Looking back on my childhood, I would have never dreamed that my life would follow the path of becoming a woman hunter. I grew up in the rural areas of Lancaster, Ohio. We did not live in the city but remained a few miles out with farms and vacant land surrounding our home. Walking to school with my two brothers and twin sister was an every day chore and most of the time we ended up going through the fields, under the culverts, around the briar patches and through the woods. We were always bringing home opossum’s, raccoons, turtles, snakes and we spent countless hours walking the creeks for minnows and crayfish. In truth, I loved spending my time outdoors.

I became interested in outdoor photography during high school and continued my passion with the camera during college where I met my husband Randy. One day at school Randy asked me to join him and a few of his friends on a whitetail deer hunt during our Christmas break. I was not interested in hunting; I just wanted to spend time with him. So I joined the hunt, I carried my camera and the men carried the guns. I can still remember the feeling of calm, the silence of the morning and the sounds that awoke as the sun rose above the horizon. The excitement of the hunt was shown on everyone’s face as we headed out into the woods. The day ended without filling any of the deer tags but my camera was filled with wonderful pictures, we had numerous stories to tell that evening. I remember the one thing that made up my mind that I wanted to belong to this elite group of sportsman was that they were glad that I joined them. Never once did I feel that I wasn’t part of the group, there is a special bond that exists between all of us even today.

I have spent many years hunting with Randy and my children. We have two boys, Nathan who is 18 and Corey is 14. Both of them are accomplished bow hunters, each of them finding time in their chaotic young lives to harvest their deer for the season. Although we spend hours hunting, they also enjoy wrestling, baseball, basketball, and golf throughout the year. We included them in the sport of hunting, teaching them all the aspects of a way of life they will be proud to be part of. We hope what we have instilled in their memories they will abide by forever for these choices will mold their character as the sportsmen of the future. When we hunt together as a family, my life seems complete. Randy and I are best friends, hunting companions and we enjoy spending time together even when we aren’t hunting. We stay extremely busy and thrive on the pressures of the day to day schedules that our businesses demand. Once hunting season arrives, we are constantly juggling our schedules to accommodate the hours we can hunt. It would not be unusual to find us out in the woods if you call our cell phone, if we don’t answer leave a message and we will call you back.

We are involved supporting many hunting groups. Randy is an Ohio Big Buck scorer and travels around the state helping Ohio sportsman get their deer scored. I enjoy being part of the group and help out were ever they need me.

I have had the opportunity to elect to have our hardware store be a deer check-in station for the last 15 years, working closely with the Department of Wildlife. We have supported the NWTF, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, The Sportsman’s Alliance and many others.

It is good to remember that our lives are not measured on the awards we have won or the services we have donated, but of the memories of all those hunting adventures and the friendships formed which have been etched on our personalities. We tend to be able to live our dream, and how happy we are depends on the goals we have set for the day. If it is just being together with friends and family then you have achieved your dream and I can honestly say that I am living mine. How lucky can I be when my family hunts together? I am looking forward to making new friends and being part of this grand organization.