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Team Hoyt
4/17/2010
HOYT: What was it like to be the first female to win the Montana Bowhunter of the Year Award?
JOEY: As I sat there listening to the announcement of the award, I was shocked when I realized they were talking about me. I'm honored for many reasons: To be a nominee in the first place is pretty cool! The fact that someone thought enough of me to nominate me is flattering, and I'm very excited to be the first female to receive the award!
HOYT: Which organization awards it, and where did you receive the award?
JOEY: The Montana Bowhunters Association, which is the largest hunting organization in Montana. It was established in 1973. I received the award in Billings at the Montana Bowhunters Association Banquet.
HOYT: Who nominated you?
JOEY: Last winter, I fell and shattered my radial head - the bone that backs up to my elbow. It also dislocated my elbow and tore all the ligaments in my right arm. The break was so bad that the surgeon had to replace part of the bone with titanium. In my initial consultation with the surgeon the first question I asked was, “Will I be able to shoot my bow again?" His reply was very noncommittal. My occupational therapist, however, knew how important this was to me and gave a prognosis that I would be ready for bowhunting season. After three months of working with me, I started shooting a bow that most children could pull back. I was determined that I was going to hunt, so I just kept practicing and by August my hard work paid off. I was ready for opening day of archery season!
My friend nominated me. During my recovery, he witnessed my attitude, effort, determination and my progress that eventually formed into a successful season.
HOYT: Did you grow up in a bowhunting family?
JOEY: No, I didn’t really know anything about hunting or anyone who hunted until I met my husband Jesse.
HOYT: Who taught you to shoot and hunt?
JOEY: A few weeks after meeting this guy, he called me and asked what I was doing for the day. I didn’t have anything planned, and after asking him what he was doing, he mentioned he was going bear hunting and asked me if I wanted to go along. I told him that I had never hunted and he said basically we were going for a hike. I was into hiking - and also the guy - so I went bear hunting with him. “The guy” later became my boyfriend, and then my husband!
At the time we met, Jesse worked at an archery shop and guided hunters in the fall. He set me up with a used Hoyt and I started target shooting and we would go to 3-D shoots. I went hunting with Jesse but I didn’t decide to take up the sport until a year or so of accompanying him in the field. Jesse taught me to shoot and to hunt, but we also have a large group of friends who hunt and for some reason, the guys let me onto their playing field. So, I have to give my hunting buddies a lot of credit, too, for continually taking me hunting with them and for teaching me their hunting techniques.
HOYT: Are you from Montana originally?
JOEY: No, I was born in Oregon and I lived there until I was thirteen. My dad, who is a Montanan, decided he wanted to move back. Once we got back neither of us left.
HOYT: How long have you bowhunted?
JOEY: It’s been 14 years now.
HOYT: What’s your favorite animal to hunt?
JOEY: Whatever is in season! They all are so much fun for many different reasons. Elk talk and that’s exciting, antelope are the first thing open in the fall and opening day is our anniversary, and in the winter I’ll occasionally go look for mountain lions to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air. Turkeys are great because they're the first thing open for hunting in the spring, bears scare me and in return that is exciting, and deer are fun because there are always a lot of them and a lot of different ways to put the sneak on them. Also, there is the possibility that I might draw a special tag like bighorn sheep, mountain goat or moose, and, when that happens, everyone gets involved and excited.
HOYT: How long have you shot Hoyt, and which Hoyt bow are you currently shooting?
JOEY: Hoyt hooked me from the beginning! I started out 15 years ago with a Hoyt. I now hunt with a Kobalt, and my target bow is an AlphaMax.
HOYT: What do you like best about Hoyt bows? How have they performed for you in the field?
JOEY: I really like the way they feel and the way they shoot. Hoyt has always had a bow in their line that suits my needs more than anyone else. Being a female does put a few challenges on me when selecting a bow, like shorter draw length and lower poundage. But Hoyt always provides a bow that exceeds those challenges, and their performance in the field is incredible!
HOYT: Your husband Jesse is also a diehard Hoyt shooter. Do you hunt with him a lot, or do you prefer DIY bowhunting?
JOEY: I love hunting with Jesse! We have so much fun together. He taught me to hunt so our hunting skills and techniques are similar, although I have to say I approach it in a more laid back way. For years I wouldn’t go out by myself because I was scared of being alone in the woods. In fact, I would make Jesse come get me out of my treestand because I was afraid to walk out in the dark alone. I’ve since grown more comfortable in the outdoors and have become more familiar with the areas we hunt and now enjoy hunting by myself. Hunting alone has given me the ability to learn so much about the sport. It allows me to make my own decisions – whether those decisions are right or wrong. This has helped me become a better hunter and has forced me to develop my own hunting style.
HOYT: Give us a quick recap of your hunts this past fall.
JOEY: I was able to harvest a nice antelope buck on August 15 - opening day of Montana’s archery antelope season. In mid-September, a nice 6x7 bull elk slipped up and left me with an opening for a great stalk. After that, my focus shifted to filling my deer tag. For three weeks, I kept close tabs on a mule deer buck that I had spotted. On the last day of the archery season, I harvested him - bringing an end to a great season! The 2009 season took me across the state of Montana hunting mainly public land and allowing me three successful stalks.
HOYT: What hunts do you have in the works for next fall?
JOEY: I get to start out the year with a free-range buffalo hunt this spring on an Indian reservation, and I hope this fall brings a lot of opportunities and success in the field with antelope, deer and elk. Who knows, maybe I’ll draw a special tag like a mountain goat or something fun like that!
HOYT: Anything else you’d like Hoyt.com readers to know about you?
JOEY: I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors but I originally started shooting as a way to spend time with Jesse. Fifteen years ago I never imagined that this would become my sport and that I would be so enthusiastic about hunting!