Buckeye Firearms Association's Linda Walker quoted in article about rise of female hunters, Ohio woman's buck harvest

By Chad D. Baus

The Lorain Morning-Journal took the occasion of a 60 year-old Carlisle Township woman's harvest of a 10 point buck on opening day of Ohio's deer-gun season to report on the rise of female hunters across the country. Reporter Megan Rozsa sought the expertise of Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Linda Walker in preparation for her article.

From the story:

After crouching in a tree stand on a neighbor's property for more than an hour Monday morning, Kathy Little finally got her big break. A white-tail deer wandered into the field near her stand, and when she saw it was a buck, she barely could contain herself.

"There was so much excitement, I started shaking," Little laughed. "I saw it come out of a bean field into the woods and I watched it. It got within 50 yards of me and I shot him."

Little, 60, said it took two shots to kill the 10-point buck and three to four hours before she stopped shaking.

"I was just so excited, I could hardly speak," Little said. "We are having it mounted. I said I wanted it put on a fancy board."

At the time, Little was out hunting with her husband, David, who has been a hunter since he was 16. She said he was thrilled about her kill. In the past, she's only managed to kill does.

Little went on to note that she had waited a long time for her buck, which she harvested with a 20-gauge H&R. She has been hunting since the late 1970's.

"It became a thing to do and I really enjoyed it," Little said. "I love being outdoors and seeing what God's created, seeing the animals and being able to harvest them if I can get them."

Little indicated that she is having a shoulder mount done on the deer, and that she plans to use some of the buck's meat in her church's annual wild game dinner, while the rest will be eaten throughout the year.

The article goes on to note that according to the National Sporting Goods Association, the number of women hunters is on the rise. Between 2003 and 2008, the number of women who hunted with firearms increased 3.5 percent, meaning 15.4 percent of hunters are women. The number of women who hunted with bows and arrows rose 1.5 percent, making the percentage of women 10.2 percent.

Linda Walker, central Ohio chair of the Buckeye Firearms Association, attributes the rise of women hunters to the changing of the times.

"As women evolve and society has changed, women have had to take on a traditionally male role," Walker said. "This is another extension of that in my opinion."

Walker is a firearms instructor with the BFA. She said women have been coming to more involved in the sport of shooting.

"It's really cool," Walker said. "As women are getting into firearms, hunting is a natural progression into that."

Walker isn't a hunter, but she said her sons and husband go out every year.

"My son's fiancee took up hunting and she was out hunting last night with him," Walker said. "They both got to take a shot at deer, and she said her adrenaline was just pumping. She loved it."

...Many hunters are encouraged by the Buckeye Firearms Association to donate their kill to the Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry program this Saturday. There is no processing cost for the hunter if the meat is donated to a participating meat processor. To find a location, visit www.fhfh.org.

Chief Dave Graham, of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, wants hunters to double the amount of meat that was donated last year: meat that provided 220,000 meals.

"I personally challenge Ohio's hunters to double that number this year and to help us all remember to make the donations," Graham said. "I'm going to label Saturday, Dec. 5, as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry Day. I will try to take a doe that day, and I'll donate it to the FHFH program."

Donations are accepted any day during this deer hunting season, which ends Feb. 7.