Muzzy Presents 2005 Tall Man Award to Judy Kovar

Muzzy Presents 2005 Tall Man Award to Judy Kovar

Cartersville, Georgia – Muzzy Products Corporation proudly presented its 2005 Tall Man Award to Judy Kovar during the 2006 ATA show in Atlanta, Georgia.

Each year, Muzzy recognizes and honors an individual who “stands tall” among his/her peers. This person makes contributions to the community and goes above and beyond to promote and protect the future of archery and bow hunting.

“Muzzy likes to acknowledge people who honor and protect the outdoors and constantly work so that our children and grandchildren can continue to enjoy all that nature has to offer,” says Michelle Musacchia Eichler, chief executive officer of Muzzy Products Corporation. “As one of bow hunting’s greatest ambassadors, Judy annually addresses many schools in her efforts to promote and educate children around the nation about archery and bow hunting.”

As a Northern Plains Cheyenne and a granddaughter of a Northern Cheyenne medicine man, Kovar shares with the young people the great respect that Native Americans have always exhibited for wildlife and the environment. She teaches thousands of children around the nation about archery, the passion for bow hunting and the importance of practicing conservation in hunting as well as in our lives.

“I’ve been conducting school programs for more than 15 years and have educated more than 150,000 children about hunting and the outdoors,” Kovar says. “These children are the future of the sport. I explain to them why we hunt, and then I let them process their own information.”

Kovar visits the schools wearing an elk hide wedding dress carrying ancient hides, bones, pelts and tools, and says she has no problem getting the children’s attention. With her unique approach of teaching and influencing young people around the nation, she reaches a very important segment of the population in promoting archery and bow hunting.

In appreciation for all of Judy Kovar’s achievements and contributions to the world of archery, we congratulate her on being selected as Muzzy’s 2005 Tall Man Award recipient.

Judy Kovar – Using the Past To Secure Our Future

By Stephanie Mallory

Judy Kovar has no problem getting into schools. Dressed in a white elk-skin Cheyenne wedding dress, carrying ancient hides, bones, pelts and tools, Kovar has a captive audience the minute she walks into a classroom.

Kovar, the recent recipient of Muzzy’s 2005 Tall Man Award, is a Northern Plains Cheyenne and a granddaughter of a Northern Cheyenne medicine man. Kovar travels the country sharing with young people the great respect that Native Americans have always exhibited for wildlife and the environment. She teaches thousands of children about archery, the passion for bowhunting and the importance of practicing conservation in hunting as well as in their lives.

Acknowledging that many of today’s public school students live in a “neon light, asphalt and concrete jungle,” Kovar has taken it upon herself to expose them to a little bit of what nature has to offer.

“The children may have books in front of them, but they have not been exposed to real nature, nor do they know that the animals are here for us to use. I explain to them that without the ability to harvest animals, my ancestors would have perished.”

Moving Against the Grain

Kovar is fighting an uphill battle against the onslaught of animal-rights groups, which are spending millions of dollars to reach public school children.

“My lectures cannot neutralize animal-rights efforts, but it’s a start, and I firmly believe that my program is a major step in the right direction to promote sound wildlife management via the shooting sports. I’m planting a seed and hoping that it will sprout and grow.”

Although she’s struggling against the growing trend of anti-hunting sentiment, Kovar says her hands-on program where children actually get to touch her grandfather’s bow and arrows, bone needles, animal hides, pelts, scrapers and flint and steel arrowheads is leaving a lasting impression on the youngsters.

“The children are enthralled by these items, and they listen to everything I have to say,” Kovar says. “They truly want to know why we hunt. I talk to the children about conservation, my predatory instincts and how harvesting animals was normal then and is still normal today. I tell them that we need our animals just as they need us. Together we will survive, divided, we both shall fall.”

A Positive Message

In addition to her pro-hunting lecture, Kovar also gives an anti-drug message.

“I explain to the kids that the so-called high that drugs and alcohol promise do not compare to the natural high experienced when enjoying nature, such as when you get your first glimpse of a doe nursing her fawn or when you hear the call of a wild turkey. The good Lord put the woods out there for us to use. No matter how bad things get on this earth, one can always find peace in nature, and I want the children to experience that peace first-hand.”

Kovar says that our future lies within our youth, and it’s up to us to feed the fire within them.

“What fire you ask? The fire of knowledge, the right to decide for ones self… help me teach our children.” -- Judy Kovar