How a Brookfield party got these women 'addicted' to hunting
Steve Berry | CBC News | Posted: January 28, 2017 1:01 PM | Last Updated: January 28, 2017
Women That Hunt is a group of 20 women who head to the woods on a weekly basis
A group of women in Brookfield, N.S., are taking to the wilderness to hunt on a weekly basis.
Calling themselves Women that Hunt, the registered non-profit group of more than 20 women take trips into the bush, rifles or bows in hand, showing that hunting isn't just for the men.
It started when a friend came over to founding member Kelly Lemay's house for a party and mentioned she was a hunter.
"It never really occurred to me that I could do it too," says Lemay, an accountant by trade and the group's treasurer.
From black bears to wild turkeys
She got some friends together and they got hunting. The group's first hunt was an ambitious one: black bear. They took all the courses, got their licences, learned to shoot, and into the wild they went.
"We were successful and we've been addicted to it since," says Lemay.
Since then they've harvested moose, deer, and wild turkey. They recently caught eels with spear poles through the frozen ocean near Antigonish.
For Lemay it's all about lifestyle. The group hunts for the freshest eggs, the best food for their kids and the best fishing spots.
"It's not about squeezing the trigger; there's a lot of work that comes after that. Field dressing, harvesting, putting it into meat and then using that meat," she says.
The women divide their kill and take the venison as a welcome alternative to beef from the grocery store.
"We're all itching to get out next year and get another deer because it's just amazing food," says Lemay.
Teaching the next generation
Since becoming a hunter, she's started raising her own chickens for eggs, harvesting sap and making her own maple syrup as well as growing her own veggies in the garden.
The group is teaching women the importance of being prepared for the worst, whether that's power outages or natural disaster. Lemay says the old style of doing things is being lost on the next generation.
"The kids think food just comes from the grocery store. There will come a time when kids don't know where maple syrup comes from and it's as simple as tapping a tree," says Lemay
Lemay's husband is also an avid hunter and now her daughters hunt as well. Georgia, 16, shot a bear in Manitoba with the skull measuring 18 inches, a provincial record.
The group will be part of a youth expo at the Don Henderson Memorial Centre in Brookfield on April 22 with information about their group for any women out there looking to pick up a rifle. Membership costs $25 a year.