3rd Annual Ducks Unlimited Women’s Media Camp

For every hunter out there, nothing can relate to the excitement and the memories made during that first hunt. For Kristen Monroe, her first duck hunt was certainly no exception to this well known fact. Plus to make this hunt even more unforgettable, she got to share it with some of the guys from Ducks Unlimited.

For us hunters, every hunting experience is special for different reasons. There is one particular hunt that comes to mind that I am especially thankful for; my first duck hunt. Not just because of the beautiful pintail drake I took home, but for the new friends and knowledge that was gained. Mike Checkett and Chris Jennings of Ducks Unlimited hosted the 3^rd annual Women’s Media Camp at Bay Flats Lodge in Seadrift, Texas. Understanding the relationship between conservation and hunting has always been important to me. Checkett and Jennings were the perfect teachers. 12 women including myself, walked away from this camp with a better understanding of duck hunting, an appreciation for the value of wetlands, and how Ducks Unlimited works to preserve and restore them.

 

Jennings explained the importance of the healthy wetlands, Ducks Unlimited works year round to protect. Wetlands are the key to keeping the wildlife abundant and crucial for a healthy living environment for people. They help purify the water by removing nitrogen and phosphorus along with any toxic chemicals that may exist. Marshlands are home to more than 900 wildlife species and they also help control soil erosion and subduing floods.

There is nothing comparable to hunting with like-minded individuals and swapping stories for a few days. Ducks Unlimited managed to evoke the love for waterfowl and wetlands in many women media members that didn’t already have it. In 1937, a small group of sportsman started a group with a single mission, habitat conservation. To this day 12 million acres of the most critical habitat for waterfowl has been conserved and restored. Congratulations for becoming one of the most effective conservation groups in the world Ducks Unlimited and Happy 75^th anniversary!

“At Least Once in Her Life”…by Diane Z Nafis

This article, by a recent Babes with Bullets Alum, tells how one woman received training at camp and is paying it forward:

Women and guns; a perfect match and in my case it relates to shooting a pistol.  The two important factors are to find the gun that fit right, both for hand size and strength, and to get some training designed for the woman shooter. Personally, the gun choice was easy.  I went to the gun store alone, politely listened to the representative then had him show me pistols until I found one that fit my hand comfortably.  My first gun was a Smith & Wesson J frame .357 revolver with a 2.5 inch barrel.  (It is still my go-to gun for relaxing shooting.)

While purchasing the gun was fairly easy the training part was tricky.  Every man shooting at the local range on any given day had advice for me, the petite 60-something year old woman in the next lane.  For years it was fairly easy to ignore them once I got a look at the shot placement on their targets.  Even though I was improving in accuracy on my own, I knew I needed training because I was not consistent.  Watching the Outdoor Channel (www.OutdoorChannel.com/BabeswithBullets) webisodes I discovered Babes with Bullets.  Every woman should experience Babes with Bullets camp at least once in her life!  It’s a unique opportunity to be trained by top women shooters in the company of like-minded women eager to learn. 

The entire experience of the Babes with Bullets camp gave me wings.  My confidence soared!  With instruction and encouragement my abilities improved faster than I could have possibly have imagined.  New grip, new stance, new focal point; then draw from a holster and fire an accurate shot.  Now add moving while shooting and then bring on moving targets too.  Increase the speed of the draw and first shot.  All this in three days and at the end of each day I wanted to stay and shoot just one more round of targets or another match course.  Each evening I felt pleasant exhaustion as I anticipated the next day.  The astounding progress of each and every shooter, whether they were campers who had attended more than one Babes with Bullets camp or a novice who had never touched a gun prior to camp, is something you simply have to experience for yourself.

I came home to New Jersey anxious to find a range where I could practice and excited to tell anyone who would listen about my camp experience.  Enthusiasm is contagious as in just one week I had arranged to take three neighbors to our local range for their first time shooting and had encouraged one to apply for her firearms ID, which is a long and arduous process in gun-phobic New Jersey.

Having used one of Smith & Wesson’s full size M&P 9mm pistols for camp, along with already owning several Smith & Wesson pistols, I was happily looking for a new pistol.  I bought a Model SW1911 E-series .45 ACP.  I admit that I chose this particular gun because it looks good (if there is such a thing as a sexy gun, this is it) but mostly because it fits my hand, has great balance and felt right when I acquired a sight picture looking down the barrel.  With my new-found skills and shooting strengths, the bigger caliber is fun to shoot.  The Hi Viz sights on my new gun are the same as the ones on the M&P I was shooting at camp, a plus for starting with a new caliber.  On my first trip to the range with my new gun I had a sparkle in my eye.   I enjoyed watching the man in the next lane peeking around the wall to make sure it was a woman shooting that tight group of shots with a “big gun” at 10 yards.

I hope to celebrate my 65^th year with another trip to a Babes with Bullets camp in 2013.  For 2012 I’m looking for local IDPA competitions and a chance to start Cowboy Action Shooting in the mounted division with my American Warmblook mare, Katie Scarlett O’Hara.

WOMA Members Lanny and Tracy Barnes to be featured at OTIS Booth!

 

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!

WOMA Platinum Sponsor, Otis Technology Announces Olympic Endorsements

 

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 …

OTIS Technology Wins PM100 for Second Consecutive Year!

Journey to Mt. Saint Helens

This was my first experience with Mt. Saint Helens in the Spring.  Snow still covered the mountain in early June.  There were no wild flowers to speak of and we saw very few animals except for a lone coyote climbing in the hills.  The wind was blowing but the sun was shining and the mountain, or what was left of it, was completely visible.   It still looks like a moonscape here.  The trees have not yet come back.  The explosion was 31 years ago and it still looks like it happened yesterday.

In our journey to the mountain, there were several places to stop in and view different films of that fateful day in May 1980.  There are geological exhibits that you can walk through, and the forests leading up to the mountain are all labeled with when they were replanted.  Some date back to 1980 while others are more recent.  It takes about an hour to get to the first Vistor’s Center driving north on I-5 from Portland, Oregon and makes a great day trip.  As long as the weather is clear, it will be well worth your journey.

Morgan Craft Earns Position on Junior World Team for Team USA

Photos and article courtesy of The Sullivan Review

Morgan Craft, a senior at Sullivan County High School, in Pennsylvania, earned a position on the Junior World Team for Team USA in international skeet and will travel to Belgrade, Serbia in September 2011 to compete at the ISSF World Championships!  Morgan placed second for the junior women based on a combined score from the national Shotgun Championships held in July in Colorado Springs, CO and the Fall Selection match held in September in Kerrville, TX.  Craft also competed at the NSSA World Skeet Championship in Tulsa, OK in October where she finished first in the ladies division.

She has received a four-year Shooting Sport Scholarship to Lindenwood University in Missouri  where she is planning to study Exercise Science and afterwards pursue her doctorate in Physical Therapy.  Besides her many high school activities she is President of the National Honor Society, Co-Captain of the Shooting Sports Club, Vice Chairperson of the PA Governors Youth Council on Fishing, Hunting, and Conservation.  She received the PIAA Female Sportsmanship Award.  Morgan also volunteers for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, NWTF, Women in the Outdoors and the North Mountain Sportsmen’s Association.  She served as chairperson for the Tiadaghton Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committee for three years and was named the youngest chairperson for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in the nation.

I had the chance to speak with Morgan this morning and congratulate her on her outstanding achievements.  Her grandparents started her in shooting around 10-11 years old through the 4H programs.  From there she had attended several NRA Camps and about her second year she really got involved in competitive shooting.

In addition to her shotgun competion shooting sports she is also an avid hunter.  Archery season is her favorite.

Morgan is very excited to travel to Serbia in September for the ISSF World Championships!  Her shooting has taken her nationwide so far, but this will be her first international travel for competition.  What an accomplished young lady so far…and so much more for her to experience and enjoy!  We are very excited for Morgan and look forward to following her career!

“They Support Us”

For the past 2011 Spring Turkey Season I was very fortunate to be on assignment for Game & Fish Magazine and on set for the production for the new season of Benelli on Assignment beginning July 1 on Outdoor Channel.  Although I am excited about every opportunity for a spring turkey hunt, this event will be one of my favorites and will always give me that warm and fuzzy feeling. Joe Coogan (Benelli Brand Marketing Manager and Host of BOA) and Cristie Gates, (Benelli Media & Exhibit Mgr) worked hard to bring several women from across the nation together for a hunt on the beautiful privately owned Sarco Creek Ranch, Goliad Texas. I don’t use that word lightly, the ranch was gorgeous and the people were just as beautiful. Milton Greeson was our gracious host, and John Welder was his right hand man and were very successful at making all the girls feel like a Princess!

I was pumped about being able to shoot the new semi automatic, Stoeger M3500 with the new Federal Premium Mag-Shok #7. I believe that all our guns were new on the market, and to us, which is sometimes a little intimidating, but with no delay, we were off to the gun range.  Ergo with expert instruction from Joe and Cristie, we patterned our guns and gained confidence! As with all hunts, the times between the hunts are where lots of memories are made. Bunking with the girls, talking til the wee hours of the morning, and then RISING in the wee hours of the morning, we all kept up the pace and it was somewhat exhilarating to be exhausted!

Joe, our gracious host for the show, had scheduled and organized for months to ensure the timely execution of the production and the turkey! It all worked out great, (although not always on cue, the turkey‘s did not realize they were the “stars“ of the show). The patience and perseverance of the girls, the guides, Joe, and the camera crew are all to be commended, and proved that with the right camo clothing and gear, you can hide up to 6 people from several turkey only a short 25-30 yards away!

I could go on about the hunt, and you can be sure I will another time, but I would really like to take this opportunity to praise the sponsors. It is very promising to see the industry support and encourage women to hunt. With Benelli taking the initiative, there were several companies that stood with them to make this hunt possible, and that is what truly gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling.

As Glen Beck might say, “They support us”, so I say, lets support them.   Please check out their websites and please remember them when you, or someone you love needs gear for the field:

www.BenelliUSA.com for the guns, the hunt, and the new found friends. Only the best for us! Thanx Joe & Cristie for all of your efforts. A job extremely well done!

www.HuntersSpecialties.com for supplying turkey gear for the hunt, with various calls, seats, vests, you name it they sent it.

www.FederalPremium.com for all the ammunition and also for Jason Nash who called in my Tom & Melissa Juneske who gets the “Roommate of the Year” award!

www.SHESafari.com for all the great camo clothing! We were Invisible and Cute! (As I always say, “Camo can be Classy”TM )

www.BurrisOptics.com for the awesome FastFire scopes attached to our shotguns! It is an amazingly helpful tool when aiming at that turkey’s small head down that big barrel!

www.HazelCreekTaxidermyInc.com for the realistic decoys that brought them in close, and also the expert calling lesson!

www.RealTree.com and http://www.underarmour.com for providing camo for the men and guides who led us to victory! (I will have to add, they were also Invisible and cute!)

“Thanx for the Memories……”

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