Shoot Like A Girl Now Taking Applications for Pro Staff

- Copy this form and paste into a word type program

- Please complete and return with picture to ShootLikeAGirl@ShootLikeAGirl.com by September 19th, 2016. Applications will be considered incomplete with out picture attached 

 - Final Staff members for 2016-2017 will be announced on Facebook after October 31, 2016

PRO/SHOOTING STAFF APPLICATION 

Name - _________________________________________

Address- ________________________________________

City-_____________________ State-_________ Zip-______

Cell Phone - ______________________________________

E-Mail Address-____________________________________

List all social media accounts you participate in-

_______________________________________________

Do you shoot a compound bow? YES or NO

Do you shoot a traditional bow? YES or NO

IF YES, How many years ____________

Do you shoot firearms? YES or NO

IF YES, How many years ____________

Do you hunt? YES or NO

IF YES, How many years ____________

Tell is a little about your personal background. Example Hobbies, family, other 

Interest

Tell us how you got involved with shooting or hunting 

Why do you want to become a staff member at Shoot Like A Girl?

What does Shoot Like A Girl mean to you?

Have you ever introduced other women/kids to shooting and or hunting? If YES give us a short story.

Are you willing to submit blog articles, product reviews and short videos? YES or NO

Are you affiliated with any other PRO/Field/Shooting Staffs? IF YES please list companies.

Please complete application / MUST send picture to SHOOTLIKEAGIRL@SHOOTLIKEAGIRL.COM

Thank you for your interest in Shoot Like A Girl and time completing this application.

How We Measure Success........

Making memories in the field and enjoying the great outdoors is what hunting is all about!

In August 2015, Shoot Like A Girl was a featured exhibitor at the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show.  As part of the event, we teamed up with Monquin Creek Outfitters, of Virginia, to give away a spring turkey hunt for the 2016 season to one lucky shooter at our trailer from the show.  Monquin Creek Outfitters is known throughout the country as one of the premier places for turkey and I was thrilled at the opportunity to aid in this hunt’s success for our lucky winner.

Rita Cook was randomly selected as our winner.  I had such a great time talking with Rita in preparation for the hunt, her excitement was radiating through the phone! 

My April calendar was filling up fast!  What an exciting month! My daughter has accompanied my husband and I turkey hunting her entire life. At eight years old it was finally time for her to try and fill her very first tag. My family traveled to Kansas to hunt with our daughter for the youth season. What an emotional roller costar that was! Kansas is know for its large turkey population and we had many close encounters along with two missed shots. All the time spent teaching and helping assist my husband in molding here with all the needed skills for her success in the field I almost cried after those two missed opportunities. She didn’t get her first turkey but learned many valuable lessons in the field; and she would eventually harvest her first turkey towards the end of April.  Tears of joy flowed that day I must confess. After my families trip to Kansas it was time to go to work for Shoot Like A Girl.  We were a featured exhibitor at the Cabela’s store grand opening in Short Pump, VA. The Cabela’s grand opening was a success and I even got the chance to meet Rita’s family at the event.

It was finally time to travel to Manquin, VA in preparation for an early morning date with the turkeys.  There is always something special about sharing the outdoors with another female that loves and shares in the same passion. Knowing the alarm would sound extremely early that morning we couldn’t help but sit up late the night before trading stories and getting to know one another better.

I wanted nothing more than to help locate and watch Rita successfully harvest a turkey, unfortunately, this is not one of those articles.

I had many highs this turkey season, my daughter harvested her first bird, which I must confess is at the top of the list, and I too, had several successful hunts harvesting birds in various states.  As I look back on the 2016 turkey season and the many days in the field, this hunt with Rita actually makes the top three.

Accompanying us on the hunt was Chip from Monquin Creek Outfitters, along with Hank who was representing Virginia Outdoor Sportsman’s Show. The turkeys were extremely quiet that morning and as you turkey hunters know, it is very hard to harvest a quiet bird.  A few distant gobbles from the roost and that was it, the odds were defiantly stacked against us!  Even through the struggles with the turkeys we were having a great time.  We all shared stories as we traveled to from location to location, looking for that hot lonely tom.  I have to applaud Chip, he tried as hard as he could to get Rita on a bird, we logged many miles and covered a lot of ground in our efforts.  As I got to know Rita better, I began to understand the various obstacles she has faced in hunting. Rita had struggled to find information of public hunting opportunities in her area; she also struggled with acceptance as a female hunter in her local hunting club.  As I learned of her troubles, I started evaluate how we measure success as a hunter.

Success is not measured in our harvest!  To me, success is enjoying the outdoors and passing along our knowledge and skills to others, to passionately appreciate the beauty and serenity of the outdoors that the good Lord created! Hank and Chip were able to share with Rita their knowledge of various public hunting opportunities and hunting clubs in her area that she had previously not known about.  I am so grateful I had the opportunity to hunt and share the outdoors with Rita, Chip, and Hank, and I am thrilled to call each of them friends!  It’s amazing how fast the outdoors bonds people together from various backgrounds.  I have enjoyed keeping in touch with Rita since the hunt and here are her thoughts about the hunt.

“I was fortunate enough to win a turkey hunt at Monquin Creek with Shoot Like a Girl’s Cristy Crawford.  To say I was excited is the understatement of the year!  I was going to get to hunt some of the best land in my area with a woman hunter that I totally admired.  It was a dream hunt for me. I made that fatal turkey hunting mistake of assuming that I was no doubt going to harvest a turkey.  How could I not, right?  Ha!!  Turkeys never make it that easy, which is exactly why I can’t stop!  The ups and downs of turkey hunting are what make it so exciting.  This hunt was no exception.  We heard some Toms early but they did not follow the script we had written.  We hunted all morning and I had a blast!  I did not harvest a turkey but the hunt was everything I dreamed it would be.  I met some awesome people and I got to experience hunting with them.  Never miss an opportunity to hunt with experienced hunters because they will teach you so much.  Cristy was no exception.  She shared stories and offered advice that will help me to become a better hunter.  This hunt was a HUGE success because I was able to hear turkeys, hunt beautiful land, and made friends that will last a lifetime and that is what hunting is all about.”  – Rita Cook

Making memories in the field and enjoying the great outdoors is what hunting is all about. Measure success by the memories and knowledge created in the field and you will always have a successful hunt! Take a friend hunting and help us pass on the blessings of the great outdoors!

Come Shoot a Pistol, Rifle & Bow with Shoot Like A Girl at the 2016 Virginia Outdoor Sportsmans Show! Click Here for More Details

For More Information on Monquin Creek Outfitters     CLICK HERE 

Cristy Crawford - Shoot Like A Girl 

Chief Operations Officer, Cabela’s Pro Staff

Shoot Like A Girl Releases 2016 1st Quarter Report

Shoot Like A Girl 2016 Turkey Season

Congratulations to all Shoot Like A Girl staff members on a successful 2016 Turkey Season!

Weatherby Inc. Signs on as Corporate Partner with Shoot Like A Girl

Weatherby Inc. signs on as corporate partner with Shoot Like A GirlShoot Like a Girl is proud to welcome Weatherby Inc. and looks forward to seeing the positive impact this partnership has on new women shooters

Athens, AL – May 18, 2016 – Shoot Like A Girl’s state-of-the-art, 52-foot mobile range will be showcasing a new logo on their trailer this year at  the NRA Annual Meeting, Weatherby Inc. has signed on as a corporate sponsor with the company.  Weatherby Inc., a name long established in the firearm industry, is highly regarded as a leader and Shoot Like A Girl is honored to add them to their great team of Corporate Partners.  "With the increasing number of women hunting and shooting it was important to us to help meet the needs of this growing population," says Director of People & Culture, Brenda Weatherby.  "Partnering with Shoot Like A Girl is an honor considering we share the same passion and commitment.”  With the benefits each corporation brings with their own individual expertise, this collaboration stands to garner even more successes for the companies and the industry as a whole.  “Weatherby is known for designing great rifles, and this year as they launch their newest rifle, the Vanguard Camilla, a rifle designed by women for women, couldn’t be a better time to add them to our elite list of corporate partners.  All of our partners enable Shoot Like A Girl to travel around the country and empower women to participate in shooting sports.  We simply could not do this without their support, and we are thankful that Weatherby has joined the team,” says owner and founder, Karen Butler.

Shoot Like a Girl will be featuring the  new Weatherby Vanguard® Camilla™ at their Trailer during the NRA Annual Meeting May 19th-22nd, 2016.. The Camilla™ is designed specifically for women by a select team of women hunters and shooters.   It is built on the best selling Vanguard platform. Available in 223 Rem., 243 Win., 308 Win., and 7MM-08 Rem.  There will also be a Weatherby Element™ 12 gauge, 26” synthetic Shotgun for the counter for the public to view. 

All attendees of the NRA Annual meeting are invited and welcome to participate in the Shoot Like A Girl experience at the trailor where they will be able to see the newly revealed Vanguard® Camilla by Weatherby.  There will also be a guest appearance from Brenda Weatherby from 2:00pm - 3:00pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 1:00pm - 2:00pm on Sunday to answer any questions you might have on Weatherby product.  

Shoot Like A Girl has earned a reputation as a company with one of the largest positive impacts on the expansion of the firearms industry.  They are growing the number of women who participate in shooting sports. Shoot Like A Girl produces remarkable results, 70% women who shoot in the trailer will commit to buying a gun.  

They look forward to celebrating their newest partner, Weatherby, and are confident that together, both will have an even greater impact on the progression of shooting sports and the achievements of women within them.

INSTRUCTORS CORNER: Why we Teach... An Inside View from SLG Instructor Brielle Eaton

I will never forget her. It was my first show, a trial to see if I had ‘it’ to become a Shoot Like A Girl Instructor. After a tough set up in the rain and a run through of range procedures, we were ready. I love teaching, it was a gift passed down from my mother who is a baby whisperer, I mean a swim teacher. I have watched countless hours of her tender and, firm but gentle approach, learning and emulating as much I could.

We were preparing for a lunch break, when a woman entered. Karen had cleared the trailer leaving only the instructors, so this woman would be free from worry and stress of critical eyes watching. As she approached the rifle station, I could see her visibly trembling, I could sense her anxiety as she approached. I introduced myself and our eyes met. Tears were brimming and I asked if she was okay. She told the story of a violent childhood, where guns were used as a scare tactic, that she had witnessed a shooting and had never held a firearm. I told her, she didn’t have to participate if she didn’t want to and I would explain the process before even letting her handle the rifle. She nodded that she wanted to continue and said something that I will admire her for forever, “I want to have courage, this is me being brave”. I smiled gently and walked her though the mechanics of loading the firearm. She shouldered the rifle and shot once, tears streamed from her eyes and she asked me to take the rifle. With the flood of emotions she needed some air and exited the trailer. To be honest, I felt a little like a failure. Only one shot? That was all I could get her through?

As I was beginning to believe the sceptics in my own mind, she came back into the trailer. She came straight to me and hugged me still weeping. She graciously thanked me and thanked me for a chance to conquer her fears. Still shocked and amazed, I thanked her for her display of courage and told her it took a lot to be that brave after all she’s been through.

I know “Instructors Corner” is supposed to be tactical advise on gear or shooting techniques to help people become better shooters. But my advice from this experience and my own life, is that being brave will be uncomfortable but to have courage in those moments. For a lot of women, shooting (bows or firearms) can be intimidating. Heck, sometimes being a woman can be overwhelming. But doing those things which we think we cannot do, makes us stronger and more confident, if not wiser. Even Shoot Like A Girl was started by a woman calling deep on her courage and being brave. So my ‘advise’ is, to find opportunities to call deep on your courage and be brave, and encourage those around you to do the same.

DYI - Turkey Fans by Text- by Karen Butler

In 2015, after years of trying to harvest a turkey, I was finally blessed with not one, but two perfect set-ups, and was rewarded with two turkeys in the freezer.  I can't explain the feeling of accomplishment and pride I felt this past Thanksgiving when my husband, Todd, and our grandson enjoyed the turkey dinner that I had provided.  Success rarely comes by yourself, and I was thankful for the support of Todd, the help of great friends, a terrific outfitter and guide, and the grace of God.

This hunt was particularly exciting because Cristy and I had a film crew with us to capture footage for "how to" videos we are publishing, and had just come from the National Rifle Associations Annual Meeting where we had the trailer in full operation.  We were anxious to turkey hunt at Kansas Whitetail Addictions and Moore, Inc with Jason Michaels as our guide.  These were exciting and busy times, and even though I was very sick I was happy to have this experience.  The reason I mention that I was sick, is to introduce you to the reason why I was forced to learn to make my own Turkey Fan by Text, with the help of Cristy Crawford!

Cristy is a world of knowledge, I truly think there is nothing in the outdoors she can't do!  What makes that all the more special, is she is never shy about sharing it with others.  During the hunt we both got turkeys.  Jason taught me how to get my meat, and how to remove the feathers to make a fan.  Cristy taught me
how to preserve my spurs, and how to clean the meat from my tail feathers for my fan while we were at camp.  Then she went to the store and bought knee high panty hose, and we carefully rolled them up, and then over my turkey fans.  I was set, all I had to do was get back home, and drop them off at a local taxidermist.  Of course, by the time I got home, I was very sick, and down for the count....so my feathers sat.   One day, Cristy called me and said, "Have you taken care of your feathers?"  I said, "No, I will next week."  She emphatically explained, "Nope, you don't have time, you must do it yourself."  I'm thinking, there is no way I can do this, but knowing her knowledge I decided I had to try.  The following instructions and pictures are our back and forth texts, where I learned to create my own Turkey Fans from my very first successful turkey hunt.

Supplies Needed:
Turkey Tail Feathers
Knee High Panty Hose
Borax
2 Pieces of Large Cardboard (Cristy recommends 20 1/2 inches x 19 1/2 inches)
Several Pins
Wire Brush (I used a grill brush)
Tape
Turkey Fan Holder (I bought mine at Cabela's)

Step 1.  Cut the bottom off the panty hose, so you can roll off in the direction of the feathers.

Step 2.  Spread the feathers by grabbing the base with your fingers, and fan the feathers out.

Step 3.  Cover the part with any meat and/or tissue on it with Borax.  The excess will shake off later.

Step 4.  If you have a hard time getting the feathers to stay fanned out, pin through the quills and through the cardboard.  (All I could find at the house was safety pins...they worked)

Step 5.  Work from the back to the front and put the feathers in place.  Use a wire brush if you need to smooth them out. I used a clean grill brush.

Step 6. Cover and press down to spread out any gaps in feathers, and tape.

Step 7.  Set aside and wait patiently (I'm not good at this step) for about two weeks.

Step 8.  Follow directions on Turkey Fan holder, and display your Turkey Fan with pride!

I am very proud of these fans; they represent the memories of the hunt, the dinner with my family and  satisfaction in the fact that I made them myself, with the help of Cristy.  To me they are perfect, and I wouldn't wanted to have had them made in any other way!  

For information about Karen, Cristy and Shoot Like A Girl visit www.shootlikeagirl.com.

Sportsmanship Blog

Cindy Minor

Shoot Like A Girl Pro Staff

Cindy Minor receiving the 2013 ASA Oklahoma Sportsmanship
Award presented by her son Seth Minor. 

Sportsmanship in relationship to archery is often misunderstood as being what you do for others or the sport. Sportsmanship is actually how you conduct yourself win or lose. It's human nature to want to be the best and do things perfectly, so when the results are less than desired, people tend to get angry or upset. We've all experienced it, but we each handle it differently. If you've ever witnessed a poor sport, you know the person who throws a fit, throws their equipment, curses, etc,, how did it make you feel? I know personally, I felt embarrassed for them and those around the person, as well as irritated by their actions. Then I found myself wishing for the event to be over so I didn't have to deal with the person any longer that day.

So the question becomes how do you prevent yourself from becoming this bad sport? Here's how we handle it in my family. We have a simple rule: you are allowed 3 seconds to be silently irritated, then you must smile, be thankful, and shrug it off. Some might think "smile and be thankful?"...are you kidding? I just made a bad shot or lost the tournament and you want me to smile and be thankful?? Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking. It's a matter of putting things in prospective. There are so many other things in life that are much worse than having a bad shot, equipment breaking, or you placed poorly in a tournament; therefore, be thankful you have your health to be able to shoot or compete, be thankful you have a job so you are financially able to shoot or compete, be thankful of the friendships you have made through the sport of shooting, etc. The list is actually endless when you stop to ponder it. Makes you smile just thinking of all the wonderful positives shooting sports has brought to you doesn't it?

Daughter Casie Minor with Son Seth Minor after receiving
2011 ASA National Sportsmanship Award

There's more to being a good sport than just how you physically conduct yourself. It's also how you mentally conduct yourself. So you had a bad shot, so what. There are some people that winning becomes everything and the little devil inside of them encourages them to secretly cheat. They convince themselves they won't get caught. WRONG! There's always at least one person, besides themselves, that knows they cheated. Even if the person consistently conducts themselves in a positive manner, this is still considered a poor sport. Why is it worth cheating? This is still a question I have, as I just don't understand it. Why is it worth surrendering your personal morals to win that medal, trophy or money? Again, put it into perspective. Is a piece of metal on a ribbon or a trophy really worth giving up your good reputation? Is a few dollars really worth selling your soul? Have strength and confidence in yourself to overcome that little devil and take great pride in your decision to be an honest person with high morals. If you don't, karma will likely attack when you least expect it.  

Ultimately, being a good sport is keeping reality in perspective which allows you to 100% enjoy the sport in every facet, good or bad. So have fun...and be a good sport so everyone around you can also have a great time!

Instructor Corner: Hold What You've Got!

Hold What You’ve Got!

Shoot Like A Girl Instructor & Pro Staff Member Suzi Greenlee

You hear it all the time…”follow through”!  Follow through with your golf swing, follow through with your bat swing, tennis swing, basketball shot and even follow through with your plans!

The sport of archery it is no different than any other sport, you have to follow through your shot.  Early on I was shooting a 3D tournament just for fun with friends, no pressure other than I am very competitive in nature.  That day every shot I made was a little too far to the left.  I made some adjustments to my sight, which meant moving my sight to the left to “follow my arrow”.  I shot again and darned if I wasn’t still shooting to the left.  Adjusted my sight again, certain it had come loose and was moved at some point during transit.  I began really focusing on everything that is important in archery like my stance, my anchor point, my grip, making sure I wasn’t punching my release and could not figure out what was off to make me shoot to the left.  I even tried to blame it on the uneven ground I was shooting on!  Hahaha.  It took only a few more shots when a buddy said “I know what you are doing, you are looking to see where your arrow went before it has hardly left your rest!”  Sure enough, I was getting more and more anxious to see where my arrow would land that I was jerking my bow away to see my shot too soon.  Nothing smooth about my follow through.  To be honest I was laser focused and dialed in until I released my arrow, then it was a race to see where it landed!  It is easy to develop bad habits if you aren’t careful.  If you drop your bow arm too soon and your arrow hasn’t cleared the rest, you can steer your arrow off target.  Follow through means engaging your back muscles even after you have released your arrow, and holding your bow up until the arrow hits the target.

I am thankful for 3D tournaments to have the chance to iron out any wrinkles or bad habits I may have developed before it’s time to be back in the tree stand.  It is so important to me to make a good, clean shot when harvesting an animal, we owe it to them.

Archery to me is an art, a beautiful, graceful motion from the moment you pick up your bow, smoothly draw it back into your perfect anchor position and gently release the arrow into flight.  With the final part of the almost poetic motion being a smooth, controlled movement with confidence to follow through the perfect shot.

May all your arrows fly straight and your aim be true.  <3