Some people consider them bloodthirsty, but these girls say they cry after killing animals and even pray over them. Two American women told why they went on the hunting trail and what attracts them to this deadly activity. They often face condemnation and receive threats from animal rights activists, but claim that they really love animals.
Learn more about the lives of two American hunters from our material.
Despite the fact that these hunters cry over their prey, they sincerely consider their hobby useful and do not see anything terrible in killing animals.
Brittany Boddington’s father, taking his daughter hunting for the first time, expected her to cry. But the 18-year—old girl calmly pulled the trigger and killed her first victim, a wild bear, with a single accurate shot.
Brittany grew up in Los Angeles and has always been against hunting. She thought she would suffer when she saw the animal give up the ghost. However, the girl immediately got hooked on the bloody occupation. Since then, she has traveled to six continents and killed about 100 fauna, from bears and moose in the United States to leopards and buffaloes in Africa.
Now the woman is 33 years old and she is one of the Americans who pick up a gun and learn how to hunt wild animals. The number of such women is steadily growing. In 2013, there were 3.3 million hunters in the United States, that is, every fifth in the ranks of hunters is a woman. Most of them are engaged in a bloody trade in order to bring cheap natural meat into the house. Some say that killing animals is a kind of expression of women’s empowerment.
Brittany says that she loves adventures while hunting. She believes that her hobby helps protect weak animal species from predators. In addition, the woman fills the refrigerator with meat, which she extracted herself, and feeds her family with it.
In the United States, $3.3 billion is allocated annually to wildlife organizations for shooting animals and catching fish — those species that are oversaturated in certain natural areas. Hunting is a very popular activity in America: 36 million people in the country have an official permit for it. Animal advocates often cite as arguments against hunting the long and painful death of shot animals and the fate of their cubs, which remain doomed to perish.
29-year-old hunter Jessica Byers does not consider hunting a cruel occupation. She is sure that this activity teaches a person important life skills.
The girl says that by hunting she learns more about herself, learns to cope with emotions, be able to lose and continue to move forward despite physical and psychological difficulties.
Blonde Jessica and red-haired Brittany don’t look like stereotypical hunters. Their commitment to hunting helped them win thousands of Instagram followers, but there were no fewer critics. They often receive threats and negative comments.
Jessica and Brittany still encourage young women to learn how to hunt. Brittany from Arizona conducts classes at the She Hunts school for hunters, where women and even 10-year-old girls learn how to handle a gun, chase a victim, kill animals and butcher carcasses. During the year, a professional hunter conducts about four courses, and they are very popular — the record is kept for months ahead. These classes have become very popular among single mothers who want to learn how to shoot animals and supply their family with meat. Many women are keen on proper nutrition, so they come to learn hunting in order to feed their relatives with natural meat without GMOs. The youngest students come with their parents, and the average age of future hunters ranges between 30 and 60 years.
Jessica lives in Texas. She admits that it’s not easy for her to watch an animal die, but that doesn’t stop her from killing dozens of them. However, it was quite difficult for her to shoot the first bear.
In the United States, brown bear hunting is legal in 27 states, and hunters kill 40,000 to 50,000 of these animals every year. It is difficult to distinguish between a female or a male during hunting, so many cubs remain orphans.
Jessica has shot three bears in the last few years. She has launched a hunting website, Follow Her Arrow, where she shares her knowledge and impressions of hunting. The girl says that she prayed many times over the slaughtered animals and thanked God for sending them into this world and allowing her to come close to such huge and formidable creatures. Sometimes it is so hard for her that she cries over her prey.
While hunting with her husband, a woman overcomes psychological and material barriers. Jessica believes that this activity helps to preserve weak animal species and regulate predator populations.
Opponents of animal killing often insult female hunters and even threaten them with violence. It used to upset them, but now it just makes them laugh. Girls try to focus on the positive and communicate with people who are just as passionate about hunting as they are.
Jessica and Brittany sometimes have to block hate-filled user accounts on social media. They honestly answer all subscribers’ questions, but do not react to aggressive attacks.
Brittany says she loves animals very much and has a real zoo at home. According to her, there is a huge difference between pets and wild animals. The girl says that those who eat burgers at McDonald’s should also feel guilty, because the cows from whose meat they are cooked are kept in terrible conditions. It is better to cook a cutlet from a deer that has never suffered.
Mrs. Boddington says that hunting is strictly regulated and it never threatens representatives of endangered species of fauna. The government gives permission to shoot only those animals, of which there are a lot in a certain area.
Both hunters are married, and the spouses support and share their hobbies. Husbands often accompany them on hikes and help with everything.
Beautiful and brave hunters in pursuit of prey become predators themselves. Some will say that hunting is not a woman’s business, but Brittany and Jessica will give odds to many men in the ability to handle weapons and get trophies. Hunting can be treated in different ways, but the fact that this activity has ceased to be purely masculine is a fact proven by millions of women with guns in their hands.
Hunting is becoming so popular among women that they can’t even sit quietly on maternity leave. This young mother from Ohio is so in love with her hobby that she takes her 9-month-old daughter with her into the woods. She wants to instill in the baby a love of nature and hunting, so she wears it behind her back even during archery.
And how do you feel about hunting?
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