A Tribute to Women in Hunting, Conservation

March is officially Women’s History Month. Congress designated the tribute to generations of women whose contributions proved invaluable to American society. Education. Arts. Business. Technology. Medicine. Alongside these areas, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation also is commemorating women’s role in conservation.

“Most Americans appreciate wildlife and wild places, but most also are unaware that these public resources thrive because of hunters—and, more than ever, because of hunters who happen to be women,” said RMEF President and CEO David Allen.

Today, conservation funding from women collectively, and conservation leadership from women individually, are undervalued but extremely significant.

Allen explained, “The number of women in hunting, sport shooting and gun ownership is up; therefore, the number of women who are contributing to conservation also is up.”

Statistics suggest that women now contribute up to $117 million per year to wildlife and habitat programs by way of their hunting license fees, special taxes on new firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows, and voluntary donations to organizations like RMEF.

Women hunters also are responsible for up to $5.9 billion per year in economic output.

Those figures are calculated as 9 percent of the respective totals generated by all hunters combined, since females make up about 9 percent of all hunters.

Females also compose roughly 9 percent of elk hunters specifically—as well as about 9 percent of all RMEF members. That percentage jumps a couple points in demographic studies of the most avid attendees at RMEF fundraising events. It jumps again at the volunteer ranks. An estimated 33 percent of RMEF volunteers are women.

Aside from their contributions as hunters, sport shooters, gun owners, consumers, donors and volunteers, women are vital to conservation today as professionals working in the field. About 40 percent of the RMEF staff is women. RMEF’s largest conservation partner, the U.S. Forest Service, has a workforce of wildlife biologists that is that 43 percent female. Women work as game wardens, researchers, land managers, agency directors and every other role that helps make conservation go.

Allen said, “If conservation had a number to represent its ‘Gross Domestic Product,’ meaning the total of all goods and services associated with conservation in 2012, I think we’d all be surprised at how much of that total is influenced by women.”

Examples of women whose influence has reached deep into elk country:

· Gail Kimbell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, 2007-2009. Kimbell presided over conservation work on 193 million acres of public lands. Most elk and elk hunting in the U.S. occur on these lands.

· Dr. Christine Thomas, RMEF past-director and founder of Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, the nation’s premier program to introduce women to sporting lifestyles.

· Cheryl Haralson, RMEF past-director. Known as the “Arkansas Elk Lady,” she hunted and bagged Arkansas’ state-record bull and continues to champion elk and elk habitat in her home state and across the country.

· Haralson, Kay Clark, Debbie Lewis, Annie Lewis, Penney Oncken and Tammie Lynne Smith are among the recipients of RMEF’s highest honor, the Wallace Fennell Pate Wildlife Conservation Award. Alongside their husbands and families, each has given special gifts of money, time and talent to benefit elk and other wildlife.

· Four of the ten Elk Country Awards presented by RMEF and the U.S. Forest Service for exemplary habitat stewardship have honored women: Jodie Canfield of the Helena National Forest, Jane Ingebretson of the Flathead National Forest, Kathleen Johnson of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Melanie Woolever of the agency’s regional office in Denver.

· RMEF Team Elk members Tiffany Lakosky and Kristy Titus, TV personalities who inspire countless girls and women to get involved with hunting and conservation.

Allen said, “Women are contributing in various ways to the RMEF mission. They’re a major part of why hunting is conservation today—and their growing involvement positions our entire community to better meet our challenges in the future.”
Tidbits:

· RMEF now exceeds $500,000 in sponsorships of Becoming an Outdoors-Woman and other programs to introduce women to hunting, sport shooting and conservation.

· According to CBS News, the national total for female gun owners has doubled over the last decade, increasing to nearly 5 million women since 2001.

· The most authoritative source of hunter data, the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, shows flat recent trends in numbers of women hunters. But the survey did track a remarkable spike—in fact, a doubling—of females afield between 1985 and 1990.

· Data from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), an organization for retailers, shows that female participation in hunting rose 36 percent between 2001 and 2010, to a total of 2.4 million women hunters.

· NSGA data also shows that female participation in sport shooting rose 46 percent during 2001-2010, to a total of 4.8 million.

· The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry, reports that 61 percent of its member companies noted an increase in female customers between 2009 and 2010.
About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:
RMEF is leading a conservation initiative that has protected or enhanced habitat on over 6 million acres—an area larger than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains national parks combined. RMEF also is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. RMEF members, partners and volunteers, working together as Team Elk, are making a difference all across elk country. Join us at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Kimberly Bortz – WOMA Member

I shot a gun for the first time in January 2004. You see, there was this guy I really, really liked. He was into shooting and said he would show me how. I was terrified, but said yes because I really wanted to impress him with how tough I was.

At the range, he laid out a variety of guns before me – even though he patiently explained what each one was and what types of bullets it shot – it all went in one ear-muffed protected ear and out the other. All I gleaned was there were semi-automatic and revolvers. I liked the revolvers more.

We both discovered that day I was actually a pretty decent shooter. All my shots stayed within the body outline of my target. If my aim was to impress my guy friend, it worked. He kept nudging the other guys in the range going “Check this out! This is her first time shooting!” Shortly afterwards, he dubbed me with the nick name “Bang Bang.”

In August of that year, my friend asked me out on our first real date. It was a great first date, the kind of night that you know is the start of something really special and someday you will tell your grandkids about.

The very next day we went back to the shooting range for date #2. Three months later, he asked me to marry him. He still refers to me as “Bang.”

Before my future husband took the time to teach me – guns mystified me. I was half in awe of anyone who knew how to use one and half terrified of the power it held. The first time I knew I wanted to learn how to shoot a gun was in 1998 when I had taken a tour of the FBI offices in Washington DC and the X-Files movie was still fresh in my memory. After watching a shooting demonstration and I was determined to go to college and become an FBI agent.

Life took me in a different direction, and I never did make it back to Washington DC. But just because I don’t have a badge or need a gun for work – it didn’t mean I didn’t need to learn how to use one.

After I got married and we decided to have a child, I got very serious about educating myself on firearms. I took a basic pistol class and any fear about guns vanished. Now it is an enjoyable hobby I can share with my husband. In the worst case situation, I know how to defend myself.

As with any pastime, I wanted all the accessories that went with it – but when I started searching for women friendly firearm accessories they were tough to find. I was having a hard time putting my personal touch on a hobby that was so male dominated. It seemed like my only choice was to suck it up and be one of the guys.

Then I came across a beautiful lavender range bag. That got me thinking that there had to be more stuff out there for female firearm enthusiast. Not just stuff that was girly, but made for women’s specific needs. Shooting doesn’t need to be masculine – it can and should have a feminine side too!

I started Bang Bang Boutique for every woman who shoots. It is for ladies like me who recently picked up a gun and want to make it a new hobby. It is for the ladies who have been shooting since childhood. It is for their daughters. It is for the men who want to help make the ladies feel comfortable coming into the world of firearm ownership. In short, Bang Bang Boutique is for the marksWOman.

I hope that the products we offer at Bang Bang Boutique make gun ownership and the sport of shooting more attractive to women of all background and skill levels.

 

Kathy Dietert – Woma Member

Kathy has grown up loving the outdoors. Her family owns a large hunting ranch in Missouri as well as a livestock auction business. She is a life-long avid hunter, having hunted in Africa, Costa Rica and throughout the United States. She knows first hand what it takes to make a hunt successful because she has “been there and done that”.

She created Dry Hollow Ranch, near Junction, Texas, to develop a boutique hunting and getaway lodge to cater mostly to the special preferences of women. This includes pairing spa services with handgun training and designing hunts with “a little more comfort” than generally required by men.

Kathy never meets a stranger and will swap lies with the best of you. Her cooking is out of this world and she knows how hunters like to eat. But don’t be fooled by her charm, grace and pretty face.

A crackerjack businesswoman, Kathy has created, and currently manages, three businesses in addition to Dry Hollow Ranch including a Medical Spa and a Home Health Care service employing more than 100 caregivers and nurses.

And oh, by the way, Kathy also is a Registered Nurse, so if you have a cut or bruise while at Dry Hollow Ranch, she knows which Band-Aid to use.

 

Helen Pfeiffer – WOMA Member

Let me tell you a little bit about how I got the passion for shooting. My Mom & I would go to the range with my Dad ever since I was a baby. Finally my parents rewarded my persistence with letting me learn to shoot at the age of 8. What a sight I was a ballerina that was learning to shoot. At the ripe old age of 12 I began competing in bullseye matches with mom on team competitions and alone in junior leagues as well. Here is what surprised me the most. I was the tiniest girl out there and I was winning trophies. This continued through JROTC in high school where I received a varsity letter for my marksmanship!

I’ve been competing in IPSC & USPSA matches here in Atlanta and around the southeast since 2002 and have been fortunate to win my class and high lady in several major USPSA pistol matches. I also won high lady in tactical optics division of the annual Steel City Carbine match in 2010. I’ve grown so much and my goal is to pass all the kindness that my group has given me forward- that’s it “pass it forward”. The way I do this is I talk to non-gun people and talk to them about what good can come from our sports and safety. Don’t be surprised to see me walking up to a stranger and taking them under my wing for a match.

For my future goals expect to see more of my Team Tinkerbell blog writing more about the shooting sports industry, I hope to be mentoring more ladies and juniors this year. I will be shooting more challenging matches this year. I look forward to bringing home more wins as I help others along the way. Also, be looking for my new official Team Tinkerbell Shooter facebook page. I will be blogging, adding pictures and action videos. Please ‘like’ my new page. If you seem on the range say hello. And I look forward to meeting you all! Feel free to send me an email at TeamTinkerbellshooters@gmail.com I would love to hear from you.

 

Campbell Engle – WOMA Member

Campbell is the Deputy Executive Director of the NRA’s Office of Advancement. Before joining the NRA, she served as the Board Membership Director for the Republican Governors Association. Additionally, she worked on the McCain-Palin 2008 Presidential Campaign where she was the Southern Regional Finance Director. Prior to the McCain-Palin Campaign, Campbell served as the Finance Director to Senator Trent Lott’s PAC, the New Republican Majority Fund, and his re-election campaign, Trent Lott for Mississippi. Before beginning her career in the DC area, she was an Associate Vice President in the Fixed Income Department at Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. located in Memphis, TN. Campbell is a graduate of Ole Miss where she received both her BBA in Finance as well as her MBA.

Erin Simpson – WOMA Member

I am Erin Simpson, a commercial litigation attorney (semi-retired) and a firearms instructor. In 2011, I started a new business called Trigger Happy LLC, dba Trigger Happy Training. The goal of our endeavor is to help women become informed, capable and confident about firearms and then to continue on learning and practicing what activities and skills they find most interesting, including defensive shooting, practical shooting and target shooting. We also hope to transform the way that the gun industry views women as a market.

This is my most recent blog post at TriggerHappyWorld.com:

Everyone in Tucson likely recalls the moment they learned about the shootings at a local Safeway on January 8, 2011. I was driving home from the hair salon, listening to great music, enjoying that crisp and sunny Saturday morning. My cell phone rang. Maizie, my 19-year-old daughter, related in an urgent voice, “Have you seen the news?”

I responded with dread, knowing well the tenor of her voice when she’s upset: “No. What’s going on?”

“Someone shot Gabby Giffords in the head! Mom, Gabby Giffords is dead!”

“WHAT? Where? What are you talking about?”

Unable to understand the magnitude of what had occurred from Maizie’s panicked report, I raced home, turned on the news and began, like everyone else in town, keeping vigil to try and sort out what had happened – what was happening – who the shooter was – who else was dead or injured. I was heartened to learn that the media got the part about Giffords’ death wrong; deeply saddened to learn that such wasn’t the case concerning Judge John Roll, a wonderful human being and beloved local federal judge. As we learned of all the casualties, I became sickened, disgusted and angry, and grieving for our loss as a community.

The next morning, I got up early and headed to the Pima County shooting range, the same as I do just about every weekend, for target practice.

I imagine that comes as something of a shock to some of you. You may be thinking that going to the range while the shots were practically still ringing in the air was insensitive and cruel. My reasons for heading out to the range that morning are the same reason I started teaching women to shoot and this blog: to be an example of someone who rightly understands guns and their role in this life, their place in society as a tool with numerous purposes. And who is committed to becoming as well-trained and competent with a firearm as possible.

I didn’t use to be such a person. As a child, I had limited contact with firearms. I remember enjoying shooting my brother’s BB-gun, and being pretty good at it, even garnering the nickname “Annie Oakley”. And I think I recall seeing a revolver somewhere in our house at some point, which I understood I should never touch. Otherwise, my only impression of guns was formed by TV shows and movies. Guns were innately masculine, mysterious, and almost god-like in power to wreak destruction. When I became a mother, I zeroed in on horror stories in the press of children accidentally killed while visiting homes with firearms, and developed a strong aversion to the notion of having one in my home.

Then my son became a teenager and asked if he could get a small caliber rifle to shoot things out in the desert. My husband thought this was a good idea – I did not – but the process of allowing that gun into our lives was transformational for me. A condition of having a gun in our home was that each of us to take a gun safety course. It’s a longer story that I’ll tell some other time, but suffice it to say I underwent a conversion experience in that classroom. The NRA-Certified Instructors who taught the course were anything but crazed gun nuts. They taught us some very basic information about guns, most importantly how to conduct oneself safely around guns and handle them safely, neither of which I previously thought was really possible.

The range portion of that day was even more significant. I learned that I could shoot lots of different guns without great difficulty. I enjoyed some calibers more than others, and found one that I particularly enjoyed, the 1911-style semi-automatic pistol in .45 ACP caliber. I also found that I deeply enjoyed the exercise – whether it was the feeling of directing a controlled explosion or the smell of burnt gun powder in the air or stress relief, I don’t know. I just liked it. Make that – loved it.

When I got home, relating what a FANTASTIC experience the day had been and which gun I needed immediately if not sooner, he asked the proverbial, “OK- who are you and what have you done with my wife?” question. I assured him that I was not a pod person but that something important had happened in my life that day.

I now believe it was because I was no longer irrationally afraid of guns. I had gained a healthy understanding of and respect for firearms. I understood that guns do not do anything in and of themselves. Like other inanimate objects, they just sit there until a person acts upon them. At the same time, I now understood what they can do when acted upon, and what kind of hole they make in a target. Thinking back, guns became in my mind something not to be feared but to be understood and mastered.

It’s been such a freeing concept, which I’ve found readily transfers to other areas of life as well. Don’t allow fear and ignorance of anything to guide your assessment. Understand, experience, know – be courageous. You might find a whole new part of yourself to enjoy.

@ 2012 Trigger Happy LLC

 

Lou Ann Hamblin – WOMA Member

Lou Ann has been in law enforcement since 1990 and currently works for the patrol division of a Michigan-based police department. She holds a master’s degree in Human Performance Technology and Instructional Design from the University of Michigan. Lou Ann co-owns LouKa Tactical Training which specializes in designing functional training for specialty units and women in all facets of public safety. LouKa Tactical is the largest privately owned company of its kind in the U.S. sporting an all female cadre of instructors. www.loukatactical.com

LouKa delivers customized Building Warrior Women training events which are held nationally at select locations which promote women in public safety and responsible private citizen gun ownership. Visit Building Warrior Women or friend Joan ofArc on Facebook.

 

Olympic Dreams for Shooters Set to Become Reality at 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun in Ohio

Olympic dreams will be made thisweekend in Port Clinton, Ohio, during the second round of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun.  Over 180 athletes are headed to the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) north location at Camp Perry, Feb. 24-26, for a shot at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.

The first round of U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun took place in December 2011 at the CMP’s south facility in Anniston, Ala.  The scores from the first part will be combined with those from the event this coming weekend.  On Sunday, Feb. 26, USA Shooting will nominate six athletes to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team: two each from Men’s 10m Air Rifle, Women’s 10m Air Rifle and Men’s 10m Air Pistol.

2008 Olympian Emily Caruso is in a tie for first place with Sarah Scherer as the second stage of the Olympic Trials for Airgun get underway this weekend in Ohio.

In an unlikely turn of events, there are not one but two leaders in Women’s 10m Air Rifle. Both Sarah Scherer (Woburn, Mass.) and Emily Caruso (Fairfield, Conn.) fired identical scores after two days.  The duo is two points ahead of 2008 Olympian Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.), who finished fourth in airgun in Beijing.  Caruso is the most experienced shooter in the group as a two-time Olympian, but as a 21-year-old, Scherer’s youth and tenacity are not to be underestimated.  Scherer and Caruso dueled at the 2008 Trials, but Caruso prevailed to earn the women’s air rifle selection.  With two spots available for London, competition between these three will be fierce.  Adding to the pressure is Meghann K. Morrill (Boerne, Texas) in the fourth position.  Morrill ended on a high note with 399 points her second day of shooting.

In Women’s 10m Air Pistol, Sandra Uptagrafft (Phenix City, Ala.) is nearly 20 points ahead of the other competitors.  However, the USA Shooting Team does not have a quota for Women’s 10m Air Pistol for London, so this match will not determine a women’s pistol representative.

In airgun, female competitors shoot 60 and 40 shots respectively during a single course of fire at electronic targets 10m (32.8 feet) down range.  The maximum number of points available is 400 points for women with 10 being the highest score possible per shot.  Female competitors have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete all shots.  Athletes then qualify for the finals by placing in the top eight after an aggregate match score.  The final for both events consists of ten shots fired on command by the Chief Range Officer.  The scoring in the finals is unique from the rest of the match because decimals are counted, so the maximum number of points a competitor can earn is 109 points with 10.9 being the highest score possible per shot.  Olympic Team selection will be based on the aggregate of four courses of fire and two best finals.

Spectators are welcome to attend and cheer on future Olympians.  For more information on the CMP North Marksmanship Center and live results, please visit the CMP website.  For updates and daily recaps, please visit the USA Shooting website, Twitter or Facebook page.

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for all sports is a collaborative, three-way partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee, the national governing bodies and the local organizing committees.  All athletes nominated to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team must be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Deal Alert! Fishing Show Special From Bay Flats Lodge

Click on image or scroll for more information on this amazing deal from Bay Flats Lodge.

Bay Flats lodge will be attending the Houston Fishing Show on February 29-March 4, 2012 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in booth #617, and they are offering an amazing special while they’re there.

The Show Special price will be available through the last day of the show, which is March 4. If you plan to attend the show and book with Bay Flats Lodge, they will arrange to have your entry tickets waiting at will call.

This offer does not apply on current reservations, and each additional person is $100.  Live bait if requested is extra, and this deal must be booked at the show or by contacting them during show time.

Must Watch TV – Outdoor Channel’s Golden Moose Awards on February 16th

Don’t forget to clear your schedule or set your DVR for Outdoor Channel’s Golden Moose Awards, airing on Thursday, February 16th at 8:30pm EST, with a rebroadcast on Sunday, the 19th at 3pm EST. Filmed in Las Vegas during the 2012 SHOT Show, these awards are outdoor TV’s biggest night as Outdoor Channel shows, hosts and producers are honored.

During the 90 minute television presentation, Outdoor Channel viewers will experience all the drama of the evening with backstage footage, red-carpet interviews and acceptance speeches of all 24 winners who took home the coveted Golden Moose Awards.  Here at the WOMA, we are especially excited to see the presentation for “Best Online Original”, which went to Babes with Bullets, and was accepted by WOMA Chairman Deb Ferns and WOMA members Lisa Munson and Kay Miculek.

« Previous Page — Next Page »