womensoutdoornews.com» BlogLight

Bad A$% Girls Club blog brings it on

Women's Outdoor News — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:10:18 +0000

Thanks to blogger Holly Heyser, aka NorCal Cazadora, we found the Bad A#$ Girls Club. We don’t want to write the name out, but you can sure go to the blog and read about these women’s adventures afield. You, too, can be a member of the club and we’re hoping that someday, we’ll get to buy tee shirts, too. And while you’re at the site, check out the Bad A#$ videos and music they’ve picked for your enjoyment. See http://www.bagc-outdoors.com

Julie T. Chapman's 'artsite' celebrates nature and animals

Women's Outdoor News — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:31:33 +0000

Contrary to popular belief in mainstream crowds, we outdoors types are artsy. We value beauty, particularly when art depicts what we’ve already seen and experienced in the outdoors. Our imaginations don’t have to run wild. We’ve been wild. Enter Julie T. Chapman, a Montana-based artist who gets it, the wonder and appreciation of nature’s palette. We like her art blog, located here.

Welcome to an “artsite” that celebrates nature and animals!
If you enjoy getting out to the beautiful wild places of the world and love seeing the wild things there, then you will find that same love and joy in my work. I live in Montana and paint the color and energy of the West – wildlife, horses, rodeo. I’m an artist in love with color, and I paint expressionistically, whacking the oils around with large brushes and palette knife.
At Julie’s blog, located at the website, she describes projects, such as dog portraits, that she’s been commissioned to paint. Or, she delves into other artists’ work and what that represents to her. A fascinating look into an artist’s mind and soul. We give it five stars and a rank of 10! ~ Barbara Baird

NWTF bloggers give additional insight to one of country's premiere conservation organizations

Women's Outdoor News — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:15:14 +0000

You have to give credit to the National Wild Turkey Federation for jumping on this social networking platform big time. Just recently, the organization announced its blog, a compilation of opinions and stories by employees at the NWTF. It works for several reasons. You get to read a behind-the-scenes as-it happens account of events by people such as Mandy Harling, JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge Ethics and Sportsmenship) Coordinator and Loran Brinkmeier or Jared McJunkin, wildlife biologists. Broken into easy to navigate sections, the blog allows readers and members of the NWTF to see the people behind the organization — always a nice touch. Go to http://www.nwtf.org/blogs/

Mandy Harling, Brenda Valentine and Teresa Carroll at a recent NWTF event. Photo courtesy of NWTF blog.

30 Cal Gal not afraid to stand out from the crowd

Women's Outdoor News — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:39:43 +0000

Anette Wachter, recently featured at an NRA Blog post, steps into the spotlight, er bloglight, here at The WON with her bold blog titled 30 CAL GAL. She writes, “I am an unusual woman in an unusual sport. I love to shoot rifles. I compete in high-power rifle. I shoot an AR15 across the course and my favorite is my custom Palm bolt action .308/30 CLBR. Hence, my title. Are there more like me out there?”

We bet there are, Anette.

You may read about Anette’s recent performance with her rifle at the prestigious Camp Perry competition, where you will be able to read an insider’s point of view about this event.

See http://30calgal.blogspot.com/

She finds happiness in her own backyard … Amy Grisak's blog

Women's Outdoor News — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:33:53 +0000

“Everything you need is right at home,” proclaims Amy Grisak’s blog titled Backyard Bounty. This freelance writer describes her former life with National Geographic and BBC as a time of “chasing grizzlies and mountain lions with a camera and sound equipment.” She lives with her husband and two sons in Montana and shares her lifestyle with readers at her blog.

We like it for its upbeat quality and its wholesomeness. In the blog, Amy tackles home projects like siding issues, writes about her road trips and regales with tales about her gusto garden. You’ll get to know her and her family, and you’ll feel like you have a new kindred spirit in the outdoors if you sign up and get her updates.

To read Amy’s blog, click here.

To see Amy Grisak’s website, see http://www.amygrisak.com/

She's ba-aack! The Hunter's Wife continues to humor us

Women's Outdoor News — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:36:47 +0000

She took a little hiatus from her blogging to clean her closets, and we know … we’ve featured her before in this section. She’s just so good at what she does — and that is, makes us laugh at ourselves and forces us take a little look at some of the idiosyncracies surrounding the outdoor experience. For example, last year, when the local sporting goods store touted a contest for biggest antlers on a trophy, Jody Narantic, aka “The Hunter’s Wife,” wanted to enter her hubby’s decoy. After all, none of them are alive, right?

Jody Narantic in her own yard.

And there’s more … stories of her neighborhood, the ducks she tries to raise, the corn-fed deer in her own backyard, and this one below about her niece who calls a tackle box a “taco box.” There’s a reason this woman’s blog gets more traffic than a lot of news and wire services out there.

People just like laughing at themselves (and others) and we think you’ll like it too. Check out www.thehunterswife.net. Tell Jody we sent you.

She knows why women fish …

Women's Outdoor News — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:59:22 +0000

Terri MacKinnon not only writes a blog about women and fishing, she has added a companion website. From how to find fish with a GPS to how to cook fish at a campsite to delving into the topic of “Why Women Fish,” Terri enjoys the latitude that publishing a blog with universal appeal holds. Her purpose is to inspire women to catch the passion of fishing. For example, in her post “Why Women Fish,” she tells the story of dating Andre (her husband now) and about their first time out fishing together.

“I’m going to teach you how to feed your family,” he proudly told me. Fishing season opened a couple months later and he brought me to the annual weekend away with his fishing buddy to compete in the opening season derby. I’m not sure how thrilled his buddy was, but I guess it was better then being told that he was going to be completely left behind. We had a really good weekend and I was able to keep up with the boys and at some points I even out fished them. I knew then that I was definitely Hooked! And not only on my husband but on those fish.

You may follow her blog at http://womenfishing.blogspot.com/ and her website here.

Warriors in High Heels Part II: How do their deaths affect society?

Women's Outdoor News — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:03:11 +0000

Back in January of this year, we featured John Wills’ blog post on the officer.com website, “Warriors in High Heels: Don’t Test Their Mettle!” As a former Chicago police officer, John offered his opinion of women as police officers. You can read our original Bloglight for that opinion.

We are featuring John’s latest blog post about other Warriors in High Heels, the women who serve in combat in our United States armed forces. We all hear the debate about whether or not a woman’s place is on the battlefield and each side is passionate about their reasons for and against. John’s response to women in combat?

“If you’ve ever seen an angry female bear defending her family, you have an idea of how ferocious our warriors in high heels can become. We need them on the front lines.”

If you’re on either side of the issue, or if you’re just curious about John’s reason for supporting a woman’s right to serve in combat, take some time and read his post on officer.com.

Photo by John M. Wills

James Rummel's 'Hellinahandbasket'

Women's Outdoor News — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:23:49 +0000

James Rummel, from Columbus, Ohio, ran his own private charity for 18 years, offering free courses for violent crime survivors. He specialized in working with the disabled and elderly and exudes a compassion rare these days, under an exterior that is all business and professional. And, he knows his guns.

We like his blog because not only does it focus on how to protect and defend, it also exhibits common sense, and goes to show that you don’t have to have a lot of money in order to shoot. See http://hellinahandbasket.net/

Traci Schauf features "The Adventures of Mother Nature" (and her family) in blog

Women's Outdoor News — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:51:33 +0000

Let’s see what Traci Schauf, known in certain circles as a Mommy Blogger but known to us at The WON as a thorough and knowledgeable outdoor gear reviewer (See Gear Court), has to write about her family and the outdoors. In her blog “The Adventures of Mother Nature,” she describes the reasons for writing her blog: “Moms don’t have mid-life crises, we have moments of re-invention. I have jumped into another moment of re-invention, to the chagrin of my family who are being sucked into the vortex. It’s kind of “nature light”- stories about our travels, about all things outdoors, and in the midst of those, my family.

Traci Schauf

“Perhaps you’ll learn a bit about the outdoors, or a creature who lives there, or how to take care of it. Or maybe you’ll just have a good time laughing at the antics and adventures.

“I live in a tiny town with my husband, Philoboy, sometimes my daughter the Whee, and most usually the neighbor’s dog. Every day is an adventure in my world. Won’t you come along?”

Thanks, Traci, for sharing the outdoors and your family with us. ~BB

To follow Traci’s blog, go to http://momonvacation.blogspot.com/