Women take to the outdoor scene

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ellen Benitz remembers the days when she felt somewhat out of place in the outdoors.

She grew up as a self-professed tomboy, and she quickly developed a love for hunting and fishing. But looking around, she realized there weren't many other women like her.

"I felt odd, because I didn't know many other women who were into the outdoors," said Benitz, who lives in St. Joseph, Mo. "There was no camaraderie there.

"I would hunt and fish with the men, and that was fine. But there were no other women to share those experiences with.

"I remember wanting to get more women involved."

Perhaps it's fitting that Benitz today makes her living as the regional coordinator for the National Wild Turkey Federation's Women in the Outdoors program, the organization she has represented at the Kansas City Sportshow.

The outreach program started in 1998, when 18 pilot programs across the nation taught 1,000 women across the country how to get started in everything from shooting to archery to fishing to outdoors cooking. The program used a hands-on approach, with women able to try the activity they were learning.

Benitz attended one of those events and was impressed with the approach. She went on to start a Women in the Outdoors chapter, and worked hard to show women that they had a place in the outdoors.

Today, there are 450 programs scheduled nationwide for 2007. And membership in the organization has grown to 45,000 - a total that excites Benitz.

"We're trying to break down barriers," she said. "We want to create confidence in women.

"We have a lot of women driving RVs, backing trailers down boat ramps, going hunting, you name it. Female participation in the outdoors is growing quickly, and that's exciting."

---

(c) 2007, The Kansas City Star. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.