A forum hosted by
Patty Clark
February 2007
Ladies, Send in Your Hunting Stories and Photos
October 2006
Family Hands Down Hunting Traditions Through the Generations
September 2006
Women on Target Shoot
August 2006
LaPierre in Town to Promote Book
July 2006
Welcome to the Women’s Programs of the Gun Owners of South Carolina
Ladies, Send in Your Hunting Stories and Photos (posted February 2007)
If you are like me, you most likely enjoy being outdoors and doing some hunting, and I trust that some of you have had at least one or two successful hunts this year. If so, please consider sharing your hunting stories and pictures with our readers.
E-mail them to me at womensprograms@gosc.org, and I will include them in my next column.
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Family Hands Down Hunting Traditions Through the Generations (posted October 2006)
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of hunting is being able to pass the tradition down to the next generation. And while most people might think it’s something that’s handed down from father to son, sometimes it's dad handing it down to daughter, or even mom passing it down to son and daughter.
One woman with a long-standing tradition of hunting in her family is Anne Dunton of Little Mountain. Anne, 41, says she has been hunting for as long as she can remember. As a child she would rush home from school and hurry to finish her homework while waiting impatiently for her dad, Jerry Stoudemire, to get home from work. Then it was off to the woods to go hunting.
She recalls that sometimes her girlfriends didn’t always understand her interest in guns and hunting, or when she “talked hunting” with the guys. But it was great because she never had to impress the boys by pretending that she liked to get dressed up in camo and sit in the woods.
Now Anne is passing her love of hunting on to her children, son Taylor, 14, and daughter Aindrea, 12. She says Taylor has been hunting since he was three and is quite skilled with guns and all the details of hunting, and has killed many deer. Aindrea started going on hunts with the rest of the family when she was seven and will be using her brother’s hand-me-down 223 this coming deer season.
Anne’s husband Robbie, to whom she has been married almost 20 years, also hunts, although when they first met he had little experience with hunting. However, says Anne, he jumped at the chance to learn and fit right in with her family. Anne is glad that she and Robbie have an activity that they can enjoy with both of their children, and she says its wonderful because it allows them to spend time together as a family and she doesn’t have to worry about her kids running around getting into trouble. She is also teaching them to appreciate wildlife, and how to handle guns safely and manage land.
As a hunter and an animal lover, Anne feels it’s very important that the right to hunt is protected and preserved so that it can be handed down to future generations. When asked how an animal lover can also be a hunter, Anne says hunting is an effective way to control the wildlife population. Overpopulation of wildlife results in death from starvation and sickness for the animals, and in the case of deer overpopulation, both humans and deer being injured or killed as a result of car accidents involving the two. Hunting is a quick and human way to prevent wildlife from suffering.
Even though Anne hunts regularly, she says she doesn’t always shoot when she goes into the woods. At times like that, she loves the peacefulness and beauty of her surroundings, seeing the sun rise and set, and watching everything from squirrels and rabbits to hawks, turkey, song birds and even the spiders that share her deer stand.
When Anne does harvest a deer, what does she do with it? Stocks her freezer, of course! She says venison is a lower-fat alternative to other meat and a great way to lower grocery bills when you process it yourself. She can thank dad, Jerry, for teaching her to do that. And someday, her kids will thank her for what she has taught them.
Three generations of Anne Dunton's (right) family enjoy hunting together.
Here with Anne and dog Ruby are her mom Faye Stoudemire with Sheba,
and her daughter Aindrea.
(Photo by Taylor Dunton)
Women on Target Shoot (posted September 2006)
If you’ve never been to a Women On Target Shoot, you don’t know what you’re missing. I recently attended one at the Palmetto Gun Club in Summerville and I had a blast.
The event was held the third Sunday in May, and although temperatures topped 90 degrees, about 20 women of all different shooting skills levels came out for an afternoon of fun and firearms practice. Some were beginners and some had been shooting for a number of years. One, like Regina Lemon of Summerville, was a first-time shooter. She attended because she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to purchase a gun, and if so, which one ultimately would be the right gun for her.
Susan Lifsey of Chapin attended her first WOT event that day, also. She came for the practice and to try out the many different types of firearms that were available. More than once I heard, “This is fun!” They weren’t surprised that shooting a gun could be, were they?
The main purpose of the WOT shoots is to help women become more proficient in their shooting skills in a non threatening atmosphere. As I talked with some of them, I learned that most of them were there to learn about guns, shooting and gun safety while at the same time having an enjoyable experience.
Judy Marshall, who was the event coordinator, really outdid herself. She and her husband Don are members of the Palmetto Gun Club, and she puts together two of these events each year. She rounds up other members of the club who volunteer both their time to act as instructors for the day, and, quite generously, the use of their firearms so that the women attending have the chance to try out guns they’ve never shot before and would not have a chance to do so otherwise. Thanks, guys!
As is the case at every shooting event I have ever attended, the number one priority was gun safety. After a wonderful lunch provided by the club, the instructors went over the basic gun safety rules. You all know them, so I won’t repeat them here, but over and over it was stressed to the women how important these rules were.
Next, it was off to the range for instruction on how to handle a gun, how to load a gun and live fire instruction. The women were able to experience several different shooting disciplines using the firearms provided by the members of the club. Among the different bays set up at the club, the ladies had opportunity to choose from rifle, shotgun, IDPA and Cowboy Action Shooting, which is my personal favorite.
Two members of the Single Action Shooting Society, in full western regalia, were stationed at a false front western saloon-type building. Everyone had fun shooting at metal targets and silhouettes using a rifle, a shotgun and a revolver. I felt like Miss Kitty walking through the streets of Dodge City!
Among those who had never handled a gun before that day was the cameraman sent from WCSC in Summerville to cover the event. Christopher O’Rourke listened carefully as he was guided through the process of loading and firing his gun. We didn’t quite know what he thought about it as he was shooting, but before he left, he told us to make sure we let him know when the next event will be held so he can come back and shoot again. We were happy to have one more convert.
I’m sure I speak for all of the ladies in attendance when I say a very special “thank you” to the members of the Palmetto Gun Club for the use of their facility, and for giving up a Sunday to instruct us. We really appreciated them allowing us to use their personal firearms as well.
View photos from the May Women on Target Shoot in Summerville, SC.
LaPierre in Town to Promote Book (posted August 2006)
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and
GOSC Director of Women’s Programs Patty Clark
at Books A Million in Columbia, SC, July 28.
Although I have been a member of the NRA for seven years, it wasn’t until last Friday that I finally had the honor and privilege of meeting NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre for the first time.
Mr. LaPierre was in Columbia to promote his new book “The Global War on Your Guns – Inside the U.N. Plan to Destroy the Bill of Rights.”
I bought myself a copy of the book, autographed by Wayne, and have had a chance to scan through it briefly. In it, he documents the corruption that is the United Nations, UN programs that have disarmed millions of citizens in countries around the world and the consequences thereof, and plans to dismantle the United States Bill of Rights, most specifically the Second Amendment.
In case you’ve been asleep, and you think the United Nations is simply an organization dedicated to ensuring peace and justice in the world, nothing could be farther from the truth. Please wake up and read the book. If you haven’t been asleep, buy a copy and give it to someone who has.
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Welcome to the Women’s Programs of the Gun Owners of South Carolina (posted July 2006)
Welcome to the Women’s Programs of the Gun Owners of South Carolina. As director, I am excited to be able to bring you this column every month, and hope you will find it informative. I also hope it will inspire you to work to keep your Second Amendments rights alive, and to exercise them whenever possible.
Each month I will bring you new information about how women in our state are affected by Second Amendment issues. It may take the form of an article about what law makers in SC are doing to protect our 2nd Amendment rights, or it may be a story of how women affected by domestic violence have chosen to protect themselves through the lawful use of firearms. On the lighter side, you’ll also read about women in SC participating in events like Women on Target Shoots, or when and where you can sign up to attend a women-only concealed carry permit class, or a personality profile every now and then of SC women who have helped further 2nd Amendment rights in our state.
And I’d love to hear from you, whether it’s what you think about the things you may read here, or ideas for future columns. Just email me and I’ll answer you back as soon as possible. I am honored to have this opportunity to represent the Gun Owners of South Carolina, and to serve the women of South Carolina as we work for the future of the 2nd Amendment.
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