In the past few days, three women made headlines when they were attacked by wildlife. None were hunting at the time, but their stories are yet more reminders that freak encounters like these can happen at the unlikeliest of times.
     The first incident was a severe black bear mauling in Bakersfield, Calif., on July 22. According to this BakersfieldNow.com story, the victim was 57-year-old Allena Hansen, who had gone out to work on her property with two of her dogs. After the attack -- which left her with serious facial lacerations -- she managed to drive herself to a fire station, from which she was air-lifted to UCLA Medical Center.
     Also on July 22, a Memphis woman was at a Pensacola, Fl., resort, when she was trampled by a deer. This Walton Sun story reported that 68-year-old Shelia Potts was walking back to her rental unit, when she was struck by a deer running from a nearby wooded era. Among Potts' injuries was a cerebral hemorrhage, five broken vertebrae, several broken ribs, a pulmonary contusion, and a laceration to the scalp. She also has no memory of the event.
     As if that's not enough, on July 25 The Salt Lake Tribune reported that a grizzly bear attacked a 21-one-year old woman in Alaska. The bear reportedly pounced Abby Sisk around 11:00 p.m., near the lodge where she worked, grabbing her head in its jaws and dragging her several feet. She was listed in critical condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center, where she was suffering from head injuries, a broken jaw, and puncture wounds on her legs and arms. Her family, however, said she seemed to be in good spirits.
     Sisk had reportedly been returning from a hike when the bear came out of the woods and attacked. She played dead, but when she got up after the initial encounter, the bear came at her again. A guest at the lodge spotted the bear on top of Sisk and ran toward it screaming, at which point the bear moved off.
     Pretty sobering what can happen when you're just out for a walk. -K.H.

     Taxidermist Angela Wilson started her business in 1998. Called Wild Intrigue Taxidermy, Wilson's Gregory, S.D., shop managed about 200 deer, 150 pheasants, and 300 "others" this year. Although she says most of her business is in deer, pheasants and turkeys, she points out, "We do most anything that comes along." At crunch time, Wilson sometimes enlists her sister Lisa to "bail me out" (that's Lisa on the left and Wilson on the right).
     Wilson made some time to talk to the blog about cape care, the challenges of the trade, and what she likes best about her job. -K.H.

FSHuntress: How did you first get into taxidermy?
Angela Wilson: I started in taxidermy when I was 16. I started dating a guy that was in the business
and became interested in it. I just did finish work until I graduated from high school. I had no interest in college, so I worked at a gas station while I continued to learn taxidermy. I eventually got married and then did taxidermy full time. After five years, we divorced and I went back to working at a gas station. Two years after that, I started a taxidermy business of my own.

FS: What are some of the best things hunters can do to take care of their hides? And the worst things?
AW: The most important thing you can do to make sure you have a good mount is to cool it down. If you use ice to do this be careful not to get the animal wet. If you freeze the animal, make sure that it is wrapped well. A garbage bag works well. Fish should be wrapped in a wet towel first, and then in a bag, and frozen.
     The worst thing you can do is leave it in the sun or any warm area. The sooner you can cool it down, the better quality mount you will get.

FS: What's the most challenging mount you've ever done?
AW: Buffalo were the most challenging. I don't take them anymore. They are a little too big for me to handle, and I am busy enough without them.

FS: What do you think most hunters don't realize or maybe don't appreciate about the work a taxidermist does?
AW: A lot of people don't realize the difference in quality of mounts. This is something that I find frustrating and amusing at the same time. It's really neat when you come across someone that sees and appreciates it.

FS: Anything else you think our readers would like to know?
AW: I do really enjoy my business and my customers. I used to hunt a lot, but now my time is pretty limited. I enjoy listening to the hunting stories (and they ALL have them), and I really appreciate their excitement over a good hunt.
     My favorite season is turkey season. The majority of the hunters are archery hunters. We make hen decoys, and during the season the guys will come in with ideas. I spend a lot of days trying to change a decoy around for that night's hunt. I really enjoy the feedback I get from them.

     This opinion piece in today's Bismark Tribune got me thinking about a question I ponder from time to time. I realize I'm drifting into perilous waters, but the question is, is it possible to find any common ground between hunters and certain animals rights activists?
     I've long wondered if the issue of canned hunts is a rare area where these typically opposing groups could potentially agree. And that's the point the director of the Northern Rockies regional office for The Humane Society makes in this piece.
     "Some North Dakota sportsmen might be skeptical of the Humane Society..." he says of those who oppose canned hunts, "But we applaud the North Dakota hunters who aim to put the 'hunt' back in hunting and the 'wild' back in wildlife."
    Of course, I'm by no means suggesting that all animal activists are approachable. As we all know, many are beyond reason, radical, and sometimes criminal.
     But I'd like to think there's the occasional person or group chapter here and there -- as I hope we can trust opinions such as this to indicate -- who are able to recognize a common cause.
     Based on your own sense of animal rights activists, do you think there's room for dialog on issues such as canned hunting, or are the differences too great? -K.H.