Posted: Thursday, November 02, 2023
Author: Rebecca Danforth, Ph.D.
Shortly after Montana's big game hunting season came to a close in the fall of 2021, I attended a gathering of women hunters. As we gathered over cocktails and appetizers, we swapped tales of triumphs, lessons learned, and moments that had us bursting with laughter from the past season. Amidst these inspiring tales emerged the question: "What was everyone's greatest accomplishment of the season?"
In 2021, my hunting season proved to be my most successful yet. I harvested a nearly trophy-sized Pronghorn and even managed my first solo hunt. Yet, strangely, these personal victories didn't stand out as my most significant achievement. Instead, it was a weekend spent in the company of my friend, Elaine Westbrook, and her 13-year-old stepdaughter, Rachel, during an unsuccessful hunt that left an indelible impression on my heart.
Rachel is a bright, soft-spoken young woman raised by a true Montana hunting family. However, as the 2021 hunting season approached, she remained uncertain whether she was interested in hunting. So, Elaine and I decided to extend an invitation to tag along and accompany us on an elk hunt in the majestic mountains of southwest Montana.
On a crisp Saturday morning, well before the sun painted the sky, we loaded the truck up and embarked on our journey into the rugged mountains. The road was treacherously rutted and icy, but Rachel, sitting in the back seat, greeted every slip and skid with an infectious laugh as we inched forward to our destination. We finally arrived at our chosen spot, a ridge high in the mountains where elk had been frequently passing through. As we scanned the terrain, we spotted a striking herd of elk. I turned around to see Rachel lit up with an enormous smile spread across her face; it was her first time spotting an elk herd while on a hunt.
Yet, there was a hitch: the herd was situated half a mile into private land with no sign of moving anytime soon. Undeterred, we continued moving and glassing different drainages, our spirits undiminished. Finally, in the later afternoon, we spotted something in a small draw full of willows: a mature mule buck with a white face and small, malformed antlers. Rachel was giddy with excitement as Elaine passed her the rifle. But another challenge presented itself: we were perched on a steep, open hillside, and the buck rested in the bottom of the draw about 150 yards away. Rachel had only practiced shooting on flat terrain, making this an entirely new test of her skills, compounded by the surge of adrenaline from buck fever.
Rachel attempted to line up the shot as her father had taught her, but she struggled to locate the buck in her scope. She whispered what she saw through the scope, and Elaine and I responded in hushed tones, offering reference points to guide her crosshairs. Still, her aim remained too high, as the slope we were on didn't accommodate her seated position. With deliberate care, I slipped my pack off and positioned it before her, creating a stable rest. Seated upright, the pack's frame provided her with the support she needed for a downhill shot. Amidst all the shuffling, the buck noticed our movement, and we instantly froze, careful not to let out so much as a breath. A few moments passed, and then the buck returned to grazing. We all carefully let out a collective yet silent sigh of relief that we were unnoticed and Rachel's hunt was not over yet.
Rachel briefly found the buck in her scope but lost it again. She continued to whisper her observations, and I continued guiding her toward her target. Elaine also offered guidance while simultaneously fighting the urge to take the shot. For her, it is paramount that the freezer is filled every hunting season. It can be challenging for a seasoned hunter to sit by and pass up a shot they know they could make. However, she resisted because she understood that this was Rachel's chase and a chance for her to piece together a successful hunt on her own.
Rachel kept shifting her position, seeking stability and a shot she could confidently take. She knew the importance of making an ethical shot and was determined to do just that. I intentionally allowed her to work through this challenging shot. She needed to make independent decisions without the added pressure of being rushed. It would not have helped her to have Elaine or me telling her that she needed to make the shot as soon as possible. The added stress of someone breathing down her neck would not help her stay calm. She persisted in searching for that sweet spot, the one that would ensure a quick, humane kill.
After 45 minutes, the buck continued to graze, and Rachel still hadn't found her comfort zone to take the shot. Then, a noise farther down the draw caught the buck's attention, startling it and causing it to flee. Rachel's hunt had come to an end, and we were left empty-handed. Elaine and I knew we could have made the shot, but we consciously let Rachel have her moment. It was a decision we didn't regret either because it sparked a change in her.
Running her own hunt from the moment she spotted the buck to its eventual departure ignited a passion within Rachel. She had been granted the mental space to make her own decisions, free from the influence of others. This opportunity bolstered her confidence in her choices. As we returned to the truck, she expressed her determination to return home with an elk one day. This was just the beginning for Rachel.
When we encourage and mentor young women in the art of hunting, we foster their resilience, patience, and respect for wildlife and the environment. We show them that the wilderness is a space where they can thrive. By embracing hunting, young women challenge stereotypes and pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse outdoor community. As Rachel's journey demonstrates, it's about giving young women the space and guidance to grow into confident, capable hunters who can carry this legacy forward for generations to come.
That Saturday morning, Elaine and I set out with Rachel tagging along, and we returned home with something far more significant – an eager young woman who would be a part of the next generation of women hunters. So, reflecting on the question of my greatest accomplishment during that hunting season, it became clear that nurturing a young woman's growth in the hunting world had overshadowed all else. I knew firsthand how daunting it could be for a woman to step into the world of hunting. Helping a young woman find her footing was worth coming home empty-handed. My hunting party grew by one that day on that mountainside, and it's difficult to envision a more significant achievement. Rachel represents the future of women hunters.
