I began 2009 with the Texas Hunting & Fishing Show in Arlington (January 8-11) – my husband John and I presented four forty-five-minute-long retriever training demonstrations each day for this show. The crowds around our 30 x 30 foot area stood four and five people deep to see our retrievers work. I mixed and matched pieces of SHE, such as the hunter vest and the cargo pants with some of my own wardrobe to create daily unique looks which were easy to travel with and work dogs in.
Less than a week later, I was off to Orlando for the SHOT Show. The show is always amazing, but my favorite part of the trip, as part of the media, was watching women’s roles continue to grow and diversify in the sport and industry. I attended many press conferences, including SHE’s and POMA’s, and participated in several informal meetings with media colleagues to discuss new women’s programs. Back at the SHE booth, I was blown away by the new C4 System and after wearing my own complete system this season (seen our weather lately?), I’ll never again hesitate to answer with “not at all” when my husband asks if I’m cold!
In February I made good on what turned out to be the only New Year’s resolution I kept all year – I became an Oklahoma hunter education instructor. Working with my local game warden, I’m now asked to speak on gun dog training and outdoor clothing and I always wear one of the SHE camo hunting shirts for my presentations.
On February 8th, my husband and I were invited to be on “Speak”, a live call-in radio show for dog owners in the central Oklahoma area. We answered listeners' training questions and the host, Pat Wallis, gave mention to our sponsors, including SHE.
As part of Cabela’s national pro staff, my husband and I traveled south in February to Buda and Fort Worth for the 2009 Spring Great Outdoor Days, presenting retriever training demonstrations, answering customers' questions about dog training equipment and selling product. Again, my SHE separates proved great to travel and work in and were great conversation-openers with the stores' customers.
I've had two articles published in the NWTF's Women in the Outdoors magazine this year - the first (Winter ’09) was a story about my successful spot and stalk coastal black bear hunt in Alaska with Limbsaver which was filmed for their television show back in 2005, and the second (Spring ’09) was a training article on teaching your gun dog to trail and quarter to the gun. This second piece was also chosen to appear on the NWTF’s website.
I was interviewed by the outdoor editor for the Oklahoman for a Mother’s Day piece (May 10, 2009) on women hunters and was identified as a member of SHE’s pro staff. The article reported statistics on the growing numbers of women hunters, citing that in 2000, there were 111,512 annual hunting licenses sold by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Of those, 6,928 were sold to women. In 2008, that overall number decreased to 81,058, but the number of licenses bought by women increased to 8,227. I’m hoping I can help keep that number growing and SHE gives me an excellent platform on which to reach out to women.
May 16th, I hosted my second annual Women in the Outdoors workshop, tripling the attendance from my event last year and earning an invitation to the state’s appreciation banquet for attendance and funds raised. I put together 15 classes including dog training, self-defense, fishing, kayaking, backpacking, yoga and various outdoor craft sessions for 60 participants. Each participant received a goody bag with a SHE catalog and had the opportunity to bid on a SHE gift certificate and t-shirts as part of the lunchtime activities. My SHE short-sleeve pleated shirt handled the unpredictable May weather with ease and received lots of compliments.
In June, I filmed a commercial for H&H Gun Range in Oklahoma City (owned by Miles Hall, former SHOT Retailer of the Year winner). The spot will include me on the archery range, wearing a short-sleeve SHE t-shirt and will air on major network channels in the central Oklahoma area.
Later that month (22th-24th) I was invited for the fourth year to attend Purina's Media Event, meeting with other writers and editors to discuss current issues in canine health and nutrition. I met women editors from the Ruffed Grouse Society, Retriever Field Trial News and the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association and will be writing articles for their 2010 editorial calendar. My SHE casual wear was perfect for the trip and I was pleased to hear more recognition of the brand from my colleagues.
In August, my husband and I appeared at the Kansas City Cabela's Fall Great Outdoor Days presenting retriever training demonstrations and offering customer support. I also presented a special program on selecting and caring for women's outdoor clothing, highlighting SHE’s new C4 system. I was told they sold out that afternoon. I wore my hunter fleece pullover as part of the presentation.
This September 26th, my husband and I presented retriever training demonstrations at the fourth annual Wildlife Expo, a three day event sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Over 50,000 people from around the state attended and a short-sleeve camo shirt kept me cool and professional looking in front of the overflowing bleachers during our presentations.
On October 17th, we presented a complete, day-long retriever training seminar for the Texas Divas. This was the first year for this fundraising event in response to a growing interest by their members in sporting dogs. Over 60 people attended and I made sure everyone picked up a SHE catalog. My Safari Zip Jacket kept me warm that day in Godfrey, Texas and my DIVA buddies' bling couldn't compete with the SHE logo on my shirt!
I'm continuing my work as Executive Director of WomenHunters by promoting a nationwide mentoring program which serves to encourage women to acquire safe, ethical hunting experience under the guidance of knowledgeable mentors. I have also been asked by the Texas Divas to help establish an Oklahoma Diva chapter and am planning a mid-spring kick-off party at the H&H Gun Range. I'm hoping to include a SHE "trunk show" for that event.
We began 2009 with an appearance in January at the Texas Hunting & Fishing Show in Arlington - we presented four retriever training demonstrations each day for this four day show and I've attached a photo to show the enthusiastic crowds we drew.
After attending the SHOT Show, we appeared on Speak, a live call-in radio show for dog owners and answered listeners' training questions.
In February, we traveled to the Cabela's in Buda and Fort Worth, Texas for the 2009 Spring Great Outdoor Days, presenting retriever training demonstrations, answering customers' questions about dog training equipment and selling product.
I've had three articles published in Women in the Outdoors magazine this year - the first was a holiday piece on mistletoe, the second was a story about my spot and stalk black bear hunt in Alaska with Limbsaver which was filmed for their television show, and the third was a dog training article on teaching your dog to trail and quarter to the gun.
John and I continue to share our expertise with other writers – I was interviewed by the outdoor editor for the Oklahoman for a Mother’s Day piece on women hunters, while John was interviewed by gun dog writer Dave Carty for articles in Gun Dog and Retriever and Waterfowl Magazine.
In May, John and I hosted our second annual Women in the Outdoors workshop, tripling the attendance from our event last year and earning the "Golden Hen" distinction for attendance and funds raised. We offered 15 classes including dog training, self-defense, fishing, kayaking, backpacking and various outdoor craft sessions.
In June, I filmed a commercial for a local gun range which will air on major network channels in the central Oklahoma area. I was also invited for the fourth year to attend Purina's Media Event, meeting with other writers and editors to discuss current issues in canine health and nutrition. I met editors from the Ruffed Grouse Society, Retriever Field Trial News and the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association and will be writing articles for their 2010 editorial calendar.
In August, we appeared at the Kansas City Cabela's Fall Great Outdoor Days in Kansas City presenting retriever training demonstrations and offering customer support. I also presented a special program on selecting and caring for women's outdoor clothing, highlighting Cabela’s newest hunting clothes for women.
This summer, I also completed my hunter education instructor training and will be teaching hunter ed classes this fall.
This September, John presented retriever training demonstrations at the fourth annual Wildlife Expo, a three day event sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, drawing over 50,000 people from around the state.
And finally in October, the Texas Divas have asked us to present a complete, day-long retriever training seminar. This will be a new fundraising event for their organization in response to a growing interest by their members in sporting dogs.
I'm continuing my work as Executive Director of WomenHunters by promoting a nationwide mentoring program which serves to encourage women to acquire safe, ethical hunting experience under the guidance of knowledgeable mentors. I have also been asked by the Texas Divas to help establish an Oklahoma Diva chapter.
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