The future of hunting lies in hands of women

Tommy Garner

"A woman's place is at the house!" the man stated. "Everyone has their place in the family structure but I think that the ladies has as much right to hunt and fish as we do" I countered. "Well, I think that they ought to stay at home! Every time my wife goes with me she catches all the fish and when we go hunting she kills the deer!" the man continued. I realized that there was a bit of jealousy in his reasoning and he is not the only one. How many times have you heard a husband or boyfriend say "She catches the biggest fish and kills the biggest deer?"

Since the dawning of time, man has been the dominate predator and woman has been somewhere in the background, with only a few exceptions. This is now changing and I wholeheartedly support and encourage the change. My best friend and favorite hunting buddy is my wife Wanda. After we were married, I would be gone from before daylight until after dark and would always come home with stories to tell about my experiences afield. Wanda did not enjoy me being gone day after day and she was intrigued with my tales of close encounters with the deer, turkeys, bobcats, coyotes, eagles and all sorts of other of nature's creatures. She asked if I would teach her to shoot a rifle and to help her get started deer hunting. Of course, I was more than willing to help her get started and we set out to find a gun that would be suitable for her. She decided that she liked the Thompson/Center in line muzzleloader with a scope and that has been her weapon of choice for several years. Wanda is a great student, quickly absorbing information and always eager for a challenge. She learns quickly and asks lots of questions, then applies what she gleans to practical hunting application. It has been a wonderful experience for me to share what knowledge that I have with her and watch her become an independent hunter.

There are always lessons to learn and one of the most striking lessons which Wanda has learned is forever etched in her memory. I was in Minnesota on the opening weekend of gun season several years ago. Wanda informed me that she would rather hunt with me but since I was not going to be here, she was headed to her favorite stand for the first weekend of the hunt. On the first morning of the hunt, sometime after sunup, a doe started across the powerline right-of-way. The doe was not running all out, just bounding with her head down and tail at half mast, level with her back. As Wanda watched the doe, she wondered what had it spooked. The doe disappeared into the thick, wooded hillside. Then reality hit: if you see a doe running with her head down, tail at half mast, you are looking at a doe that is in heat and she is being chased by a buck. Instantly, Wanda saw the dark colored, high racked buck crossing the powerline with his head down, trailing the doe at a fast trot. She grabbed her rifle but as soon as she got it up the buck disappeared into the woods in hot pursuit of the doe. That night I got a long distance call and listened with interest as Wanda relived the hunt over and over. She mentally kicked herself for not recognizing a doe in estrous being pursued by a buck more quickly. No one will ever have to tell her to be watchful for this situation again. Actually, it happened again the next day. Wanda was on the same stand when three does burst out of the woods, apparently being chased by something. They all abruptly stopped and looked back before taking flight again. This time, Wanda knew exactly what was happening and swung around with her rifle pointed at the place where the does first came in sight. A big buck burst out of the wood on the trail of the does only to go behind a row of brush. Wanda found a hole in the brush, put the crosshairs behind the buck's shoulder but then remembered the three point rule. She shifted the scope to look a the buck's rack and quickly recognized him as hefty, long tined eight pointer. Before she could get her crosshairs settled on the buck's chest again, he exploded from the brush intent on catching up with the fleeing does. Wanda chose to not shoot at the running buck even though he was fairly close. Then she remembered: one point up, possible shooter, two points up, shooter. It takes only a very quick glance to identify a legal buck if you remember this simple rule. On this buck, she took the time to count points and another painful lesson was learned. She will never forget the sight of either of these bucks nor the hard lessons learned.

I am glad that Wanda has chosen to become a hunter. She has killed several deer on her own and most of the time chooses her own stand. This is the shape of things to come in future of hunting and the way has been paved by the likes of Brenda Valentine, the First Lady of Huntingtm, who is the most visible female hunter on the planet. She has borne the brunt of disapproval by fellow male hunters back before it was cool to be a female who hunts. Brenda has helped open the doors for those who would follow in her footsteps and she has become a great ambassador and spokesperson for the hunting world, not just the ladies but for all hunters in general. I fully believe that the future of hunting lies in the hands of the women hunters and their children. More about this next week...send your comments to tommy@tommygarner.tv.

Reprinted With Permission Paxton Media Group