Girls just want to have guns

[WhiteFeather]

More than a few good points in this one, also considering how some elected officials in Canada are trying to ban or prohibit them, its a real pro-gun article.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...y=Kelly+Miller

Girls just want to have guns

With her manicured nails, Prada heels and slim 5-foot 9-inch figure, Kelly Miller can hold her own at any cocktail party.

But this week the mother of four swapped her chai lattes for a Winchester rifle, matched wits against the wilds of Northern Alberta - and caught a doe in the crosshairs for the first time.

"I am really not sure who was more scared," she said in a text message from the bush. "Me or her."

"Sex and the City meets cammo" is how the 31-year-old occupational health inspector describes herself. But, she admits, that's "not exactly the stereotype of what a hunter looks like."

Or is it?

Alarmed by the decline of hunting's popularityacross North America, hunting organizations in Canada are wooing new species of sportsman rarely encountered in the bush: kids, women and the elusive city slicker.

The recruitment effort surfaced in Quebec last week.

The province's hunting and fishing federation has launched a $150,000 campaign to encourage urbanites to step out of their condos, pick up a weapon and head for the wilderness.

"Hike and grocery shop at the same time," read the bold-letter newspaper advertisements, along with the messages: "Eat organic" and "Popular for the last 3 million years."

The message has been spreading across Canada in recent years: The Winnipeg-based Delta Waterfowl's website boasts a slick video of giggling young women blasting ducks out of the sky. An ethnically diverse bunch of camouflage-clad doctors and teachers beam from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters' recent ad campaign. And hunting groups from PEI to Vancouver Island are offering women-only courses on how to take an animal from forest to table - recipes included.

A report by the B.C. government published last year had more than 30 recommendations on how to recruit new hunters, including hiring a publicist to promote the sport as "a cool thing to do."

Much of these campaigns emphasize hunting's softer side. It's depicted not as a murderous activity, but as good exercise, a source of organic protein, and something that helps with conservation and fosters respect for nature.

The push comes at a time when the overall number of hunters in the United States has dropped significantly from 1996 to 2006, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife services. Several Canadian provinces have experienced similar trends, particularly British Columbia, which has seen a drop of about 20 per cent since 1981.

Hunting advocates cite a number of reasons for the decline, including the faltering economy, rising gas prices, stricter gun laws, the high cost of hunting licences and the influx of immigrants who may not have a hunting tradition. But some also point to mediocre public relations, which hasn't done much to combat the stereotype of hunters as gun-toting rednecks who shoot for a thrill.

"It's a miserable failure to communicate," sighs Randall Eaton, a researcher and hunting advocate whose latest book, Why Hunters Save the World, is due out next year. "They were the original conservationists. But when it comes to being good publicists and promoters of what they do ... they're failing."

It's too early to tell whether these new recruitment campaigns are working, government officials say. But Patti MacAhonic, executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, says the women-only outdoor programs have skyrocketed in recent years. This year's annual camp, where about 115 women learned to shoot and skin game, was so popular there was a 20-person waiting list.

It's a far cry from when she started hunting almost 20 years ago, as a recently divorced mother of three who needed a cheap way to feed her family. Other women, she says, often turned up their noses. Once, when a female friend was visiting from the city, Ms. MacAhonic skinned a grouse after wringing its neck. "She was horrified," she said.

But with the increasing visibility of female hunters, such as Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, those attitudes are changing, Ms. MacAhonic says.

"I think it's ... showing people the benefits and what it's really all about," she says. "I'm feeding my family meat that doesn't have hormones. It's all natural, less fat. It's just a healthier choice."

Kelly Semple, executive director of the Hunting for Tomorrow Foundation, a coalition of hunting, fishing and trapping organizations in Alberta, says women make up the fastest-growing segment of hunters in Alberta.

Many aren't looking to tag along with their husbands, she says, but are planning weekend trips with girlfriends. Among five female beginners who went on a duck hunt last week were a police administrator, a banker, an accountant and a university student.

A recent graduate of the Hunting for Tomorrow Foundation's women's program was Ms. Miller, who grew up watching her father hunt, then accompanied her boyfriend on his trips before deciding earlier this year that she wanted in on the action.

This week, armed with the proper accreditation, she headed out into the bush determined to bag her first deer. On Wednesday, heart pounding as she stared down the scope at a doe grazing in a field, she had her first opportunity.

"I am sure both the deer and me had the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look as time stood still," she wrote in her message. "She began to move - bolt, actually, and I was not sure of my shot so I said 'I can't' and bowed out. As an ethical hunter I know my skill and limits, and I want to make sure I don't make a mistake."

After that experience, however, she's still determined to make her first kill. Her desire to hunt has more to do with the experience than the food, she says.

"It's this heart-stopping, 'Omigod, you see me and I see you - what's next?' " she says. "I really want the sport of it, not just filling my freezer."

That's why, some people say, the recent ad campaigns promoting hunting's eco-conscious virtues are missing the mark.

"Yeah, sure, I love to eat wild game, but that isn't really why I hunt; and it's not really why a lot of people I know hunt," says Bob Scammell, who has hunted for 60 years and whose hunting column appears regularly in the Alberta Outdoorsman and the Red Deer Advocate.

"I love to go back to the country where I grew up. I love to see my dog work. I love the exercise. ... If we happen to get a partridge, they are great delicacies which I relish very much. But they're not going to feed my family for very long or anything like that."

Similarly, Dr. Eaton says that hunting organizations should be promoting how hunting helps to develop better people.

"When a creature dies so you might live, it teaches you on an emotional and spiritual level that life is interdependent," he says. "It gets us out of ourselves and it connects us with the Earth and the creatures. And that engenders respect."

But respect from the guys?

That's up for debate, says Ms. Miller. Like many female hunters, she hears one question when she turns up in hunting shops: "Where's your husband?"

Those guys had better get used to a new type of hunter in the woods, she says.

"Just wait until I get pink cammo out there, baby."

[Siobhra]

"Just wait until I get pink cammo out there, baby."

I love that final line.

[dman]

How do I get my wife,-? Explain to me please,how is it that you fine ladys take such an interest in firearms and what got you so interested in the first place.

[Warpt762x39]

I know a lot of girls and women who would love to learn to shoot but are scared of guns. Most for no real reason other than what they hear from the anti gun crowd but a couple who have had bad experiences with them. All of the females I know who want to learn want to do so in order to get over their fear and get into a new sport. Only bad thing is that they ALL want pink guns lol. I think that gun sales would go up if gun companies came out with a line of pink guns like Charter Arms and Ruger did. I think the biggest part of the pink gun is it helps them get over the look. Its almost like if it's pink it cant be bad. Hopefully this spring Ill be taking a few of the girls with me to shoot (I love being the only guy in a group of girls ) and maybe Ill be able to meet up with some of you and talk you into bringing out some .22s as I only have 1 I can teach with

[XD40coyote]

Since dman asked, I will reply. I got my first gun after deciding I had enough of foxes eating my free range chickens ( if you have ever had free range eggs you know how damn good they are) and other poultry. In spring 2000 the parents of a fox litter decimated my poultry. I went from 50 chickens down to 12 in 2 months. The foxes had never ever killed so many like this. I got madder than mad and decided I was going to learn to trap foxes. You don't need to shoot a trapped fox to kill them, but sometimes you get raccoons and possums in the same sets and esp with raccoons, shooting is the fastest most humane way to kill them. Raccoons and possums are VERY tough animals compared to foxes. So I HAD to buy a .22, and I didn't want some bulky rifle, so I knew I needed a handgun. So I went and bought an evil handgun LOL, and also took the hunters safety class, got a hunting and trapping lisc, and bought some traps and other supplies.

At first I was a little apprehensive about killing furry things, but I had killed many mice before and even some rats, so how different can a fox be? For eating all my chickens and a bunch of ducks and a goose and turkey, some foxes just needed killing, they were just a bigger varmint. Plus I would get the fur and skulls/teeth for *free*.

So dman, I suggest you get a flock of free ranging chickens of the cutest looking breed of chickens ( banties, or big fluffy sweet hens like standard cochins), and when foxes ( or coyotes) kill them all, your wife will hopefully get majorly pissed at her cute widdle chickens being massacred, and want to start shooting every fox ( or coyote) around for miles. If she is of the 24/7 type who likes to make them "suffer" a lil, she may want to trap them, as traps work 24/7 and you need only check them once per day, or every 36 hours as the PA regulations state. To ease her mind, she can set the padded jaw traps. Then she can ease her anger over the chicken massacre by shooting said trapped varmints in the head. Or in the chest if she decides to decorate the chicken coop with trophy skulls. Oh and don't forget to send the fox or yote furs away to be tanned and made into a lovely fur coat for her to wear! And when you go to the range, be sure and set up targets of pics of foxes or coyotes for her.

[dman]

Since dman asked, I will reply. I got my first gun after deciding I had enough of foxes eating my free range chickens ( if you have ever had free range eggs you know how damn good they are) and other poultry. In spring 2000 the parents of a fox litter decimated my poultry. I went from 50 chickens down to 12 in 2 months. The foxes had never ever killed so many like this. I got madder than mad and decided I was going to learn to trap foxes. You don't need to shoot a trapped fox to kill them, but sometimes you get raccoons and possums in the same sets and esp with raccoons, shooting is the fastest most humane way to kill them. Raccoons and possums are VERY tough animals compared to foxes. So I HAD to buy a .22, and I didn't want some bulky rifle, so I knew I needed a handgun. So I went and bought an evil handgun LOL, and also took the hunters safety class, got a hunting and trapping lisc, and bought some traps and other supplies.

At first I was a little apprehensive about killing furry things, but I had killed many mice before and even some rats, so how different can a fox be? For eating all my chickens and a bunch of ducks and a goose and turkey, some foxes just needed killing, they were just a bigger varmint. Plus I would get the fur and skulls/teeth for *free*.

So dman, I suggest you get a flock of free ranging chickens of the cutest looking breed of chickens ( banties, or big fluffy sweet hens like standard cochins), and when foxes ( or coyotes) kill them all, your wife will hopefully get majorly pissed at her cute widdle chickens being massacred, and want to start shooting every fox ( or coyote) around for miles. If she is of the 24/7 type who likes to make them "suffer" a lil, she may want to trap them, as traps work 24/7 and you need only check them once per day, or every 36 hours as the PA regulations state. To ease her mind, she can set the padded jaw traps. Then she can ease her anger over the chicken massacre by shooting said trapped varmints in the head. Or in the chest if she decides to decorate the chicken coop with trophy skulls. Oh and don't forget to send the fox or yote furs away to be tanned and made into a lovely fur coat for her to wear! And when you go to the range, be sure and set up targets of pics of foxes or coyotes for her.

Hello agian Mizz coyote,It's me ,Foot-in -mouth, . My wife and I did have 19banties. The first week we lost two to my neighbors dog,and three more to I don't know what.
My wife's idea of varmit control is,"A MAXIMUM-SECURITY-CHICKEN-COOP!
Nothing gets in,nothing gets out,the Alcatraz of chicken coops!

[Duck]

How do I get my wife,-? Explain to me please,how is it that you fine ladys take such an interest in firearms and what got you so interested in the first place.

Honestly I had had a bad experience when I was younger with a gun and after that didn't want to have anything to do with them. When I met Bill he had guns and I didn't care about them but wasn't going to tell him to get rid of them either. He talked me into trying it one day with his AR. After that I didn't mind them anymore plus the handguns are great for protection. Plus, with a shingle pile handy, they are a great way to vent frustration. It's also just fun to shoot and if you can make it to a Westie Group Shoot, the house was fun.

[Robert Kayland]

"Sex and the City meets cammo" is how the 31-year-old occupational health inspector describes herself.

"Does this holster make my butt look big?"

[dman]

Honestly I had had a bad experience when I was younger with a gun and after that didn't want to have anything to do with them. When I met Bill he had guns and I didn't care about them but wasn't going to tell him to get rid of them either. He talked me into trying it one day with his AR. After that I didn't mind them anymore plus the handguns are great for protection. Plus, with a shingle pile handy, they are a great way to vent frustration. It's also just fun to shoot and if you can make it to a Westie Group Shoot, the house was fun.

Ok,now we gettin somewhere,What kind of gun,what caliber do you find a pleasure to shoot ??
Unfortunately,the westie group shoot ain't gonna happen for I am the man stuck in south Florida right now,
Robert Kayland--The holster is down right stunning and I think it accents your ass, Gucci could not have done it better !!

[TaePo]

Let this also be a lesson to all the hunters/sportsmen out there.

Anti-gun legislation, even if they leave sporting arms alone, will mean the death of your sport.

Interest will dwindle along with the rights to carry.