You can't always judge a book by its cover.
Such is the case for a Melville resident who has entered the Miss Huntfest 2011 contest where the winner will get the chance to guest star on 'Wild TV' show 'The Edge', be featured on the Huntfest 2011
poster and make guest appearances in both Huntfest 2011 events.
Lacey Polk, an avid hunter who says people don't always believe her hunting exploits or expertise, is in the running as a contestant.
"Maybe it's because Im not very big or maybe it's the manicured nails," laughs Polk, a 23-year-old primary care paramedic in Melville and the surrounding area. "Some guys I know kind of hounded me until I entered."
The contest is largely based on Facebook voting and since Polk got a late start, she's going to need people to get behind her in order to get enough votes to make the group of four finalists.
"The contest opened May 12 and runs to July 5, so I think I'm probably behind a little," says Polk, an avid hunter with both muzzle-loader and rifle since age 12.
While perhaps not looking like the grizzled hunter of yesteryear with a two-day growth of beard sipping on a coffee while waiting for daylight, Polk is as serious about hunting and enjoying the outdoors as anyone.
"If you don't see me with a gun in my hand, it's a fishing rod - I love the outdoors, and any chance I get, that is where you will find me. Whether it be shooting gophers, coyotes, beavers to fill the bear baits, whitetail or bears - I love it all and anxiously wait to get drawn for mule (deer), moose, or elk one of these years," she says in her bio on the Wild TV's Huntfest 2011 page.
Growing up in a small town (Arcola,Sask.) where she lived in town and many of her female classmates lived on the farm, she was drawn to the same things as the boys and hunting was also a good way for her to spend time with her dad.
"Before I was 12 and went hunting, I'd be out with my dad all the time," she explains. "It just became ingrained in me. I wanted to go out before school and I guess I just got hooked."
Her latest hunting exploit was a bear hunt where she was successful and she says, much like her work, she needs to be cool under pressure.
"I really enjoyed the bear hunt. I like the adrenaline rush. You don't always know what to expect but you have to make sure you're steady enough to pull the trigger."
She herself explains it best in her bio:" I'm just a small town girl, with an absolute passion for the outdoors, angling, and hunting
- a true 'adrenaline junkie'. I would be extremely honored to take on the title of Miss Huntfest 2011."
To vote for Polk, one must go to the Facebook Wild TV page and 'Like' it and then the amount of 'Likes' which go on her picture constitutes her votes.
If she can make the top four contestants she'll be evaluated by a panel of judges for the final.
