Editor’s Note: Today’s feature first appeared in our companion service, The Archery Wire (www.archerywire.com)
The main lodge showing just how much snow fell in the area. Most of the snow just came in the last month.
Many of you reading this are familiar with Becoming an Outdoors Woman (or BOW as it is usually called). The organization started in 1991 by Christine Thomas, an Associate Dean and Professor of Resource Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources at the time, and has grown to 40 states (I hear BOW Hawaii is coming soon!). From workshops to weekend events to week-long adventures outside of North America (who wants to attend BOW Iceland with me?), BOW truly offers something for all stages of curiosity.
We snowshoed for about three miles all over the Treehaven property -including exploring this frozen pond.
For me, BOW offers a way to try something new without much complication. I don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of gear as it is all provided for me. And I don’t need to worry if I’m doing it wrong as an instructor is there to show me the way. Even if I was doing it wrong, there’s no one there who is laughing at me – if anything, they are laughing with my antics.
Maps of the groomed trails on property. Unfortunately, due to the heavy snow, the groomer is buried somewhere out on property…
I attended the Wisconsin BOW Winter Program in 2016 and enjoyed it so much, I asked my good friend, Cassie, to join me for the same program held this past weekend. We traveled to Treehaven, Wisconsin to learn how to snowshoe, ice fish, snowmobile, survive in the outdoors during winter, make our own tea and lotions, and much more.
While the sessions were fairly the same with minor alterations, the group size had about doubled from when I was there in ‘16. Which is great! I had a chance to talk with ladies from all walks of life about their experiences and re-learned the old adage – never judge a book by its cover. These women were here to LEARN and grow and as one gal said in the snowmobiling class, “I’m afraid of these machines, but I don’t want to be.” That “getting over fears” is a theme I observed over and over for BOW. While I certainly wasn’t afraid of ice fishing, there were some barriers there I needed to overcome, and they helped me with that.
It was our first time learning how to use tip ups! And we had eight of them sitting over holes -- NOT ONE BITE!!
I didn’t take the rifle shooting or archery classes because I do those things already and I wanted to try something new. But if I had my investigative reporter hat on, I would have attended just to observe what was said after each woman shot her first gun or bow. I think I know what I would have heard…women triumphing over something they built up bigger in their heads than what the reality is – or simply empowering themselves to be more confident.
A view of my spot where I eventually caught my first sunfish. Tiny as it was…
In fact, Peggy Farrell, BOW’s Director asked the group during our last session who felt empowered during this past weekend. Nearly all hands went up. And if a hand didn’t go up, it might have been because they were busy Instagramming a previous BOW moment.
Frankly, I’m a little in love with BOW – the idea of it and what Peggy and her predecessor, Christine, did to create such an amazing program for women. It seemed most women traveled in groups to this particular event and I heard some groups came from all areas of the state as this is their time to meet up. Instead of traveling to Cancun and donning a swimsuit every February – they come to Treehaven, Wisconsin and put on snowshoes. And that sounds alright to me.
One of the events during a BOW weekend is a silent auction to raise funds for scholarships to send more ladies to BOW. Of course I bid (and won) this amazing coyote fur hat. The gal who made it is "Furs and Skins by Lynn" Look her up on Facebook if you want your own. (Photo by BOW)
Learn more about Becoming an Outdoors Woman at https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/bow Click on your state to find programs. Not a program in your state? Don’t be afraid to travel to a neighboring state, like I did, or see about starting a BOW chapter!
-- Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire
