Laramie, Wyo. – Recognizing the achievements of hunters, the Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt handed out awards during a ceremony at the 7th annual Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt. The hunt was held Oct. 10-13, 2019 at the Ranch at Ucross in northeastern Wyoming. In 2013, the Wyoming Women’s Foundation created the hunt to promote camaraderie and mentorship through hunting.
This year’s hunt resulted in 43 of 46 hunters harvesting antelope.
Governor and First Lady Gordon attended the event. First Lady Jennie Gordon participated in the event as a hunter for the seventh straight year and discussed with the group her recently launched initiative to end childhood hunger in Wyoming. The First Lady of Indiana, Janet Amos, and Wyoming State Auditor, Kristi Racines, were also in attendance as notable hunter guests. Other special guests included Crystal Gibson of Blue Collar Adventures, Danielle Prewett, founder of the Wild + Whole blog and Bridget Fabel of Chunky Trout Outfitters.
Working with North America’s oldest wildlife and habitat conservation organization, Boone and Crockett Club, the Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt has structured its awards to adhere to the core principles of conservation and hunting ethics. This year’s award recipients are below.
The Annie Oakley Award was presented to hunters who harvested their pronghorn by firing only one shot during the two-day hunt. Recipients received a commemorative ring. Award winners were:
| Janet Amos (Indianapolis, IN) Anne Beihoffer (Oak Grove, MN) Holly Brophy (Blanchard, ID) Erin Campbell (Laramie) Melissa Cassutt (Jackson) Leslie Cervantes (Sheridan) Brenda Elliott (Cheyenne) Bridget Fabel (Taylorsville, Utah) Roxanne Garaventa (Cheyenne) Crystal Gibson (Santo, Texas) Carean Goss (Sheridan) Ashley Higgins (Douglas) Molly Hughes (Jackson) Casey Jackson (Edgewater, MD) Lindsay Koenig (Belgrade, MT) Rose Ann Million Rinne (Cheyenne) Jennie Muir-Gordon (Buffalo) Trista Ostrom (Cheyenne) Kristi Racines (Cheyenne) Rebecca Rodriguez (Buffalo) Rachel Ryan (Sheridan) LeeannSmith (McConnells, SC) Karey Stebner (Rawlins) Donna Worthy (Edgewater, MD) |
The Roman Goddess of the Hunt Award was presented to first-time big game hunters to harvest an antelope. Recipients received a framed photo of their harvest. Roman Goddess Award winners:
| Janet Amos (Indianapolis, IN) Erin Campbell (Laramie) Melissa Cassutt (Jackson) Leslie Cervantes (Sheridan) Trisha Duncan (Paskenta, CA) Molly Hughes (Jackson) Ruth Martin (Sheridan) Danielle Prewett (Houston, TX) Letty Robinson (Monticello, MN) Rachel Ryan (Sheridan) Jaylin Solberg (Moorhead, MN) Sarah Stewart (Sheridan) Leslie Weber (Minneapolis, MN) Allison Westergard (Maple Grove, MN) Kayla Williamson (Sheridan) |
The Founders’ Cup Award goes to a corporate sponsor team with the closest average shot distance; all team members must harvest. It is named for the hunt’s founders.
The winner of the 2019 Founders’ Cup was the Hughes Charitable Foundation team, including hunters Molly Hughes and Marilyn Kite with an average shot distance of 95.5 yards.
This award was sponsored by Twin M Designs and Kathryn Boswell.
The Super Stalker Award goes to the individual closest to her antelope when harvesting her antelope. The 2019 Super Stalker was Leslie Eglseder (Story) with a distance is of 22 yards and her guides, Luke and Daniel Underwood (Casper). Leslie received a pair of Maven binoculars donated by Maven and her guides received a gift card donated by the Sports Lure in Buffalo.
The hunt’s Roosevelt Award is named after Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. president, conservation champion and co-founder of the Boone & Crockett Club. This award celebrates the type of personal character Teddy Roosevelt held in highest regard – an adventurous spirit, determination, self-reliance, and the need to give back more than what is taken – all of which he believed defined what was inside every true sportsman and sportswoman. Voted on by the guides, this award is given to the participant that had the fortitude to keep trying and hung tough, win lose or draw. The Boone & Crockett Club donated a custom belt buckle and a book of wild game recipes for this award recipient.
Roosevelt Award winner: Ellen Rice (Carmel, IN)
Shelley Simonton was a board member of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation and a co-chair of the hunt committee since the start of the hunt in 2013. In 2017, she passed away after a battle with cancer. Before she did, she started a fund to help bring more single moms to the antelope hunt. This year’s Shelley Simonton Hunter was Ashley Higgins (Douglas).
The Wyoming Women’s Foundation is a priority fund of the Wyoming Community Foundation, which granted out over $8 million to nonprofits across the state in 2018. The Women’s Foundation builds on a permanent endowment that will ensure funding to enhance the lives of women and girls in Wyoming for generations to come. It makes grants to organizations that help Wyoming women and girls attain economic self-sufficiency, creates statewide awareness of the barriers to economic self-sufficiency, and supports systems change to eliminate those barriers. Since its inception in 1999, the foundation has invested more than $925,000 into over 100 organizations reaching all corners of the state. Learn more at www.wywf.org.
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
