Ducks Unlimited at Bay Flats Lodge Offers Unlimited Fun!
November 22, 2011 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under WOMA News
So many new gal pals were made at the recent Ducks Unlimited event for women in outdoor media. Photo Credit: www.LisaMetheny.com
Last year, I had the opportunity to attend the Ducks Unlimited “Women in Outdoor Media” event in Arkansas. The accommodations were nice and the food was good, though unfortunately, the birds weren’t flying. Still, I returned from that trip in awe of all that Ducks Unlimited (DU) does for conservation; for waterfowl habitat in general. I never considered I’d be offered that opportunity again, but then earlier this summer I was contacted by Mike Checkett of DU with an invite to return to their event coming up in November 2011. He also suggested that I recommend a few more members of the Women’s Outdoor Media Association to attend with me.
The big question right off the bat was “Who to invite?” It finally came down to deciding which members would place stories in established magazines or newspapers, which members would get the most radio or tv interviews done for DU? Just doing an article for the WOMA, like I am now, is nice but the real “meat & potatoes” is getting other forms of media involved in creating more opportunities for DU. The dilemma was that many WOMA members wanted to go and there just weren’t enough slots to accommodate everyone.
After discussion this summer with the WOMA board, it was decided that media trips, such as this one with DU, could easily be abused if someone attended and then didn’t do the follow up work expected, or if someone participated and didn’t realize they needed to make room next year for other WOMA members to attend. With that in mind, I relinquished my spot for the DU event this year and turned it over to another WOMA member on the wait list.
Well, let’s just say God must have really wanted me to go duck hunting, as my connection with Outdoor Channel came into play and I went on their slot. I took along my camera supervisor, our “Saint” Marilyn, who is now busy editing a couple of webisodes for Ducks Unlimited that should be out by late December (I’ll post in the WOMA when/where those are ready for viewing.) FYI – Marilyn also did a quick video piece for our camp host location which is already playing at their website at www.BayFlatsLodge.com .
Our Bay Flats Lodge guide, Jason, with Sadie, our excellent retriever!
So now that I’ve bored you with the “how I got to DU camp”, let me give you a little bit of background on a fast 48 hours spent at camp. On arriving Monday afternoon we were greeted by our host extraordinaire, Captain Chris Martin. To say that Chris lives and breathes duck hunting and fishing is an understatement. He has his hand in everything from the lodge website and social media, to training the hunting dogs. His wife Deb is the strength behind the throne, as she oversees maintenance of their beautiful lodge and works shoulder to shoulder with the kitchen staff to make sure everything is done right. This is no impersonal hotel, it feels more like a large B&B that is warm, friendly and of course the scenery is breathtaking in the Barrier Islands.
Just in case you are like me and don’t know much about the Barrier Islands (I could barely find Sea Drift, TX, on a map to get us there) check out one of many links talking about this unique coastal area at www.TexasWetlands.org/Barrier.htm . I was so taken with this area that for Christmas this year, I’ve purchased a three day “Blast and Cast” event for our family with duck hunting in the morning and fishing in the afternoon.
Getting back to the DU event the first evening (Monday), we had the opportunity to meet & greet the other women in our media group along with the two DU gals joining us for the event. I very much enjoyed getting to know Alicia Wiseman, a biologist for DU in Louisiana, and Emily Tyner, a DU Communications Manager located in Washington DC. The work that both of these women do for DU is invaluable, and just as importantly, I am impressed that DU is a leader in conservation groups that hire women!
The next morning (Tuesday) came with a wakeup call at 3:30 am to go duck hunting; pulling out of the docks by 4:30 am to head out in groups of three assigned to each boat, where our captain guided us through the Barrier Islands. We lay claim to one of the many blinds established along the waterways, or maybe the more appropriate term is “flyways”, and setup for business. This is where I have to delve into a sideline story about chest waders. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me that chest waders will give you diaper rash if you don’t wear the right things underneath them? So I’m here to share with the rest of you that normal “wick away” long underwear is the wrong choice for under chest waders with temps in the Barrier Islands of 74 degrees. Just so you know, it’s hard to shoot ducks with a shotgun with one hand while the other hand is down inside your chest waders keeping them off your body! I survived; I even shot a couple of ducks, one Redhead and one Pintail. Then mid-morning, we headed back to the lodge, where I happily discarded my chest waders and got comfy in my yoga clothes just in time for lunch.
Now I’d already eaten a big breakfast, after being reassured that the boat ride to a duck blind was not going to be the high rolling seas I experienced recently on a Carnival Cruise. I’m not sure why I felt I needed to eat a big lunch as well, but count me in as the Bay Flats Lodge chef dished up a wonderful Red Snapper entrée. Now that I think about it, dinner the night before was outstanding as well and who could say no to Tiramisu for dessert? (Did I mention that the food at Bay Flats Lodge is awesome?)
After lunch, we had time for a couple of quick interviews and we were off to go fishing for the afternoon. I was on the only boat that afternoon that didn’t “strike it lucky”, but all the other gals had multiple fish stories with fish in tow as backup. To say I was envious was an understatement, but bless her heart, one of the gals in our group, Lisa Metheny, gave us some of her fish to take home. After admiring everyone’s catch, we arrived back to the lodge just in time for… yep, DINNER! Small wafers of duck breast served in raspberry sauce and this time Crème Brulee for dessert. (At this point in time I was really wondering if my chest waders were going to fit me by the next morning.) The rest of the evening was informative and fun, as first Emily gave us a brief synopsis of why membership in DU is so important; after all, in Washington DC the voters of large conservation groups get heard first!
Here is where I share with you that I became a DU member right after my first trip last year and I just renewed my membership again; though this year I “upped” the contribution amount. The work that DU does for waterfowl habitat isn’t just about more duck hunting, it’s about CLEAN water and salvaging the wetlands which have a direct impact on everyone, not just duck hunters. My dad was an active duck hunter, living his whole life on Lake Huron. I’ll be honest that I never quite understood it as the Great Lakes in the late fall and early winter are cold, windy and wet.
L to R, Deb Ferns of the WOMA, Alicia Wiseman of Ducks Unlimited and Judy Rhodes of the WOMA. Photo credit: Judy Rhodes
With thoughts of my dad and how excited he would be to see me duck hunting, we headed out on the last morning (Wednesday) to go duck hunting. We woke up again at 3:30 am to see Stephanie from the Bay Flats Lodge staff smiling at us yet again while she served breakfast. Then, we were back in the boats by 4:30 am, arriving into the blind by 5:30 am and that’s when I had my duck hunting epiphany. Insert drum roll here…I sit in a blind in the Barrier Islands with a good guide (thank you Jason), with a retriever (our sweet Sadie) and along with a couple of new gal pals (Alicia Wiseman and Judy Rhodes.) It’s windy, the ducks are flying, we’re shooting, we’re having fun, the dog is happy retrieving and for a little window of time all is right and good in our part of the world. Understanding how blessed we are to be born women in America where we can own guns and go hunting hit me with full force. Understanding how blessed we are that Ducks Unlimited continues to work diligently on conservation efforts to benefit the ducks, benefit duck hunters and to benefit humans with fresh water. (Do I hear a big AMEN?)
We headed back mid-morning with many ducks in tow, which by the way is what I’m serving for Thanksgiving this year. It was a fast packing job for Marilyn and me as we were heading to another event back in Austin. We only had a few moments to hug our new friends, plus thank our hosts at both DU and at Bay Flats Lodge. How it happened that one of the most moving trips of my life took place in 48 hours I’m not sure, but I’m heading back to Bay Flats Lodge to try it again in the hope to recreate the magic for my family. Now if someone could just figure out how to help me eliminate diaper rash with these chest waders, life would be close to perfect for my next duck hunting trip!
If you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift, consider a Ducks Unlimited membership for your family members and especially the younger kids in your clan, as DU has a special program just for them. Visit www.Ducks.org for more information. Till my next DU adventure this is Duck Hunting Deb signing off…
Heartbeat of the WOMA – July 2011
July 30, 2011 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under WOMA News
My goal was to have a Heartbeat blog by the beginning of each month. I only missed that deadline by 29 days here in July (sad, so sad.) I’m not going to beat around the bush; bottom line is summer is very busy for my meeting planning business (my paying job) and we were slammed with huge camps for Babes with Bullets ™ through May, June and July. In fact our July three day camp, recently held in Chicago, was one of the largest ever with 32 women participating and varying in ages from 18 to 71. Besides being a well attended camp we also had a “pro gun” article from the Chicago Tribune (link is below in case you have an interest) which generated over 2,000 emails with requests for more camps in the Midwest. So despite Mayor Daley’s adamant “anti gun” stance it seems the women in that area want to learn how to shoot! God bless America that they have the right to do so and only because the Supreme Court basically told Mayor Daley he’s been wrong for decades on his personal interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.
Moving off the subject of our camps and back onto business for the WOMA I urge you to read the minutes each month from the board of directors’ meeting. We address issues presented to the board by the members and that’s where the discussion is held and a vote taken on how to proceed with the member request. For instance several new members wanted to know how they could become more involved in various WOMA teams. Again, read the minutes of the meeting to find out what projects are being worked for the teams of:
• Web – contact Cindy@theWOMA.com
• Moderating/Editing – contact Editor@theWOMA.com (this goes to Heide Kaser, Cindy Noyes and Deb Ferns)
• Membership – contact Melita@theWOMA.com
• Public Relations/Marketing/Sponsorship – contact Marsha@theWOMA.com
Reach out to the committee person noted, who is basically the team lead, and let them know how you would like to participate. For instance a new member, Cami Eisenzimmer, offered to take on Facebook and Twitter for the WOMA and update it weekly with a theme for each week no less. New member Amy Carducci also volunteered to help us with the website. Considering that the entire board is volunteers having someone like Cami and Amy step forward is huge and I love Cami’s quote of “I don’t want to rock the (WOMA) boat, just add a little wind to the sails.” FYI – in my mind Cami isn’t adding just a little wind through her involvement in the Woma’s social media; instead I think she’s like a breath of fresh air!
Moving on to other areas where we would like to see more members involved is tradeshows and assisting with sponsorships. The PR team wears many hats and marketing the WOMA at various tradeshows across the country is just one of the hats. In August in the Midwest is the ATA tradeshow, in November in Reno is the National Association of Sporting Good Wholesalers conference, and then in January is the huge SHOT Show in Las Vegas and in spring the huge NRA annual convention, this year held in St. Louis. Then in the summer we’re invited to participate in the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) which is held in Alaska next year. We have been invited to participate in each of these events with a complimentary table in the registration area along with a listing in the tradeshow program. We would love (LOVE) to be present at these large national events but again it takes members stepping forward to staff the table, hand out brochures, talk about what the mission statement is for the WOMA and on occasion doing an interview about the WOMA to local media. While at most tradeshows we can work out for you to have free “shared” housing, the member picks up their own expenses to attend in terms of airfare, rental car, and food.
If you have an interest in becoming more involved in the WOMA, possibly in the tradeshow area, please let me know. It’s easy to reach me at Deb@theWOMA.com and those of you who email me know that I’m pretty darn good about getting back to you fairly quickly. Last but not least for the month of July we had two new members join us; Doctor Dawn Obrecht and Morgan Craft. Every month I’m impressed by the members who are joining and this month with Dawn and Morgan that trend continues! Hope you are all having a great summer and that we have the opportunity to meet at either a fall retreat (still a work in progress) or at a future tradeshow. Take care…
Deb
Chicago Tribune Link: Babes with Bullets and other women who believe the Constitution …
Heartbeat of the WOMA – June 2011
June 10, 2011 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under WOMA News
Each month we try through the “Heartbeat” blog to keep members in tune with what is going on with and for the Women’s Outdoor Media Association. I urge each of you to take the time to read the board meeting minutes, carefully prepared for all of us by Chris Quam, Secretary of the WOMA. The board meeting minutes reflect the WOMA team reports for Membership, Web, PR/Marketing, and Editorial. Another team that is moving forward relates to By-laws and it is led by Chris Quam. ChrisQ@HiVizSights.com
The WOMA organizational bylaws are concerned with the operation of the organization, setting out the form, manner or procedure in which the organization should be run. They provide for meetings and how meetings of directors and board members are conducted, elections of a board of directors, filling vacancies, notices, what officers the organization will have and a description of their duties, committees, assessments and other routine conduct.
Her team will be meeting in July so that by early fall we can send on to each member a request to vote on by-law revisions.
Through the last six months we’ve received 14 either bylaw revision requests and/or specific policies to be considered for the WOMA from members. If you have specific policy suggestions for the WOMA organization we welcome any and all. These will be taken under serious consideration and voted upon at monthly board meetings.
If you are interested in serving on one of the teams please email WOMA President, Marsha Petrie Sue, at Marsha@theWOMA.com . One of our new members (WELCOME) is Cameon Eizenzimmer. Cami has a strong background in website design, social media, and is active in a variety of shooting sports. She is stepping up to help Cindy Noyes, our Treasurer, who is taking over duties as the WOMA webmaster. Cindy will be replacing Paige Eissinger, who remains a valued member of the WOMA! We very much appreciate her professional manner in assisting Cindy throughout the month of May to make this transition smoother.
By now each member of the WOMA will have received copies of the new brochure. Please use it when presenting the WOMA to new potential members or possibly include it as part of your presentation when discussing ways to get more media on women active in shooting sports, hunting, fishing or archery. The conversations and presentations you make about the WOMA would also make a great blog so please submit those to editor@theWOMA.com . Thanks and hope you have a great summer!
- Deb
Lisa Learns to Roller Ski!
May 28, 2011 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under Just Chillin', On the Road
Lanny & Tracey Barnes (WOMA members and Olympic Biathletes) attended a recent Babes with Bullets camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The twin sisters “roller ski” to stay in shape for their 2014 Olympic quest. Here they are showing Lisa Munson, our Babes instructor, how to roller ski. I suggested we start Lisa at the top of the hill and just push her on the roller skis to go down; we’d catch her at the bottom. No one thought that was a good idea except me. As you can see in this photo they all survived the lesson just fine!
WOMA Members Attend Babes With Bullets Camp
May 26, 2011 by Mia Anstine
Filed under On the Road
Being a part of the WOMA is such a fantastic thing. We are offered, and we share, so many opportunities through this organization. Last fall I attended the annual WOMA retreat in Gunnison, Colorado. It was a pleasure to meet some of my outstanding colleagues that make the WOMA happen. I was invited to sign up for a shooting camp while I was at that retreat. The camp is called Babes with Bullets and the director is the WOMA’s very own Deb Ferns. I enjoy shooting very much and had been wanting to work on my pistol shooting so I was interested right away. I signed up for the pistol camp which was to be held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I anxiously awaited spring time and camp. It would be my chance to practice with my pistol as well as meet up with more WOMA members and also make new friends who may share the vision of the WOMA.
We received our camp updates from Kay Miculek. She is head instructor at Babes with Bullets, as well as multi-time National and World Champion. Our latest update informed us that May is spring time in many parts of the country, but in Steamboat Springs,Colorado, the snow was still coming. She was in touch with us with last minute reminders, preparations and housing information. We were unable to get to Bear Mountain Ranch, where we were supposed to be staying, so Kay sent info with a new location to be called home for three days. We made our trek to camp and I joined up with fellow WOMA members, Marsha Petrie Sue, Chris Quam, Lanny Barnes, Tracy Barnes, Anne Draper and Deb Ferns.
Due to the weather, the Babes with Bullets crew had to do a lot of improvising and they didn’t miss a step. They made camp happen without a glitch and teh 20 ladies, including our WOMA members, were able to relax, have fun, and most importantly, learn a lot in just a few days. We did quite a few dry fire drills with our pistols, learning to safely quick draw, raise, steady and shoot our pistols and then finally learning to shoot and reload while on the move. It was so amazing to see ladies who had never touched a pistol quickly maneuver and shoot the various stages at the camp.
Despite the snow, rain, sleet and hail, the camp was outstanding and I would recommend it to any lady whether they are long time shooters or have never touched a firearm. The instructors are athletes who hold multiple National and World titles and, despite their grandiose achievements, are very professional as well as extremely friendly. The ladies at Babes with Bullets were fabulous. We learned a lot and met and made new friends. Thank you to the WOMA for giving us the opportunity to meet such outstanding women.
Heartbeat of the WOMA – April 2011
April 6, 2011 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under WOMA News
The mission of the WOMA remains positive and focused on our mission: “increasing media coverage of women who are active in traditional outdoor sports, especially shooting, hunting, fishing and archery.” As always, we encourage you to log in to the WOMA website and read the minutes and attachments from the March board meeting. If you do have any specific questions please send those to me, DFerns@Earthlink.net.
Where Marsha and Deb Meet Sheriff Paul Babeu
January 31, 2011 by Amy Shaw
Filed under On the Road
Here’s Marsha Petrie Sue (on left) with Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and Deb Ferns at an NRA Women’s Leadership Forum luncheon held in Tucson, Ariz., in late January. The NRA recently awarded Babeu, President of the Arizona Sheriff’s Association, the title “National Sheriff of the Year,” based on votes from his peers from the United States. According to Marsha, “Paul gave an outstanding speech on the critical problems facing Arizona borders.” Deb remarked, ”Sheriff Babeu didn’t pull any political punches and gave this audience devastating numbers and instances where the Federal government continues to turn its back on the problems facing Arizona with its illegal aliens.”
Marsha Petrie Sue, Sheriff Paul Babeu, Deb Ferns. Submitted photo.
Members of The Women’s Outdoor Media Association: Do you have a snapshot of a recent event or road trip you want to share with us? Send to kathy at thewoma.com. And, do not forget to send a photo, too.
Oh, What A WOMA Week!
The Board of Directors of The Women’s Outdoor Media Association wrapped up an eventful and busy week at the 33rd Annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show, held from Jan. 18-21, at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. We’ll bring you details in the near future, but know that your board hit the ground running — with a booth in the shotgun section of Media Day at the Range.
My First Hunt – Buffalo by Durango
December 31, 2010 by Christine Quam
Filed under On the Road
I had been presented with the opportunity to harvest a buffalo with two other WOMA members. I had wanted to get into hunting, but had only ever shot target sports previously. I didn’t know where or how to begin.
Heartbeat of The WOMA
December 18, 2010 by Deborah Ferns
Filed under WOMA News
I’m making a list, I’m checking it twice . . . and I’m going to share that list to make sure our members are up to speed on the flurry of activity involving The Women’s Outdoor Media Association! Here goes . . . Read more
