Amidst clucks and yelps at the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in February, I got the opportunity to talk with Jessie Duff, team captain of Taurus shooting team, and Weatherby shooter.
Duff stars in “NRA All Access Presented by Taurus,” on Outdoor Channel. The show, in its 3rd season, features Duff as she travels the country, highlighting people, programs and issues associated with the NRA. The show is a year-round show. Before “All Access,” Duff and her husband, Matt, spent 2 years hosting “Friends of the NRA,” which also highlighted people and programs of the country’s largest gun-organization.
Duff said she is a big advocate for Second Amendment rights. “I can’t work in this industry and do what I do for a living and not stand up for it when the opportunity came,” she said.
After the NWTF show, she intended on spending some time training on a local range near her home. Obviously, the training paid off, as she won 4 championship titles at the Steel Challenge Nationals in March, including “2015 Ladies Steel Master National Champion.”
When asked if she had scheduled any 3-Gun matches this year, she said, “I enjoy shooting it [3-Gun], but it’s hard to focus on both in one year.” That means she intends on concentrating on Action Pistol events, like the Bianchi Cup and others. However, she attended the 2014 inaugural Brownells Ladies 3-Gun Pro-Am event last October in Kentucky. She credited the success of the event, which hosted more than 260 participants, to the coordinator, Lisa Marie Judy, and the fact that Judy had planned for guns, ammo and coaches to be on hand for new shooters and those women who had never shot a 3-Gun match before then.
We also talked about the rise of new women shooters to other forms of shooting and to hunting. Of course, since we sat in a Weatherby booth, surrounded by shotguns and rifles, we naturally began conversing about the new line of Weatherby guns, made for youth and women shooters. “You don’t want to start a child too early on a shotgun. If they’re physically strong enough and in a mindset to be able to handle firearms safely, that’s the time to start,” said Duff. She stressed that a child must understand that a firearm is not a toy, but that it can be fun.
Now involved with Weatherby and its new program, Women of Weatherby, Duff said she thinks it’s easier for women to want to join in the shooting and hunting sports and traditions because of firearms that fit – something she and other women are working on with Weatherby.
Here’s Jessie Duff, from “NRA All Access” on Outdoor Channel, and of course, professional championship competition shooter. She’s holding a Weatherby SA-459 for turkey hunting. (Barbara Baird photo)
She hopes to get out turkey hunting this spring and if she does, she knows exactly the gun she’ll grab: a Weatherby SA 459.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
