My hunting journey started when I was just a young girl. I was fortunate enough to have a father who was willing to let his daughter sit with him in his deer stand and talk his ear off, while constantly moving around on opening morning of WI deer hunting. Our early mornings and late evenings together during deer season is where some of my best hunting lessons came from. For my 12th birthday my father bought me my first shotgun. That was my going to be my first year being able to hunt with a gun. I practiced with that shot gun all summer, completed my hunter safety course and was ready for the November rut and opening morning. This was the first time where I got be the hunter and my father was the one talking my ear off. One of the best things he told me in the stand that opening day was, ” Sarah make sure you always look beyond your target before you shoot.” That day I shot my first whitetail deer. That lesson my dad taught me has held true for me my entire youth, and still holds true for me today.
My hunting passion started with the classic Wisconsin November rut, and grew from there. After I graduated college, I purchased my first turkey shotgun. It was pink, and said “shoot like a girl” on the stock. That spring was going to be my first turkey hunt. Like any other hunt, I went the week before to scout out the turkeys and practice my turkey call. I never imagined the adrenaline I would feel when I would hear that first tom answer my call. It was amazing. I was immediately hooked. That next week I shot my first turkey with my pink shotgun.
In my early 20’s I made the decision to move to Wisconsin Rapids, WI. I quickly began looking for hunting land, to hunt and soon found out that bow hunting was more popular in that area then shotgun or riffle. I decided I would give it a try, needless to say shortly there after I purchased my first bow. I was hooked on the new challenges that bow hunting would bring. I found myself joining every video archery league I could to practice as much as I could for the next hunt I would be going on with my bow. In the 3 years I lived in Wi Rapids, WI I shot whitetail deer, turkey and my very first bear with that bow. My passion for hunting again grew.
In the summer of 2009 I met my husband. He encouraged me to do more with my hunting. He would go with me to the riffle/gun range and coach me on my shooting technique, and help me to be an ethical hunter. He too, would remind me of my childhood lesson of looking beyond my target before shooting, as well as preach, I bullet…1 shot…make it count.
My husband introduced to me to some of his passions beyond whitetail hunting. He would take me ice fishing in the winter, bow fishing in the summer, and goose hunting in the fall. For our honeymoon my husband took me trophy alligator hunting and hog hunting in Florida. From there I was determined to expand my hunting possibilities beyond what Wisconsin had to offer.
My husband also introduced me to my best friend and fellow female hunter Katie Olszewski. Katie, introduced me to the sister of the BBB and what they had to offer woman who were passionate about the outdoors. Katie pushed me to go on an amazing all woman hunt with BBB in Cody, WY. Needless to say the sisterhood has us both hooked. I again, found myself looking beyond my target of wanting to become a great woman hunter, and how I am ready to shoot for the next great hunting adventure.
I am very blessed to have a father who passed his passion for hunting down to me, my husband who encourages me to do better and be an ethical hunter, a best friend who shares the same passion for hunting as I do, and Amy Ray for allowing me to join the sisterhood of BBB. Because of all this, I will always be looking for my next target and beyond.
Sarah Kasprzak
