“Next time”, said Representative Heather Bauer after climbing out of the deer stand recently. Although she did not harvest a deer on that hunt, Representative Bauer spent the day learning about deer hunting including safety, types of gear, what to wear, how to prepare, and more. Representative Bauer, a state representative from Richland County is co-chair of the Sportsmen’s Caucus and serves on the Wildlife subcommittee of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and sponsored the bill to designate the third Saturday in November as “Women in Hunting and Fishing Awareness Day” each year.

Representative Bauer not only wants to bring awareness to women that participate in outdoor traditions, but she also wants to help share information about where women can go to learn more and receive proper training. She brought together a group of entities that are committed to helping women gain more skills in the outdoors including the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and more. The group compiled a list of clinics and workshops that are available to women across the state and will be updated as opportunities arise. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation is excited to be a part of this effort to help encourage women to participate in hunting and fishing and to inspire them to advocate for and conserve our natural resources.

One series of events that is highlighted in the list is the POWR series. The South Carolina Wildlife Federation and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources have joined forces to offer POWR, the Palmetto Outdoors Women Retreat. The POWR series has several different types of outdoor trainings with the main introductory event being held in May at the Clemson Outdoor Lab. During the weekend, women can choose up to 8 classes where they will get hands on instruction in outdoor activities including fishing, fly fishing, hunting, archery, shooting sports, boating, birding, kayaking, hiking, and many more. Other trainings in the POWR series will help women learn more in-depth outdoor topics such as targeting specific game and fish. All of these trainings are designed to help move women from awareness of outdoor activities to action and for them to venture out on their own or with friends.

Academics Afield students at Clemson University on a rabbit hunt.

As we celebrate this inaugural year of Women in Hunting and Fishing Awareness Day, Representative Bauer says, “We want to highlight women in the field on November 18th and spread the word about opportunities to learn more about hunting and fishing”. Women who plan to post on social media about their outdoor pursuits are encouraged to add the tag #scwomenhuntandfish to their posts.

BeBe Dalton Harrison, Director of Education, South Carolina Wildlife Federation

bebe@scwf.org

Greg Lucas, Public Information Officer, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

lucasg@dnr.sc.gov