Guest Post tagged posts

By Jodi Stemler

I have a confession to make – I’m not much of a morning person. It’s not that I like to sleep late, (typically I can’t stay in bed later than 8 a.m. and most days I’m up by 7) but I definitely am a creature of the sun, and if it isn’t up then neither should I be. At least that’s my rationale...

Laura Francese

Thanks so much to Laura Francese for taking the time to answer some questions. I first interviewed Laura about four years ago over on Desert Rat Outdoors, another part of the OutdoorHub family. In a post-interview conversation with Laura, I mentioned what a tremendous ambassador she is for the industry and a great role model too—especially for younger folks like my teenage daughter. After following Laura all these years she remains honest, charitable, approachable, and scandal-free. We need more like her!

The Desert Rat: It’s been 4 years since I first interviewed you! It looks like you have a lot going on. You’re doing some cool things. What’s a day in the life of Laura like?

Laura Francese: I’ve been busy as usual...

The nurse handed over my first-born wrapped in a tiny pink blanket. Transfixed by the onslaught of emotion, I gazed into her angelic face while wondering what in the hell I was going to do. Thirteen months later, this same scene repeated itself.

Bailee Butler and her daddy, Brandon, proudly pose for a photo with her first turkey.

A Midwesterner by birth, my only goal upon college graduation was moving to Montana to become a mountain man. I moved to Montana, but instead of being swept downriver by a rushing current, I was swept off my feet by a woman. We married and had two daughters before I ever arrowed an elk.

Football, fishing and hunting, these are the things I understand. I was supposed to have sons...

Growing up in a small town in central Minnesota I was raised by a family who loved the outdoors.  My mom and dad took both my brother and I hunting for as long as I can remember and really went the extra mile to include us in everything they did.  I truly believe this was the main reason I fell in love with hunting and the outdoors.  At a young age I realized how important hunting was not only as a food source for our family, but also as a way we could all enjoy something together.

As we grew older, hunting was still a big part of our lives all through high school and into college.  This was when I decided I loved it too much and wanted to find a way to make a career out of it...

By Carleen Soule

I took my son camping this weekend. Despite the fear of encountering wood ticks (I plucked yet another—amid blood-curdling screams—from his scalp just last week), he was quite excited to venture forth. We packed the tent, bicycles, and fishing gear and headed up to Lake Sakakawea State Park.

We’ve tried our hand at river fishing, but that fast river:small child factor only tries my nerves; lakes are the preferred speed for this momma. I knew Riverdale boasts a kiddie pond, and since I really wanted my son to enjoy the thrill of catching a fish, I thought it would be the ideal destination. We decided to explore the road further past the pond before circling back to it and found ourselves at Government Bay...