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Dalke competes in archery challenge

Extreme Huntress competitor shows off her skill with a traditional recurve bow.

The ladies were back out on the range in Texas, as the fourth episode of Extreme Huntress aired this past weekend.

Although Nikita Dalke wasn't hunting, she partnered up with fellow competitor Erika Bergmark, who was searching for a four-horned Jacob sheep.

All six of the Extreme Huntress competitors also participated in an archery challenge with a traditional recurve bow.

The episode began with South Africa's Margaret Botha, who was on the hunt for an Iranian red sheep, but she was unable to find her specific animal out on the 777 Ranch pastures.

Back at the ranch, Dalke resumed a segment of anit-hunting abuse, where she had to respond to hostile statements about hunters and their motivations.

This time, one of the judges questioned how fair it was for the animals to be hunted with the kind of weaponry available now.

"They [animals] have their own way of evading you and surviving. It's what they do, it's not about a game or a sport, it's about helping the wildlife flourish, helping them survive so that other generations have them around so they don't need a weapon, they have their senses and their senses are way better than ours," said Dalke.

"With a deer, that is what they do to get away from predators and predators have their own way of protecting themselves so it's a lot more fair than what they think."

Australia's Christie Pisani got the chance to go out for her hunt, with a one-horned Sitka deer as her objective. However, she was unable to find the animal out in the ranch pastures.

Dalke did get back out for another expedition, but she was partnered up with Sweden's Erika Bergmark, who was on the hunt for a Jacob four-horned sheep.

It was in the same area where Dalke bagged her Black Hawaiian sheep two episodes ago.

"I knew the area because that's where I shot my Hawaiian," said Dalke. "so she asked me for some advice, just about the sheep and that.

"I told her what I knew and stuff, where I found the sheep and it was all her decision on what she wanted to do and she went off on a different path."

The two were able to find a herd of sheep inside some thick brush, but not of the four-horned variety that they were looking for.

"That was the only band of rams we found while hunting in the area," she said.

Towards the end of the episode, all the ladies participated in an archery challenge, where they had to fire off five arrows from a traditional recurve bow at 25 yards.

The recurve wasn't all that powerful with a draw weight of only 35 pounds.

Dalke has bowhunting experience, but with a compound bow, which utilizes pulleys and sights for more accurate shooting.

There is very much a difference in the shooting styles between the two different types of bows.

"I shoot a compound bow, so I'm used to a compound," said Dalke. "When we picked up the recurve, you could tell which girls shoot compound bow, because you automatically go into a natural stance when you're shooting one.

"With a recurve, it's a totally different stance."

Despite having never picked up a bow before, Bergmark won the competition, putting three arrows into the target.

Next week, Dalke will get back out on the range for another hunt, where she will try her hand hunting a hybrid animal that, as she says, "shouldn't be there."

After every episode airs, people can send in their support for each of the six Extreme Huntress candidates. To vote for Dalke, visit www.extremehuntress.com and click on the vote tab to submit a vote via email.

 



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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