This is the sixth post in our Women in Hunting Series, have you been inspired to learn how to hunt yet? We are a small and growing group of women who hunt and it has been an amazing experience to connect with other women hunters like Krista, Kristen and Hallie to share their stories.
My hope is that by sharing our hunting stories we will inspire more women to join us and start hunting for your meat. Read Hallie’s story below and be inspired by this amazing huntress!
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello! My name is Halli and I live in Northern Idaho. I am a Forester for a private family-owned company. I have been married to my hunting buddy and best friend for the last 9 years! We love where we live.
Why do you hunt?
I love to be in the high country and experience all that nature has to offer. The challenge of the hunt and the thrill of success make this experience one of a kind. Just seeing a mature bull elk or a big whitetail or mule deer is so thrilling. My husband and I hunt because we love to eat!! It feels wonderful to sit down for dinner and know that the meat we are eating is lean and healthy. We process all our meat at home, so when I cook dinner, I know exactly what I’m putting into my recipes.
When and how did you start hunting?
When and how did you start hunting?
My hunting began a little when I was a teenager. My dad and brother went hunting, but I was involved in high school athletics, so I didn’t have a huge interest in hunting at that time. I went with my dad a few times, but I never was successful. Fast forward a few years and I started dating my now husband. Within 3 months of meeting, we went archery elk hunting together. I did not have a tag, but he managed to call in a bull and I saw it first! Fast forward another 6 months and we were married. One of the first things I did when we got home from our honeymoon was take the archery hunter’s safety course. My husband bought me a bow and the rest is history. We love to hunt and fish together and the memories we have made over the last 9 years are treasures to us.
What is your most memorable hunting experience?
Wow. This is a really hard question as I have so many memorable hunting experiences. It’s pretty hard to top the year that I harvested my first elk. I was rifle hunting that year and we had already been hunting for a couple of weeks trying to find the elk. We were able to get away for an evening hunt, so we went to our favorite spot and walked in. When we got to the top of the hill, my husband spotted a spike elk laying on the hillside about 1000 yards away. We could hear several cows and bulls calling and moving through the trees. We worked our way around and down into an opening where we could see and call to the elk.
After I got all set up with my rifle, my husband went over the hill and started calling like crazy. I could hear this massive heard of elk moving up the draw below me, but I could not see them. I just hoped that one of the bulls would come up to investigate. Sure enough, almost like a ghost, a 5 point bull appeared below me. I found him in my scope and squeezed the trigger. He fell right where he was standing and I was over the moon excited. My husband came running down the hill and the first thing he said was, “Does he have horns?” He was a little worried that I would shoot a cow because cow season wasn’t open. I was jumping up and down with a big smile on my face and I said, “Yea! He’s right there!!” We gutted him that night and came back in the morning to pack him out. 3 trips and 9 miles later, we had the meat home and hanging. What a great memory.
| Hallie and the first elk she harvested |
What are some, if any, challenges you faced as a female hunter?
One of the things that kind of bothers me a lot is that when people find out that I am a hunter, they look at my like I have three eyes and say, “You like to hunt??!!?” I don’t know what they expect a woman hunter to look like, but I am obviously not what they have in mind. Also, I often hear other women say, “I could never kill something.” While I understand why they might say that, I often think that they don’t really understand hunting. For me, hunting is not about the killing. In fact, I often feel a mix of sadness when I walk up to an animal I have just harvested. I respect and honor animal life but the reality of life is that we must kill to eat. Whether that’s plant or animal life it is the same to me. Hunting is about pushing your physical and mental capacities. It’s about spending time with nature, and appreciating the beauty and grandeur that surrounds you. It’s about catching a glimpse of that bull that’s never been seen. It’s about spending time with people you love and making memories that will last a lifetime.
If you are a parent, how are you incorporating your child(ren) into your hunting lifestyle?
We do not have children yet, but if we are blessed to become parents, we hope to bring our children right along with us.
Do you have any tips or advice to share with other women who are interested in learning how to hunt?
I guess my only advice is to go after your dreams and don’t let other people put you in a box or define who you should be. Your hunting experience should be unique to you. Also, try to find someone to take you along and teach you a few pointers. You can learn how to hunt without anyone helping you, but you will be light-years ahead if you can get someone to show you the ropes.
This is the sixth post in the Women in Hunting Series. If you or anyone you know is a woman hunter who would like to guest post or be interviewed for this series please contact me at montanasolarcreations at gmail dot com. Stay tuned for more posts in this series like tips on how to learn how to hunt, how to incorporate baby into your hunting lifestyle and some gear reviews!
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I would love to hunt!
You should totally learn how, it is such an amazing experience!
This is so cool! I absolutely love this series
Glad you’re loving the series, that makes my day to hear that!
Just discovered this because of your post on the Meateater page. I’m glad I did!
Welcome! I was hoping to find some other women hunters by sharing that there
I’m really enjoying reading this series. I never understood the draw of hunting, but ever since I butchered a freshly road killed deer last year I’ve been more intrigued about harvesting meat.
Kristel that is really awesome that you butchered a road killed deer! You should check out our latest post with tips on how to learn how to hunt http://www.montanasolarcreations.com/2012/10/women-in-hunting-series-part-7-how-to.html
I completely agree with Hallie’s view of what hunting is all about. Being in nature and having the thrill of the animal walk out in front of you is amazing. “Killing” is such a small portion of what hunting is all about.