Dairyland Peach , October 16 , 2022 Page 17
Sauk Centre woman ’ s enthusiasm for hunting is contagious
By JENNIE ZEITLER Correspondent
Rachel Miles grew up in Chisago County in a family that embraced hunting and fishing wholeheartedly . Her most special early memories of hunting involve her father and , to a lesser extent , her brother . She has taken those early experiences as her inspiration and now works to help other women participate in hunting experiences that are pivotal in their lives .
“ Hunting with women is a very different experience and I like it ,” said Rachel .
Her first hunt occurred at age 12 , when she was hunting white-tailed deer with her father .
“ He was a great mentor ,” she said . “ We chased white-tailed deer for many years .”
Rachel shot her first deer while in a stand alongside her dad . They had family farmland in Kittson County , an “ oasis away from ‘ real life .’”
Another special memory Rachel shares with her father was the day he harvested his largest deer . He was bow hunting , the night before rifle season started .
“ I had binoculars with me in the stand and could see what he was doing ,” she said . “ I saw the arrow pass through the deer . We tracked it together and worked together , carrying it back . We found a large piece of wood , carried it through a river and up a hill .”
They made so much noise while doing it , that they didn ’ t see another deer all weekend . But there was the memory to savor . Although that property was sold about four years ago , they still go hunting every year since that first time , 20 years ago .
“ I love it . I got my first wood duck this month ,” Rachel said .
Rachel hunted only in Kittson County until 2019 , when she learned about Her Wilderness . A friend of hers started a company designed to provide outdoor experiences for women . These include hunting and fishing trips and social gatherings in the outdoors .
“ I ’ ve been on the team since 2020 ,” said Rachel .
She is one of the many coordinators for Her Wilderness , located throughout the United States . The trips are all arranged and clients simply sign up for the trips they want to take . The company arranges 85 - 90 trips per year .
“ We try to stay with eight to 12 participants for each trip to keep the community atmosphere ,” she said . “ We get like-minded women together having conversations about what they love .”
There are a wide variety of hunts and locations available . Trips from 2022 include Carolina Cat Fishing , Moab Utah Adventure , North Dakota Waterfowl Clinic , Arkansas Specklybelly Goose Hunt and East Coast Sea Duck Hunt . There are couples hunts , and private hunts are also arranged .
Upcoming trips that Rachel is coordinating include a sandhill crane hunt in Texas in November and a Mille Lacs Lake ice fishing event in early February .
“ We also host more local social gatherings that connect people who normally would not have met ,” Rachel said .
Recently , there was a hike near St . Croix Falls which was followed by happy hour at a local restaurant . The only cost was the participants ’ meal .
“ It was an exhausting day , but very heart-filling ,” she said . “ A lot of people came by themselves , to meet new people .”
Rachel has thoroughly enjoyed the hunts she has
One of the hunting trips that took Rachel Miles to new horizons was to harvest specklebelly geese in Arkansas .
Photos submitted
Rachel Miles shares her enthusiasm for hunting through her work coordinating hunting trips with Her Wilderness . After growing up hunting in northwest Minnesota , she has been able to hunt in a number of places around the United States . She is shown with a Canada goose .
participated in , taking her many different places . She harvested her first hog in South Central Texas in November 2020 . The scariest hunting moment she remembers occurred during a spring hog hunt .
“ Rattlesnakes were coming out of their dens all over . I was terrified one would just appear in the tree stand . One of the guides brought a rattler in a pillowcase into the lodge se we could hear the rattle sound ,” she said
The rattle sounds a lot like the sound of cicadas in Minnesota . Once she heard the rattle , Rachel realized she had been very near a rattlesnake just a short time before . She was out near a creek and heard the rattle .
“ I realized how close I ’ d been to a rattlesnake and it was not a cicada !” she said . The greatest satisfaction for Rachel happens when other women express their excitement at hunting .
“ My favorite part of the hunts is when I see other women with a special spark of excitement . They just light up — it ’ s such a special moment ,” she said . “ Men don ’ t often react with the same excitement .”
She is normally gone out of state an average of three to five times a month . The trip details have all been planned by coordinators like her .
Women who are interested , but lack equipment , find that guide services sometimes have equipment for loan or rent . Her Wilderness wants to accommodate every client . Everyone was a beginner once .
What is most rewarding to Rachel is “ watching them succeed at something they never thought they could do .”
For more information , visit herwilderness . co .
In addition to hunting , Rachel Miles also enjoys fishing . She is the coordinator for a Her Wilderness fishing trip to Mille Lacs Lake in February . She has also fished for blackfin tuna .