QF on the Landscape in Arkansas
By Morgan Meador
Eight women from across Arkansas seized the opportunity to participate in the second annual Women on the Wing Ladies in the Uplands Weekend. Since the first women’s learn to hunt event was so well received, Quail Forever’s Women on the Wing initiative partnered with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Becoming an Outdoor Woman again for a second mentored hunt. It was important to all the partners of this event that each woman, no matter her level of experience, felt supported, safe, and encouraged each time she went into the field. That is why each participant was assigned a female mentor who had upland hunting and/or shooting experience.
We can’t thank Fallin’ Feathers Duck Club in Pocahontas, Arkansas enough for their generosity. They graciously donated all the hunts, lodging, and food for the whole weekend as well as provided the guides.
The event kicked off on a Thursday night with presentations from Quail Forever biologists and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission education staff. The presentations served to lay the foundation for hunter safety and to introduce the ladies to the upland bird species they would be harvesting. We covered topics such as pheasant/quail habitat and biology, hunter safety, how to upland hunt, bird dog basics, and gear.
Friday morning the ladies traveled to the 5 Rivers Shooting Sports Complex and ran through a mock upland hunt which incorporated the Shoot, Don’t Shoot scenarios that AGFC covered in their presentation. After all the ladies were comfortable, they traded their wooden guns for their own shotguns and practiced shooting clays. That afternoon was the first opportunity for the ladies to harvest pheasants, and even with unfavorable weather conditions every woman successfully harvested a bird! At the end of the night, the guides and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff demonstrated how to quickly clean their harvested birds and how to properly prepare birds for taxidermy. Since harvesting a quail and/or pheasant was a first for many ladies, some wanted to commemorate their experience by mounting their birds.
The third day of the event was solely devoted to mentored quail hunts. The success from the previous day in the field was repeated, and every single lady harvested multiple birds. It can even be said that multiple ladies harvested a single bird — a team effort! All in all, time spent in the field behind bird dogs was a highlight that everyone agreed on. Even though some birds escaped the onslaught of pellets, the ladies had full vests and a positive hunting experience with new friends surrounding them.
Without our partners, this learn to hunt event would not have been successful. All the attention this event received just shows how many women are interested in not only being outdoors but also being able to connect with conservation-minded women.
The Quail Forever Arkansas staff thank all the mentors that volunteered their time to participate in this event. Another special thanks to Arthur Loyd and his wife Monica at Fallin’ Feathers Duck Club for their hospitality. Again, a big thanks to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Becoming an Outdoor Woman for organizing another successful event!
Morgan Meador is a Quail Forever Farm Bill biologist.
This story originally appeared in the 2023 Spring 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!