Gratitude for the Opportunities, Friends and Adventures Hunting Offers

As someone who grew up in the inner city who didn’t get her driver’s license until she was in her mid-20s, if you told me that I would grow up to want to spend my time entering dark woods in the early morning, sitting in a tree stand for hours on end or walking countless miles in tall grass looking for birds, I wouldn’t have believed it. Although I probably would’ve been intrigued. I bought my first hunting license in 2017 when a friend took me pheasant hunting and have sought to get out any chance I get. I like both firearm and bowhunting and set out for deer, turkey, dove and upland species. Sometimes I go hunting by myself but I also go with groups. It has been a character-building journey, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

One of the things I was delighted to find was the community. Bless the internet. I have realized the greatest support from lady’s firearm groups like AWA (Armed Women of America) and AG&AG (A Girl and A Gun). While most of the ladies’ interests reside in self-protection, competition or recreation, I’ve been fortunate to find a couple of ladies into hunting. The Illinois Learn to Hunt program started out a few years ago and I feel like we’ve grown up together. They offer a lot of cool classes and experiences, and I was thrilled to be invited as an ambassador to their Hunt Camp held in September in Wauconda. There are other organizations, such as the Pheasants Forever Tallgrass Chapter, who introduced me to the basics of shotgunning. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) also offers shotgun clinics around the state, and I learn something new every time I attend one. Other organizations with programs for women include the Annie Oakley’s, IDNR’s BOW (Becoming an Outdoors-woman), National Wild Turkey Federation’s WITO (Women in the Outdoors) and so many others. I still grab any opportunity to learn I can.

One of the key benefits from friends gained from the ladies’ groups has been in finding firearms that are the best fit. As one of the chapter leaders likes to say, “I’m good at spending other people’s money.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of being dismissed and it’s a challenge to find good suppliers in the Chicagoland area, but having a good community helps when you need something and someone “has a guy” for that.

The community has also been instrumental in finding mentors. The seasons are short, and the learning curve is long, but mentors have helped close that gap. I have been fortunate to make friends with some of the instructors of the above events and many have gone out of their way to give me extra help by coming out to the field with me or simply being a text away, like when I have a situation where a deer walks past my stand too quickly, not allowing me to get a good shot in. A seasoned pro texted back, telling me to bleat like a doe. It sounded silly, but I went for it and wouldn’t you know, that buck came running back to me.

I’m always amused when I meet someone who says they are interested in hunting because meat has gotten so expensive and think that hunting might be an inexpensive way to fill the freezer. I used to think the same thing until I noticed costs add up, not to mention PTO and time planning and traveling. Fortunately, I was able to build my gear supply up slowly, buying mix-and-match camo and picking up an inexpensive turkey decoy here or a raffle prize game vest there. As a frequent garage sale/thrift store shopper, I once found a climber tree stand at a resale shop for $50. Finding places to put all this gear in a small apartment really puts my Tetris skills to the test. The first time I went to a hunt camp without having to go to a store selling hunting equipment, because I already had everything I needed, I felt like I had ‘arrived.’

One of my favorite things about hunting is planning my season, putting in for deer lottery in March and spring turkey in November and looking up the results is like it is Christmas. I tend to hunt public land nearby and utilize the Illinois Recreation Access Program to locate potential private lands. It’s a bewildering process to figure out at first.

What helped me was spending time at the breakfast table over a few months thoroughly reading the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations to find publicly owned and managed sites with hunting opportunities and familiarize myself with the rules and regulations. I was self-conscious about messing up. Then I will hike the state site a few times throughout the year to get the lay of the land and check out what the wildlife is doing, knowing full well animal behavior will change during the season. I just like getting out and having adventures. On my bucket list is getting the courage to go up to a farm, knock on their door to ask for permission to hunt their land. I find this incredibly overwhelming.

I used to feel intimidated by being one of the few ladies at the lodge or for lottery drawings and I still get a few sideway glances from some of the fellows. But since I’ve racked up some good stories over the years, all I need to do is start spinning some yarns of my adventures for instant comradery. My favorite story to tell is about getting to a site way too early (because of a weird incident at a campground that I wanted to get out of), setting up my turkey decoy and then laying down to sleep only to wake up a short time later to what sounded like foam ball getting spiked and growling because a coyote had attacked my decoy. Who wouldn’t be amused by that?

I’m always excited for opening day and I’m relieved when many old-timers who I’ve talked to say that feeling never goes away. I wish I had started hunting sooner so I’d have even more stories but I’m grateful for the opportunities, friends and adventures that I’ve had. And for those yet to come.