By Kim Hiss

I love stuff. Especially when the stuff is associated with a great memory. Matchbooks, coasters, airline tickets, pictures—I’m a shameless pack rat when it comes to remembering anything from a fun movie to a great trip. Since some of my favorite memories are from hunts, I have a lot of personal prizes from the field. Not in the sense of trophy mounts, but quieter prizes, like the spent shell from the first animal I killed, or a pebble from the most perfect turkey hunting spot I ever found.

One of my all time favorite possessions is this “autographed” shed. I was on an NRA Women on Target hunt for antelope in Wyoming

As we turned, I spotted a white object perfectly centered on the peak of a hill to my left. The clouds... [ Read Full Post ]

By Kim Hiss

Hi All,

As some of you know, I'm leaving my full-time position at Field & Stream for another writing job, BUT as I was the only woman editing features for the magazine, I’m continuing as the FSHuntress blog host. So as long as we, as a group of women hunters, can prove there’s enough interest in the topic of females in the field, Field & Stream will keep the blog going. The “Email Kim” link under the author bio is now going to my new email account, so feel free to continue to send me thoughts, photos, and discussion topic suggestions—I’ll be reading them every day.

Of course, I think any forum for outdoorswomen is extremely important, so, I’ll get right to the topic for today: Fairy Tales. Well, fairy tales as they relate to kids and hunting.

I’m a research nut, and I’m always finding interesting little tidbits of information that I get excited about sharing with other people. Laura B. posted a comment on the blog about having her two-year-old son in the duck blind with her, and the thought of kids in the field got me thinking about a book I recently read on, of all things,... [ Read Full Post ]

By Kim Hiss

Women Hunters Web Page. GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS

I hesitate to post this, but in the spirit of sparking discussion….

I recently asked our on-staff firearm and bow experts what they thought the best gear in their respective areas was for women. Yes, they’re men, but they really know their stuff, and I was interested in their opinions. This was for a story that ended up not running in the magazine, but since I still had their responses on my hard drive, I figured I’d post them now. What do you think? Are they great suggestions? Just acceptable? Or way off?

Can only women recommend gear for other women? Or does it not matter as long as the person making the suggestion loves to hunt and has the experience to back up their opinion?

Shotguns
By Philip Bourjaily
1. Winchester Super X3 Field
A lightened version of the Super X2, the X3 weighs a shade under 7 pounds and makes an excellent choice for all-around wingshooting. The X3 is ultra-reliable and very easy to maintain. The gas operation and a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad take most of the kick out of 12-gauge loads. Stock spacers included with the gun allow you to adjust length... [ Read Full Post ]

By Kim Hiss

We’ve been a little gear heavy for the past few posts, so now for something different, we have an entry from a guest blogger—outdoors writer Kathy Etling. She’s written a stack of books and magazine articles (see her bio below), and is a passionate outdoorswomen. Here are her thoughts on being a huntress… KH

When I started hunting I’d attract a milling, somewhat amazed check-station crowd whenever I brought in a white-tailed deer or wild turkey I’d bagged myself. By the time the Missouri check station tradition ended a couple of years ago, it was common for my daughter, who’s also a hunter, and I to meet other successful female hunters frequenting the same check stations. What has been so gratifying is knowing – and seeing – the results of what would become a personal lifelong mission to spread the good word about hunting to other women while also doing my best to convince men that yes, women belonged beside them in the field.

Those hunting genes that helped our ancestors survive, during that past 2 million years, weren’t selectively handed down only to men. Women also received those genes, and sometimes more than a mere dollop of them along... [ Read Full Post ]

By Kim Hiss

Some women are perfectly happy with men’s clothing, or prefer saving money by wearing youth sizes, but the majority of respondents to our poll said finding the right camo was a real problem (more so than finding a gun or people to hunt with). So we did some digging. The companies listed here (with examples of each of their clothing) have the most extensive women’s lines out there. They include well-known mega-manufacturers and smaller businesses owned by women. Whether you’re outfitting yourself or buying for someone else, consider this your starting point.

Cabela’s
The world’s foremost outfitter has catered to female hunters on and off throughout the years and formally launched its current line of quiet, rugged hunting clothes for women in 2000. Twelve styles are available in five camo patterns, including quick-dry tops and pants, packable rain gear, and insulated outerwear. There are upland and shooting vests, too. (Women’s Dry-Plus Silent Suede Insulated Jacket pictured here, $130); sizes S–XXL; 800-237-4444; cabelas.com

SHE Safari
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By Kim Hiss

F&S is currently amping up its coverage for female hunters, and I have to say, I’m so happy to be a part of it. For those of you who read the magazine, you’ve probably seen editor-in-chief Sid Evans’ calls for essays on being a female hunter, and by now you’ve likely read the July feature on outdoorswomen that resulted.

Helping to put that story together was one of my favorite parts of being an F&S editor—and it held the most surprises. While I expected that reading people’s essays and getting the results of the women hunters web poll would be fun, I never expected to find such a rich history of outdoorswomen in the pages of Field & Stream.

It turns out female hunters used to have a strong presence in the magazine. The 1890s through the turn of the century in particular saw a women’s column called The Modern Diana (named for the Roman goddess of hunting), and frequent features and columns written by the magazine’s “lady field rangers.” I spent a number of late nights in the office... [ Read Full Post ]