Two and half years ago when I lost my husband, I was suddenly left in a situation where I was needing and wanting to find new ways to continue to hunt, new people to hunt with, new places to go, etc. I do hunt with my in-laws in North Florida, but without Bo, I knew that if I was going to continue to learn and grow as a hunter, I was going to have to step outside of my comfort zone and go down some new avenues. I decided to look in my area for other women who hunt.
The first organization I contacted was “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” (BOW) offered through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The program offers workshops in more than 40 states, with over 20,000 participants annually. The workshops start on Friday at noon and go through Sunday. According to the BOW website (http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/bow/), “The workshops introduce women to a variety of activities equally balanced between hunting and shooting, fishing, and non-harvest sports like canoeing and camping. Participants choose from a list of over 20 activities . . . In addition to learning new activities, BOW participants are also treated to a variety of evening entertainment including outdoor clothing fashion shows, bird shows featuring live hawks and owls, outdoor storytelling, raffle prizes, and more.” Funding for the program is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Wisconsin Environmental Education Board, and other organizations.
Luckily, Florida has an active BOW program. I have attended several of these weekend workshops. I found them to be everything the brochure promised and more. I made new friends, I sharpened some skills and I learned some new things. I think because of my interests, the shooting clinics have been my favorite. The workshops allow you to bring your own firearms to learn and practice with. The instructors are all very knowledgeable, very patient and very helpful. It was at BOW that I learned how to use Bo’s 30.06 and how to use the shotgun that he bought me for my birthday several years ago. I also enjoyed the archery lessons. I am not a bow hunter (yet!!), so this was my first real introduction to archery. I enjoyed the instructor so much; I actually took some private lessons with her at her school in another part of the state.
The BOW workshops were a good opportunity for me to learn, but also a good chance for me to do something I love, with new friends, in the outdoors, to get away from home and work and reality – to relax and get some fresh air, while honoring my husband and his love for hunting and the outdoors and all of the things he and I did together.
While attending a BOW event, a woman I met asked me if I had ever heard of “Women in the Outdoors” (WITO) sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). I had not. But, when I got home I got online….and found the group. http://www.womenintheoutdoors.org. WITO has over 44,000 members and offers activities all across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Over the past couple years I have attended several of their events as well. According to their website, “Women in the Outdoors events are held across the country using experts and trained professionals to teach outdoor skills in a noncompetitive environment. With 44,000 members across the United States and Canada, the Women in the Outdoors program helps members develop outdoor skills and emphasizes the importance of wildlife management and the role of hunters in conservation.” In addition to offering workshops similar to BOW, WITO offers actual all women’s hunts. This was very appealing to me, and exactly what I was in search of. Real hunts, all women, with choices on types of hunts, different costs ranges, located in different parts of the state, different firearms being used, guided or semi-guided, etc. The choices are endless, so there is basically something for everyone. I have harvested two hogs and one doe on my WITO hunts in the past year. And I made some wonderful memories surrounded by other women with interests similar to my own. I have another WITO hunt planned for the last weekend in April 2007. This is a hog hunt in Inglis, Florida.
Another program that I do not have any personal experience with, yet, is the NRA’s “Women on Target” program. They also offer hunts of all types across the United States. I am attending an all women’s instructional shooting clinic in April of 2006 in Orlando, Florida. I am looking forward to going, and hope to learn more about the group on this trip.
And finally, last but certainly not least, I found WomenHunters, Inc. This has been a wonderful experience for me. WH has given me the chance to write, read, volunteer and learn – about hunting, when I am not hunting. I began as a member, and then became a writer, and then a web article editor, and then a general board member and the newsletter editor. I have also developed some amazing friendships via WH, which was unexpected, but welcomed. This is just another way that I have positively spent some of my spare time, stayed connected to hunting and the outdoors, while continuing to learn.
While we never know what the future holds, I, like many of you, thought that I would always be hunting with my husband. I never imagined or had any desire to hunt outside of where our family property is, or to hunt with anyone besides Bo, etc. Because of circumstances, I did look for other ways to stay active without Bo. On all of these trips and journeys through the past couple years, I have realized that there are many women who are looking for opportunities such as the ones listed here. I have met single moms, I have met other widowed women, I have met divorced and single women and I have met women who simply prefer to hunt with other women. The options are out there, but they don’t come to you, you have to seek them out. In the grief journey I have learned that we do not walk alone, meaning, there are others who know deep loss and pain. And, I have realized over the past couple years when it comes to my desire to continue to hunt, to learn, to meet new people and to find new options and ways to hunt, I don’t have to walk alone, and neither do you.
