BIO

Year Born: 1982
Gun model(s): Syren Tempio Light 20ga and Syren Elos D2 20ga

Any Modifications: None
Began hunting: Since 2009

I host The Bird Dog Babe Podcast to help inspire, encourage, and educate women to hunt and get their bird dogs out in the field. I hunt both upland and waterfowl bird species, and turkey, but my all-around favorite is Ruffed Grouse! I enjoy the challenge they give me and my dogs navigating their habitat, their rocket speed, the sound of their flush through the thick brush, and exploring new recipes to enjoy the harvest!

I was an adult-onset hunter. I started training and competing with my Claddagh German Wirehaired Pointers in 2004 whilst I was still in college. During hunting season, I would carry a camera around the field taking photos of my dogs and husband working birds. It was the reoccurrence of one of my dogs continuing to retrieve the bird to me that my husband had shot that I decided that I wanted to join in on the sport that my dog enjoyed so much. It was as though my dog was asking ‘me’ to hunt with ‘her’. So, I dropped the camera and picked up a gun, and have since appreciated the strong bond that forms between dog and human when hunting together as a team.

Do you have any special causes?

I support several habitat organizations and public land advocate groups such as Pheasants & Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. These are groups that are focused on conservation, preservation, and education. Through their efforts, I’m hopeful my kids and their children, will be able to enjoy hunting the public lands, bird and game species in the future.

I also support the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation which provides funding for health research focused solely on helping identify and address health issues in dogs. Through my Patreon program, my patrons contribute to donating 5% towards conservation and 5% towards canine health research.

What knowledge can you share that would make ladies better shooters?

Women deserve to feel comfortable and confident when shooting or hunting. We are no longer in the times of ‘this is a man’s sport’, and we shouldn’t have to compromise with a ‘one size fits all’ gun. In order to continue on with a sport, we don’t need to be the best at it, but we do need to enjoy it and have a reason to go back and do it again. As the number of hunters continues to decrease it’s important to inspire and motivate women to get out there and do it. Having a shotgun that fits her means she will have a higher success rate when shooting, making the hunt more enjoyable, and making it more likely she will want to do it again.

How can more women get involved in bird hunting?

Give hunting a try! Find a mentor and go out with them. Look for a women’s hunting event, where you can try out the sport in an environment where a lot of the focus is to teach you and be in a setting that is controlled and comfortable. Listen to my podcast, ‘The Bird Dog Babe’; it’s loaded with guests that are offering great advice to help you learn about hunting!