WOMEN ON THE HUNT – Sept/Oct 2021

A New Women’s Hunting Movement Hits Texas

RENÉE THORNTON grew up in rural Canada where hunting and farming are ingrained into the culture.

Despite a lifelong awareness of hunting, she never pursued it until after thinking deeply about how animals were raised in factory farms. That inspired a quest to obtain her meat from the natural world and brought her to the conclusion hunting could be the solution.

“I finally decided in 2016 to take the first step,” she said. “It was not easy, and I sort of fumbled a few times. But, I am tenacious and got involved with the Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta Chapter and other groups and agencies. I was dead set on making this work.”

Although many of our first successful hunts were for rabbits or doves, Renée’s came in the form of a bear hunt in Northern Alberta in 2017.

“That was quite an experience for a first-time hunter,” she said. “This was a spring hunt using the spot and stalk method, and I made a double lung shot from 115 yards. The boar was six feet from nose to tail and had a gorgeous spring coat. It’s still my favorite hunt to date.”

Since then, she has taken axis deer in Texas, other game around the continent and has spent lots of time fishing. However, her even bigger passion is helping other women to get started hunting.

“I had some definite challenges getting started,” she said. “As I talk to women from all around, I hear the same things. I’m excited to be part of something that will help offer solutions for women who want to hunt and pursue the great outdoors.”

Thornton holds the chair of Women Hunt™, an outreach of The Wild Sheep Foundation that seeks cutting-edge solutions to connect women to the great outdoors. One of those solutions is a special project at the FTW Ranch, in the rugged Texas Hill Country near Barksdale.

“With partners such as the FTW Ranch, we’ve created a special opportunity for 12 women from around the country not only to go on their first hunt, but learn the skills necessary to make it a lifelong pursuit,” Thornton said. 

Attendees were selected through The Wild Sheep Foundation and its regional chapters and affiliates such as the Texas Bighorn Society.

Painstaking detail went into the application process, so all women who applied were given a fair shot without their identities known until they were selected. 

An even greater level of care went into the project itself. The 12 lucky women provide their own airfare to San Antonio, but the rest is taken care of by WSF. That includes WSF and sponsor swag, a Yeti 65-quart cooler to ship their meat back home in and more.

The women will tour the ranch to see game and learn to properly identify each species in the field.

“We want this to be an experience they will never forget,” Thornton said. “They will get a detailed course in game identification and in this case, will be learning to distinguish whitetails from exotics as part of that. The hunt is for a whitetail doe, which ties in with helping the ranch meet their management goals.”

The ladies will go through firearms training and will have an opportunity to use Weatherby rifles, which they will learn to shoot out to 300 yards.

“The goal is for each lady to harvest a doe,” Thornton said, “but if they are not all successful for whatever reason, the meat will be shared. Sharing our wild game is important. WSF and Women Hunt want to inspire the participants to share their game,”

A wild game cooking specialist will come to the ranch to train participants in venison preparation from field-dressing to being able to properly butcher the meat.

“We want to empower these ladies to have the confidence to be able to hunt, harvest and feed their families as well as share with their community,” Thornton said.

An important part of the program is learning the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It is the proven system that through partnering with hunters and anglers, has seen wildlife populations soar into the 2000s after the slaughter of the 1800s.

“I saw Becky Humphries, Executive Director of the National Wild Turkey Federation, deliver an incredible speech on the North American Model,” Thornton said. “We have her recording one for us so the ladies can hear it articulated by someone who exemplifies that model in her work.”

The women will also be encouraged to share the story of their first hunt through outreach back home. That might be speaking for a local civic group, creating a social media presentation or talking with print and broadcast media.

“We’re very excited about this program,” Thornton said. “We look forward to heading to the FTW Ranch for a special experience, not only for the 12 ladies but everyone involved in making it happen.”

Through WSF’s Women Hunt™ program, women will not only learn to hunt, but learn to stand up for hunting and the conservation work it inspires. For more information visit www.wildsheepfoundation.org/womenhunt or call WSF at 406-404-8750.

 

 

—story by CHESTER MOORE

 

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