When most people think of hunting, they immediately assume this means men! In truth, women around the country enjoy hunting, many who carry titles of accomplishment. Breaking free of stereotypes, women find that hunting is a great way to relieve stress while enjoying time outdoors and doing something that takes skill, patience, and precision.

 Because of the growing popularity, many sporting goods retailers state that women are the fastest growing segment of their business. Today, you will find magazines geared toward women hunters and even special programs designed just for women hunters.

 Being outdoors hunting provides a sense of freedom and exhilaration. If you love nature, look for excitement, and enjoy wild game, then hunting may be something to consider. The first step is to visit your local Fish and Game Department where you can take hunting safety courses. Upon completion, you would be granted your hunting license.

 Women all across the nation are picking up their shotguns and joining their male counterparts in search of pheasant, quail, and even the illusive buck. Many women are as passionate about hunting as any man ever was.

 Female hunters use 16-gauge Winchester pumps or 12-gauge Remington shotguns the same way males do. They also work with hunting dogs such as Pointers, English Setters, and Labrador Retrievers. Women's hunting clubs are also springing up for the purpose of sharing the joys of hunting. They provide a place for women to share hunting experiences and to plan hunting events.

 It's highly recommended that any novice hunter accompanies someone with more experience in the beginning. Those with a few years under their belts can help teach safety practices, share some secrets of the best ways to find wild birds and other animals, and provide insights regarding the sportsmanship aspect of hunting. Whether you prefer to hunt with a bow or gun, it's very important to be skilled at working within a group.

 In fact, many hunters will hunt only with select friends because they trust those people explicitly. To be a good, safe hunter, you will need to learn how to carry your gun, how to call off another hunter, how to flush out birds, etc. Although not difficult to learn, it is important since careless hunting can lead to injury or worse, whether a man or a woman.

 The overall hunting industry is worth $16 billion and still growing. Only a few short years ago, only 9% of hunters in the US were women. A year ago the entire market shrunk by 2%, but the number of women grew by 67% over their numbers in 2003. The best estimate is that women make up 15% of all hunters.

 If you want adventure and to experience something like nothing else, hunting may just be for you. The thrill, the rush, the peace, and beauty make this sport unique. The majority of women that decide to try hunting state that after their first time out, they are hooked!

 Chase Padrone is the owner of Rural Hunting which is a premier resource for hunting information. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: http://www.ruralhunting.com

 Discussions on Sight Shooting Vs Point Shooting surface now and again on the internet. And as soon as they do, they often become loud and noisy affairs that turn into verbal arguments.

  Sides are taken quickly, and the proponents and opponents, start to rapidly exchange thoughts and words in a way that would make a machine gun instructor proud.

 Subsequent exchanges go on and on, and with heated ideological clashes to boot.

 Recently, a voice of reason and logic has been heard above the din and smoke of the verbal battles. It is the voice of an unflappable, plain talking, long time trainer and shooter. He is an old marine who is a proponent of Sight Shooting as well as Point Shooting. His name is Robin Brown.

 Unlike most of the current gun thread pundits, Brownie, as he is called, has the ability to sense or anticipate the slings and arrows being thrown and meet them with calm no nonsense responses, time after time.,p>  A standard refrain heard from the "Sights only Shooters" is that Sight Shooting may degrade into Point Shooting under stress, but Point Shooting can’t evolve to good sighted shooting. Another is that training in both Sight Shooting and Point Shooting, violates the KISS (keep it simple stupid)principal and can result in confusion, muddled thinking, and disaster for the operator in a real life threat situation.

 Well, Brownie certainly will agree that those are points well made.

 He answers that mindset with the following.

 Years ago, men were told to put the front sight into the rear sights notch and with them properly aligned they would hit their intended target. And that anything but that, would result in poorer results where accuracy was concerned. Bullseye shooters still use that method where precision shooting is necessary.

 With time, men learned that they could get good hits making use of just the front sight, and that they did not have to take the time to make sure the front sight was aligned in the rear sight. This loosely became known as the Front Sight Press method. Then we were told it was not necessary to align the sights perfectly to make good hits in a combative situation.

 The result was two methods of survival shooting. The complete reliance on BOTH sights being aligned properly. And the use of just the front sight, which morphed into the Front Sight Press methodology. It reduced the lag time of full sight verification when time was critical and a precise shot was not required to stop the threat.

 If the threat is 20 feet away, standing behind a barricade, giving us only a portion of his head and hand as a target, we would need to make use of perfect sight alignment given the size of the target presented and the accuracy needed to hit that small target.

 If the threat is 20 feet away and out in the open, would we still wait for verification of a perfect bulls eye shooters sight alignment?

 I think most would go to the Front Sight Press method with its front sight only requirement when the threat presents a bigger target at the same distance and we do not need a bulls eye shooters precision shot to solve the problem at hand. And most would be able to transition from one to the other quite easily as the situation demanded.

 They would probably agree they could determine on the fly and under stress what was necessary to solve these two different situations.

 Were people getting their thought processes muddied by learning two different ways to get hits then? Maybe, but men still learned and practiced BOTH methods.

 They could use the sights to make a precision bulls eye type shot and they also would be able to utilize just the front sight to make shots that did not need that type of precision or accuracy, thus taking less time for sight alignment and probably solving the problem in a shorter time frame.

 That hasn't caused a major issue between the two solutions to my knowledge. It certainly is not in keeping with the KISS principle as suggested by some who would have us believe that only one sighting method should be trained, in their attempts to convince others that Point Shooting will muddy the thought process under stress.

 Sighted and Point Shooting methodologies present two survival shooting options for a defender and allows the defender to chose one or the other while in a high stress life or death situation depending on time, accuracy and distance requirements.

 With Front Sight Press, less verification of sight alignment is needed before shooting, so one can usually get the shot off sooner with it and less time will be spent getting on target as a rule.

 Most defensive tactics instructors also recognize that one can go to perfect sight alignment, or to Front Sight Press based on time, distance, and accuracy considerations.

 The thinking behind the achnowledgement and acceptance that the Front Sight Press method is an effective combat tool, though less accurate than bulls eye shooting, is equally applicable when weighing the relative merits of selecting Point Shooting or Front Sight Press.

 And there is a bit of irony in that, as some of the most vocal advocates of Front Sight Press, have been very vocal against any of the known Point Shooting methods to solve time, accuracy and distance problems.

 Effective Point Shooting, just like Front Sight Press, is dependant on the time available, the distance to the threat, and how much accuracy is actually needed to solve any given situation.

 Point Shooting takes survival shooting even further along the road of change because it does not rely on the use of the sights for delivering effective, controlled fire in close quarters defensive situations.

 Point Shooting, just like its counterparts, requires both training and practice to achieve a proficiency level that also can be range tested via targets.

 Where Point Shooting really shines, is in situations where the full bulls eye sight picture and the front sight press method can not be used as effectively [quickly], such as in close quarters force on force situations. As such, it is fast becoming a beacon that is lighting the way to the future of survival shooting because most defensive handgun shooting occurs at close quarters distances.

 Shooting without the use of the sights, is not new by any means. It has lots of aliases like Quick Fire that was developed by the military; Reflexive Fire which also was developed by the military and from previous systems that were adopted in the 60's; and FAS (Fairbairn/Applegate/Sykes), which was developed specifically for police in China in the early 1900's and for men who went in harms way during WWII.

 There also is Quick Kill with a pistol or revolver(c) which was developed by Lucky McDaniels in the 50's and adopted by the US Army for their rifle training programs in the 60's. The Army did not adopt the Quick Kill with a pistol or revolver(c) technique due to the small numbers of soldiers who needed to be trained in pistol craft at that time.

 Each has their pluses and minuses, and have a place in the overall picture of self-defense. They are very effective under a variety of conditions and particularly those, in which an operator may not be able to see or use the sight/s.

 It has taken time to bring it to the fore. That has come to pass because of the adoption of car cams that capture what really happens on the street in gunfight situations, the perseverance and patience on the part of advocates, and the fairly recent realization by force on force participants using airsoft pistols that what they were taught and practiced in the past, can and will likely fall apart in a threat situation where close quarters and dynamic movement of the participants is the norm.

 The thought that only one technique should be trained exclusively is at odds with history and mans ability to use what is known to his best advantage.

 Statements are often heard that Point Shooting should not be taught beyond bad breath distances. This normally comes from instructors who are offering words of due caution, but who also obviously lack formal training and knowledge of any of the Point Shooting systems, and the fact that Point Shooting has been proven effective in battle long ago.

 Some police are required to shoot "point shoulder" at the three [3] yard line on a static range that makes no use of sights. However, most of those who are asked to qualify thusly are not trained in how to effectively employ it. They are only told to "do it" by trainers who themselves, probably do not have a thorough understanding of what is required and needs to be done for it to be as effective as it can be.

 The result is a mindset that Point Shooting was tried, but it just isn't that effective. That is an understandable conclusion and one that flows from a training shortfall, not a method that is inadequate for the task at hand.

 More and more people are learning that Point Shooting is a viable and effective survival shooting tool. At a minimum, they need an understanding of what it is and how to use it effectively through training. A working knowledge of Point Shooting is available to the public and Law Enforcement Officers through several sources who actually trained with the masters who are no longer with us.

 Brownie advocates training in both Sight and Point Shooting, not one over the other. He teaches basic through advanced Sight Shooting and a few Point Shooting methods with a focus on Quick Kill with a pistol or revolver © which is his speciality. How one then uses and adapts these skills is left to the individual.

 He currently holds the registered copyrights, through Washington, DC in the Quick Kill techniques with pistols and revolvers. And he was professionally trained by the originator and master of Quick Kill, Lucky McDaniels in 1981.

 Robin Brown can be contacted via e-mail at arizonaqkr@yahoo.com. He looks forward to answering your questions or helping you with your training needs.

 John Veit helped with the development of this article. He has a web site that provides FREE info on Point Shooting methods along with studies, stats, and articles on self-defense. The URL is: www.pointshooting.com.

  As various seasons open, hunters dust off their equipment and restock their supplies. The dreams are big...the anticipated thrill of the hunt is all-consuming as they plan this fall's strategy to bag their limit, or even "get the big one".

  Meticulous preparation goes into planning the contents of the pack. It's not unusual to find 10-15 pounds of accessories and gadgets guaranteed to make the hunt a success. Layer upon layer of top-of-the-line insulating clothing will ensure relative comfort when waiting quietly in frigid temperatures. Thick, tall, heavy boots protect feet and ankles and provide warmth.

  It's time. The hunter, carefully dressed in layers of insulated clothing, straps on the 25 pound tree stand, hoists the pack (15 pounds), grabs the trusty gun (8 pounds), and heads toward "The Spot". "The spot", referred to in fishing as "the honey hole", is commonly found far away from the truck, and requires crossing ditches, navigating through thick brush, and trudging up and down hills.

  Ever thought of the amount of physical stress this places on your body? Throw in the 100-200 pound deer that you're dragging back to a pick up point. Definite cardiac stressor!

  Sure, the adrenaline from the thrill of it all keeps you going! But, admit it, today's occasional hunter can rarely boast the level of physical fitness of the previous generation. Do yourself a favor this year and prepare for that big hunt!

  Start by evaluating your activity level and your level of fitness. If you routinely participate in an exercise program, congratulations you should be ready for the hunt! If you have a desk job and a daily date with the tv you may require a little extra boost to get you physically ready for your trek in the woods.

  Work on increasing your daily activity. Here are a few relatively painless ways to increase exercise and overall cardiovascular strength during your work day. (Always best to have your physician's approval whenever starting an exercise program.)

  ~ Walk up and down stairs. It's easy walking "Down", so do that regularly. Try to walk "Up" a flight or two several times a day. Pretend this is practice for climbing out of ditches and trudging up hills.

  ~ Park your car several blocks away from your destination and walk. Pretend you're walking to your "spot". The further you're used to walking, the more energy you'll have for climbing that favored tree when you do fianally get there.

  ~ Carry items whenever possible. Leave the cart at the store if you can manage carrying the bags of groceries. If you have wrist weights, start wearing them for periods. Boost your arm strength so you'll be ready to carry your gun and pack.

  ~ If you have ankle weights, start wearing them to work. Boost your leg strength and get your body used to the added weight of those hunting boots.

  Anything you can do to increase your activity will help you later. In addition, spot exercises to strengthen your arms, shoulders and back, abdomen, and legs can only help as you carry yourself and all that equipment to the site of your stand.

  One other point. As hunting season draws near and you do your scouting, dress as you plan to on your actual hunting trip. This will give you and your body a chance to get used to the thicker, heavier clothing.

  We rarely hear of hunters collapsing with fatal heart attacks in the woods, but, as you can see, it can be an intense cardiac stressor, not to mention a lot of hard work. So much time and money is spent preparing and purchasing all the right equipment. Invest some time in preparing your most valuable tool -- yourself! Until next time....Maggie.

  Lucy Bowden re-launches Fishing For Everyone website.

  Frustrated by being the only girl on the lake while fishing with her father, the then 17 year-old Lucy Bowden originally founded Fishing For Everyone in May 2004 with the express intention of getting more women, and especially girls, actively participating in fishing. The site attracted immediate interest from places as far apart as Canada and Fiji with everyone agreeing that this was a fantastic opportunity and one not to be wasted.

  So now, a full year on, A-levels completed and encouraged by the continued interest from all sectors of the media and the angling community during that time, Lucy has pulled out all the stops and decided to re-launch the Fishing For Everyone website, www.fishingforeveryone.com. Although it retains the familiar colours of the original, the site has been completely re-designed to incorporate a host of new features and even features a new logo courtesy of the great angler and artist, Charles Jardine.

  The new look site will be taking hits from Monday, August 15th 2005.

  "Lucy is obviously very determined that the more gracious half of humanity is not deterred from enjoying 'the best excuse for loafing in the countryside' any longer." Keith Arthur, angler and broadcaster.

  The focus is still going to be on encouraging women and children into the sport and this Lucy hopes to do by stripping away the mystery surrounding angling as a male only preserve. As part of this initiative, alongside the familiar gallery and forum of old, Fishing For Everyone now features a shop offering tackle and equipment for everyone but much expressly chosen for its suitability for women, children and the disabled. What's more, all items come with free UK delivery!

  Lucy is the appointed UK representative and distributor for Beulah Rods of the USA whose superb high-performance lightweight rods are ideal for those who find existing rods too unwieldy. Her youthful perspective coupled with her experience as a member of the England Ladies Fly Fishing team is also going to be put to great effect as she will also be assisting Beulah with the development of even more appropriate tackle for her target audience. Says Beulah's Steve Warner: "Beulah rods are proud to be associated with Lucy. We applaud her in her efforts to introduce fly-fishing to society as a whole. She is a great role model for young people". The shop will also be featuring tackle from Silver Creek UK who make extremely high quality equipment but at prices that won't break the bank - ideal for those just starting out and youngsters on a budget.

  Lucy isn't stopping there; in her own words: "I found that clothing was a large problem for female anglers. Not only is there a very limited selection of clothing available suitable for female anglers, what is available is largely in very masculine colours, styles and sizes.

  "I decided to change this approach and design my own clothing range eventually to be sold through fishingforeveryone.com that is both stylish yet practical. The clothing will be introduced gradually onto the website and will come in a variety of different sizes, styles and colours. I also hope soon to market a range specifically for children to retail alongside traditional items ".

  Lucy won't be resting on her laurels though. Through the site she will be offering advice on techniques and tackle and will be developing new lines for next year and always with that all-important aim of getting more ladies round the lake. She will be continuing to forge links with women's angling groups and societies across the world, working with tackle makers and contributing to magazines, websites and TV programmes all around the world, all the time building on the goodwill and reputation fishingforeveryone.com has already gained. In the words of television broadcaster and well-known angler, Fiona Armstrong: "This is one keen fishing lady! Go for it Lucy!"

  Visit the new Fishing For Everyone site at www.fishingforeveryone.com .