Special season was opened when quota wasn’t met; season closes Sunday, Nov. 21
Hunting gets positive publicity in Oprah’s O magazine.
In a first for the hunting community, the December edition of Oprah’s “O” magazine includes a positive article about hunting.
Written by Kimberly Hiss, the article details her wild turkey hunt and the challenges that come with harvesting an animal.
The three-page article titled “A Humbling Harvest: Could You Hunt Your Own Holiday Turkey?” begins on page 189 and includes a photo of the author and the wild turkey she shot on the trip.
“This is a really big step for hunting,” said Brent Lawrence, public relations director for the National Wild Turkey Federation. “Many mainstream media outlets, particularly women’s publications, shy away from positive hunting stories. This wonderful article gives a voice to millions of hunters and provides valuable insight to non-hunters.”
The NWTF coordinated the hunt with help from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and wildlife manager Bob Meduna, Benelli USA, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outfitters.
The article details the wide range of emotions Hiss feels while hunting, particularly during her first deer hunt.
“For every turkey wrap or club sandwich I’d ever eaten, something had been killed for my benefit – I’d just never done the killing myself,” Hiss wrote. “The deer hunt invitation seemed an opportunity, a challenge even, to reclaim my place in the food chain by assuming responsibility for the meat on my plate.”
Hiss, who endured minus-19-degree wind chills and a foot of snow last December on the hunt near Kearney, Neb., used virtually every part of the bird. She made table decorations from the tail feathers and donated the remaining feathers to the NWTF’s feather distribution program for Native American tribes.
“I encourage everybody to check out this article,” Lawrence said. “Members of the hunting community should write supportive letters to the editor commenting on the article. Letting the editors hear from us in a postive manner may encourage them to publish more pro-hunting articles.
“Anti-hunters will write in so we have to make our voices heard, too.”
To read the article, visit http://www.oprah.com/food/Women-and-Hunting-Kimberly-Hisss-Humbling-Harvest.
