The only girl in camp?
I am going to start by stating a few facts... women are the fastest growing group in hunting. We aren’t going anywhere. In fact, the survival of our sport, our heritage, rests firmly on our shoulders to pass along to our children, and to our grandchildren. I personally feel a huge responsibility for making sure that our heritage continues for generations beyond me.
I have been told by many guides that they really appreciate women in camp, both hunting and fishing. We tend to not have the egos sometimes presented by men, and no matter how long we have been hunting (nearly 20 years for me) we are always willing to LISTEN to the guide as they give advice. I always figure I know a lot about hunting, but not necessarily about what or where we are hunting at the time. Life is a lesson, I try to learn something every day.
While women in the outdoors is rapidly growing, we are still often far outnumbered in the field. It’s pretty often that I am the only female in camp. I personally am not uncomfortable being the only girl in with a bunch of guys, but I can totally understand those that are, so I figure I will throw out some good info for you ladies… some tips, tricks, and maybe some stuff to chuckle about.
Honestly, I am basically one of the guys. I do get “pretty” and put on makeup and stuff, but to be honest, I don’t get grossed out by most stuff... ok, let’s get REALLY real, pretty much nothing grosses me out... so, if we are out hiking for hours on end, etc, and you need to “snot rocket”, I’m not going to flip out... I mean, its a body function, and who wants to keep up with tissues, or put them out in the environment unless truly necessary.
Logistics - peeing, who cares! My only concern when peeing in the great outdoors is if it’s cold outside! I’ve been places where there were no bushes for cover. It’s nature, folks, everyone pees... I just say, ok guys, I’m gonna walk over here and pee... and they just don’t look. It’s no big deal. In fact, we have been places in Africa, etc, where there is no way I am walking away from the group, there’s too many animals that can kill me, I will choose to squat right next to the truck, thank you very much! (I will travel a bit for #2 LOL)
Sorry guys, this one little bit may be TMI- skip to the next bullet point if you want! Is it gross? Maybe, but I think it’s hilarious. Recently, while in Alaska at one of the outpost cabins, it was me, my husband, our guide and our packer. We brought in minimal stuff as you take the gear out on horses. I basically had my panties on, under armor thermals, then my outer gear. I slept in my thermals. We are all in one cabin. There’s an outhouse with no door (which is brilliant by the way, you can spot game and eliminate your “waste products” all at the same time), so it’s not private either. I could have asked the guys to go outside so I could change, but honestly, it’s not a big deal, none of us were showering, and we all were using “guide wipes” (because we are not calling them baby wipes) to clean up and not be terribly stinky. (Realistically, I am certain we all smelled awful, but c’est la vie!) Well on the last day at the cabin, while everyone was loading horses, I did a “quick change” of my undies.... um, then I threw the 3 day old ones into the fire... I didn’t want the “land salmon” to attract grizzlies to us. I was telling one of my girlfriends about this, and she said “Why didn’t you just take pantyliners and change those a couple of times a day? Just like fresh panties.” She was met with silence. I had literally NEVER thought of this... I’ve not shopped that aisle in a few years so it never occurred to me...Kara has become a frigging genius in my eyes now. Einstein level. Genius. ***BTW - please comment if this was MIND BLOWING IDEA to you or if I am just an idiot. :)***
While I am pretty self sufficient, I do occasionally need help. There are things I can’t control. I am not physically as strong as a man, so I might need help lifting things and let’s face it, I’m short. Sometimes I need assistance solely because of that. Example: horseback riding in Alaska. Short girl, tall horse. I had to get assistance mounting up, the stirrups were almost at my waist. Plus, it was my first experience horseback riding so so I didn’t know much about it. So you know what I did? Asked for help. I’m not proud. I will ask when needed.
Seriously, there have only been a few instances where there was any type of an issue with being the only female in camp. I have some funny stories on those, but that is for a different time. In the 19 years I have hunted, only twice have I dealt with someone who was less than great about having me in camp with them. So long as you present yourself as confident, willing to learn new skills, and friendly, odds are you will not have an issue. You be you. That’s ALL you have to do. However, be prepared, if you act like a diva or princess, you will be treated as one…. Now get out there and have fun, and never let someone intimidate you! And if you ever want to ask any advice or anything, please feel free to contact me!!!
