Sprawled belly down in a field, earplugs firmly smashed in place and safety glasses in position, I took a deep breath, steadied my rifle, placed my finger on the trigger, took aim … and fired. I missed. By quite a bit. And kept missing. This was one of the first times I had ever shot a firearm. City life never felt farther away. How did an Austin expat, former vegetarian, and hunting tenderfoot end up in St. Anthony, trying her luck with both archery gear and firearms? My editor’s sense of humor could be one simple answer, but I’m crediting it to a desire to expand my Idahoan horizons.
lations. Ten women ranging in age from twelve to the mid-sixties filled the seats. Some were mother-daughter or grandmother-granddaughter pairs; a handful were solo newcomers like myself. In her mid-twenties and a seasoned hunter education instructor, Lauren was approachable and made me feel like this activity foreign to me is one I could explore, eventually. She answered every question I came up with, no matter how rudimentary it may have sounded to her. We delved into the basics of hunter education: the parts of a rifle and bow, local animals and their identifying
Soon, the bow was starting to feel as it should, like an extension of my arm. Last August, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game hosted its inaugural women’s hunting clinic for eastern Idaho women of all ages. It was taught by Lauren Lane, a senior conservation officer in St Anthony. The clinic gave women the opportunity to become certified in hunter education, and receive hands-on instruction with a group of their peers in an unintimidating environment. As a female conservation officer, a first for Region 6, or the Upper Snake Region, Lauren hopes to continue offering opportunities for women interested in hunting. Since 2013, the number of female hunters in the United States has increased to 15 percent of the nearly 14 million hunters, up from 9 percent in 2006. Although the numbers are not drastic, the steady climb speaks to the ongoing efforts being made to reach this under-tapped population. “It is a result of the interest increasing, and the understanding that the interest is increasing,” Lauren said. The day began with classroom work. Lauren went over hunter’s safety, responsibility, conservation, and rules and regu-
traits, sustainability efforts, field dressing, proper tagging, and much more. The ethics that conscientious hunters and conservation officers—also known as game wardens—strive for struck me the most. “Hunting is part of a world that includes conservation,” Lauren said. “Hunters are our eyes. We depend on them to call in poaching incidents and violations. That’s half our calls, if not more.” Conservation officers also rely on hunters to supply valuable information at game checkpoints, where animals are examined and documented for sex, size, age, possible diseases, and more. “It gives us a vast amount of information we wouldn’t have without hunters,” said Lauren, who oversees a roughly 1,600-square-mile—or more than a million-acre—expanse of diverse landscapes, ranging from high elevation sagebrush deserts and sand dunes to steep mountain peaks, dense pine forests, and rivers and streams. After the class and exam, which we all passed with flying colors, we headed outside for the field-day portion of the clinic, which included gun
OPPOSITE: AUTHOR KATE HULL SAYS SHE “FELT AN ORGANIC CONNECTION” TO THE ARCHERY GEAR. ABOVE: KATE PRACTICED WITH THIS COMPOUND BOW LOANED TO HER BY A FRIEND. UNLIKE TRADITIONAL LONGBOWS AND RECURVE BOWS, COMPOUND BOWS UTILIZE LEVERING SYSTEMS OF CABLES AND PULLEYS FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND POWER.
SUMMER 2016
magazine 61