What do Hogs know about Blogs and more?

The HAHWG (yes HOG)  group recently hosted a meeting at Horseshoe Ranch off Bloody Basin Road in Arizona.

OK – HAHWG stands for Hunting and Angling Heritage Work Group.  Attended by many wildlife groups, the focus of the meeting was how to grow your association, expand client base and increase volunteerism. As a WOMA board member and my husband is a board member of the Arizona Antelope Foundation, we decided to attend. All I can say is WOW! What excitement to move to the next steps.

My head is full of fabulous ideas. One of the agenda items that we can all use is keywords, phrases and positive messages specifically for the outdoors. There are a number of studies that have identified this information to grab the attention of the very people that will read your story, use your product or employ your services. These examples work for re-activating lapsed hunters, fishermen and others, as well as reaching people who are interested in the outdoors but haven’t taken the first step.

1. The following is taken from a Responsive Management Study: Developing  an integrated Marketing campaign to bring back Lapsed Hunters in Virginia: Identifying Words and Phrases that Work

- Safe

- Controlled Environment

- Building Memories

- Heritage

- Traditions

- Connect with Nature

- Quality Time

- Fun

- Get Away from it All

- Relaxing

- Excitement

- Family Activity

- Health and Lifestyle

- Character Developing

2. The following information is taken from: Meat and Meanings: Adult Onset Hunts’ Cultural Discourses of the Hunt, Master’s thesis, Tovar Cerulli, University of Massachusetts, 2011

Hunting, fishing, outdoor activities, are culturally significant because:

“they make you feel more connected”

“you get to “you get to know nature”

“it is primal, innate, a natural thing to do”

“it is spiritual’

“it builds camaraderie, sense of community, sharing, unifying”

“take your place as part of the natural cycle”

“gives connection with what you put into your body”

“of its renewable resource focus”

Underlying propositions:

- it’s good to feel connected to nature, it’s good to do natural things, it’s good to feel connected to other humans, and it’s good to feel connected to ancient heritage

3. Prominent Cultural Key Words and Phrases for Adult On-Set Hunters:

Connection/connected, relationship, nature/natural, land, responsibility/responsible, understanding/awareness, participate/ interact, respect/respectful, health/healthy, focused/engaged/alert, excitement/exciting, intensity/intense, challenge/challenging, powerful/deep, clean-kill/humane, pride/challenging, powerful, gratitude/thankful, and eat/food, wanting to eat good food.

And thanks to the 2012 Winter HAHWG Meeting for supplying all of this information and to Arizona Game and Fish for organizing the meeting. And to Doug and Craig for their outstanding leadership!

Click here for FaceBook Pictures!

Let’s all get on the positive side of neutral by considering these words for your written word or for the spoken word.

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WOMA Booth A Big Hit at the 2012 Shot Show!

All I can say is WOW!  The Women’s Outdoor Media Association BOD members Deb Ferns and Melita Ellington did an outstanding job with our booth at the Shot Show.  We have been having a very successful week with meeting and greeting many of the folks that stopped by to chat and inquire about the WOMA mission of focusing on increasing media coverage of women who are active in traditional outdoor sports, especially shooting, hunting, fishing and archery.  It has also been a great week for attracting new sponsors for the WOMA!  If you are still at the show, drop by and see us!  We are on the 3rd floor, just across from the Press Room, a great location.

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Free Marketing For You and Your Company!

Would you like a free marketing opportunity at the SHOT Show January 17 to 20^th, in Las Vegas?

The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) is the largest and most comprehensive trade show for all professionals involved with the shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries.   There are over 2,200 exhibits and more than 40,000 attendees at this annual event.

One of the many benefits of your membership in the WOMA is to have your brochures and/or flyers at the WOMA booth, this year located at L344 near the Press Room. Maximize the value of your WOMA membership by letting us know if you want WOMA to be part of your marketing strategy! And remember this is free!

Let us know as soon as possible if you would like to have a threefold brochure or flyer at the WOMA booth by contacting Marsha@TheWOMA.com or Deb@TheWOMA.com.

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Pleasant Pheasant Feast

When my husband Al returned from North Dakota Pheasant hunting, accompanying him was a cooler full of these game birds. I had no idea what to do with them but knew that I would find new and interesting ways to prepare this delicacy. Searching and asking friends brought this wonderful dish to our table.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 pheasant
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water or broth
• Barbecue sauce, optional
• Marinade:

-       1/3 cup soy sauce

-       3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

-       3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

-       2 tablespoons minced garlic, optional

-       1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring

-       1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

-       3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

-       Onion powder, to taste

Preparation:

Rinse pheasant. Place pheasant in a large bowl with salt; cover with water. Let pheasant soak for 1 hour – drain and rinse.

Combine marinade ingredients. Put pheasant and marinate in large non-reactive container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally to keep pheasant coated.

Discard marinade and transfer pheasant to slow cooker; add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. 
Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. About 30 minutes before done, coat pheasant with barbecue sauce, if desired.

I accompanied this dish with wild rice and a green lettuce salad.  A wonderful bottle of Pinot Noir is a great accompaniment.  Bon Appetite! And thanks Al for adding to our game reserve in our freezer!

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Don’t Fence Me In!

For over thirty minutes, the nine Pronghorn stood at the four-rung barbed wire fence on the Vaca Ranch in Sonoita, Arizona. 

The Game and Fish regional manager watched the antelope walk off to find a place where they could dive under the fence to move the small herd to the good forbs (wildflowers, weeds, etc.) eating area.  The problem?  Coyotes and mountain lions will ‘push’ the group into this type of barbed fence and the young goats become part of the food chain.

Because Pronghorn don’t typically jump over a fence, the Arizona Antelope Foundation (AAF) works with local ranchers to strip off their barbed wire and replace the bottom line of wire with smooth wire 18″ high. In addition, water catchment areas are enhanced for the animals’ drinking pleasure.

My husband Al and I participate in many of these AAF projects  … setting up camp on Friday, working all day Saturday and breaking camp to head home on Sunday. We are lucky to have fabulous leaders in the AAF and an incredible group of volunteers.  Many times we have Boy and Girl Scout troops, biology students from Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University and others. Our members even bring their kids and that is fabulous! 

Before I married Al, I had never camped – well maybe if the Ritz Carlton didn’t have turndown service! Thankfully he has opened up an entire new chapter of my life to the outdoors, the importance of managing our forests and taking care of our precious hunting lands.

Before managing the fences became a priority, this animal population was on the decline. I am honored to be part of this restoration. The herd numbers are steadily on the increase.  And I think I heard the Pronghorn singing their anthem,  ‘Don’t Fence Me In‘ as we left the ranch!

Please check the rest of the pictures on FaceBook!

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Heartbeat of the WOMA – July 2011

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 …

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FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

Our simple freedoms have been violated. Many are now worried about their companies, their business, their customers and clients. The status of our daily lives, both personally and professionally has been changed forever. The one element we control is our personal freedom. Freedom begins with you and by taking personal responsibility for everything — including your success.
The first step to renew freedom is to develop a free agent mind set. Be willing to accept and grow with the talents your have. See yourself as a winner. And remember that no one owes you anything. Ever.
The road to freedom is the following seven laws. What will you be willing to focus on and change? Do you have the passion to be really free – because freedom is not free.

Law 1: Independence is the best hedge against a downturn.

In fact, free agents are safer in an economic storm than their job-holding counterparts. The reason: They’re diversified and they leverage their talents.  If you are working for someone else, become a diversified intra-free agent. Learn everything you can to protect your future! Either way, take control of your future and your freedom.

Law 2: When times get tougher, quality counts.

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DO THE RIGHT THING: It’s all about customer service

By Marsha Petrie Sue, MBA

The Wallow Fire in Arizona has been devastating. Many people have lost their homes that were surrounded by towering pines and crystal blue skies. One month before the fire, my husband changed all of our cabin insurance to Allstate because of a recommendation from a dear friend.

The policies were activated with one condition concerning the Alpine retreat because the risk managers wanted a few small trees trimmed. Receiving the notice right before we left on an eight-day celebration of my birthday still gave us plenty of time to get to the property, trim the vegetation and take pictures of the completed work when we returned June 8th.

Watching television the evening of May 29 in our Maui condo to catch up on the news was numbing. The Wallow Fire had started very close to our mountain community and the very next day the residents were told there was a mandatory evacuation and everyone must leave by 7PM because of the impending forest fire. We were stunned.

We contacted our agent, Ana Escobedo, and told her what had happened. She informed us that the pictures of the trimmed trees needed to be received by the previously set date of June 15th or the policy would be cancelled. The company has rules and the Arizona Department of Insurance said Allstate was within the law. Our opinion? They weren’t doing the right thing! Still under evacuation orders from the Sherriff’s department, there was no way we would meet their deadline.

Al, my husband, and his attention to detail, caught Ana’s company’s eye as she had passed on the correspondence. Al had sent numerous emails detailing every component of why we couldn’t access the property and included the metal roof we installed along with treating the wood logs a week before our departure to Maui. He included an explanation of how we annually clear the grounds of pine needles and deadfall after the winters snow.

Ana was focused on getting a positive outcome for us and spent sleepless nights trying to solve our dilemma. She couldn’t get anything done by email or phone, so decided to drive to the Allstate Regional headquarters and speak to someone who could extend our deadline. In route, she received a call explaining that Allstate had reinstated our cabin insurance and we should get the pictures to them as soon as we could! They lived up to their company slogan, “You’re in good hands with Allstate!”

Within minutes, we were on our way to meet Ana. She told us that the reason she chose this insurance company to work with was because they instilled in their people to always “do the right thing.” And they certainly did!

When you think of your business and as a consumer in today’s environment, ask yourself these questions:

As a Business leader:

1. Do you hire people that have the moral compass to do the right thing?

2. Do you give them the authority to make decisions?

3. Does the company have the right resources and people in place to answer any question and solve any problem?

4. Do you make yourself available?

5. Are employees rewarded when they do “Do the right thing?”

As a Consumer:

1. Do you give correct information to a customer service rep that is trying to help you?

2. Do you stay calm and understand the outcomes you can create if your angst shows?

3. Are you a good listener?

4. Do you ask good questions and dig deep to see what are the possibilities?

5. Do you keep notes about your conversation with names, detail and dates?

Now go do the right thing! (And contact Ana anae@allstate.com if you want excellence in client care for all your insurance needs!)

Marsha’s gift to you and your team: Download Customer Service and Client Care audio program at http://marshapetriesue.com/customerservicegift/

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Heartbeat of the WOMA – June 2011

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

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WOMA Members Attend Babes With Bullets Camp

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.

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