By Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting®
March 14, 2011

I attended the Bodcau Purring Hen's annual Women In The Outdoors event March 12 outside Shreveport, LA.  This was one of the most fun and educational such events I've been to. 

The historic surroundings were complemented by perfect spring weather,  fantastic food, and the nicest people imaginable.


Belinda Prudhome (right) is Grand Dame of this event and a past recipient of the WITO Annie Oakley Award.  Teresa Carroll is the National Women In The Outdoors Coordinator at NWTF Headquarters in Edgefield. Both of these ladies work hard for this program.


A "Queen For The Day" is randomly drawn and has the honor of being crowned and driven around all day in a camo and pink fluffed chariot among other things.


There were so many really interesting courses to take and so little time to try it all.  This event had some of the most experienced and knowledgeable instructors I've found.  Here participants are learning by doing Dutch oven cooking from the Louisiana Dutch Oven Cooking Society.


There were almost a 100 ladies registered to learn outdoor skill plus husbands and family members of all ages there to pitch in where ever needed.


The south is famous for its good cooks and great food.  This was proven once again as the day was filled with one mouth watering dish after another.

All ages and skill levels were welcome.

The Purring Hen's have a large group of dedicated committee members that roll up their sleeves and work hard to make this such a successful event.


Some of us even found a few minutes to practice our turkey calling (with the Brenda Valentine Sweet Talk Call!)  under the shade of an ancient tree.


This mother-daughter team are genuine outdoors women that not only make their living in the outdoors but also enjoy attending events such as this one.


The archery class had one of the most attendance of all.  It seems all of the women wanted to learn to shoot a bow.


I sat in on part of the Trapping class and enjoyed it immensely.

The Wild Game Cooking Class was super. Delicacies such as nutria rat and rattlesnake were prepared for everyone to sample.


Fishing class was another option.


The self-defense class gave the girls a workout.


This young outdoor gal just made her first chocolate cake over a fire in a Dutch Oven.


This group of participants are sampling and sharing their new culinary skills in the form of crayfish cornbread, bacon spinach quiche, cobblers and other tasty dishes.

To find a Women In The Outdoors event such as this one near you go to NWTF.org and click on your state tab.  You can also contact your NWTF Regional Director for additional information.  You may also want to volunteer to help as an instructor or committee member in your area.

Read all of Brenda's Field Notes