EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Women from Ohio, New York and other neighboring states reunited at the 25th Annual NWTF Ohio State WITO Chapter Weekend. Offering more than 80 classes to over 100 attendees, the event created a safe space for women to learn, get outside and be a part of a community of women in the outdoors. It reunited old friends, created new friendships and provided a space for mothers and daughters or best friends to try outdoor activities together.
There were first-year attendees and women who have been coming since the beginning. This weekend of events, hosted at Skyview Ranch in Millersburg, Ohio, continues to build an awesome community of like-minded women, and it created a space where first timers felt safe and comfortable asking questions.
The classes offered at this year’s event were inclusive of the NWTF’s hunting heritage but also offered classes that allowed women new to hunting the opportunity to try new outdoor skills like homesteading, edible plants, outdoor cooking, birding, beekeeping and more. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife assisted with archery and competitive handgun stations.
At the archery station, wildlife officers helped attendees with alignment, sighting and proper stance. By the end of the session, an entire group of women were cheering each other on.
Instructors for some of the classes volunteered their time to create slideshows and materials for participants to take home, such as homemade chap sticks, jams, sourdough starters, art supplies and much more.
The weekend also offered space for creativity, with several classes offering the opportunity to try outdoor arts and crafts. Several women who went on the morning pheasant hunt were able to take a class on using their bird’s feathers to create a hat. On Saturday night, women came prepared for a costume contest to celebrate 25 years, allowing attendees to be themselves, encourage each other and find comradery in total strangers.
The event was sponsored by Pretty Hunter, which donated $1,700 of jewelry for the NWTF to raffle off or give away as prizes.
To see more about this year’s event:
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats and Healthy Harvests for future generations.
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