Women discover outdoors

MAT-SU — Hunting moose is one of Alaska’s most popular outdoors activities. For women who may be intimidated by the thought of shooting and field dressing one of the large animals, there is help. Becoming an Outdoors Woman is a state-run program that seeks to help women become more acclimated with outdoor activities.

Started in 1991 in Wisconsin, BOW has grown into an international organization and moved into Alaska in 1996, said Tracy Smith of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Smith is a leader and coordinator for the Alaska BOW chapter and as a fisheries biologist has a fair amount of outdoors skills herself.

“The classes are geared for women who want to learn about getting outside and enjoying nature, but just have never had the opportunity to get out there and do it,” she said. “And we are a starting block to help give them a taste of what Alaska has to offer.”

The workshops and classes help beginners to advanced outdoorswomen and cover just about any aspect of outdoor activities one can think of, Smith said.

“We have everything,” she said. “We cover all aspects of hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities. From archery, tracking, trapping, skinning, shotgun and rifle education courses, ice fishing, fly fishing, canning, smoking, using a GPS, dog mushing, skiing and even cooking gourmet seafood.”

But the education available from BOW is not just in a classroom setting, Smith said. They are hands on. No lectures; purely interactive teaching, including field dressing a wide variety of animals and cooking the meat or fish you have taken.”

The best part about the classes is that women can begin to get into the outdoors and put their new skills into action.

Carolyn Hruby is a former BOW student who praises the lessons.

“I started with a pretty basic understanding of outdoors activities like hiking and camping,” she said. “But through the classes I got really hooked on fly fishing. Previously, I had never been fly fishing, but now I am really loving it.”

Hruby was a longtime participant in the BOW classes from 2003-2005 but now works as a volunteer for the program to help teach some classes and get women comfortable in the BOW setting.

“It is just incredible that they have and bring so many experts in their respective fields to teach the classes in the right way,” Hruby said. “And this way the classes are so conducive to learning the material correctly.”

This aspect of BOW is something Smith is proud of.

“We have different instructors for each different class that come from all over the state, some from Kodiak and other places in the interior, and even professionals from gun companies to teach how to handle a firearm correctly,” Smith said.

It was one of these firearm instruction classes that got another student, Shauna Pajak, into deer hunting.

“Well first, the classes are great and were right down my alley, and they made me feel so comfortable and helped people on all levels,” she said. “Being comfortable allows you to ask questions and make mistakes. But it was those rifle and muzzle-loading classes that led me down a whole different avenue of activities like hunting.”

Pajak learned that she enjoys deer hunting so much she went on a week-long hunting trip to Raspberry Island put on by BOW.

“That trip was so awesome, and they had awesome people that took care of all six of us,” she said. “I would love to do it again.”

To sign up for future classes or learn more about BOW, visit www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region3/Programs/BOW.

Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.