The Outdoor Scene

One of the most delicious 22 minutes on cable TV has to be “The Soup,” a comedy show hosted by the sultan of satire, Joel McHale. The part of the show that always cracks me up is when Joel gazes into the camera and leads into the regular segment about female celebrities by saying, “Let’s talk about chicks, man.” Though I don’t normally refer to women as babes, girls or chicks, the segment logo, which features several baby birds huddled together, is set off by biting commentary about the antics of Heidi Montag or Kim Kardashian, making the whole thing just plain funny.

Though I don’t aspire to that kind of humor, this week I will be talking about chicks, instead of what I usually do, which is talk with chicks.

Kenny Kieser

To that end, I called Kenny Kieser, an outdoor writer, book author, hunter and angler who possess an unabashed admiration of strong women.
Kenny comes from hardy stock. He loves to tell the story about his great, great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Rose, a Missouri woman who in 1876 bravely forged ahead to South Dakota with her four children after her husband succumbed to illness. Kenny said the family contends Elizabeth Rose was the second white women in Deadwood, S.D. She and her boys set up a livery stable and food tent for the town’s hungry gold miners. And she prospered during a time when there wasn’t a government bailout for widows trying to make a go of it against all odds with rough prospectors and hostile Lakota.

In the American old west, a woman had to be courageous and a proficient shot. Though Kenny hasn’t modeled one particular character after the legendary Elizabeth Rose in his books, you’ll find the women in Kenny’s historical westerns, “Ride the Trail of Death, and “Black Moon’s Revenge” borrow from her indomitable spirit.

Fast forward to modern times and Kenny says the women in his life are still  fiercely independent. His aunts know how to take care of themselves and his mother single-handedly runs a 160-acre farm. These role models have fostered Kenny’s appreciation and understanding of women who know what they want.

He said he’s glad today’s woman has claimed a more visible presence in the industry. Kenny is quick to point out more women hunters means additional dollars for conservation, through hunting license fees, duck stamps and taxes on firearms and ammunition especially earmarked for wildlife management and hunter education.

I asked Kenny what he thought about the conversations women were having now about our place in the outdoors including: Are women such as Tiffany Lakosky and Haley Heath good role models or does their beauty generate skepticism about their skills? Are pink firearms, fishing rods and other outdoor gear a condescending marketing ploy or a way for women to assert their femininity while enjoying hunting, fishing and target shooting? Does a woman have to be an “extreme” hunter or angler to portray the right image or should we strive to make the outdoors more welcoming to women who are beginners or maybe just less hard core?

I posed these questions to Kenny in a gush of words, and he had good answers. First, he said hunting and fishing should not be driven by your ego, whether you’re a man or a woman. Being an outdoors-woman is what you make of it, not an exercise in meeting some subjective standard. Kenny said hunting and fishing should be enjoyable. Relaxing. Exciting. A chance to watch the seasons change, observe wildlife, learn about nature, build your skills and confidence, and savor the companionship of your family and friends.

What I’ve come to understand is how neat it is to have such diversity among women who hunt, target shoot and fish. It means there truly is a place for every woman who wants to be a part of our community, whether she’s a diehard outdoorswomen or an occasional participant. There’s a place for women who wear makeup when they go fishing and shoot handguns with pink grips and for women who can identify ducks on the wing and insist on field dressing their own deer.

This really isn’t a new idea. Within my lifetime, I’ve seen attitudes change about women’s role in society.  When women first began entering the work force in great numbers, the career woman reigned supreme. However, attitudes have evolved and today, women are respected whether they want to work in an office, be a stay-at-home mom or both. The outdoor community is beginning to understand and accept this concept, too, that as outdoor women we should be free to be who we are, not who we should be.

An obvious symptom of cabin fever is the onset of plotting what you’ll do when the mercury rises and it finally stops raining, sleeting and/or snowing. Those of us living in the Deep South really should be spared from this condition. However, this winter has provided few opportunities to brag to our northern kin about how great the weather is down here. So, we plan for better days.

After summarily dismissing the idea of painting my living room, kitchen and dining room this winter, I decided what I really wanted to do was improve my handgun shooting skills. Personal protection is the primary reason for this new interest. Plus, I have just enough experience to know target shooting with a handgun is really fun.

One program I looked into is First Shots, which is conducted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. First Shots seminars give newcomers an opportunity to try handgun shooting while learning about firearms safety. While the program is open to everyone, nearly half of the participants are women, according to a survey completed by more than 3,100 seminar participants.

I’d fit right into the program because the average age of women attending a First Shots seminar is about 42. Okay, so maybe I’m a little above average on that account.

I do fit this demographic, though. While I have shot a handgun before, similar to 8 out of 10 women surveyed, First Shots would be my only formal introduction to handgun shooting. And because I want to be safe and competent, taking a course is really important to me. So is learning from a certified instructor, a commonality I share with 96 percent of female First Shot participants who are considering attending a handgun personal protection skills course.

Those who attended a First Shots seminar reported they now have a greater understanding of handguns and are more likely to purchase one and continue shooting. Personal protection is the biggest motivator for buying a handgun and that desire appears to increase with age.

NSSF surveyed participants again six months after they took a First Shots seminar, and they learned two in 10 women sought more training such as basic handgun, concealed carry, defensive handgun, NRA safety course, one-on-one instruction, home defense or other programs. Half of the First Shots participants had already met their state’s requirements to own or buy a handgun. Overall, women who took the course were pleased with the experience and many expressed an interest in learning more about the rifle and shotgun shooting sports as well.

While the data in NSSF’s survey doesn’t represent a national sample of female target shooters, it is another indicator that interest in our constitutional rights to own a firearm is alive and well. It’s also reassuring to know women are getting the training they need to take responsibility for protecting themselves and their families. We have come a long way, baby.

If you’d like an introduction to handguns through the First Shots program, visit http://www.firstshots.org/.

Outdoorsmen and women who yearn for international travel dream of many things — escaping their routines, hunting exotic wildlife, exploring new landscapes and discovering different cultures.

Whatever the reason, hunting outside of the United States is powerful juju. A recent HunterSurvey.com, conducted by Southwick Associates, found nearly 700,000 sportsmen and women will act on that longing to hunt an international destination in the next two years while a half million people already have in the last three years.

One woman who has collected her fair share of frequent flyer miles is Peggy Vallery, president of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Peggy, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., has traveled to Africa 16 times on big game safaris in addition to hunting Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, China, South Korea, Spain and throughout North America. During the last three decades, she has taken 109 different species around the world including a world slam of wild turkeys, the African Big 5 and the Spanish Big 5. Peggy was the first western woman to hunt Bulgaria and pheasants in South Korea. She also was the first woman to take an elephant in South West Africa, which is known as Namibia today, and has bagged world record trophies. Listing all of her international hunting accomplishments could eat up several megabytes.

Growing up hunting with her dad and grandpa in Maryland, Peggy said she always dreamed of going to Africa. When a group of friends from Safari Club International invited her on an African safari, she jumped at the chance. Though she has traveled back 20 times now, she never tires of the continent regarded by many as the birthplace of humanity. Peggy has hunted South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe (and Rhodesia), Namibia, Zambia, the Cameroons and even places such as Sudan, where you can’t hunt anymore. She’s not done yet, either. She is planning to revisit Africa possibly as early as 2011.

Peggy pointed out how important hunters are to the international destinations they visit, especially developing nations. The dollars hunters spend in these countries provide obvious economic benefits in the form of jobs and money for schools, hospitals and safe water supplies. In addition, hunting provides conservation benefits such as keeping wildlife populations in check, and it elevates the value of game animals. The locals begin seeing wildlife as something more than competition for their crops, and conserving wildlife becomes a better option than subsistence hunting to feed their families.

When people go outside of the U.S, especially to developing nations, the experience changes them and not just because of the hunting. Peggy said being exposed to the plight of others and forming an emotional bond with the local people is transformative. She witnessed firsthand the devastation that HIV/AIDs have caused in Botswana. The suffering of the many orphaned children compelled Peggy to contribute to the Matlou Fund, and her dollars were used to build a home for a young girl and her siblings. The Matlou Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the long- term well-being of the local people, wildlife and habitat in remote areas of Botswana.

Hunting outside of the U.S. is not all lollipops and roses, though. There are a myriad of hassles to deal with ranging from uncooperative airline employees and customs agents to the reams of paperwork and regulations that dictate your ability to transport firearms and ammunition.

Peggy recommends that even if you have the savviest outfitter in the world, you should check with the U.S. Department of State to better understand exit/entry requirements, safety and security issues and other pertinent travel information. It’s also recommended you line up a taxidermist before your trip and be sure you understand what permits are required to export any trophies you take.

She also noted international destinations expose travelers to different foods and water that can make them sick as well as the possibility of disease. So before you hop that plane, see your doctor or a physician who has expertise in the country you’ll be visiting. Get the vaccinations you need, refill necessary prescriptions and make sure you have a clean bill of health.

Another barrier to international travel is cost. A big time safari can run thousands of dollars when you consider daily rates, trophy fees, gratuities, and charges ranging from government concessions to importing guns/ammunition and preparing trophies for export. According to HunterSurvey.com, on average hunters spend $6,718 outside of the U.S. on international hunting trips. While 19 percent of hunters who responded to the survey spent more than $10,000 outside of the U.S., the good news is 29 percent of hunters spent only $2,001 to $5,000. As Peggy observed, it would be hard to find a quality elk or sheep hunt in the U.S. for that price.

There are some hurdles to jump for those who decide to hunt outside of the U.S. However, anything worth doing takes time, money and work. And hearing Peggy tell her stories of hunting other countries leaves no doubt it would be the adventure of a lifetime.