KANE — Fifteen women, many who have never even picked up a shotgun before, came to the Mt. Jewett’s Sportsmen’s Club on July 25-26 to learn the ins and outs of safely firing shotguns. The Mt. Jewett Sportsmen’s club graciously offered to host this first-time national women’s shooting program on the East Coast. This course had previously only been offered in the Great Lakes area. The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) sponsored this course and it was run by the women of the Allegheny Chapter of the RGS.
Course leader was Bonnie Orr of Kushequa. Christine Haibach of Meadville, Brenda Walker of Clermont, and Mary Hosmer of Ridgway all taught certain courses throughout the two days. The courses for the first weekend included Shotgun Safety, the North American Model of Wildlife Management, and Upland Birds of North America.
Shooting instructors for the weekend were Terry Gerner of Potter County, Larry Neel of Bradford, and Tom Davis of the Mt Jewett Sportsmen’s Club. Trap pullers were Roger Roesch and John Orr of the Mt. Jewett Sportsmen’s Club. Brenda Walker provided water, and an after-the-training snack of cheese, crackers, and wine.
The first course on Shotgun Safety taught the basics of keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction, how to determine gauge of your shotgun, how to match shells to the gun, how to determine what shells to use for different game, the importance of chokes and how to determine what choke you might need for your gun, and how to tell the type of choke.
The second course on the North American Model of Wildlife Management shared how Canada and the United States have a different model of wildlife management than any other country in the world. Every citizen of the United States has the right to buy a license and become a hunter as long as they have not previously violated laws and been denied the use of a firearm, and are current on their child support payments. The North American Model of Wildlife Management also includes soliciting public input on game regulations and using sound science in wildlife management decisions.
The last course covered upland game birds you can hunt in the United States even though some of the birds are available only out west; the intent was to familiarize the women with the large variety of game birds available across the United States, thanks to the North American Model of Wildlife Management.
Both days were set up so the women got plenty of practice shooting with their own shotgun or using one of the many shotguns available for use. Women got to select and try shotguns of different gauges and chokes to see what they preferred.
Terry Gerner finished off the two-days of training by showing the women how to break down and properly clean a shotgun.
The weekend consisted of many giggles, high fives when a woman hit a target, some long and loud “whoo-hoos” when one woman broke four out of five targets, some trepidation, and the forging of new friendships. An email list of the women attendees will help these women keep in touch with each other and share shooting opportunities such as practice on clay targets, hunting, or attendance at future RGS events.
The reasons for women signing up for the training were varied:

– “I want to be able to teach my grandson how to shoot and hunt. This seemed like a way to learn.”

– “My husband is a hunter and I want to be able to go hunting with him. I could come here and learn how to shoot, and not have to exasperate my husband.”

– “All my friends hunt and run dogs. I wanted to learn, too.”

Sportdog, Federal Ammunition, and Purina are the national sponsors for this event. The following local sponsors helped underwrite the cost of attendance for women to the course: Mt. Jewett Sportsmen’s Club in McKean County; Sesler and Sesler, Atty at Law from Erie in Erie County; Habitat for Wildlife from Johnsonburg in Elk County; Jonathon Wirth Forestry Consultant from Port Matilda in Centre County; Mummert Environmental Consultants from Mechanicsburg in Cumberland County; Vernon Ordiway from Ridgway in Elk County; Breese Taxidermy from Bradford in McKean County; Dick McDowell from U-Pitt at Bradford in McKean County; Dean Construction of Smethport in McKean County; McKean County E-Sales; and Jane Bryndl from Ridgway in Elk County. Any person or business wishing to underwrite a woman to attend this training can contact Mary at 814-512-2101 or wlhab@windstream.net.
The next training course will be August 25-26. Women and girls that finish the shooting course are eligible for a quail hunt on September 9.