If you are a girl, you need to read this article by Eva Shockey. Follow her on FB and Twitter. She is the real deal.

http://yeticoolers.com/pages/blog/an-open-letter-to-every-girl-in-america-who-wants-to-try-hunting/

Hey Girls,

If you’re reading this blog post on the YETI website, then it means you’re probably already a hunter and you don’t need to be reminded how totally, unbelievably awesome that makes you!

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed the number of female hunters rising exponentially. I can’t even begin to explain how excited that makes me. I spent my whole childhood under the same mistaken illusion that many girls fall under—that “hunting was for boys, not for girls.” Don’t get me wrong, when I was growing up, my dad wanted nothing more than to bring me hunting and invited me out every chance he got. The fact was, I didn’t know any other females who hunted. We didn’t have hunting TV shows with women on them at the time, my mom didn’t hunt, none of my girlfriends hunted, so I figured that neither should I. Boy, was I wrong. It took me until I was 20 years old to realize that I could still be a classy girl who likes to dress up and wear make-up and still love to hunt. So I got outside and gave it a try and I haven’t looked back.

Now, there’s no stopping me. I love to hunt. I love the outdoors. I am grateful for every day that I can spend in the woods or on a mountain or anywhere with fresh air and wilderness. I am proud to call myself a hunter and excited when I hear that someone else hunts too, especially if it’s a girl.

There are a lot of things I wish I knew about hunting years ago, that have taken me awhile to figure out. There are so many great things about hunting, it’s hard to choose the best ones, but these are three of my favorites:

Hunting is healthy. No matter how big, small, old or young you are, you’ve probably been concerned about your health at some point in your life. Hunting is the answer. Not only does hunting allow you to sit outdoors and breathe the fresh fall air into your lungs, but it provides you with organic game meat to eat. This meat was ethically harvested by you, out in the wild and the animal lived a life of freedom up until that point. There were no cages, fences, hormones or pesticides pumped into this animal. The steak/sausage/ground meat that comes from the animal you hunt is natural and is much healthier than any store-bought meat you can find.

Jim and Eva Shockey

Hunting is a great way to spend time with the people you love. For me, I love hunting with my dad. He’s been my hunting buddy since the very beginning and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. For others, it might be your sister, brother, mother, grandpa or neighbor, but the bottom line is that when you’re hunting, you get to spend time together and share the great outdoors. Our lives are so busy nowadays with computers, cell phones, iPads, schedules, television—even when we’re spending time with someone, we are rarely focused just on them. Hunting is your chance to get away from all of these distractions, so take advantage.

The hunting industry is embracing female hunters. The door has been opened for us, and we are rushing right in! When I was young, it was extremely odd to see hunting products made specifically for women, but things are quickly changing. People have realized that women hunters are good for the sport. Today I can walk into any Bass Pro Shop across the country and pick up every item I could ever need for a hunt and everything would be suited to my female form. Bowtech Archery makes amazing bows with a shorter draw length and weight. Under Armour has an entire line of women’s hunting clothes on their website that is amazing. They fit the body shape of a woman, so we don’t have to go out and buy small men’s sizes that are ill-fitting. Thompson Center makes rifles intended for the female market and even YETI Coolers makes a pink cooler—how cool is that? All of these companies have incorporated a combination of a woman’s smaller frame, feminine color options and body shape and have come up with the best hunting products I’ve ever used. There are lots of other brands that have jumped on board with this trend, too, and ultimately it doesn’t matter which brand you choose; what matters is that you have a choice!

As much as I would’ve loved to start hunting when I was a child, in a way I am proud that it took me so long to start because it proves that anyone can be misled by the “hunting is only for boys” stereotype that our society has created in the past—even someone who’s surrounded by hunting and has a professional hunter as a father!

If you’re a female hunter, be proud! Share your photos, share your stories and share your passion for the outdoors with others. The future of hunting is lucky to have us.

Until next time,

Eva Shockey

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EVA SHOCKEY

Eva Shockey knows what it means to be part of the Outdoor Industry. Growing up with Professional Hunter and Television personality, Jim Shockey, as her father, Eva was brought outdoors and in front of the camera at an early age. With a combined passion for conservation and adventure, Eva is now a full-fledged ‘Outdoor Channel’ and ‘Wild TV’ personality and is quickly making a name for herself within the industry as a proud, female outdoors-woman. She spends over 250 days per year traveling the world to co-host “Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures” as well as representing the Outdoor Channel as host for various TV specials and red carpet events. Eva is linked with various well-known outdoor brands, like Crosman, Mossy Oak and HunterCourse and makes guest appearances at trade-shows and fundraisers across Canada and the USA. Eva has found a way to balance hunting, travel and family into what she calls the “best lifestyle in the world”.

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