The Outdoor Scene

Women hunters, anglers, target shooters and callers throughout the United States racked up some amazing accomplishments in 2009. Below is a sampling of the women who headlined the Women’s Outdoor Wire throughout the last year. Congratulations to them and the many other women who caught their first fish, busted their first clay or bagged their first gobbler. While this list of accomplished females is far from complete, every woman who took the time to care for herself by spending time outdoors with the important people in her life was a winner. So, as you grapple for meaningful New Year’s resolutions in the next few weeks, promise yourself that in 2010 you’ll get outdoors more to kayak, canoe, mountain bike, backpack, bird watch, camp, climb, garden, hike, hunt, fish, target shoot or just enjoy nature.

Have a wonderful new year and enjoy revisiting the amazing outdoor women of 2009.

January

Haley Heath
Sportsman Channel TV show “Family Traditions,” hosted by Haley Heath, took top honors from viewers and won the coveted Viewer Favorite Personality Award, the first time this award went to a female.

February

Kim Bain-Moore
Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first woman in history to compete in the Bassmaster Classic after clinching the Women’s Bassmaster Tour Championship and points race in 2008.

Capt. Joan Vernon
To honor more than three decades of exceptional conservation efforts and fishing achievements, The Billfish Foundation’s Capt. Joan Vernon was inducted into the 2009 Big Game Room Hall of Fame.

March

Audrey McQueen
Audrey McQueen of Eager, Ariz., claimed her ninth World Elk Calling Championship at the Leupold/Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation event in Fort Worth, Texas. A week later, she became a first-time mother!

April

Lily Spang
A single wood duck, painted by 16-year-old Lily Spang of Toledo, Ohio, was selected to appear on the 2009-2010 Federal Junior Duck Stamp.

May

Lisa Munson
SVI’s Lisa Munson captured the Women’s Title at the 2009 U.S. Practical Shooting Association Single Stack National Championships.

Rachael Heiden
Rachael Heiden captured the bronze in Women’s Trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Cairo, Egypt.  It was her first ever World Cup appearance. She then went on to claim the championship title at the 2009 Shotgun National Junior Olympics Trap event in August.

Connie Smotek
Two-time Olympian Connie Smotek of Bryan, Texas, claimed the bronze medal in the Women’s Skeet event at the 2009 ISSF World Cup for Shotgun.

June

Caitlin Connor
Caitlin Connor of Winnfield, La., took home her first ever ISSF World Cup medal when she claimed the silver in the Women’s Skeet event in Minsk, Belarus.

Jamie Beyerle
2008 Olympian Jamie Beyerle of Lebanon, Pa., took home the title in Women’s 50m 3 Position Rifle and Women’s10m Air Rifle at the 2009 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol. Then in October, Beyerle earned the bronze in Women’s 50m 3 Position Rifle at the 2009 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final in Wuxi, China.

Brenda Shinn
2008 Olympian Brenda Shinn of Riverside, Calif., won the Women’s 10m Air Pistol at the 2009 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol.

Libby Callahan
Four-time Olympian Libby Callahan of Columbia, S.C., captured the title in Women’s 25m Sport Pistol at the 2009 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle and Pistol.

July

Amber English
Olympic Training Center resident athlete Amber English claimed the women’s title in Skeet at the 2009 Shotgun National Junior Olympics. In August, English won the silver medal in the Junior Women’s Skeet event at the 2009 ISSF Shotgun World Championships in Maribor, Slovenia and the Junior Women’s Skeet team of English, Ali Chiang and Caitlin Connor took home the gold and set a Junior World Record in the team competition.

Corey Cogdell
2008 Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell earned a national title in the Trap Event at the 2009 USA Shooting National Shotgun Championships.

August

Jessie Abbate
Action shooter and Glock team member Jessie Abbate set five new world records on her way to scoring a hat trick at the 2009 Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships. She won the Ladies Open Rimfire Pistol, Limited Pistol and Open Pistol titles. In addition to collecting top honors in three divisions, Abbate claimed the coveted Ladies Steel Master title, which is for the best combined time of the three events. In September, Abbate won back-to-back national titles at the Smith & Wesson 2009 U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s (USPSA) National Handgun Championships for the second year in a row.

Emily Shaffer
Women’s Bassmaster Tour pro angler Emily Shaffer, a native of Tennessee, was inducted into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as an angler as well as sharing her passion for fishing with others.

September

Joella Bates
Tennessee native Joella Bates became the first woman to arrow Africa’s big 5 – a lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, white rhinoceros and leopard. Bates accomplished this feat in the span of a month.

October

Pam Martin-Wells
Pam Martin-Wells of Bainbridge, Ga., won the coveted 2009 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Women’s Tour Angler of the Year trophy and a 2010 Bassmaster Classic berth.

Tasha Hanish
Tasha Hanish from the FNH USA Shooting Team took home a National Title in the heavily contested Tactical Optics Division at the USPSA Multi Gun National.

Judy Nugent
Judy Nugent and videographer Michael Garvin were nominated for an Emmy by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their work on a special episode of Outdoor Wisconsin.

Lynn Montjoy
Lynn Montjoy of Greenwood, S.C., won the 20-gauge women’s division at the National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2009 World Wild Turkey Still Target Championships.

November

Kim Rhode
For the third consecutive year, Kim Rhode was selected as the USA Shooting Female Athlete of the Year. A four-time Olympic medalist, Rhode shot her way to two World Cup medals this year, claiming the silver in San Marino and the bronze in Munich in the Women’s Skeet event. Rhode was also the 2009 National Champion and finished in first place at the 2009 Shotgun Fall Selection Match, earning a spot on the 2010 World Shooting Championship team. Rhode also finished seventh at the 2009 Shotgun World Championships.

Shelby Free
Shelby Free, a 17-year-old from Stuttgart, Ark., won her third Women’s World Duck Calling Championship title.

December

Sarah Beard and Sandra Uptagrafft
Sarah Beard finished first in Women’s Air Rifle while Sandra Uptagrafft took the top spot in Women’s Pistol on day three of the 2009 Winter Airgun Championships held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

2009

Julie Golob
Team Smith & Wesson member Julie Golob, one of the most successful women in practical shooting, claimed several titles this year including Steel Challenge Ladies Production World Champion, NRA Bianchi Cup Ladies Champion, International Revolver Championships - Ladies Open Champion and NRA Action Pistol Open High Master.

Let’s stay in touch. You can find me at Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

Drive down the main drag of Salley, S.C. and you’d quickly come to the conclusion there isn’t much going on. Sure, there’s a post office in this town of about 400 people as well as a convenience store/gas station and a restaurant named Frogs. But every Saturday after Thanksgiving about 25,000 people descend on this sleepy southern town to party down at the Chitlin’ Strut. For the uninformed, chitlins are pig intestines that when fried or boiled become a traditional delicacy served during the holidays.

People find all kinds of madcap reasons to celebrate, hence the existence of festivals in honor of spam, outhouses and fire ants. However, I know of no other one dedicated to eating swine innards. I’d say it was poppycock, except I saw it with my own eyes. After climbing down from our treestands, my husband and I headed into Salley, the town closest to our hunt club, for a bite to eat and to witness the 44th Annual Chitlin’ Strut.

First, people watching at the Strut made my airport observations seem like a total snooze. There was a fellow dressed like Michael Jackson from his early ‘90s phase when he looked like his sister LaToya. Also present was a guy who dressed and acted like a Hee Haw cast member circa 1969.There were disco divas, hunters in camo, teenage boys in droopy drawers, jogging suits, pajama pants and jeans worn so tight you know they’d eventually cause a medical emergency. There was even someone tooling around in a motorized scooter with a crazy animal print cover.

But the real feast wasn’t for the eyes, it was for the snout. Because the odor wafting out of the kitchen where the cooks prepared the chitlins was reminiscent of, well, excrement. Yet the line for chitlin dinners extended for blocks. In fact, the Augusta Chronicle reported about 4,000 pounds of chitlins were served, presumably covered in hot sauce, vinegar or something to distract the eater’s sense of smell.

While there were all kinds of goings-on associated with the festival including bands, carnival rides, a parade, beauty pageant, tractor show and craft fair, the crown jewel of the Strut was the first ever chitlin-eating contest. Sanctioned by the World League of Competitive Eating, this was no two-bit affair. When the nine contestants stepped up to the table, the crowd surged forward and it was game on. For 10 minutes the competitors gorged themselves to the delight and horror of the crowd. Dale Boone, the reigning world champion of the WLOCE claimed the $1,000 first prize by gobbling up 3 ¼ pounds of hog entrails.

I had briefly entertained the idea of trying a bite of chitlins, until I witnessed the eating contest. Watching people shovel handfuls of smelly pork guts into their kissers was all I needed to convince myself this was one culinary adventure I could skip.

Even though I’m no fan of chitlins, the Strut was a lot of fun. People put away their worries and troubles for a day to laugh with their friends, listen to music, dance and eat. Somewhere else in this country others are probably rejoicing over other edible piggy parts including hog jowls, ham hocks, pig’s feet, cracklins, and maybe even chops, bacon and ribs. That’s one thing you gotta love about porkers. They’re the epitome of gastronomic diversity, suitable to eat “from the rooter to the tooter.”

Check out the photos taken by Augusta Chronicle staffers at the this year’s Chitlin’ Strut: http://spotted.augusta.com/chronicle/display.html?collection=76619&gallery=167694&photo=826757

Oprah Winfrey would have had to announce she was ending her daytime talk show for the media to have noticed something other than Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue book tour last week.

Oh wait, Oprah did call it quits - just days after her show snagged its largest audience in two years. Who did she interview to draw the big ratings? Yep. Sarah Palin.

Palin also was interviewed by Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Barbara Walters and Rush Limbaugh last week. It appeared the media and blogosphere couldn’t get enough of this polarizing figure.

Like much of what Palin does, her book tour is unorthodox…a bus trip through medium-sized towns in the midwest and south, rather than the usual big city stops. Some bloggers and reporters have suggested the book tour is really a political campaign in disguise. Whether you hope she’s elected President of the United States someday or you wouldn’t vote for her if she was running for president of your hunt club, she’s doing something most celebrities don’t do – publicly admitting she hunts and fishes.

A few weeks before, tennis hottie Andre Agassi confessed during his book tour interviews that he wore a dude wig when he played and used crystal meth. That was nothing compared to the excerpt in Going Rogue about Palin hunting with her dad, an enthusiastic science teacher:

“I looked down to see the moose’s eyeballs lying in the palm — in his palm, still warm from the critter’s head, when he saw the wrinkle in my nose and the shake of my head slightly, he set them aside, he realized that even though he had raised me to be a hunting buddy I had my limits.”

During an interview with Palin, you could see big talker Sean Hannity shudder with revulsion at the mere thought of a body part from a dead animal. Palin went on to tell him that hunting with her dad and field dressing big game was part of her upbringing.  And on the hunt mentioned in the book, her dad had two goals: fill the family’s freezer and collect specimens so his students could see what animals were made of.

I know presidential candidates in recent times have used the hunting photo op to shore up their image with rural sportsmen and women. Remember the famous John Kerry goose hunting pics in 2004? Kerry was photographed, but NOT holding one of the four dead geese, presumably because he didn’t want to mess up that cool new camo coat he was sporting.

While others have posed for the cameras, Palin isn’t pretending. And hooray for her, talking about hunting with her father. Many of the women I’ve interviewed say their first memories of hunting and fishing were with their dad. It resonates.

I don’t pretend to know whether or not Palin is suited to lead our country, however, I do appreciate that she’s plain spoken. She doesn’t hide her opinions behind a veil of mumbo jumbo phrases many politicians and business leaders use. It’s no fun to play bullcrap bingo during one of her speeches because you won’t hear words such as “paradigm shift,” “budget-neutral legislation” or “value-added proposition.”

Perhaps her ability to speak directly is a result of being shaped by hunting, fishing and seeing life as it really is by spending time outdoors. If so, maybe more bureaucrats, mainstream reporters and corporate executives should hunt and fish, too.

Like thousands of other people, I will read Going Rogue. And I’m looking forward to it. However, because I’ve “right-sized” my budget (code for “I’m a cheapskate”) I’ll have to wait until I discover a “budget-neutral” opportunity to do so. Or I beg one of my friends to give me their “gently-used” copy.

I’d love to hear what you think about Sarah Palin, her book and her future. Look me up at Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp or post a comment here.

Growing up on a farm, Carina frequently had chores to do after the sun went down, and often felt creeped out in the dark. As an adult, Carina feels a “heightened awareness” that something is present and may jump out at her. Her sixth sense is more animal related versus ghosts, zombies or live, scary people.

Carina Port loves being outdoors during the day, but not so much at night.

“I know it’s completely illogical. I’m a wildlife biologist. But I feel sometimes that something is about to happen. I find myself listening for footsteps.”

After her sophomore year in college, Carina began conducting spotted owl research, which required driving out to the forest in the middle of the night. While the other students reveled in the darkness, Carina would keep her hand on the car, ready to open the door and leap in at a moment’s notice. Fortunately, the spotted owl research didn’t require her to stray too far, so she was allowed to keep her phobia a secret.

After graduation, she started working on a project tracking flying squirrels via radio telemetry, which required hiking up to a mile in the dark. Alone. As Carina put it, she “psyched herself out numerous times.” She experienced rapid breathing and admits she had never felt that kind of fear before. While this was uncommon for a wildlife biologist, Carina took a risk and approached her bosses and co-workers for advice. Their solution was perfect - allow a friend to accompany Carina on her rounds.

The first night they went out, the team was full of bravado - until they heard terrible moaning and yelling sounds coming from the woods. “We both went into super logical mode,” Carina said. “We talked about it. The first time we heard it, it was far away, so we convinced ourselves it was a bird.”

The second time they heard it, it was much closer, only about 50 yards off the road. This time they decided it must be a fox.

Just to be safe, though, the women piled into the truck and drove up and down the road with lights on and horn blaring. When they got back home, an internet search revealed they had heard a female mountain lion in heat. One of Carina’s co-workers had encountered a mountain lion a week earlier, and she, too, was feeling less brave about tracking flying squirrels in the dark. Thus, she joined Carina and her friend on the next mission, but this time they were armed with bear spray and Maglites.

As the trio conducted their first round of radio telemetry, Carina shined her light into what she said looked like a round face. Feeling instant fear, she covered it up by calmly asking “Did you see that? Maybe it was an owl.”

They took a break before making their second round. Carina’s co-worker headed off to one spot and Carina and her friend took off for another. Minutes later, her co-worker radioed, asking in a panicky voice for Carina to come back to her location.

Knowing instinctively what she would find, Carina pulled herself together on the walk back. And sure enough, a mountain lion was crouched behind a bush five feet off the road.

The women quickly agreed on a plan. They gathered in a circle with their backs to each other and puffed out their jackets to make themselves look big. Then they started making a lot of low-pitched noises. After doing this “pretending to be a monster in the forest” routine for several minutes, the big cat jumped up and disappeared.

While on the surface, it sounds like problem solved. In reality, all it meant was they didn’t know where the mountain lion was anymore. So they had to shuffle back to their truck, still in covey formation, like some goofy characters in a TV sitcom. When they finally got inside the vehicle, they burst out laughing. Once the tension was released, though, they rode back in silence, each woman contemplating what could have happened.

Today, Carina wouldn’t call herself 100 percent cured, though a stint living on an island off Sierra Leone in West Africa helped her come to terms with the dangers of that situation. She said she’ll probably never be able to go stargazing alone, though she does enjoy going backpacking ….with her friends.

A recent Top 10 phobia list on Livescience.com heralded slithering snakes as the number one irrational fear, which made me think, “well, duh, what could possibly be more scary?” Interestingly, the number six phobia was fear of the dark.

While some may think being afraid of the dark is the domain of children, in actuality, some adults harbor that dread as well. A 1998 Gallup poll indicated 8 percent of people admitted to being afraid of the dark while 13 percent ‘fessed up to panicking at the thought of being alone in a forest. For most Fraidy Cats, being in the dark makes them uncomfortable. At its most clinical, this fear is called nyctophobia [nik-tuh-foh-bee-uh].

I posted the topic on my Facebook page and heard a range of stories from women and men about the effects of being alone in the dark.

Laurie Lee Dovey, outdoor writer and executive director of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, said her fear of the dark began as a child when her brother teased her about alligators lurking under the bed. To this day when Laurie is alone in the woods, she still sometimes has episodes where her knees knock and she hyperventilates.

Outdoor writer and photographer Tes Jolly told me about the time a young college guy guided her on a ladies bowhunt. As they drove to the stand, he hinted around about not liking the dark, but she knew it was a little more than fear when he flipped the switch on a huge spotlight on the way to her stand. According to Tes, the guy did a 180 degree deer-clearing sweep of the woods checking for “haints, swamp boogers, and who knows, maybe Bigfoot.” That evening in camp the guide found out there really were wild hogs with long, sharp tusks roaming the woods. That was the last anyone saw of him. He left a note saying guide work just wasn’t for him.  

My Facebook friends also shared the zany precautionary measures people take to curb their anxiety. One hunter bails out of his treestand just as the hunting is getting good so he can beat a path to the truck before sundown.  An outdoor writer friend of mine knows a coon hunter who is afraid of the dark. While I have no idea how you solve that one, I do know hunters who refuse to watch scary movies before going afield and others who wouldn’t set foot in the woods without a mega-watt spotlight.

Hunters aren’t the only ones who are in the woods before sunrise and after sunset. Biologists often find themselves skulking around after dark, especially those studying nocturnal critters. Next week, we’ll hear from Carina Port, editor at California Waterfowl Association. She’s scared of the being alone in the woods at night, but after you read what she’s encountered in the shadows, you won’t blame her one bit.

Until then, feel free to share your “scared of the woods at night” stories with me at Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 or Twitter @TammyDianeSapp or tammy@womensoutdoorwire.com

You’ll have to pardon me, this may have turned into a bit of an obsession…snooping into people’s luggage and now their hunting packs. I’ve expanded my search to look at what other items of convenience the industry’s most avid women hunters carry afield to keep them safe, warm, dry, comfortable, hydrated and happy. One thing I haven’t seen on anyone’s list is panty liners. Perhaps it’s modesty that prevents their mention, but they can be pretty handy if you’ve forgotten toilet paper, Kleenex or dressing for wounds. Medicines that cure the polar ailments associated with “going” didn’t make many lists either, yet the condition of not being able to go or maybe worse, going too much can both strike at hunt camp. However, if you endeavor to know how to discreetly pee in mixed company or innovative ways to stay warm and comfortable, you’ve come to the right place.

Lisa Cinquino
Founder of Whistle Communications
Before I leave for any day afield I pack these lightweight items as they are easily stowed away in the side pockets of any backpack.
- SureFire Outdoorsman Flashlight - ultra compact with pocket clip.
- Kleenex Pocket Pack/Handiwipes.
- Aearo Ear Pod Plugs - ear protection for shooting.
- SunBuster Shooting Glasses - Eye protection for shooting and from branches while walking through woods.
- Cell Phone - in case you break down to or from your destination.
- Gold Bond Powder - prevents chaffing & itching, keeps you dry.
- Water & Windproof Matches.
- Compact Binoculars.
- Leatherman Multi Tool-kit.
- GPS Unit.

Hilary Dyer
Editor, Waterfowl & Retriever
- Cell phone in a zip-top bag so I can text in the rain if I’m bored and not seeing anything. Worse, my cell phone is purple.
- Chemical heat packs, of course. I hate to shoot wearing gloves, so I tend to keep my hands in my pockets when I’m on stand — with two chemical heat packs in each pocket. My sister also wears those stick-on thermal warming patches you can buy in the drugstore to ease back pain or cramps. She puts them over her kidneys and swears they keep her core warm.
- TP. Self-explanatory.
- Bottle of Diet Coke, even when it’s 15 degrees outside. And a Snickers, because my diet won’t allow me to eat them in real life, but all bets are off in a deer stand, right?
- Facemask and/or a beanie-style hat if I’m shooting a rifle. I gave up wearing ball caps for rifle hunting because the brim of the cap always bumps against my scope.
- Ponytail holders — I often do a long braid with my hair when I’m wearing the beanie, because a regular old ponytail creates too much of a bump at my neck or the back of my head and restricts my movement.

Jill J. Easton
treblehookunlimited.com
- First and foremost a pillow - Sleeping on the ground is bearable, without the right pillow impossible. Mine has a bright red cover so it doesn’t get left behind.
- Dental floss - can serve as fishing line, double as thread, mark locations, tie everything together, build a shelter, suture wounds (not recommended).
- Baby powder - if fresh water isn’t available and it’s hot, it keeps parts from sticking together. Also helps with chafing, blisters and foot rot.
 
Tes Randle Jolly
Freelance outdoor writer/photographer
Jolly’s Outdoor Visions
- A pair of fold-up travel reading glasses (buy them at Walmart) dedicated to the toiletry bag. I found out early one morning on a hunt how important it is to be able to read the labels on travel size tubes of beauty and health products. Trust me, hydrocortisone cream does not give your mouth that fresh brushed feeling. But your tongue won’t itch for hours! Another pair lives in my fanny pack. I attach a safety pin or two to the case. Both are handy for a variety of needs in the field such as removing a thorn or filling in a trophy tag.
- A pair of latex gloves for the fanny pack. A “case” item. I like to have them along just in case the deer or turkey “gods” allow me to fill my tag. I don’t like getting blood under the fingernails. Handy for applying scent, etc.
- Hunter Specialties Scent Free Wipes. A must have in the toiletry bag. Use to remove makeup and freshen up, often a necessary follow-up to certain budget-priced camp toilet papers, no? Won’t leave camp without ‘em either. A small ziploc bag holds a supply in the fanny pack. Uses are only limited by your imagination. I use them to clean up after field dressing game. Handy to refresh hot, sweaty, tired feet during breaks in the field and any place sweat runs for that matter.
- Unscented Mitchum’s Anti-perspirant. I’ve used it for years. Absolutely the longest protection. I use it on my feet, too, when hunting in hot weather.
- Hunter’s Specialties bath and shampoo. It goes hand-in-hand with the complete scent control regimen.
- Vaseline. I carry a small tube in my pack. It’s like Duct Tape, a million uses. I have used it to quiet a squeaky tree stand, silence an arrow rest and on my cheeks against windburn.
- ThermaCELL P-Pak. A full bladder during long hunts from a tree stand is inevitable. In the “old days” it took a combination of athletic skill, zero modesty, a secure safety harness, a heavy duty freezer ziploc bag, and luck to accomplish an aerial nature break. Thank God there was no YouTube! Then along came the ThermaCELL P-Pak, a urine-absorbent pouch (in forest green, I swear!) that’s compact, disposable, odor free, and features a uni-sex spill guard. It’s quick and simple to use with a minimum of movement. So ladies, no worries, have that second cup of coffee before heading to the stand!
- Hunt Comfort Climb-On cushion is snapped to my pack, and goes everywhere with me. A hunter with a happy backside can concentrate on spotting game. If I’m not comfortable in a stand, it just isn’t fun. Circulation, back issues, and numbness from long hours on stand are aggravating and make me squirm like a worm. The cushion is worth its weight in gold.
- Tinted lip balm with sunscreen, foundation with sunscreen, (Estee Lauder Double Wear) and basic makeup items. Applying “war paint” is a daily ritual (must be the Native American roots) and at my age a darn necessity! The extra 10 minutes it takes in the morning is worth it when it’s time to take photos. I use an unscented body powder during hot weather hunts.
- First Aid items and meds. I enter the woods armed with a small Ziploc containing Tylenol, Carmex, a couple of band-aids, Tums, Benadryl, and prescription medication. May not need them but a Girl Scout master taught us long ago to “Be Prepared”. Tech-NU Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub for washing away irritants from exposure to poison oak/ivy/sumac. Lucky you if you’re not allergic. Never get through a bow season without an encounter or two.

Hayley Lynch
Writer, Kentucky Afield magazine
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
- Ziploc bags: I am the Ziploc queen. They’re waterproof and come in different sizes for your gear. Most everything in my pack is inside a Ziploc. When the rain starts, I stay put.
- Tagging kit: I take my deer heads back to Fish and Wildlife for CWD testing, so I have to tag them. I carry business cards, zip ties and a pen in a Ziploc. No need to write my information out on an index card. I add my Telecheck confirmation number, poke the zip tie through and zip it around the base of the deer’s ear. Easy!
- Dishwashing gloves: Mine are black and white zebra print and go all the way up to the elbow for field dressing. I love them! My sleeves, hands and arms stay clean and I peel the gloves off inside out when I’m done; my closed knife is in my hand so that gets tucked inside, too. I put it all in a Ziploc to clean up later.
- Hand and foot warmers: My feet used to get very cold in the tree stand and it was the one thing that would make me go home before I was ready. I buy cases of these disposable warmers at the end of the season when everything is on sale. One under my toes, one under my arch and one in each glove, and I’m comfortable for as long as I want to hunt.
- Cappuccino: If I’m going to hunt, I’m going to hunt in style and comfort. I hunted with a couple of guys last year who thought my thermos full of cappuccino was hilarious. They swore the deer would scent me from a mile away. We split up into different tree stands and I was the only one who brought back a deer that day. A good thermos locks in the scent until you need that fix - and if the wind is right, the French vanilla doesn’t matter!
- Alcohol-free ChapStick: If it has alcohol as an ingredient, it makes things worse in the long run.
- Baby wipes and toilet paper: ’nuff said. In a Ziploc, of course!
- Snacks and water: Granola bars, trail mix, jerky, Gatorade mix to put in the water bottle. Again, it’s all about staying comfortable and in the field as long as possible. I do limit my water (and cappuccino) intake because of the need for bathroom breaks. But I still need to be hydrated - and awake!
- Small makeup bag: Unfortunately it isn’t always easy to find photos of women in the field, so we sometimes use photos of me for our publications. If there’s someone around with a camera I usually put a little makeup on.
- Compact camera: Never leave home without it. Did I mention Ziplocs?

Luann Waters
Conservation and environmental educator
- Stormproof  Matches from REI—the only matches to have with you. Works under windy, wet conditions and they come with extra strikers.
- Metal match–the backup firestarter…that doesn’t wear out or use up.
- Cotton balls ‘filled’ with petroleum jelly—these with either of the above, and you can always get a fire going when you need it.
- Therma Care patches–the ’shoulder’ size.  Keep you from getting stiff sitting in a deer stand and in cold weather, help keep you warm.
- Feminine ‘funnel’—the answer to potty call when you’re in a mixed group.
- Wet ones singles - too many uses to mention.
- Mints or cough drops.
- Roll of survey marking tape. I use it for a variety of things. One of the handiest is while following a blood  trail, you can tie it to bushes occasionally to keep track of the direction  in case you have to double back to pick up the trail again.
- Nylon cord. Never know when you might need some.
 -Bandana. Multiple-use item.
-Knife. I usually carry a couple, but have a favorite with an antler handle.

If you’re getting ready to pack your bags and head to hunt camp, take a moment and check out what the experts travel with. Learn what products and brands the following beautiful and influential women use for health, hygiene and beauty purposes when they’re afield. Plus, if you don’t laugh out loud at a couple of their observations, your funny bone must be missing.

Sherry Kerr
Owner, Outdoor Media Resources
Since I’m often hosting writers clients, and others when I’m in camp, some of the items I take are as much for my guests and friends as for myself.  I find that I share them on every hunt.  Here are 10 items I always pack:
- AfterBite - Bugs love me.  I’d go crazy from bites if I didn’t keep AfterBite close by.
- Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash Cloths (or a similar generic) - These keep me feeling and smelling fresh in camp without smelling like alcohol or medicine, and they’re large and thick enough to actually bathe with them.
- Benadryl - This doubles as medicine for allergic reactions and as a sleep aid.
- Ibuprofen - It’s a great painkiller, and since it reduces inflammation, it can help get your feet ready for another day of walking and climbing in boots.
- Advil Cold/Sinus - With a group of hunters, at least one person will need sinus medicine.  I find this one to be easily tolerated.
- Minimal make-up - While not feeling the need to wear make-up while hunting is a perk, sometimes I want to look better for a photo shoot or the trip home. I use a tiny make-up bag and pack a few items; anything that doesn’t fit in it doesn’t go.
- Neutrogena hand cream - It’s rich, scent-free and non-greasy. It saves my hands.
- Trial size toiletries - I feel challenged to pack necessities as tightly as possible, so I never take a full-size container of any toiletries.  Whenever I’m in a drugstore or discount store, I look for trial sizes in the brands I like and stock up on them. Some can be refilled from regular sizes.
- Water bottle - When we’re in camp and away from our usual routines, it’s easy to not drink enough water, resulting in dehydration, headaches, UTIs and other problems.  I always have a bottle of water in my daypack.
- Toilet paper - I take about a half roll with the cardboard core removed, then flatten it to take less space.  Aside from the obvious, it can also be used for marking your trail or a blood trail.

Karen Lee
Editor, Turkey Country
National Wild Turkey Federation
- ChapStick, because my lips will either get wind-chapped or sun burned.
- Oil of Olay face lotion with SPF 15 (It protects my skin but doesn’t get it greasy feeling after a day of sweating outdoors.)
- A natural shade of lipstick. Clinique’s Bamboo Pink is what I use. (I want to look nice for a trophy photo but not unnatural.)
- Funky flip-flops for around camp. It’s kind of “my thing” to wear, which gives me a sense of individuality in a sea of camo. Plus, they’re easy to slip on and off and allow my feet to breathe after a day in boots.
- A compact, folding brush and ponytail holder to go in my pack.
- Not a fan of cover scents that smell like pee, so I use vanilla-scented shampoo during deer season. I’ve heard that it doesn’t spook deer. Seems to have worked OK for me in the past.

Stephanie Mallory
Owner, Mallory Communications
To camp I usually carry:
- A hairdryer and round brush - I don’t want to bring a curling iron or rollers to camp, but I can put some shape in my hair with the hairdryer and brush.
- I bring a modified version of my normal makeup bag - includes at the very least concealer, powder, lipstick, ChapStick and mascara.
- Of course, toothbrush, toothpaste, some form of squeeze soap, razor, moisturizer, deodorant (scent-free when deer hunting).
- I usually wear a pair of small silver earrings that will go with everything.
- I bring a cute hat (in addition to my hunting hats) in case we go somewhere immediately after hunting and I have time to change clothes, but I don’t have time to fix my hat hair.
- Rubber bands for my hair.
- To the field, I just carry lipstick, in case I need to get my picture made.

Lisa Metheny:
Outdoor Writer/Photographer and Accomplished Hunter
Here is a list of the critical things I always pack, regardless of whether I am headed out the back door for a quick hunt in a nearby treestand or headed to the mountains. What starts out as an ounce in the backpack in the morning will end up feeling like a pound in the backpack by noon. So I only take a few things and all of them can fit into the SAME small Ziploc bag.
- Hunter Specialties Scent Free wet wipes - I always take these as I don’t have to worry about scent, and they serve multiple purposes such as when nature calls. They are also great for cleaning up after field dressing and super for freshening up mid-day. They are thick and soft enough to use as a washcloth.
- Hunter Specialties Lip Balm with SPF - Don’t tell the guys but the HS lip balm not only protects against sunburn but it also gives a nice little shine to the lips. Great for using throughout the day but perfect to put on when it is time to smile for those trophy photo shots.
- Elastic Hair Tie(s) - I like to keep my hair in a loose ponytail while hunting as it helps keep it out of my eyes and helps to keep it tangle free. But when it is time for a photo, I try and take the ponytail out. Keeping one or two hair ties around my wrist is common for me. They also serve multiple uses such as sleeve or pant gaiters.
I never leave home without these three items. A clean face, shiny lips and tangle free hair makes everyone look better in trophy photos.

Kirstie Pike
Founder and CEO Prois Hunting Apparel for Women
- Pro-Active Sunscreen SPF 15.  Minimal scent.  Doesn’t clog pores and cause acne.  Small bottles are easy to tote.
- WetWipes- portable pack.  Don’t leave home without them.  Great for ANYTHING that needs a wiping or cleaning!
- Burt’s Bees Lip moisturizer.  It’s the bomb.
- Ibuprofen…always.
- Honestly- any time I travel, I have my mascara and BodyShop eye shadow.  Very compact and a must-have if photos will be taken. I wasn’t blessed with that ‘gorgeous when she wakes up’ look!  I need help.
- Small bottle of Castille Liquid Soap. No scent, no environmental impact.
- My flippy ‘fold in half’ toothbrush.  Oh man, forgot that one time.  Ick.
- Ball cap. No matter how rough the hair looks, you can cover it up!
- Dove Antiperspirant.  Yeah, that should be at the TOP of the list!
- I have finally learned the true value of SPF in my ChapStick, after having my lips swell up like a baboon. It’s also nice not to have my lips sloughing like I have leprosy.

Brenda Potts:
Outdoor Writer/Marketing Consultant
Midwest Legacy Marketing
- Chap stick (never leave home without out it, always have several packed).
- Unscented sunscreen (use as a foundation under makeup).
- Hunter’s Specialties Field Wipes (also great for in-field washing off unexpected exposure to poison ivy).
- Neutrogena hand cream (must-have in cold weather when hands get cracked and dry).
- Tissue (for hay fever, no one wants to hear constant sniffing during on-camera hunts and of course, calls of nature).

Cheryl Riley
V.P. Education and Outreach
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
When I pheasant hunt, it’s all about my feet!  I have sturdy shoes that support my ankles on uneven ground and keep my feet dry.  I have learned to always wear a pair of liner socks under my wool socks to avoid blisters.  Ruined one hunt before I learned that. If you can’t walk, it’s hard to hunt upland birds!

Shannon Salyer,
Public Relations Specialist for Nikon Sport Optics, Winchester Ammunition and ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent
If you were to look in my toiletries bag at hunt camp, this is what you would find:
- Secret Invisible Protection Unscented - Apologies to all of the scent companies who make pit sticks, but I don’t want to use the same deodorant my guide uses.
- Hair Ties - You can never have too many of these.
- Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara (Green & Pink bottle) - This is the only makeup I wear in the stand, accent your natural beauty!
- CamoFX™ Face Paint (Realtree) - I love this stuff, just wipe it off, no scrubbing necessary.
Wildlife Research Center’s Vanilla Cover Scent - Why smell like dirt?
- Dead Down Wind e2 Scent Prevent Lotion - Scent-free body wash makes my skin dry and itchy, this stuff solves that problem.
- ChapStick - The original is all I need, I usually buy this in bulk since I lose at least one per hunt.
- HS shampoo, conditioner & body wash - A basic essential to staying scent-free.
- Good smelling shampoo, conditioner and lotion - Nothing like the feeling of your everyday products after a week or two of being scent-free!

Lisa Snuggs
SEOPA Executive Director
- Lip balm - Sun, wind and extreme temps play havoc on your lips. I keep lip balm handy everywhere, but especially when I’m outdoors.
- Deodorant - Some women glisten and glow. I sweat. Period.
- Mineral powder make-up - These new powdered foundations are quick, easy to use and convenient, offering a smooth look to your face anytime, anywhere. A touch of mascara and you’re good to go!
- Face wash - Can’t stand to go to sleep with a dirty face. Even if it’s not convenient to have a full-fledged bath for a couple days, there’s always a way to clean your face. The make-up removing towelettes are great for travel because you can pack just a few in a Zip-Vac bag.
- Face lotion - As we age, it’s more important than ever keep our faces moisturized. It feels good, too!
- Toothpaste and toothbrush - Duh!
- Hairbrush - Even a very small brush is better than none at all.
- Meds - I always make sure to carry a small first aid kit that includes baby aspirin, ibuprofen, a topical antibiotic and bandages.
- Vitamins - Gotta have ‘em.
- Snacks - I always carry granola bars for back up to planned meals.
- If I’m certain I’ll be photographed while on an outdoor adventure, I make sure to add a few more essentials to my tool kit:  lip liner, eye liner and pressed powder.

Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting, TV show host, author, spokeswoman for the NWTF and member of the RedHead Pro Hunting Team
Stuff I carry on hunts, of course this varies according to the time of the year, hunt destination, and mode of travel but here are a few of my standbys.
- Free & Clear Liquid Cleanser.  Recommended by my dermatologist. I buy it online.  It is free of dyes, fragrance, lanolin, parabens and formaldehyde, plus it is very inexpensive.
- Vanicream Sunscreen Sport. Another product recommended by my dermatologist and found online at an affordable price.  Totally free of all scent, allergens or irritants.
- Vanicreme. Deep moisturizer for night and Vanicreme Light for day wear.
- Mitchum unscented anti-perspirant.  This stuff works so well you can use it every other day with no sweat!
- Harsh weather conditions are brutal on skin. That is why I layer my face with protective barriers of sunscreen, moisturizers, and makeup to shield it from the elements. I use a foundation made by Make Up Forever in Professional High Definition.
- Multivitamins
- Lip Balm . All kinds since I’m prone to losing it or leaving it in pockets and washing it in the washing machine.
- Orly Red Nail polish.  At the end of a hard day whether it be climbing mountains chasing an elk, shivering in a treestand waiting for a whitetail, or splashing through the creeks hunting for a gobbler, when the wool socks and heavy boots come off nothing reminds me faster that I am a strong, yet feminine woman than perfectly pedicured toe nails polished bright red.  I’m always amazed how that one little thing works such wonders.

I am NOT the kind of woman who snoops in people’s medicine cabinets when I visit their powder room. That’s just creepy. I do confess to an acute interest in what people pack in their luggage, though, especially women heading to hunt camp. That is, of course, not weird. It’s a matter of practicality. What health, hygiene and beauty products do other women need when they head afield? Last week, I sent an email to several women quizzing them about what they carried to hunt camp. These are women who are not only beautiful and self-assured; they also are frequent travelers and expert hunters. Their needs range from the bare essentials to those who focus on caring for the diva within to women who know they’ll be appearing in photos and video.

Those I surveyed were more than indulgent about my blatant nosiness and provided the following feedback on what they take to hunt camp for this two-part series.

Marilyn Bentz
Executive Director of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation
Some “have to haves” for my trip to the woods.  Most of them have a dual safety purpose.
- Water (best beauty aid around). Portable water purifying system for trips longer than a day.
- Pre-moistened towelettes, large and small sizes (the no-scent ones are nice, but anything anti-bacterial will do).
- I always have at least a half a roll of toilet paper. Besides the obvious reason, it also can be used as a compress for any accidental cuts.
- Propane powered curling iron (uses same propane canister as Thermacells) for overnight trips.
- CD to use as make-shift mirror or emergency signaling device.
- ChapStick or other lip balm.  I also carry a film canister smushed full of cotton balls that have been saturated with Vaseline (petroleum jelly). This can be used if you forget your ChapStick.  Their real job is as a fire starter, however.
- Gloves, heavy and lightweight to wear all the time for hand protection from cold, rocks or other elements.  Include several pair of disposables if you plan on field dressing game or even just getting your hands wet in a stream. 
- I also carry a small multi-tool that contains a small scissors you can use for a hangnail, pesky tag in a t-shirt, etc.
- Besides being used to put a fine edge on a broadhead, a small file or stone sharpener also can be used to smooth out a rough edge on a fingernail.
- And here is something you may want to consider, if you are a lipstick type gal, consider getting some make-up tattoos.  That way you can put on a baseball hat over the hair and you look great!  The tattoos can be a little expensive up front, but the lipstick and eye-liner are really worth the initial discomfort and effort.

Carolee Boyles
Outdoor writer
- A hairbrush!
- Hand cream for dry skin and a razor to shave my legs is about it.

Laurie Lee Dovey
Outdoor writer/photographer
Executive Director of the Professional Outdoor Media Association
Hygiene and health, yes.
Beauty, no way.
- Revitalizing face cream because my face takes a beating from the elements.
- Sunscreen – always.
- Oil of Olay for all day use, plus it has suncreen in it - in case I forget to use sunscreen.
- Hard core hair gel can turn bad hat hair around in a few minutes.
- Tweezers for tick pulling.
- My own pillow so I can get the best sleepy time possible.
- Hand sanitizer. I just don’t leave home without it.
- Mole foam (self adhesive) for the sore spots on my feet. Get ‘em no matter what boots/shoes I wear. I stick it on the owies, and I’m off and running.
- Vitamins and Airborne. Hunting season means running ourselves into the ground during germ season. We all have to fight back.
- Super wicking underwear, bra and panties. I perspire a lot, and having all the great high-tech cloths that help us me stay comfortable and warm is worthless if I’m wearing cotton underwear that gets soaked from perspiration and clings to my skin. Yuck.

Sheryl Gallup
Media Director at Richard Scales Advertising
In camp or in the field I am always sans makeup but I still carry these essentials:
- Clean & Clear Morning Burst facial cleanser.
- Oil of Olay Fragrance-Free moisturizer.
- SPF 40 or higher sun blocking lotion.
- ChapStick or Burt’s Bees lip balm.
- Benadryl for any allergic reaction.
- Anti-Itch cream.
- Fingernail glue.
- Dove Moisturizing soap – fragrance-free.
- Toothpaste/brush.
- Band-Aids, every size, shape, color.
- For the trip home, I drag out the entire collection of makeup, hair care products, hair dryer and curling iron. But, one of the oddest things in my bag is a roll of camo gun tape. It is the Duct Tape remedy for hunters. I have used it for everything from patching my camo pants that I caught on a barbed wire fence, fixing my suitcase, covering my gun stock, applying over a blister, to temporarily patching boots. I also bring earplugs for a good night’s sleep in camp. I usually bring enough for all the ladies who have to share a room with me!

Vickie Gardner
Alpen Optics Vice President of Stuff
- Juice Plus capsules because you never know if you’ll see a fruit or veggie in hunt camp.
- Target brand wet towelettes because they work for cleaning all parts when water isn’t near camp.
- Floss - for the obvious, and you can use it for anything that needs tied.
- 15-hour lipstick, just because!

Karen Lutto
Co-owner of Hunter Outdoor Communications
Top Ten Items I take with me on hunting trips:
- Aveda Shampoo & conditioner (When in the field, especially for long periods of time, it is nice to smell clean and fresh, but not sexy or too girly.)
- Clear nail polish. This works great if you get chiggers and looks better than pink or red.
- Tweezers. Always have them handy for splinters, cactus and other irritants and, of course, a stray brow can be plucked.
- Aveda lip-gloss adds a little color and sun protection but looks natural.  Not too flashy.
- Ear plugs. Always have earplugs.  You never know who will be in camp and how bad they snore.  Despite having your own room these guys can rattle a house!  And if you are in a tent or tepee they are a god send!
- Simply Sleep. Sometimes earplugs aren’t enough. 
- Mole skin, in the event of blisters this is a must. Always keep it in your pack.
- Super glue. I always keep super glue in my pack or in camp.  If you are in a remote place and someone gets a bad cut this will work to seal the cut if a hospital is not accessible.  (Also repairs fingernails!)
- Preparation H lotion. If you don’t get any sleep, but want to look fresh, rub a little Preparation H under your eyes.  The bags will disappear. 
- Sure Fire flashlight with extra batteries.

Check back in next week for more great tips from women who hunt and travel. And if you have a unique tip you want to share, drop me a line at: tammy@womensoutdoorwire.com.

As a tourist destination, Florida can seem cliché to the untrained traveler. Each year, more than 75 million people troop to the Sunshine State visiting the usual places - Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Center. But it also offers plenty of entertainment for those who shun commercial holiday havens in favor of turkey hunting for Osceolas (found only in Florida), fishing for snook or snorkeling.

I recently found something new to love about Florida. While traveling to the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) conference in Punta Gorda, I stopped to visit my sister-in-law, who lives on the charming, eclectic barrier island, Siesta Key. If your feet love the feel of sand that’s the consistency and color of powdered sugar, stop what you’re doing and go right now. It’s that awesome. Watching the sun set while wiggling your toes in that sand is a happy place for your mind to visit no matter how crappy your day is.

Another memory-worthy moment was seeing my first roseate spoonbills while sightseeing at a nearby island. I immediately knew what they were, having recently visited the Birds in Art exhibition at the Woodson Art museum in Wausau, Wis. where these pink beauties were all the rage on canvas.

More birding was in store as I kayaked for the first time. As a guest of Grande Tours in Placida, Fla., I paddled the waters of the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve. White ibises, great egrets and several members of the heron family stood wing to wing on sandbars and in the shallows while pelicans, gulls and osprey were also part of the scenery.

Guide Chris Warren introduced us to a few groovy gastropods, too, such as Florida’s state shell, the horse conch, and the belligerent, yet beautiful banded tulip. These shell-dwelling marine critters do the locomotion using a big, flat foot situated alarmingly close to the mouth. Living among the sand and weeds, these species are easily overlooked but well worth discovering.

The grass flats we paddled across were alive with mullet leaping out of the water. Chris said nobody really knows why these vegetarians go airborne, but he did offer four possible theories : 1) sea lice under their scales gives them the willies, 2) they’re escaping toothy, underwater predators, 3) it fires up their gizzard and aids digestion, or 4), they were jumping for joy at seeing us. Whatever, the reason, Gasparilla Sound is a productive fishery with tarpon, grouper and about 200 other species.

The best part of the eco-tour was gliding through the spooky cool mangrove tunnels. No wider than a dirt road with a thick canopy overhead, it makes you feel a zillion miles away from civilization. We kayaked through a portion of Woolverton Trail, which has been groomed for the last 30 years by Ed woolverton. When he took this chore upon himself back in the ‘60s, he did so without a permit. However, the state discovered it was healthy for the mangrove forest and granted him permission to continue. Now 93 years old, he still travels the tunnels in a poke boat armed with a pair of hand loppers trimming the red mangroves’ prop roots.

On our way back to the outfitter’s home base, a couple of bottlenose dolphins surfaced and a bald eagle did a flyover. While I wasn’t ready for the trip to be over, I have to admit it was a picture perfect ending.

If you dream of exploring paradise from a kayak, visit http://www.grandetours.com/

I’d like to thank Jennifer Huber of the Charlotte Harbor Visitor & Convention Bureau for coordinating the trip and Chris Warren of Grande Tours for his expertise throughout this 2-hour complimentary tour.

The results from questions posed at anglersurvey.com and huntersurvey.com about pink outdoor gear are in and when the dust settled, it appears that color alone may not woo women who are shopping for equipment.

In addition, there were not huge differences between men’s and women’s responses. However, there was a disparity in the numbers of men and women who took the survey. More than 2,500 men logged into anglersurvey.com with only 148 women participating. The hunter survey showed stronger numbers with about 190 women and 3,500 men taking part. I’m not surprised, though, because even in this day and age more men hunt and fish than women. Of the total number of anglers, 75 percent are men while 25 percent are women. The difference among hunters is even more striking with men comprising 91 percent of all hunters and women only 9 percent.

What I am surprised about is while there are 30 million anglers versus 12.5 million hunters, more people took the hunter survey than the angler survey. Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, attributes that difference to the hunting press doing a great job of getting the word out and hunters being more apt to see the need for collective action.

Taking a look at the angler survey first, it’s apparent when buying outdoor gear (such as rods and reels, firearms, binoculars, coolers and similar gear) men and women prefer black. Pink is way down on the list after camo, brown/tan, blue, gray and green. Interestingly, the same question revealed about a third of men and women don’t give a rat’s fanny what color their gear is. In a separate question, slightly less than half of men and women say color of outdoor products doesn’t matter when purchasing outdoor gear.

One difference I noted is what men think of pink versus what women think. Half the men said they believe women are more likely to purchase pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer, while only 40 percent of the women responded that way. However, it’s important to note because far fewer women took the survey, it introduces variability into the results. Simply put, there may not be a big statistical difference in the results.

Half the women who took the survey believe offering pink outdoor gear is a condescending way to market to them, while only 46 percent of the men believe that. Again, statistically there may not be a big gap between how men responded versus women.

The majority of men and women agree pink outdoor gear that supports breast cancer awareness promotes sales and more than 80 of men and women concur pink gear offered to promote breast cancer awareness is viewed positively by women.

Hunter survey results were not that different than angler survey outcomes.

When it comes to color the majority of men and women said they prefer camo, then black. Green and brown/tan also were popular. However, approximately 20 percent of men and women said color doesn’t matter. And only about 15 percent of women preferred pink.

Similar to the results of the angler survey, half the men said women are more likely to purchase pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer while only 40 percent of the women said they believe that. A bigger sample size of female respondents would have allowed us to draw conclusions with more confidence.

47 percent of the women taking the hunter survey said they believe offering pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer is a condescending way to market to them, while 42 percent of the men believe that.

Three quarters of men and women who took the hunter survey believe pink outdoor gear that supports breast cancer awareness does promote sales and more than 80 percent of men and women indicated it’s viewed positively by women.

Overall, it appears pink is effective when used to help support finding a cure for breast cancer but may not be important otherwise. While we didn’t test this, my gut tells me women (and men) are more concerned about gear fit, performance and value and less interested in what color it is. However, if pink provides a welcoming entry point for women to try hunting, fishing or shooting, I can heartily embrace that. And I also can understand those who wouldn’t touch a pink firearm with a 10-foot pole. What we can all agree on is the debt we owe to the many strong women who paved the way for today’s female outdoor enthusiasts to be exactly who they want to be.

This has been an interesting project and I really hate to see it end. Please join me in thanking Rob Southwick and Donna Leonard of Southwick Associates for their help and willingness to share their knowledge.