Six NRA members participated in a Women On Target Hunting Excursion Aug. 17-23 in the Alaska wilderness.

Women On Target Hunting Coordinator Ann Marie Foster tagged along for the trip. She confirmed this was the first-ever Alaskan hunt for the NRA's Women On Target program -- and the program's first bear hunt.

The hunt was guided by the folks at Alaskan Safari and Trading LLC, and Foster assures us everyone had a blast. "They harvested 3 black bears, 2 brown bears and one coyote," Foster said. "Silver salmon fishing was also on the menu."

Women On Target probably has a hunt for you! Feel free to email Foster at WomenOnTargetHunts@nrahq.org.  

  

Ladies: are you interested in learning to shoot? The NRA's Women's Programs Department recently announced their female-only Instructional Clinics reached its 50,000 participant. Learn more about NRA Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics.

The Texas Trophy Hunters Association provides a weekly podcast on the issues facing the hunting community. Our own JR Robbins, Managing Editor of NRAhuntersrights.org, is a frequent guest on the show. In current and coming broadcasts, learn about:

• How NRA defends hunters’ rights
• How New Jersey finally got a bear hunt
• The importance of women to hunting
• Blizzards of regulations that are driving people out of hunting.
• … and other news that affects your freedom to hunt.

Download the free podcasts.

For the latest on how NRA defends your hunting rights, be sure to bookmark NRAhuntersrights.org. Send your feedback to huntersrights@nrahq.org.

At 4:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 15, tune in to the Outdoor Channel for a new episode of Elk Chronicles. Friend of the NRA and master bowhuntress Lisa Metheny recently completed a successful elk hunt on the rolling acreage of the NRA Whittington Center. To hear the whole story, you'll have to tune in!

Read more about the show Elk Chronicles here.

You remember Lisa Metheny – the NRA Certified Instructor, outdoor writer, and bow enthusiast? She volunteers with the NRA’s Women’s Wilderness Escape, and has been on a few hunts with the Women On Target^® program.

Well, today is the debut of her ShotgunLife.com column, Lisa Metheny's Women Afield, which just happens to focus on a Women On Target pheasant hunt:

Pheasant Fun With the NRA’s Women On Target

Brilliant blue skies and rolling native grasslands as far as the eye could see created a gorgeous backdrop against the quiet farmlands of southern South Dakota. My home away from home was the beautiful rustic lodge of Granite Springs near Alexandra. Here I would join up with several women to participate in a National Rifle Association (NRA) Women On Target upland hunt.

Granite Springs is a dream come true for owner Kevin Yeo and his family. The name of the lodge comes from a large granite quarry that sits directly below the towering windows of the lodge and is filled to the brim with rainbow trout, large-mouth bass and a variety of other species, perfect for fly fishing.

Despite the luxury accommodations, amazing fishing opportunities, abundant wildlife and a gracious host, I was there to photograph and write about the event.

Programs like the NRA’s WOT hunts, are changing the way women look at hunting. The number of women heading afield is increasing.” Ann Marie Foster, [NRA Hunting Programs Coordinator], suggests women take that initial step and get involved in a course of interest, especially an NRA Basic Firearm Class, follow up with a Hunter Safety Course. Preparation is the key to success, practice what you learn, discipline yourself and then apply your new found skills.” Foster also believes that hunting and shooting can be extremely therapeutic, the benefits are immeasurable.

Continue reading Metheny's piece here.

The following article comes from The Advocate and focuses on Kate Desmond, who was also featured in this article.

Female Hunters on the Rise

Most female hunters will say that they have been passionate and curious about the sport since day one. But Kate Desmond isn’t like most female hunters.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” she said. “I’ve been shooting guns for 16 years. But I never once thought about hunting. It never even crossed my mind.” However, all that changed this past January, when the Sykesville resident volunteered to help a friend at the first annual National Rifle Association’s Great Hunting and Outdoors Show. While she was there Desmond decided to enter a raffle for a three-day hunting trip in Texas.

What started almost as a lark took a serendipitous turn when she won, and has impacted her in ways she had never imagined. Since returning from her trip in April, Desmond has grown from having an interest in shooting to becoming a full-blown hunting enthusiast.

“It was just a new experience,” she said. “I had no idea how much of an adventure it would be.”

Continue reading here.

Called the “dynamic duo” by their followers on twitter, siblings Dave Olsen and Jane Keller are all about one thing: fun. Or, to be accurate, Pheasant Phun, a hunting lodge in South Dakota. “We produce fun,” Dave told NRAblog over diet cokes in a corner of the NRA’s booth at the 2010 Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas.

Dave and Jane grew up learning firearm safety from their dad, now 85, who Jane credits with instilling a love of the outdoors. Jane, a sign language interpreter, balances the everyday challenges of a modern working mother with a deep passion for all things outdoors, including a healthy hunting addiction.

“How many boys can say their mom helped them take their first deer?” Dave asks proudly. A full time hunting and fishing guide, Dave estimates he spends ¾ of every year “outdoors, having fun.” Dave lives on the ranch at Pheasant Phun, which doubles as a backdrop for the pair’s latest invention, girls-only firearms retreats.

“Think of it as an outdoor adventure camp with an emphasis on pampering,” Jane says of Team Huntress. In June of 2009, the first official “Team Huntress” weekend started with a bang. 

The low instructor to participant ratio translates to a high degree of individualized instruction. “People arrive at different levels,” Jane explains. “With fewer participants, our instructors are able to meet them where they are.” Past participants have become lifelong friends, Jane continues. "The girls that come usually say “I usually hang around with the guys,” so they absorb the like minded spirits around them, and soak it all in.” 

In addition to their time on the archery, pistol, rifle, and shotgun ranges, the ladies enjoy homecooked meals in the dining room, pictured at right.

“If it’s not fun, you lose ‘em,” Dave said. (Yes, he gets to help with the female hunt camps. Jane says he's actually quite the cook.) “You can definitely have fun while being safe.”

Are you ready to commit? The Team Huntress Outdoor Adventure Clinic scheduled for June 10-13 has a few openings.

The website says: “The four-day three-night event includes a fire-pit meet and greet, instruction in archery and firearms of many calibers, gourmet meals and spa treatments - the Team Huntress signature touch. Currently women from both coasts and points in between are coming together.”

Would you like to learn more? Contact Jane Keller at 605.266.2848 or by email at jane@teamhuntress.com.

Justin McDaniel of NRAhuntersrights.org sat down with Kate Desmond, the lucky lady chosen as a winner during the Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show this past January. (Above, check out the photo slideshow provided to NRAblog by Ann Marie Foster, the NRA Women On Target Hunt coordinator.)

"Just get out there and give it a shot"

Kate Desmond had never even thought about going hunting prior to winning a drawing for a free turkey hunt at NRA’s inaugural Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show in January. Attending the event as a volunteer, Desmond took a chance and bought six raffle tickets for a hunting trip to Knowlton’s Laguna Vista Ranch in Pearsall, Texas, which was being sponsored by NRA’s Women On Target® Hunting Programs.

As luck would have it, Washington Redskins great and NRA Board Member Dave Butz was on hand for the drawing, and he pulled Desmond’s name from a pool of approximately 100 entries.

“I think I did a little dance actually after my name was picked because I was so excited,” Desmond said.

Now, after taking her very first gobbler, Desmond says she’s hooked on hunting for life.

“It was just the most incredible experience I think I’ve ever had, to be honest with you,” said Desmond, a property manager from Westminster, Md. “It really was. I’m still fired up.”

Prior to her hunt, Desmond was mentored by Ann Marie Foster, NRA Women On Target Hunting Programs coordinator, on what to expect from her first hunt. Desmond was already familiar with firearms and had shot sporting clays before, but she had never considered giving hunting a try.

“I’ve shot before and I have my own gun, but I’ve always just done sporting clays,” she said. “I’ve never hunted and never even thought of hunting before this.”

The hunt was scheduled for Friday to Sunday, April 9-11, so Desmond and Foster set out for San Antonio with hopes of getting Desmond her first turkey while the birds were still gobbling. She didn’t know it then, but one of the best turkey callers in the business, Brad Cantrell of the Primos Hunting Calls Pro Staff, would be her guide and caller for the hunt.

“I never knew you could get such a thrill out of hearing a turkey gobble!” she said.

Continue reading Kate's story here.

Women On Target Hunt Coordinator Ann Marie Foster is witnessing a fast response to the 2010 docket of women-only hunts:

"There are two hunts that are now completely full," she told NRAblog. "The January 2011 excursion at the Addison Ranch in Oklahoma (whitetail doe, hog, coyote & bobcat hunt) and the October 2010 hunt at Tillie’s Game Ranch in Texas (whitetail & hog hunt) are sold out."

"There's also only one slot available for the December combo hunt at Tillie’s game Ranch (whitetail, hog, & Rio Turkey hunt)."

Special thanks to Women On Target Hunt Coordinator Ann Marie Foster for the following:

This is first time huntress Kate Desmond from Westminster, Maryland. Kate was the lucky recipient of an NRA Women on Target hunting excursion raffle that was held at the Great American hunting and Outdoor Show in Westminster, Maryland, this past January. Although she'd never been hunting before, she decided to jump at the chance to experience the feeling that calls to those of us who venture into the woods every available weekend. And it worked.

Kate summed up the trip... "What an amazing experience. At the time my name was drawn by Dave Butz at the show, I had never even thought of hunting. But after heading out to Texas, going through the training, getting geared up and bagging my first gobbler .... I'm hooked!"

We're glad to hear that Kate got most out of her trip to Rio Grande. So what about you? Several Women on Target hunts scheduled for this year are still opened. Don't miss out on the opportunity to join people like Kate as they venture into the great outdoors. And it doesn't stop there -- Ann Marie is looking forward to adding even more exciting events in 2011 with more outfitters and hunts.

For additional information on the NRA's Women's Programs, look here.

Phillip Vanderpool joined Hunter’s Specialties as a full-time field producer and Pro Staff member in January 2005. While most of his time is split between shooting video and hunting, Vanderpool will be working promotions and seminars for Hunter’s Specialties at Bass Pro, Cabela’s, and other sporting goods stores across the country, sharing his knowledge of hunting and the outdoors. Read more about Vanderpool.

Last year was the first year the legendary Phillip Vanderpool assisted with a Women On Target® Hunt. “To redeem ourselves, we wanted to go for Round Two,” he said. He joined outdoor writer and master bowhunter Lisa Metheny and NRA's Deputy Executive Director of General Operations Andrea Cerwinske. Vanderpool calls the three-day excursion a success: "We had the best time."

“As Lisa summed it up, we were going to get Andrea a gobbler and then we were going to chat,” he continued. “That’s pretty much what we did. We combined the turkey hunt with friendship.”

Friendship or not, the hunt ends up somewhat controversial with Vanderpool finishing the business Cerwinske started:

“You’ll see this on the video – Andrea’s turkey gobbles and hangs around and I told Andrea to get it …,” he said, trailing off. “She’ll probably tell you something different, though.”

At right, Cerwinske and Vanderpool pose with the trophy turkey.

NRAblog checked in with Metheny for verification. 

“The thing is, there are actually more than two sides of the story,” Metheny confided to NRAblog. “To protect myself because they’re both good friends – I didn’t see anything.”

“Andrea made a good shot, but this was a big turkey … and it was a long shot.”

Lisa Metheny's blog has a new location. 

Award-winning outdoor writer Lisa Metheny last caught up with NRAblog during the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Metheny has published more than 250 articles in all sorts of magazines.

An avid and accomplished hunter, Metheny is a member of POMA, SEOPA, NRA, RMEF, NWTF and DU.

Bookmark her blog for the latest on women's outdoor news, hunting issues, and even NRA programs. (Metheny is pictured at right at the 2009 Women's Wilderness Escape, where she volunteered as an archery instructor.)

Have a question or a story suggestion for Metheny? Contact her here. 

Not every woman lucked out and won the raffle our Women's Programs Department hosted at the Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show the end of January. But that doesn't mean the Women's Program Department doesn't have a hunt for you!

Pictured above, Women On Target Hunt Coordinator Ann Marie Foster gives NRA Board Member Dave Butz a hand in selecting a winner from the raffle. Foster reports back to the blog from the hunts she attends, and can be reached at WomenOnTargetHunts@nrahq.org.

Space is available in several hunts:

• Pheasant & Chukar, Nebraska, October 22-24, 2010
• Mallard & Wood Duck, Michigan, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, and Unlimited Hogs,, Texas, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, November 12-14, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, December 10-12, 2010
• Whitetail Doe, Hog, Coyote & Bobcat, Oklahoma, December 31, 2010 & January 2, 2011

Women On Target hunt coordinator Ann Marie Foster was one lucky lady this past weekend. As part of the fun at the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show, she assisted NRA Board Member and NFL pro Dave Butz in signing autographs and meeting with fans.

Above, Butz assisted in drawing the names of four even luckier ladies who are going on 2010-2011 Women On Target hunting excursions. Hunts are still available -- look here. And if you're not into paying the sticker price, don't despair -- Foster says the raffle will be part of next year's NRA Great American show as well.

Longtime friend of NRA Lisa Metheny is attending this year’s Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show as a freelance journalist. “My objective here at the show is to obtain story materials, work for the companies I’ve partnered with by promoting their products, and generally mesh everything together,” Metheny told NRAblog. When she says “everything,” she isn’t exaggerating. Metheny juggles three teenagers and a husband; a healthy hunting addiction; archery, shooting, and outdoor events; and a skyrocketing career.

Pictured above, Metheny was happy to talk to us -- and maybe happier to have the chance to rest her feet. “It’s great to be here, but it has been a long week,” the Terre Haute, IN-based writer said with a smile.

She is affiliated with SHE Outdoor Apparel, Nikon, Winchester, Remington, and Browning. But when it comes to SHOT Show, NRA is her first stop of the day.“I swing by your booth every day to meet the different people hanging around,” she said. “The NRA is vital to what I do, and I help in any way I can, whether it’s getting the word out about a Women On Target hunt or volunteering to work a booth at next weekend’s NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show.”

So what have the past few days looked like for Metheny? “The Majority of each day I’m sitting in press conferences, listening to new product demos, and walking the floor.”

She has been staying busy, and no two days this week have been alike. "I do a variety of things with the companies, working to connect the dots as a liason between some of the industry folk and the media representatives." Metheny has found a home in the Professional Outdoor Media Association."It's just like part of my family now," she said of the group.

When asked for her advice for a successful SHOT Show as an independent journalist or media consultant, Metheny was quick to respond: "A few weeks prior to the Show I’m tweaking my schedule, setting up appointments, andgetting press conferences organized."

"There's a lot of scheduling that goes into it. You cannot come in the day of the SHOW and just hope someone has time to meet with you on that particular day."

Thanks for your words of wisdom, Lisa -- we look forward to seeing you in Maryland for the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show. Bookmark Lisa's blog, and stay tuned to NRAblog for the latest on Lisa Metheny!

Read about Lisa’s experience with last year’s Women’s Wilderness Escape here.

Hunter's Specialties Outdoors on the Outdoor Channel is releasing a brand-new episode this week. Deputy Executive Director of General Operations Andrea Cerwinske is featured, so be sure to tune in! The show airs Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. EST, Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. EST and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. EST.

“Phillip Vanderpool and the Hunter Specialties folks know hunting,” Cerwinske told NRAblog earlier today. “Philip is one of the best turkey hunters in the business, and he taught me so much.”

“Bell Wildlife specialties, particularly Dan Bell, provided some amazing hospitality,” she said. “He had some of the biggest birds we've ever seen. It was an enjoyable hunt and we can’t wait to do it again.”

This is the episode's description:


Phillip Vanderpool and Rick White are over-loaded with turkeys in Oklahoma, plus a pair of NRA Women On Target hunts in Kansas.

Read more about NRAblog's coverage of Women On Target hunts here.