by Al Eiden, West Region Director
This fall, the Central Oklahoma ‘89er chapter of Quail Forever started its own Women on the Wing chapter. Chaired by Destiny Thomasson and co-chaired by Katy Maxwell, the chapter is off to a great start with a lot of interest from women across Oklahoma wanting to get into upland bird hunting. With several successful events already under her belt, Thomasson has been adding even more events to the chapter’s schedule after receiving a great amount of enthusiasm and interest in the group due largely to Thomasson’s social media outreach.
In October, the chapter started with a Learn to Bird Hunt classroom session at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. The attendees participated in a presentation by the Quail Forever regional representative for Oklahoma, Laura McIver, where they learned upland hunting basics such as gun safety, appropriate field clothing, shotguns and the various types of shotgun loads, birddogs, hunting safety, bird habitat and hunting strategies. Afterwards, the women practiced their shooting skills at the gun club’s trap shooting stands where they were able to shoot an array of different shotguns under the guidance of Oklahoma City Gun Club president, Suzi Rous, and two Central Oklahoma ‘89er members, James Dietsch and John Brinska.
A week later, the chapter followed up its first event with a Learn to Bird Hunt field event. It was graciously hosted by a landowner and longtime friend and supporter of Quail Forever and participants were able to get hands-on experience hunting behind bird dogs, hunting in pairs, shooting birds, and cleaning birds. The event was a success and gave the attendees the confidence they needed before striking out on their own this hunting season.
When asked about what drew her to the organization, Thomasson shared that, “Women on the Wing offers fellowship and instills confidence for self-growth under the guidance of other like-minded women. More and more women are discovering their love for the outdoors and that riveting feeling of self-accomplishment. Being able to help provide that is something I will forever support.”
If you are interested in learning more about Women on the Wing events in your area, visit quailforever.org/wotw.
This story originally appeared in the 2022 Winter Issue of the Quail Forever Journal. If you enjoyed it and would like to be the first to read more great upland content like this, become a Quail Forever member today!