A passion for hunting and a mutual love for all-things outdoors brought this band of sisters together. Their first episode airs on July 3, 2014, on the Hunt Channel. After reading the interview below, you will not want to miss a single weekly episode. If you don’t have the Hunt Channel, you can view each episode on their website, widowmakers.tv.
Camo Mom: What sparked the idea of the show?
Katrina Arpin a partner in Widowmakers.tv explained that she loves hunting and really wanted to share her experiences with other women to show that women can hunt too. “Being in the outdoors has become a part of who I am. I started filming for another show, but after speaking with several interested parties that wanted me to film for them, I decided to start my own show, because I felt there were too many rules about what I could or could not hunt. I love hunting, I love being outdoors; that’s really what it’s all about. I felt very restricted and didn’t want to turn my passion into regret,” said Katrina.
Katrina leaves another widow in the turkey woods. (Katrina Arpin photo)
Camo Mom: Why the Widow Makers?
“After hours of trying to pick a name for our show, I was discussing deadly animals and true predators. We thought of the Black Widow and Widow Makers came after that,” Katrina recalls. “Essentially, I am out to hunt the top male species and creating a lot of widows.”
Camo Mom: Tell us about each member of the team and her favorite outdoor activity.
Tara Peel, 29, is the creator of Widowmakers.tv, and also a mother of 4 who lives in Illinois. She owns and assists in the operation of Tactacam (a POV camera for the hunter). Her outdoor activity is bow hunting whitetails. “Outsmarting a whitetail is always my biggest accomplishment,” said Tara. She grew up in Ohio as a non-hunter, until she met her husband and started hunting at the age of 21. She has traveled to Africa, New Zealand and all over the United States on hunts.
Katrina Arpin, 29, is a partner in Widow Makers TV who lives in North Carolina and works in marketing. Born and raised in Minnesota, she started shooting archery at the age of 15 and has been chasing giant whitetails ever since. Katrina’s favorite outdoor activities are bowhunting, hiking and trout fishing. She loves to travel and is excited to make her first trip to Africa this July.
April Kuhlman, 30, is a stay-at-home mother of 1 who resides in Illinois. She started hunting this past deer season when Tara took her deer hunting, and she shot her first doe. April eagerly started archery lessons after that experience and shot a turkey with her bow on the first try. Her favorite outdoor activities are camping and fishing.
Nikki Kirk, 26, is a mother of 1 who operates Cody Nicole Photography. If Nikki is not behind the camera, she is exploring the Montana mountains. Nikki was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident, and even with 9 bolts in her back, she ‘s already out bear hunting. Hunting and fishing are her favorite outdoor activities.
Lindsey McConnell grew up on a cattle farm in the Arkansas River Valley. Fishing and hunting has been a natural way of life for her. An avid bowhunter friend encouraged her to buy her first bow. That friend is now her husband and lifelong hunting partner and cameraman. Lindsey has recently taken on the challenge of traditional bowhunting.
Meet the Widowmakers (from left to right) Lindsey McConnell, Katrina Arpin, Nikki Kirk, April Kuhlman and Tara Peel.
Camo Mom: How do you plan to hold the viewers’ interests?
Our plan is to engage them in our hunts by showing them what really happens, and just sharing our funny, sad, happy sides. Instead of the serious hunting show, we will show that we are out having fun while doing what we love.
Camo Mom: What will your show offer a non-hunter that would inspire her to start hunting?
We believe that seeing women work together and hunt together will show women and non-hunters that they can get outdoors and try hunting too, especially having an example like April, who had never hunted and then took classes to better herself as a hunter.
Tara and Katrina after a successful ram hunt. (Katrina Arpin photo)
It’s exciting to see such an engaging group of women come together with their contagious passion for the outdoors. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
