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.

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