extra batteries. A good quality camera can take 300+ pictures before the battery runs out of life but you don’t want to be stuck with one bar of battery left when you have a trophy on the ground. Be prepared!

10) MOST IMPORTANTLY, take the time to take lots of pictures, not only of the hunter and trophy but also candid shots along the way. What’s the worst you can do, delete them? It’s always best to have too many pictures than not enough. Remember, there is no going back once the knives are out! Taking the time to take good quality shots is just as important as preserving the meat, except you are preserving the memories. 

Hope these little tips help next time you are in the woods and always remember to smile!

Colleen Richardson is a Pro Staff Member of Shoot Like A Girl. For more information on Colleen go to www.ShootLikeAGirl.com and click on the Pro Staff Link at the top of the homepage. 

True Shot Coach Review

If you are new to archery, first let me start off by saying welcome! You are now part of a close knit group who are proud to support those alike. With that being said, archery is an acquired skill. It takes practice, being in tune to your body; aware of how you are breathing, knowing the positioning of your hands, head, feet, arms and back and more practice. Archery is not something you step into two-weeks before opening of hunting season or an archery competition and start shooting your bow. Archer's are always on the look-out for ways to improve the shot. There are many "bells and whistles" that can be used for improved shots including a simple tool that can be placed on your hand for consistent hand placement on the bow. Hand placement is one of the most important factors in regards to form.

“Don't Choke Archery” http://dontchokearchery.com/ introduced the True Shot Coach as a training aid for hand placement. This little device will help archer's reach the goal of consistent hand placement as well as provide a relaxed grip (aka - avoid the death grip!). The True Shot Coach is especially helpful for those that have been away from the archery scene for a while, young kids or anybody that is just starting out in archery. My son found it helpful to find his "grip" and helped in hitting tight groupings. I highly recommend this product to those that are tight on their grip or are just beginning!

April Mack is a Pro Staff Member and Archery Instructor for Shoot Like A Girl. You can read more about April by going to www.ShootLikeAGirl.com and click on the Pro Staff Link.

The Hunt Of A Lifetime

Lois J. Stoffle

October 10, 2012

The Hunt of a Lifetime

　

The date was October 1st, 2006; I was up before dawn, ate breakfast with the guys and was ready to go hunting for my Elk. David, Ron and I walked to the truck.

Ron and I had filled out applications in April for fifteen years, hoping to draw early elk licenses for hunting premier trophy area 2 for the coming fall. Ron had drawn his license in 2005 and had had a successful hunt. Now it was going to be my turn. I had waited sixteen years for this opportunity and I had prepared well, or so I thought.

From the time I received my license in the mail in mid June, I began my preparation. Our son, David, guided for the Sagebrush Outfitters, a business owned by Sherrie Johnson, who lived in Maybell. She had told me that I could hunt on her leased land with a group of other lucky hunters who had drawn that year. But I was really the lucky one, as David was going to be my personal guide. First, I had to get some good hunting (and walking) boots, as we would probably be afoot for several miles each day. My daughter-in-law, Tanya, took me to Grand Junction to go shopping. I got my boots, ammo, some odorless soap, shampoo and deodorant, and some good boot socks and some small shooting sticks that I would be able to use while sitting down. I already had my pants, shirts, and blaze orange sweatshirt, cap and vest and of course, my rifle and sling. Good deal, all the material things were taken care of. Now to the physical training! David wanted me to be able to run up the side of the hill across the highway from our house and not get winded. Ha, he was sure asking a lot! I started by doing a lot of walking on level ground and after a week or so, I started to climb the hill. Slow at first, but I finally worked up to a pretty fast climb (and sweat). Never could RUN up that hill, but I did get to the top without a lot of heavy breathing. That took a good two months to accomplish! Next, I had to sight in my rifle. I like to take "sure" shots at about 100 to 125 yards. Right on the money at that yardage, but David was not impressed. If the elk were not full in the rut and being careless during my hunting time, he said that I would have to take a lot further of a shot. So I burned through another two boxes of shells, practicing at 200 yards and then at 300 yards! David’s range only goes to 200 yards, so I visited our neighbor, Dick Becker, and sighted in for 300 yards at his range. By the middle of September I was ready to go! My boots were broken in, my rifle was on target and I could carry a pack and climb that hill with no problem! I packed my suitcase and one for Ron, too, as he was coming with me, but would probably stay in the truck while David and I did our scouting. Funny thing was, I was not welcome on his hunt the year before, but he fully expected to come with me! Strange how that works! I was planning on staying at the Sombrero ranch for at least a 3 to 4 day hunt, and I packed accordingly, and brought a lot of snacks, too.

Ron and I got to stay in one of the houses at the ranch that had several bedrooms. David’s room was next to ours upstairs and several other hunters were staying downstairs. We would go to the main house for our meals and social time.

We got in to the truck and headed out to the highway to get to some other road that would lead us into the back country. I was sitting forward trying to watch everything I could. My unloaded rifle was next to my seat and my ammo was ready in the pocket of my blaze orange sweatshirt. My license was safety pinned in my jeans pocket along with a small pencil. Binoculars were hanging around my neck, and my blaze orange cap was fitted tightly to my head, ready to shade my eyes when the sun would come up.

David found the road he wanted, and we drove a short way in. David and I got out and started to walk. As the sky began to lighten up, David began to call the elk. He got some response, so he started to "talk" to them. The elk were quite a distance away, but were moving toward us. When they came into view with our binoculars, we decided that they weren’t quite big enough so we walked on out of that area. Pretty soon we stopped and David called some more. He got a little response, but not what he wanted so we went back to the truck and drove to another location that he had scouted earlier. Once again, we left Ron and took off on foot. After walking a while, we stopped and David called again, this time there was a really loud response! David told me to get in position, so I sat down in a small clearing, got my shooting sticks set-up, loaded my rifle, checked the scope sighting and kept quiet so I could be listening if the elk moved toward us. Well, move toward us he did. He was coming up the draw, stomping and thrashing through the trees as he moved closer and closer and got louder and louder. Suddenly, there he was right in front of us shaking his head from side to side and stomping one of his front feet!

David whispered to me, "Do you want him or not? Cause if not, let’s get the heck out of here!" I said "I want him". The elk looked huge to me, but I couldn’t find him in my scope! Oh, no, what should I do? In that split second of decision, I looked to the side of my rifle, as my scope was of no use to me, and took aim. After all of that practice at those long distances and sighting in for 300 yards, here I had an elk not 20 yards away from me! So I squeezed the trigger and "BLAM" quickly followed by "THUNK" and the bull was down! I let out a sigh of relief. I truly thought that the elk was going to run right over the top of me-he was that close and looked that angry standing there shaking his majestic head. David said something like "Good job, Mom!" and when I finally found my legs so I could stand up, he patted me on my back and told me that I had done really well. Do you know where I sighted my rifle to shoot him? Right between his front legs and the bullet went into the base of his neck and right into his spinal column! What a lucky shot! I always told my classes of Hunter Education students to avoid a head on, frontal shot if at all possible, cause the chest cavity is so dense with bone, and here I didn’t even think to follow my own advice! But because I was sighted in for such a long distance the bullet went high and right where I had hoped it would go.

Now the work would begin. David went back to get the truck and bring it as close as he could to load my elk. While he was gone, I finished filling out my license and tagged my animal. Then I just stood there crying while I admired him, petted him and thanked him for giving me such a good shot. When David and Ron were back, we took some pictures and then I helped David field dress my elk. He used a wench to load him up into the back of the truck and we went back to the ranch. It wasn’t even 9:00 yet and my hunt was over! And to think I had planned to stay and hunt for several days!

I may not have gotten the "King of the Mountain", but he was certainly the "Prince" of my dreams, a nice 6 X 7, a real trophy in my eyes, and who else counts anyway? It was the hunt of a lifetime, thanks to our son, David and sixteen years of wishing and waiting.

Shoot Like A Girl at 2014 World Deer and Turkey Expo in Birmingham, Alabama

Come Shoot a Bow, Rifle and Pistol with Shoot Like A Girl at the World Deer and Turkey Expo in Birmingham, Alabama July 18-20 2014.

BJCC Birmingham, Alabama
2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd N
Birmingham, Alabama 35203
www.worlddeerexpo.com
https://www.facebook.com/worlddeerexpo

Shoot Like A Girl at Buckmasters Expo 2014

Come Shoot a Bow, Rifle and Pistol with Shoot Like A Girl at Buckmasters Expo 2014
August 15-17, 2014 Montgomery, Alabama!!!
http://www.buckmasters.com/resources/expo.aspx

Shoot Like A Girl at 2014 Field and Stream/Outdoor Life Deer and Turkey Expo Kentucky

Come Shoot a Bow, Rifle and Pistol with Shoot Like A Girl at Kentucky 2014 Field and Stream/Outdoor Life Deer and Turkey Expo
http://www.deerinfo.com/kentucky

Kentucky Exposition Center (State Fairgrounds)
937 Phillips Lane
Louisville, KY 40209

EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Mar. 21, 2014
2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, Mar. 22, 2014
9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sunday, Mar. 23, 2014
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Just Under 900 Shooters Through Shoot Like A Girl’s Trailer Debut at the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Cowboy FanFest

Just Under 900 Shooters Through Shoot Like A Girl’s Trailer Debut at the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Cowboy FanFest

Shoot Like A Girl’s debut of their innovative Firearms Test Shots™ program at the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Cowboy FanFest in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a huge success! In the ten days of Cowboy FanFest, Shoot Like A Girl had just under 900 shooters through their trailer, where women shot a 9mm Pistol, a .223 Rifle and bows. Of the nearly 900 women through the trailer, 48% of the firearms shooters and 72% of the archery shooters were new or inexperienced shooters who had never shot a gun or bow before, or it had been years since they fired their last shot.

In the ten day show, ladies from across the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Holland, France, Germany, Mexico, Peru and Spain entered the trailer and were able to move through three shooting stations with Shoot Like A Girl’s team of phenomenal instructors: Jennifer Blake at the pistol range; Raychel Shaw at the rifle range; and Ginger Morehead at the archery range. These instructors utilized Shoot Like a Girl’s proven process to lead the shooters through a quick familiarization enabling shooters to execute safe shots with a pistol, rifle and bow with confidence!

Shoot Like A Girl’s mission is to grow the number of women who participate in shooting sports by giving them the opportunity to shoot in a safe controlled environment. Shoot Like A Girl created new shooters during FanFest, but they also empowered women with a confidence that comes with shooting. Shoot Like A Girl’s instructors saw first hand the impact and positive responses these women had from shooting a pistol, rifle and bow. Archery Instructor, Ginger Morehead said, "The big smiles and high-fives shared with first-time shooters at NFR Fanfest will forever bring joy to my heart." Pistol Instructor, Jennifer Blake stated, "You can truly feel the excitement coming from these new shooters, ready to go home, find further training and start a new lifelong activity wit their families!" Rifle Instructor, Raychel Shaw sums it up, "As women continued to come in and shoot and grow in confidence with every shot, there were moments and women that brought tears to my eyes at the accomplishment and excitement they felt in just ten shots." 

Shoot Like A Girl (SLG², Inc) thanks their valued corporate partners who share their mission to grow the number of women in shooting sports, by empowering them with confidence: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Hunter Safety System, Ammo2Go, Bear Archery, BowTech, Charter Arms, Colt, Danner, Game Plan Gear, GLOCK, Inc, Hoyt, Elite, Lumenok, Neet Archery Products, Mathews Inc, Mossy Oak, Prois, Smith and Wesson, Taurus, ThermaCell, Trijicon, PSE and ASA! For more information or to become a Shoot Like A Girl Corporate Partner, visit www.shootlikeagirl.com.