Say you’re a country girl, born and raised. You’ve grown up hunting and fishing and shooting deer rifles, but you never learned how to operate a muzzle loader. Your husband likes to hunt with his muzzle loader, and you’ve asked him to show you how, but every time he starts to explain anything about it you just want to sock him in the face. Sound familiar?
Or, perhaps you want to learn a completely new outdoor activity just to try it, like rock climbing or mountain biking? These can be dangerous without proper knowledge. It might be a good idea to take a class. Perhaps that class could be in a females-only environment, with no husbands or boyfriends to stress you out? If this sounds like a good idea to you, it could be you’re a good fit for the BOW program.
Hosted by the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, the “Becoming and Outdoorswoman” (BOW) seminar classes are held twice a year at the 4-H center near Columbiana, in Shelby County. The first of these weekend-long sessions is coming up in March, with registration opening January 9, 2019, for first time attendees, and January 15th for everyone. Class topics are quite diverse.
To attend, you must be a female, age 18 or up, and have an interest in the outdoors. You must also pay a $275 fee, but that does cover lodging, meals, and all instructional materials. Any equipment needed is provided as well. All in all it seems a good deal for someone wanting to become more proficient in outdoor recreational activities.
“Participants choose from over 50 courses such as backyard wildlife, rock climbing, camp cooking, map and compass, camping, mountain biking, shooting sports (pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, as well as gun safety), fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature photography, archery, ATV handling, bird watching, motor boat handling, and more.” –Outdooralabama.com
Missing out on the March session means having to wait until October for the next one. If you want to attend in March, follow the link below to register (only available after 6pm on January 9):
https://www.alabamainteractive.org/bow/welcome.action
