Ann Marie Foster was thrilled to share the following news with NRAblog: "This young lady, Sydney Duncan, recently obtained Distinguished Expert.   "She's a hunter, too!" Foster said.

“This has been a great program and I have really enjoyed the challenge," Duncan told Foster. Above, Duncan has carefully collected and preserved each of her badges.

"I started shooting at 8 years old and hunting with my Dad. From the very beginning I loved it dearly," Duncan continued. "Now at 15, I am a avid hunter and a accomplished competition skeet shooter. I think everyone should try shooting sports and this program provides structure and goals to keep you on track."

"It has taught me patience and self-discipline like nothing else I have ever done," Duncan said. "I plan to support the NRA and continue shooting for the rest of my life. Look for my Distinguished Expert application in rifle and handgun very soon."

We'll keep you updated on this talented young lady! Learn more about the Winchester/NRA Qualification program here.

Women On Target National Coordinator Beth Hellmann recently wrote NRAblog to commend long-time Women On Target Clinic Director Brenda Schmale.

“Brenda is one of the most prolific clinic directors in Women On Target,” Hellmann said. “She often schedules a dozen clinics per year! The women of Sonoma County are lucky to have such a dedicated leader.”

Schmale, from Sonoma, California, wrote Hellmann to report a positive trend Hellmann says is taking the program by storm:

"I want to tell you that our class sizes are doubling as Women on Target popularity spreads. I have 2 Women's Empowerment groups who want to advertise our clinics on their websites.”

"Our volunteers are so dedicated to this program that if I ask them about doing something nice for them to show our appreciation, like a group dinner, they say that being involved in Women on Target is reward enough. I have never been involved in anything that has been so rewarding and I hear that from all the other volunteers in our program as well."

Read all NRAblog coverage of Women On Target! 

Lisa Metheny's blog has a new location. 

Award-winning outdoor writer Lisa Metheny last caught up with NRAblog during the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Metheny has published more than 250 articles in all sorts of magazines.

An avid and accomplished hunter, Metheny is a member of POMA, SEOPA, NRA, RMEF, NWTF and DU.

Bookmark her blog for the latest on women's outdoor news, hunting issues, and even NRA programs. (Metheny is pictured at right at the 2009 Women's Wilderness Escape, where she volunteered as an archery instructor.)

Have a question or a story suggestion for Metheny? Contact her here. 

Not every woman lucked out and won the raffle our Women's Programs Department hosted at the Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show the end of January. But that doesn't mean the Women's Program Department doesn't have a hunt for you!

Pictured above, Women On Target Hunt Coordinator Ann Marie Foster gives NRA Board Member Dave Butz a hand in selecting a winner from the raffle. Foster reports back to the blog from the hunts she attends, and can be reached at WomenOnTargetHunts@nrahq.org.

Space is available in several hunts:

• Pheasant & Chukar, Nebraska, October 22-24, 2010
• Mallard & Wood Duck, Michigan, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, and Unlimited Hogs,, Texas, October 22-24, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, November 12-14, 2010
• Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog, Texas, December 10-12, 2010
• Whitetail Doe, Hog, Coyote & Bobcat, Oklahoma, December 31, 2010 & January 2, 2011

The NRA has a number of instructors dedicated to the promotion of shooting sports. None is more committed than California's own Patricia McLelland-Merydith. This June, she'll be hosting her sixth Women on Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics (WOT) event at the Coon Creek Trap & Skeet Club in Lincoln, California.

"Patricia has been a clinic director since 2006, and has taught hundreds of women to shoot," said Women On Target's Program Coordinator Beth Hellmann. "Her specialty is shotgun, but she is an award-winning trap and skeet shooter, too."

WOT events are a great way to learn about firearms and to gain confidence in the shooting sports. No matter what the discipline, you'll be surrounded by other first time shooters and instructors with the patience and experience to guide you through the process. In addition to shooting, you'll also learn about proper storage, firearm safety, and more.

Patricia's clinics also come with an additional bonus. Not only will she provide the finer points of shotgun shooting, but she also prepares the meals herself. Past menu items include homemade pies, stew, and quiche.

To take part in Patricia's clinic, contact her at 530.367.3336 or wot.patricia@yahoo.com. If Lincoln, California isn't exactly your backyard, click here to find a Shooting Clinic near you. And remember -- women only at these events. No boys allowed.

A participant in a recent Women On Target Instructional Shooting Course blogged about her experience, which she found informative and pleasant: 

Women On Target gun class 

What I think is super about these programs is that they are teaching firearm safety and awareness. If you are ever going to handle a gun or pistol you should know what you are doing so you don't accidentally shoot your foot or other body part or perhaps the body part of someone else unintentionally.

The set up they had was extremely well done from the goodie bags with cookies and grapes to the indoor basement range with balloons and paper plates. They incorporated the Valentine's theme for the season. All the women, even those taking the class, were exceptional. It was 4 hours that went by very quickly.

Continue reading Pasty's blog. 

NRA is proud to host the 3rd annual Women's Wilderness Escape scheduled for September 23 – October 1, 2010 at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

The cost of this nine-day retreat is $1,250 and is open to women 18 and older. Fee includes housing, food and all event activities. Transportation is not provided.

No experience is necessary, and all firearms and ammunition are provided. Participants will learn to shoot rifle silhouette, long range high power rifle, black powder rifle, pistol, trap, skeet, sporting clays and archery. Other activities include map reading, camping, survival training, game calling, hunter education and Native American history.

Find out more about the Women's Wilderness Escape and read what some of our 2009 participants had to say about the event.

For a taste of what this 9-day program entails, check out NRAblog's coverage of the past two years' Escapes.

2008 Marion P. Hammer Woman Of Distinction Award recipient Ms. Patricia Stoneking has not slowed down. She is the first person to hold the position of President of the Kansas State Rifle Association for three consecutive years.

This article in the Lawrence Journal-World & News chronicles her accomplishments:  

Passion for firearms inspires woman leading rifle group

Patricia Stoneking’s life path seems to have taken a natural flow. The Bonner Springs resident naturally got involved with firearms through her family of hunting enthusiasts; she naturally found a role as activist for firearms that led her to lobby the Kansas government to change laws; and she naturally made a career out of educating people about proper firearm use.

Each milestone has led her to where she is today — the first woman to be elected president of the Kansas State Rifle Association and the first president to hold the position for three consecutive years.

Stoneking, a Shawnee native, first held a gun at age 8. It was a BB gun that her father gave her.

“My dad thought it was a cool thing to do,” she said. “I had a brother three years younger, so I don’t think he could wait for him to be old enough.”

Continue reading here.

Women On Target coordinator Beth Hellmann passed NRAblog some information about an Instructional Shooting Clinic last week. “The Illinois State Rifle Association is one of the most active hosts of Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics,” she said. “So far this year, the ISRA has scheduled four clinics. These clinics fill up fast and are eagerly anticipated by the public.”

“Our thanks to Richard Pearson, Lori Shafer, and the Illinois State Rifle Association for their efforts, as well as to the Chillicothe Sportsmen's Club in Chatsworth for providing volunteers and range use,” Hellmann added.

NRAblog caught up with Lori Shafer, who echoed Beth's sentiment. "We have wait lists for almost all our clinics," she said, noting the club hopes to add a new clinic specific to shotgun instruction in 2010. "It's like a woman's day out for families. We have grandmothers, aunts, daughters, from ages 14 to 83."

More...

Women On Target hunt coordinator Ann Marie Foster was one lucky lady this past weekend. As part of the fun at the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show, she assisted NRA Board Member and NFL pro Dave Butz in signing autographs and meeting with fans.

Above, Butz assisted in drawing the names of four even luckier ladies who are going on 2010-2011 Women On Target hunting excursions. Hunts are still available -- look here. And if you're not into paying the sticker price, don't despair -- Foster says the raffle will be part of next year's NRA Great American show as well.

Many thanks to the NRA's Refuse To Be A Victim® National Coordinator Ruthann Sprague for sharing her latest article with us:

NRA Refuse To Be A Victim® headquarters staff is receiving a record number of inquiries from the public for seminars to be presented in their communities. Refuse To Be A Victim® instructors, here are some ideas on how to meet this need and how to make your seminars more successful. As you plan your events for 2010 consider these items:

IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE

Is this seminar for the general public? Is it for a community or civic organization? Is it for a group of high school students? Determine who the seminar is for and the intended audience. This will help you define the overall seminar you present and the specific topics you should stress.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SEMINARS

You may provide a public or private seminar. A public seminar is simply open to everyone. A private seminar is for a specific audience and is closed to people outside that group. Examples would be: a seminar provided for the employees of a specific company, students at the local university, the Central High PTA. If your seminar is private, NRA will not promote it on the Refuse To Be A Victim® website or in NRA publications. More...

Refuse To Be A Victim® will be participating at the 2010 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 14, 15, and 16. Two Seminars will be presented free of charge for show attendees: Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15, from 1:00 to 5 p.m. Seating will be first-come, first-served, so plan to attend! NRAblog will soon report on the specific location of the seminars.

For those interested in becoming a Refuse To Be A Victim® instructor, this year's Annual Meeting might be your chance! An Instructor Development Workshop will be held  May 14 through 16. The IDW registration fee is $150 which includes all materials, training and the first year’s instructor certification fee. Instructor candidates must attend one of the seminars being offered Friday or Saturday. Seating is limited to the first 50 registrants.

To register contact Ruthann Sprague at rsprague@nrahq.org, 800-861-1166, or 703-267-1394. 

Longtime friend of NRA Lisa Metheny is attending this year’s Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show as a freelance journalist. “My objective here at the show is to obtain story materials, work for the companies I’ve partnered with by promoting their products, and generally mesh everything together,” Metheny told NRAblog. When she says “everything,” she isn’t exaggerating. Metheny juggles three teenagers and a husband; a healthy hunting addiction; archery, shooting, and outdoor events; and a skyrocketing career.

Pictured above, Metheny was happy to talk to us -- and maybe happier to have the chance to rest her feet. “It’s great to be here, but it has been a long week,” the Terre Haute, IN-based writer said with a smile.

She is affiliated with SHE Outdoor Apparel, Nikon, Winchester, Remington, and Browning. But when it comes to SHOT Show, NRA is her first stop of the day.“I swing by your booth every day to meet the different people hanging around,” she said. “The NRA is vital to what I do, and I help in any way I can, whether it’s getting the word out about a Women On Target hunt or volunteering to work a booth at next weekend’s NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show.”

So what have the past few days looked like for Metheny? “The Majority of each day I’m sitting in press conferences, listening to new product demos, and walking the floor.”

She has been staying busy, and no two days this week have been alike. "I do a variety of things with the companies, working to connect the dots as a liason between some of the industry folk and the media representatives." Metheny has found a home in the Professional Outdoor Media Association."It's just like part of my family now," she said of the group.

When asked for her advice for a successful SHOT Show as an independent journalist or media consultant, Metheny was quick to respond: "A few weeks prior to the Show I’m tweaking my schedule, setting up appointments, andgetting press conferences organized."

"There's a lot of scheduling that goes into it. You cannot come in the day of the SHOW and just hope someone has time to meet with you on that particular day."

Thanks for your words of wisdom, Lisa -- we look forward to seeing you in Maryland for the NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show. Bookmark Lisa's blog, and stay tuned to NRAblog for the latest on Lisa Metheny!

Read about Lisa’s experience with last year’s Women’s Wilderness Escape here.

 

There's really no mystery to the success of the Women On Target clinic hosted by the Arlington-Fairfax Izaak Walton League each May. They have a bit of an inside advantage! NRA's own Beth Hellmann, who serves as National Coordinator for the Women On Target Clinic, is the volunteer director of the clinic. With her staff of dedicated volunteers, there is no stopping this team. 

This year's clinic is scheduled for May 8, 2010. It is a super-clinic with courses offered in Muzzleloading, Archery, Buying and Caring for a Handgun, and Methods of Concealed Carry along with the standard Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun events. Above, Beth handpicked a few photos from past events. 

Understandably, registration fills up at a record pace for this event. Reserve your spot today by dropping Beth a line at  ehellmann@nrahq.org. Learn more here.

Hunter's Specialties Outdoors on the Outdoor Channel is releasing a brand-new episode this week. Deputy Executive Director of General Operations Andrea Cerwinske is featured, so be sure to tune in! The show airs Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. EST, Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. EST and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. EST.

“Phillip Vanderpool and the Hunter Specialties folks know hunting,” Cerwinske told NRAblog earlier today. “Philip is one of the best turkey hunters in the business, and he taught me so much.”

“Bell Wildlife specialties, particularly Dan Bell, provided some amazing hospitality,” she said. “He had some of the biggest birds we've ever seen. It was an enjoyable hunt and we can’t wait to do it again.”

This is the episode's description:


Phillip Vanderpool and Rick White are over-loaded with turkeys in Oklahoma, plus a pair of NRA Women On Target hunts in Kansas.

Read more about NRAblog's coverage of Women On Target hunts here.