You shoot like a girl!

“Let it fly Ms. Everdeen. Let. It. Fly”

Ever since I was 12, I have always looked forward to the weekend in August when I get in the truck and sit for six hours with my compound bow in the back seat and with my phone with no service. After those six hours, I would be at a campsite with my Dad, Grandpa Carl, uncle Justin, cousin Colby, cousin Tristan, and Dad’s friend Jim. Notice anything? That’s right, I’m the only girl for miles. Well, that’s not entirely true. Grandma and her friends are in the camper drinking whiskey and Coke. They, however, will not go anywhere near the camo or the bows. Grandma says she’s just there to do the cooking.

I first picked up and shot my pink (yeah..pink) bow in middle school. My dad really wanted it to be known that I was the only female hunter in my family without me having to say it. My bow case was, and still is, also pink. Throughout the past eight years, I always felt a couple of steps behind. The amount of strain on the bowstring is half the amount of my cousins who are only one year older than me, which means I can only shoot deer, not elk, and not bears. Oh what I would give to shoot a bear just to prove that I could do it. The only thing I have more of in this hunting environment is layers of clothing. The mornings are 30 degrees which means I have to wear 3 shirts, 2 jackets, a beanie, and 3 pairs of pants, whereas the guys can get away with a single layer from head to toe. Granted that’s mainly because of my size and not the fact that I am a women.

Over these years I have always felt empowered by the idea that I am the only female hunter in my family, but what comes to your mind when I say “girl with a bow and arrow?”

I have been called “Katniss” more times than I can count. Sometimes I wonder if people would be less impressed of their wasn’t that association with The Hunger Games movie. Would people not think I was as much of a badass? Having that character be introduced to me and to the world around the same time I was getting serious about archery helped with my confidence and power as a female. Seeing a bunch of my peers dress as her for Halloween made me laugh because in my mind I did not need to dress as her, I was her. I have yet to kill as many animals as she has and to not plan to kill anywhere near the amount of people, but I’m not a terrible shot.

So if you want to call me Katniss, go right ahead because I take that as the biggest compliment.