bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Sounds like that will be an amazing experience. Congrats to you both
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
Well done Sydney! Congrats & good luck!!!
HuntingKeeper_425
New Member
Its been a while since I have posted, but Dad has been up to date. In October, I had an accident. I jammed my shoulder into the joint, and was out of soccer, hunting, and my everyday activities for a few months. The doctor put me in PT, only to realize six weeks later that it was the worst thing that I could be doing to heal. Soon later, after six more weeks of resting, relaxing, and vigorous icing, I was able to use it more frequently. In December, the Wooldridges took a family vacation to Cozumel. There, we went on a flats fishing trip, hoping to catch some Bone fish for sure. We ended up chasing a group, but never caught any. I actually caught my very first Barracuda. It was two feet long, and fought like a beast. BEST EXPERIENCE EVER. I cant wait for my sweet sixteen fishing trip in Belize! We also went to Tulum, a Mayan ruin on the coast of Playa Del Carmen. Even though it was burning hot, and there were a lot of people, it was still really cool. We went snorkeling as well, and saw starfish, jellyfish, sea turtles, and a HUGE stingray. I was sad to come back, but by then, I had gotten my full range of motion for my shoulder.
In late November, I had submitted an essay for the Kansas One Shot Turkey Hunt contest. I decided that at the last minute I wanted to do it. Using the things I knew about writing, I poured my heart and soul into what I thought hunting was about. One day, after school, I heard that my Dad had some good news for me. He said,"Hey Syd, Mom is going to let us go hunting in Kansas this year." I thought he was going to say that I won the contest. I was very disappointed. Dad then said, "Guess what, it's free." Then I knew what he meant. I won the contest. I was so excited, i'll admit I started to tear up. The prize includes: One free all expenses paid dream hunt to Kansas on private property, a guide, two tags, my own gear, a gun, and a great time. Then, I will also get to attend the NWTF convention, in Nashville, TN, where I will be recognized on stage and invited to the welcome party and annual breakfast. I will get to meet all the NWTF celebrities and talk with them, and will be given an award. I'll call that a chance of a lifetime!
This is a picture of me with my first Barracuda
See you guys soon!
In late November, I had submitted an essay for the Kansas One Shot Turkey Hunt contest. I decided that at the last minute I wanted to do it. Using the things I knew about writing, I poured my heart and soul into what I thought hunting was about. One day, after school, I heard that my Dad had some good news for me. He said,"Hey Syd, Mom is going to let us go hunting in Kansas this year." I thought he was going to say that I won the contest. I was very disappointed. Dad then said, "Guess what, it's free." Then I knew what he meant. I won the contest. I was so excited, i'll admit I started to tear up. The prize includes: One free all expenses paid dream hunt to Kansas on private property, a guide, two tags, my own gear, a gun, and a great time. Then, I will also get to attend the NWTF convention, in Nashville, TN, where I will be recognized on stage and invited to the welcome party and annual breakfast. I will get to meet all the NWTF celebrities and talk with them, and will be given an award. I'll call that a chance of a lifetime!
This is a picture of me with my first Barracuda
See you guys soon!
Last edited:
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
January for me was a complete bust. I didn't get out to hunt javelina or deer for myself at all because I was sick the entire first week/weekend, heavy rain the second weekend, and 40 inches of snow the third and final weekend of my javelina hunt. Such is life in the mountains! We were able to get out on the opening day of Sydney's youth javelina hunt on January 27th, two weeks ago today and we had a blast. She asked me to get this update in for her because she's been swamped at school with multiple tests and big assignments. She'll chime in later, though. A month or so before the hunt, she'd asked me if she could use my AR (DPMS A4 Oracle) on her hunt. Who am I to deny her a chance to branch out and use whatever legal means she wants to? I had it zeroed at 100 yards using Barnes VOR-TX .223. Its topped with the Nikon P223 3x32 Carbine scope with 1/2-moa adjustments.
Two weeks ago, I reached out to the gal we met on Syd's deer hunt, asking her about javelina in the area we were planning to hunt. My buddy that I was hoping we could hunt with was going to be out of town and I still don't know this particular area well. To my surprise, Britanny Passmore offered to take us out on opening day and show us where she and her husband had been seeing javelina! Brittany and her husband, Kevin, helped start up The Mountain Project, which is based out of here in Flagstaff. The folks at The Mountain Project hunt all over the world, filming it all, and they love getting kids out hunting. Despite my buddy not being available, we were still able to stay at his place and meet Brittany early on the morning of January 27th. Even though we were 3,000 feet lower in elevation, it was going to be a cold day with a high predicted to be in the low 20s. Windchill would have it much lower; you all know how that goes. At first light, we were out glassing hillsides, even though javelina tend to be on the lazy side and stay bedded until it warms up or the sun hits their area. Syd was so cold, she could only handle so much glassing in the open at a time. At one point, she grabbed my extra fleece jacket, put it over herself, and propped the truck door open as a wind block. It even got to the point where I would glass for 10 minutes and then sit in the truck drinking some Jet Boil-made coffee (Syd's idea) and then go back out and glass for 10-15 minutes. I ended up glassing up a great 3x4 or 4x4 muley buck way up the canyon but, despite Syd's best efforts to convince me to go after it, I declined. I brought my bow in case we saw a good buck after we got Syd her javelina. "We're not seeing any javelina, so you should go after it, dad." I told her she and her javelina were my first priority. Let's get a javelina on the ground then we'll look for a deer for me. The buck was in the shade that is dead-center between the truck door and the cab in the pic below.
Somewhere about mid-morning, Brittany suggested we head further up the canyon. We glassed for about 20 minutes when Brittany told me she was going to high-ground to look down into the oak pocket where she'd seen javelina the afternoon before (she'd sent me video Thursday eve). The plan was to keep in touch via cell phones if we found anything. About that time, Syd started getting hungry, so I fired up the Jet Boil again to get water ready for her backpacking spaghetti that she loves. I glassed the hillside I'd been watching, saw nothing, turned to check the water, and told Sydney to get her spaghetti ready because the water was almost ready. Not two minutes had gone by when I turned to my binoculars real quick and saw two big javelina feeding on the hillside half-mile away! "#$#%, there are two javelina out feeding!" "Shut up dad, quit messing around. I'm hungry!" "I'm dead serious. There are two javelina up there, but if you want to stay and eat, its up to you." We started getting ready and I made a quick phone call to Brittany. "Look to the left of the cow that looks like a deer!" Syd and I very quickly got ready, with me getting the AR loaded and ready to roll. About halfway to our planned vantage point, I realized I'd forgotten my binoculars and javelina call, in case I needed to bring the herd back around. Fortunately, I had my rangefinder in my jacket pocket. As were closing the distance to the planned vantage point, I shot a quick range of 400 yards to the deer-cow. I turned and adjusted the scope turret up two inches, planning for a shot somewhere around 150 yards.
We got up to the adjacent ridge and there were three javelina now, all milling about. I didn't want to risk busting them out of there and, from my vantage point, I wasn't sure we could close much more distance. Judgement call. I got Syd set up on the Primos trigger sticks and we talked about which javelina she was going to shoot. The one she called out wouldn't turn broadside, but the middle one did. I called a range of 153 yards and she squeezed off a shot, but missed. The three javelina took off at a trot to the right, but not a dead sprint. I distinctly remember seeing the deer-cow looking around like WTH?? The javelina only went 20-30 yards and stopped for a bit, milling a little. I had told Syd to stay on them and if one turned broadside, follow up. "I'm on one!" and she let one fly. Through my rangefinder, I watched two of them take off on a dead sprint over the ridge. The third one took off jogging, but I could tell it was hit. It jogged about 10 yards and turned back the direction it came from, and dropped within 5 yards of where she shot it. Syd made a quick course correction and made a perfect 170 yard follow up shot! Brittany watched it all through her binos from a half-mile away and told Syd she could hear Syd's screams of joy! We took a quick success pic from the ridge and policed up our gear to hike across the canyon and get her first javelina!
We took some trophy pics and then field dressed it using the gutless method. While Brittany and I were doing that, Syd hiked back to my truck and drove it up to the bottom of the ridge, saving us from a half-mile hike back. It had warmed up enough that the frozen mud melted and made for an interesting drive back. We were having so much fun, I opted to skip deer hunting and get back home at a decent time. No regrets and I'm still so proud of her, two weeks later! By that evening, Brittany had posted Syd's picture on The Mountain Project's Instagram and Facebook page and she was all over the place. My wife and I were both beaming at how special she was being treated! Big shout-out to The Mountain Project. Check out their "Organic" t-shirts if you get a chance!
We fly to Nashville next Thursday for the NWTF convention so Syd can receive her official recognition for her essay. To say she's excited (we all are) is an understatement. Every day when I pick her up from school, she says "X more days until we go to Nashville!"
Celebrating the shot!
Trophy Pics
Syd and Brittany from The Mountain Project
Two weeks ago, I reached out to the gal we met on Syd's deer hunt, asking her about javelina in the area we were planning to hunt. My buddy that I was hoping we could hunt with was going to be out of town and I still don't know this particular area well. To my surprise, Britanny Passmore offered to take us out on opening day and show us where she and her husband had been seeing javelina! Brittany and her husband, Kevin, helped start up The Mountain Project, which is based out of here in Flagstaff. The folks at The Mountain Project hunt all over the world, filming it all, and they love getting kids out hunting. Despite my buddy not being available, we were still able to stay at his place and meet Brittany early on the morning of January 27th. Even though we were 3,000 feet lower in elevation, it was going to be a cold day with a high predicted to be in the low 20s. Windchill would have it much lower; you all know how that goes. At first light, we were out glassing hillsides, even though javelina tend to be on the lazy side and stay bedded until it warms up or the sun hits their area. Syd was so cold, she could only handle so much glassing in the open at a time. At one point, she grabbed my extra fleece jacket, put it over herself, and propped the truck door open as a wind block. It even got to the point where I would glass for 10 minutes and then sit in the truck drinking some Jet Boil-made coffee (Syd's idea) and then go back out and glass for 10-15 minutes. I ended up glassing up a great 3x4 or 4x4 muley buck way up the canyon but, despite Syd's best efforts to convince me to go after it, I declined. I brought my bow in case we saw a good buck after we got Syd her javelina. "We're not seeing any javelina, so you should go after it, dad." I told her she and her javelina were my first priority. Let's get a javelina on the ground then we'll look for a deer for me. The buck was in the shade that is dead-center between the truck door and the cab in the pic below.
Somewhere about mid-morning, Brittany suggested we head further up the canyon. We glassed for about 20 minutes when Brittany told me she was going to high-ground to look down into the oak pocket where she'd seen javelina the afternoon before (she'd sent me video Thursday eve). The plan was to keep in touch via cell phones if we found anything. About that time, Syd started getting hungry, so I fired up the Jet Boil again to get water ready for her backpacking spaghetti that she loves. I glassed the hillside I'd been watching, saw nothing, turned to check the water, and told Sydney to get her spaghetti ready because the water was almost ready. Not two minutes had gone by when I turned to my binoculars real quick and saw two big javelina feeding on the hillside half-mile away! "#$#%, there are two javelina out feeding!" "Shut up dad, quit messing around. I'm hungry!" "I'm dead serious. There are two javelina up there, but if you want to stay and eat, its up to you." We started getting ready and I made a quick phone call to Brittany. "Look to the left of the cow that looks like a deer!" Syd and I very quickly got ready, with me getting the AR loaded and ready to roll. About halfway to our planned vantage point, I realized I'd forgotten my binoculars and javelina call, in case I needed to bring the herd back around. Fortunately, I had my rangefinder in my jacket pocket. As were closing the distance to the planned vantage point, I shot a quick range of 400 yards to the deer-cow. I turned and adjusted the scope turret up two inches, planning for a shot somewhere around 150 yards.
We got up to the adjacent ridge and there were three javelina now, all milling about. I didn't want to risk busting them out of there and, from my vantage point, I wasn't sure we could close much more distance. Judgement call. I got Syd set up on the Primos trigger sticks and we talked about which javelina she was going to shoot. The one she called out wouldn't turn broadside, but the middle one did. I called a range of 153 yards and she squeezed off a shot, but missed. The three javelina took off at a trot to the right, but not a dead sprint. I distinctly remember seeing the deer-cow looking around like WTH?? The javelina only went 20-30 yards and stopped for a bit, milling a little. I had told Syd to stay on them and if one turned broadside, follow up. "I'm on one!" and she let one fly. Through my rangefinder, I watched two of them take off on a dead sprint over the ridge. The third one took off jogging, but I could tell it was hit. It jogged about 10 yards and turned back the direction it came from, and dropped within 5 yards of where she shot it. Syd made a quick course correction and made a perfect 170 yard follow up shot! Brittany watched it all through her binos from a half-mile away and told Syd she could hear Syd's screams of joy! We took a quick success pic from the ridge and policed up our gear to hike across the canyon and get her first javelina!
We took some trophy pics and then field dressed it using the gutless method. While Brittany and I were doing that, Syd hiked back to my truck and drove it up to the bottom of the ridge, saving us from a half-mile hike back. It had warmed up enough that the frozen mud melted and made for an interesting drive back. We were having so much fun, I opted to skip deer hunting and get back home at a decent time. No regrets and I'm still so proud of her, two weeks later! By that evening, Brittany had posted Syd's picture on The Mountain Project's Instagram and Facebook page and she was all over the place. My wife and I were both beaming at how special she was being treated! Big shout-out to The Mountain Project. Check out their "Organic" t-shirts if you get a chance!
We fly to Nashville next Thursday for the NWTF convention so Syd can receive her official recognition for her essay. To say she's excited (we all are) is an understatement. Every day when I pick her up from school, she says "X more days until we go to Nashville!"
Celebrating the shot!
Trophy Pics
Syd and Brittany from The Mountain Project
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Awesome. Congrats to you both on a great hunt
Daver
PMA Member
Exactly! Great stuff, congrats to all! Awesome memories to last a lifetime!
HorseDoctor
PMA Member
Well done lil feller!! 
Congrats!!!
Congrats!!!
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
We got back from the Convention Saturday evening and we're still working on getting caught up on rest. I needed a break in the non-stop action since we’ve returned, so I thought I'd get some pics and as much of the story as I can remember up for you all to read. Its a long read and I apologize for that, but it was such a great weekend. Hopefully all of the pics make up for me being long-winded!
We drove down Wednesday night (15th) and stayed in a hotel near the Phoenix airport. Our 5 am flight Thursday morning required a 3am alarm to take the 3:30 shuttle to the airport. Syd did great for all of the anxiety of getting things ready, my forgotten backpack, and her nerves, in general. We arrived in Nashville and went to catch our prearranged shuttle to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. That right there should have been an omen. We weren't on the reservation list. Fortunately, I pulled up the email stating we were supposed to be on that list. I even used the "She's the NWTF JAKES national essay contest winner. She's kind of a big deal!" approach and the lady went ahead and comped us on the shuttle list. Once at the hotel, the program director for the Kansas One Shot Governor's Turkey Hunt met us and whisked us off to the rehearsal we were supposed to be at. To say we were overwhelmed at the sheer size of that place and the size of the banquet room is an understatement. Poor Syd was so nervous, but she maintained her composure well. We also got to meet Dr. James Earl Kennamer, one of the original founders of the NWTF. I thanked him for his science-based approach to everything he's done and told him that was why I've stuck with NWTF for so long. After rehearsal we went to get our registration packets and credentials. Yep, not in the system. Supposedly, this is common, but I started thinking about the shuttle-thing. While the gal was trying to track down our credentials, our KS contact took us to the front desk to get checked into our rooms. Yep, you guessed it; not in the system. I pulled up emails showing that NWTF booked our room, but I didn't have a confirmation number. I gave the gal at the counter every single known misspelling of our last name that's ever shown up in hotel registrations, but we got nothing. Of course, our NWTF contact was in meetings all day and not answering her phone! It ended up being a good thing because we got to spend quite a bit more time than planned with the KS turkey hunt rep and her husband. AWESOME people and we can't wait to go hunt. We finally found somebody with NWTF, who turned out to be the VP of Communications, and she made a couple of phone calls. Turns out, we were listed under the general NWTF corporate reservation.
We got situated into our rooms and met back up for the welcome dinner. Our tickets said "Seat assignment at the door" so we had to figure out where we were sitting for the dinner. Oh boy, here we go again! We were on the list for needing two seats, but we had no table assignment. Everyone thought it made sense for us to be at the same table as the KS program, but there was no confirmation. The best the could do was to put us at the table right next to them. While we were waiting, I looked up and Brenda Valentine was standing two feet away. I very subtly pointed her out to Syd and then re-introduced myself to her and asked if I could introduce my daughter, explaining why Syd was there. Brenda stopped everything she was doing and stood there talking to Sydney for several minutes. She congratulated her and encouraged her to keep being a strong gal in our sport. It was truly amazing to stand back and watch and listen. Blessed is an understatement. Shortly after we got to our seats, the NWTF seating gal walked up to us, looked at Syd, and said "I didn't realize I was talking to a VIP. I’m so sorry. You're sitting at table X, with the rest of the VIPs." Syd and I looked at each other dumbfounded, but followed her to our seats. We were sitting with some of the program directors of the NWTF and we had a blast catching up and talking. It turns out there is a newly hired person at NWTF who was supposed to make all of our arrangements, but dropped the ball. Based on the reactions of the NWTF staff we were with, I'm guessing there was a serious butt chewing. We took it all in stride, just happy to be there. We ended up bailing early from the welcome dinner because Syd was so tired from our trip.
We got up the next morning and headed to the formal breakfast sponsored by Federal. It was great to see Syd's picture flash through the powerpoint slide show. I was able to get a picture of her standing in front of her slide. Its one of my favorite pics from her first elk hunt in 2014. Her presentation was rather quick, but it was just amazing and awe-inspiring to sit there (taking pics and video) and listen to them talk about her. After it was over, Brenda came back up to her, congratulated her, offered more encouragement, and told Syd that she was so used to seeing boys up there win that contest that she was super proud of Sydney! Then she asked for a picture, which I was very happy to oblige. After that, we were introduced to the NWTF CEO, George Thornton. He was taken in by how young and determined Syd was, too, and we took some pictures. That was probably my favorite part. George is an entomologist, so we talked wildlife management for quite a bit. Its nice to be on the same page with folks when it comes to science-based management! In the middle of all that, I happened to look over and see Syd getting her picture taken with Michael Waddell. I've never been one to get starstruck, and I didn't then, but it was great to see these celebrities approach her, congratulate her, and then ask to have their picture taken with her. As soon as we were done there, we went to our room, changed clothes, and relaxed before heading down to the trade show part. We had some booths to hit, including HS Strut (from my home state) and the one by Albert Paul, who makes amazing custom calls (Paul's Calls). Seeing Mr. Paul was a result of Syd getting lessons using a friend's call last May when we hunted with him. I'm still surprised that my wife didn't kill me when I finally told her today that I ordered Sydney her own custom call and carry case for $240! We should have it right before the youth turkey hunt here in Arizona! The trade show was huge, but we covered as much as we could/felt like. Just about everywhere we went, we got stopped with "Hey, aren't you the JAKES essay winner? Congratulations!" I was simply "the winner's dad", but that's ok. This trip was all about her and I was very proud of all the compliments we received about our beautiful daughter! Sydney is one of very few girls to ever win, she's the first JAKES member from Arizona, and she's officially the youngest winner ever!
Saturday was a long day traveling home and, thank God for small blessings. All of that rain ended up calling for her soccer games in Phoenix to be cancelled! We were supposed to meet up with her team for the second game, but it was rained out. That ended up being a good thing because we were so bloody tired, even after napping on the plane! Sorry for the long-winded post, but there was so much to tell. That hotel is HUGE and we're still overwhelmed at how big it was. I definitely highly recommend the NWTF convention sometime.
Here are some pics of the weekend. Its very pic heavy, but I hope you enjoy. It was definitely a proud dad moment! I’m hoping Syd will find the time to get on here and do her own post about her javelina hunt and the convention and wrap this journal up. Thanks for following along!
Rehearsal
Off to the Welcome Dinner
Federal Breakfast, Receiving Award
Video of Syd Receiving Her Award
NWTF CEO George Thornton
We drove down Wednesday night (15th) and stayed in a hotel near the Phoenix airport. Our 5 am flight Thursday morning required a 3am alarm to take the 3:30 shuttle to the airport. Syd did great for all of the anxiety of getting things ready, my forgotten backpack, and her nerves, in general. We arrived in Nashville and went to catch our prearranged shuttle to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. That right there should have been an omen. We weren't on the reservation list. Fortunately, I pulled up the email stating we were supposed to be on that list. I even used the "She's the NWTF JAKES national essay contest winner. She's kind of a big deal!" approach and the lady went ahead and comped us on the shuttle list. Once at the hotel, the program director for the Kansas One Shot Governor's Turkey Hunt met us and whisked us off to the rehearsal we were supposed to be at. To say we were overwhelmed at the sheer size of that place and the size of the banquet room is an understatement. Poor Syd was so nervous, but she maintained her composure well. We also got to meet Dr. James Earl Kennamer, one of the original founders of the NWTF. I thanked him for his science-based approach to everything he's done and told him that was why I've stuck with NWTF for so long. After rehearsal we went to get our registration packets and credentials. Yep, not in the system. Supposedly, this is common, but I started thinking about the shuttle-thing. While the gal was trying to track down our credentials, our KS contact took us to the front desk to get checked into our rooms. Yep, you guessed it; not in the system. I pulled up emails showing that NWTF booked our room, but I didn't have a confirmation number. I gave the gal at the counter every single known misspelling of our last name that's ever shown up in hotel registrations, but we got nothing. Of course, our NWTF contact was in meetings all day and not answering her phone! It ended up being a good thing because we got to spend quite a bit more time than planned with the KS turkey hunt rep and her husband. AWESOME people and we can't wait to go hunt. We finally found somebody with NWTF, who turned out to be the VP of Communications, and she made a couple of phone calls. Turns out, we were listed under the general NWTF corporate reservation.
We got situated into our rooms and met back up for the welcome dinner. Our tickets said "Seat assignment at the door" so we had to figure out where we were sitting for the dinner. Oh boy, here we go again! We were on the list for needing two seats, but we had no table assignment. Everyone thought it made sense for us to be at the same table as the KS program, but there was no confirmation. The best the could do was to put us at the table right next to them. While we were waiting, I looked up and Brenda Valentine was standing two feet away. I very subtly pointed her out to Syd and then re-introduced myself to her and asked if I could introduce my daughter, explaining why Syd was there. Brenda stopped everything she was doing and stood there talking to Sydney for several minutes. She congratulated her and encouraged her to keep being a strong gal in our sport. It was truly amazing to stand back and watch and listen. Blessed is an understatement. Shortly after we got to our seats, the NWTF seating gal walked up to us, looked at Syd, and said "I didn't realize I was talking to a VIP. I’m so sorry. You're sitting at table X, with the rest of the VIPs." Syd and I looked at each other dumbfounded, but followed her to our seats. We were sitting with some of the program directors of the NWTF and we had a blast catching up and talking. It turns out there is a newly hired person at NWTF who was supposed to make all of our arrangements, but dropped the ball. Based on the reactions of the NWTF staff we were with, I'm guessing there was a serious butt chewing. We took it all in stride, just happy to be there. We ended up bailing early from the welcome dinner because Syd was so tired from our trip.
We got up the next morning and headed to the formal breakfast sponsored by Federal. It was great to see Syd's picture flash through the powerpoint slide show. I was able to get a picture of her standing in front of her slide. Its one of my favorite pics from her first elk hunt in 2014. Her presentation was rather quick, but it was just amazing and awe-inspiring to sit there (taking pics and video) and listen to them talk about her. After it was over, Brenda came back up to her, congratulated her, offered more encouragement, and told Syd that she was so used to seeing boys up there win that contest that she was super proud of Sydney! Then she asked for a picture, which I was very happy to oblige. After that, we were introduced to the NWTF CEO, George Thornton. He was taken in by how young and determined Syd was, too, and we took some pictures. That was probably my favorite part. George is an entomologist, so we talked wildlife management for quite a bit. Its nice to be on the same page with folks when it comes to science-based management! In the middle of all that, I happened to look over and see Syd getting her picture taken with Michael Waddell. I've never been one to get starstruck, and I didn't then, but it was great to see these celebrities approach her, congratulate her, and then ask to have their picture taken with her. As soon as we were done there, we went to our room, changed clothes, and relaxed before heading down to the trade show part. We had some booths to hit, including HS Strut (from my home state) and the one by Albert Paul, who makes amazing custom calls (Paul's Calls). Seeing Mr. Paul was a result of Syd getting lessons using a friend's call last May when we hunted with him. I'm still surprised that my wife didn't kill me when I finally told her today that I ordered Sydney her own custom call and carry case for $240! We should have it right before the youth turkey hunt here in Arizona! The trade show was huge, but we covered as much as we could/felt like. Just about everywhere we went, we got stopped with "Hey, aren't you the JAKES essay winner? Congratulations!" I was simply "the winner's dad", but that's ok. This trip was all about her and I was very proud of all the compliments we received about our beautiful daughter! Sydney is one of very few girls to ever win, she's the first JAKES member from Arizona, and she's officially the youngest winner ever!
Saturday was a long day traveling home and, thank God for small blessings. All of that rain ended up calling for her soccer games in Phoenix to be cancelled! We were supposed to meet up with her team for the second game, but it was rained out. That ended up being a good thing because we were so bloody tired, even after napping on the plane! Sorry for the long-winded post, but there was so much to tell. That hotel is HUGE and we're still overwhelmed at how big it was. I definitely highly recommend the NWTF convention sometime.
Here are some pics of the weekend. Its very pic heavy, but I hope you enjoy. It was definitely a proud dad moment! I’m hoping Syd will find the time to get on here and do her own post about her javelina hunt and the convention and wrap this journal up. Thanks for following along!
Rehearsal
Off to the Welcome Dinner
Federal Breakfast, Receiving Award
Video of Syd Receiving Her Award
NWTF CEO George Thornton
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
I tried to post several more pictures, but I kept getting a message about keeping posts to under 10,000 characters. So here are the rest of the highlight pictures because I'm a proud dad! I hope you enjoy!
Rehearsal
Getting Ready for the Welcome Dinner, Representing Both of Her Passions
More From the Federal Breakfast, Receiving Award
Walking around the trade show
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Paul of Paul's Calls
At the Bone Collector booth, both Michael and Nick remembered her and gave her huge hugs in front of everyone! Then she got her hat autographed and, like a great big sister, asked for one for her little brother!
Then she got the chance to hold a great horned owl and a red-tailed hawk.
And this picture was taken 10 minutes after our plane took off from Nashville at 6am Saturday morning.
Rehearsal
Getting Ready for the Welcome Dinner, Representing Both of Her Passions
More From the Federal Breakfast, Receiving Award
Walking around the trade show
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Paul of Paul's Calls
At the Bone Collector booth, both Michael and Nick remembered her and gave her huge hugs in front of everyone! Then she got her hat autographed and, like a great big sister, asked for one for her little brother!
Then she got the chance to hold a great horned owl and a red-tailed hawk.
And this picture was taken 10 minutes after our plane took off from Nashville at 6am Saturday morning.
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
What an amazing experience. Congrats to you both!
AZHunter
Iowa Boy At Heart
We're working on wrapping this journal up and Sydney is supposed to be closing it out soon. In the meantime, we realized that 4 weeks from yesterday, we fly to Kansas and 4 weeks from today, we'll (she'll) be out hunting turkeys! There is all kinds of excitement in the house right now. Her shotgun has been reconfigured from upland bird hunting back to turkey hunting and, knowing me, I'll start organizing gear shortly.
I sent an email to the director of the Kansas Governor's One Shot Turkey Hunt asking if she knew which particular Federal turkey load Syd would be using or have access to so we could pick some up and pattern it before the hunt. Federal is a sponsor, so she has to use their ammo that is supplied. Her shotgun is patterned and sighted in with HeviShot Magnum Blend (5,6,7) and that's my preferred load, but, as was explained to me in Nashville, it looks kind of bad when we're not using the sponsor's supplied ammo. To be fair, Janet completely understood me being a Federal wildlife agent and why I use the non-lead ammo, but I can put that aside for this hunt.
On that note, two other things happened during this email exchange. She told me that they have announced Sydney's accomplishment on their Facebook page and she asked me to share it with my friends. Her goal is to have over 700 likes for Syd's post before the hunt. For those of you on FB, please check it out and help spread the love (likes)! Here is the FB link to the KS Governor's One Shot Turkey Hunt: https://www.facebook...neShot/?fref=ts
The other thing that happened was Janet sending me a text that was forwarded to her. Its a pic of a big tom on the private property Sydney will be hunting. The texts said "This is one of the birds on the property where Syd is hunting." and "There are several like him. The landowners are so excited to have her hunting there." I can't wait to show Syd these texts and this picture when I get home from work! This is in that part of Kansas where Easterns and Rios overlap. Most of these birds are intergrades between the two subspecies, but this one has the long legs of a Rio. Those hooks and that beard, though!!
The bird!
I sent an email to the director of the Kansas Governor's One Shot Turkey Hunt asking if she knew which particular Federal turkey load Syd would be using or have access to so we could pick some up and pattern it before the hunt. Federal is a sponsor, so she has to use their ammo that is supplied. Her shotgun is patterned and sighted in with HeviShot Magnum Blend (5,6,7) and that's my preferred load, but, as was explained to me in Nashville, it looks kind of bad when we're not using the sponsor's supplied ammo. To be fair, Janet completely understood me being a Federal wildlife agent and why I use the non-lead ammo, but I can put that aside for this hunt.
On that note, two other things happened during this email exchange. She told me that they have announced Sydney's accomplishment on their Facebook page and she asked me to share it with my friends. Her goal is to have over 700 likes for Syd's post before the hunt. For those of you on FB, please check it out and help spread the love (likes)! Here is the FB link to the KS Governor's One Shot Turkey Hunt: https://www.facebook...neShot/?fref=ts
The other thing that happened was Janet sending me a text that was forwarded to her. Its a pic of a big tom on the private property Sydney will be hunting. The texts said "This is one of the birds on the property where Syd is hunting." and "There are several like him. The landowners are so excited to have her hunting there." I can't wait to show Syd these texts and this picture when I get home from work! This is in that part of Kansas where Easterns and Rios overlap. Most of these birds are intergrades between the two subspecies, but this one has the long legs of a Rio. Those hooks and that beard, though!!
The bird!
