In case you didn’t know this already, Brittany Boddington is a force to be reckoned with. Could be how she grew up. Her dad, Craig Boddington, is a retired Marine and has hunted numerous species all over the world. Plus, his name has graced outdoor magazines for years and I’m pretty sure he never allowed the grass grow under Brittany’s feet. Her stepmom, Donna Boddington, is one of the most gracious and humble ladies I’ve ever met. Brittany is destined to be a great hunter, and she’s proven that many times over on numerous TV hunting episodes airing on Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. Recently, something clicked in her – and she realized her true destiny was to help others learn to love hunting, too. She had an idea -- of a camp where women across cultures and ages come together and learn the nuts and bolts (literally) of hunting. No more allowing a boyfriend or spouse to load your rifle or skin your deer. This isn’t women’s rights in hunting – this is truly understanding what it takes (and what is means) to take an animal, skin it and learn the parts of every cut, and then prepare it for you and your family. Women come to her She Hunts Skills Camps with a little bit of fear of the unknown, but leave with huge smiles on their faces and new best friends. How do I know? Because I was just at a camp at Record Buck Ranch in Utopia, Texas. In case you didn’t know, Utopia exists and its where you have fun in the outdoors.
Enjoy this brief time with Brittany, and if you are interested in her camps, visit http://SheHuntsSkillCamps.Com – Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire
Q1: Brittany, share with us why She Hunts Skills Camp? Why now? What are your goals for the camps?
The goal of the camp is helping ladies become strong and independent hunters by sharing the knowledge I've gathered over the years so that they don't have to struggle to find answers like I did. Ladies learning hunting for the first time can be at a disadvantage thanks to chivalry. A friend or relative will help set us up on a weapon or an animal (or both) and they tend to help a lot with the aftermath as well. This is all great until you want to strike out on your own, but you lack the basic skills to do it confidently. The goal long term is to empower female hunters to feel confident hunting alone, but also to give them the tools they need to take their kids hunting, which hopefully inspire the next generation of hunters to get involved.
Q2: From the beginning, I’ve heard from ladies your camp have been a huge success. Why do you think that is? What makes She Hunts different from others?
We do things a little differently. We start at an incredible ranch with 50+ species of game and comfortable accommodations with great food. We also take things down to absolute basics like mounting a scope and bore sighting a rifle. We are not a shooting school; we are a hunting school and we try to give a basic overview of every skill you need to hunt from rifle handling to field dressing and wild game cooking. It is a busy few days with our camps running aThursday through Monday time period, but the ladies learn a ton and they enjoy every minute.
Q3: You’ve been all over the world hunting. What’s left on your bucket list?
I would like to hunt all the different Chamois species. I've collected four so far, but there are still a few to go. I enjoy mountain hunting a lot because it pushes my physical limits. I would also like to work on adding a few more ibex hunts to the calendar. I love experiencing different cultures and finding myself on what seems like the edge of the world on top of mountains that few people have walked upon. Hunters are so fortunate to experience areas that are still truly wild.
Q4: What do you want to say to those ladies who are curious about hunting, but think they could never do it?
I say come to She Hunts Skills Camp. There are no requirements to come to camp (other than a great attitude to learn!) Let me give you all the information so then you can make an informed decision, plus it is a ton of fun!