goose tagged posts

CITNB co-founder Heather on her first hunt.

For almost a year, I’ve been working on this blog to encourage women to hunt, fish and otherwise enjoy the outdoors. I fish, target shoot, camp and hike but unlike my co-founder, I had never been hunting (check out my first post for the background).

We’ve been able to share a lot of inspiring stories on this blog. Women who started hunting to spend time with family. Women who started hunting to know where their food is coming from. Women who are passionate about conservation. So on January 2, I went on my first hunt.

My husband, our friend and I won a goose hunt at a TRCP dinner two years ago. We missed the first season because of scheduling conflicts so I was determined to  hunt this season...

When it comes to developing a good duck decoy spread you’ll often need a well thought out strategy and a bit of luck. Although duck hunting season is primarily over, it is never too early to discuss effective strategies. And when it comes to decoy spreads, strategies can become quite complex and contradict each other. For instance is it best to have a large spread or small spread? This answer will change from hunter to hunter and will vary from location to location. While there is no distinct way to set up a spread, the best rule of thumb is to imagine you are the duck and to decide what the duck wants to see in a spread. Here is a list of some of the most important things to consider when developing a decoy spread.

Observe the Area

When setting up the decoys, try to use decoys that rese...

If you’re contemplating starting to hunt, step one is to complete your state-approved hunter education. Summer is a great time to take the course so you’ll be ready for hunting season, which is coming right up!

Many states allow, or even require, you to take a portion of your hunter education online. Other courses include a classroom course and other require a “field day” to demonstrate hands-on safety skills. Check with your local Department of Natural Resources or Fish & Game to find out your state’s requirements – or your local sporting goods store will likely be able to point you in the right direction if you’re not sure who to call.

If you can (or are required) to take an online portion of hunter education, there are a lot of options to choose from. Here are a couple to check out:

• Hu...

By Rachel Dawson

Recently, there has been an inspiring groundswell of public dialog on women:  our pasts, our modern experiences and our futures.  Like many, I’ve been drawn to this narrative.  Via social media, we are connecting on a global scale unheard of less than two decades ago.  On Twitter, while perusing the burgeoning #YesAllWomen hashtag, I stumbled across a post by a young woman who implored her peers to stop calling her a “female engineer.”  “I’m just an engineer,” she said.  I was struck by the simplicity and poignancy of it.  Indeed, in many male-dominated professions, interests and communities, there is a tendency to label a woman’s participation as atypical, a GIRL-fill-in-the-blank.  This got me thinking about my life as a “sportswoman.”

I was raised to h...

My First Bird, Leslie Dunne Ketner

Leslie Ketner

The first time I ever shot a bird it was a dove.

I was on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the early ’90s. It was opening day, and I sat excitedly on a bucket in a field of sunflowers.  My husband and our yellow lab, Berkeley, were in another row of sunflowers. 

As the birds started flying, I looked around to track my fellow hunters, showing caution on my first attempt to shoot something other than an orange clay. All of a sudden a dove was flying a nice left to right pattern.  It was pretty far off, but I mounted my side-by-side 12 gauge and  boom, it dropped in another row of  dried flowers.  Being new to this, I wasn’t sure of the protocol on when to pick up my bird...