The Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (ADCNR) is hosting a three-day workshop this October for women looking to sharpen their outdoor skills in a variety of activities, including canoeing, hiking, camping and shooting sports. ADCNR’s 27th annual Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is Oct. 6, 7 and 8 at the Alabama 4-H Center near Columbiana and off Highway 145.
Women can choose from more than 40 classes in everything from archery and outdoor photography to fishing and Dutch oven cooking. Attendees will select four classes and receive direct training in these subjects for three hours. Below is a list of class topics being taught this year:
- Shooting Sports: Archery, air rifle, rifle, pistol, shotgun
- Basic firearms education without shooting
- Canoeing and motorboat handling
- Mountain biking, ATV handling
- Fishing, fly fishing, wildlife identification, hunting, waterfowling, bird watching
- Frontier Skills, Reading the Woods, medicine and edible plants, outdoor first aid
- Backpacking and hiking, outdoor photography, outdoor cooking
“There’s something here for everyone,” said Marisa Futral, a hunter education coordinator for ADCNR. “It’s geared toward women aged 18 and older that want to know more about outdoor skills, but they’re a little nervous about it, they don’t want to go by themselves or they’re not sure how to get started. This is the weekend for you.”
While there are many classes to choose from, Futral said she there is always one she looks forward to most.
“Shooting sports by far,” she said. “Where else can you go and shoot up somebody else’s ammunition for three hours and get one-on-one instruction? You can’t beat it!”
Visitors can also participate in other activities, including guest speaker presentations, games, a silent auction, a morning squirrel hunt and a Sunday morning devotional. Futral said the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop is the perfect place for beginners to learn the way of the woods in a fun, non-threatening environment.
“I hear a lot of stories, where [women] just did not grow up in a family that had shooting [or other outdoor activities] as part of their daily activities,” she said. “This [workshop] came about 25 years ago, from women who wanted to learn. Studies have shown you really don't want to learn from your parents or your spouse. I mean, nobody's less patient with you that your spouse. We just wanted to offer classes for women in an environment where the instructors are very patient, and they're used to first time folks. It just seems to be a good positive experience for them.”
In addition to hands-on experience, Futral said Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is a fine time to build lifelong friendships.
“These women make camaraderie here,” she said. “They get to talk about it outside of class to their friends. They learn what other folks are doing. Everybody’s having a lot of fun in these classes. Some folks are pretty timid to decide if they want to go hunting for the first time. We have the squirrel hunting class to break you into it. Or they may want to shoot for the first time but don't know what kind of gear they need or how to get started. This is a great weekend for those individuals.”
However, Futral said it is not just beginners who benefit from this workshop. It is also returning visitors, who often drop by year after year.
“You’re taking a class with other beginners and some repeat customers because half the people that come have been here before,” she said. “We had to open registration to first-timers first because there were several years where [registration] would fill up with only people that had been in the past.”
Online registration for first-timers opened this Tuesday at 7 a.m. Registration will open for everyone else next Monday. The cost to register is $275 and is all-inclusive, including dormitory-style lodging. Dorms feature four bunk beds per room with a bathroom adjoining every other room. Meals will also be provided by the Alabama 4H Center. Visit the ADCNR website to register.
Only women aged 18 years and older can participate. Attendees must also have an Alabama-based hunting or fishing license of some kind. For example, fishing licenses are required to participate in any fishing class.
“Our department is not paid out of the general funding budget,” Futral said. “In order for us to put on programs such as this, it all comes from the sales of hunting and fishing licenses. It’s sort of a user pay, user benefit kind of situation. That is the reason we require a hunting license purchase.”
Registration will remain open until the workshop reaches full capacity. Futral anticipates roughly 120 women will attend this year’s program. Readers can click on the program’s fall agenda to learn more about the classes being held this year. For more information on the event location and other frequently asked questions, read ADCNR’s brochure on the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop.
