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...

We love this photo from Hannah in Montana.

Remember our photo contest?  We are nearing our deadline of August 1st!  Enter now before you lose your chance to win!! We’ll announce the winner next Wednesday, August 6th.

To enter, email your photos to info@camoisthenewblack.com with a brief description and we’ll post them to our Facebook page and/or Instagram page. You can also use the #camoisthenewblack hashtag to get us your pics! 

Prizes Include a Choice of:
1) An original Red Head duck decoy from Bryan Bodt.
2) Patagonia logo hat.

Rules: 
1) Maximum of 2 entries per person
2) Original photos only 
3) Must be relevant to sportswomen
4) Images with the most Facebook or Instagram likes will receive special consideration. 
5) Images must be received by August 1st

May the odds forever be in...

Thanks to The Desert Rat for letting us repost these great tips on getting girls hunting early!

Chris and Cidney McCotter with two Arizona javelinas.

It’s not much of a secret that lady hunters are the fastest-growing demographic in the hunting community. Part of that is due to families starting their daughters, nieces, neighbor girls, and granddaughters early, and making it fun for them with no pressure. My daughter is not an avid hunter, but she has hunted and has a javelina under her belt. As a matter of fact, she got her first javelina before I did! My friend Chris McCotter is well-known in Arizona hunting circles for not only his hunting prowess, but his support of wildlife organizations...

Youth Hunts – A Few Essentials for Big Game Beginners

If you’re a seasoned hunter, chances are you started out young. You most likely accompanied your mother, father, grandmother or grandfather on hunting trips and they taught you the ropes. Perhaps you started later in life and had to teach yourself, but now you have kids of your own and want to bring them into the fold. For some, it can be an enjoyable family tradition passed from one generation to the next.

Whitney’s husband and niece out in the duck blind.

A youth hunt is a valuable experience for young girls and boys because it gives them a degree of life experience they will never get in front of a TV. It teaches them the value of hard work and the accomplishments that can come when you put your effort and focus into something...

By Land Tawney

The sky was blue, sun was hot, and water was clear.  I could see the rainbow colored Rapala lure working to perfection five feet below the surface of the water and then it happen.  A big juicy trout gave chase and in an instant attacked with veracity.  The line went taught and the fight began, the mighty fish was played to perfection, reeled to the dock and deftly guided into the net.  Cidney had caught her first fish!  When I asked her if she wanted to “keep it or put it back,” she exclaimed beaming with pride, “eat it Dad!” 

Colin and Cidney with a big Montana fish

As a young kid, I remember yearly, week long sojourns to the Bighole River in southwest Montana, timed to perfection at the peak of the salmon fly hatch...