She Hunts Too

    Editor’s Note: It’s that time of year when many people are donning camouflage or blaze orange. They are checking their guns or bows, sometimes braving cold and snowy conditions and trudging through fields to their favorite spots. Hunting is not only a hobby in these parts, but a way of life and sustenance for many. Folks of all ages, ilks and types love to hunt, but when many people think of hunters, a camo-clad man might spring to mind. Yet, in these parts, women too enjoy the sport. The National Rifle Association estimates that 10-15% of hunters are women. In honor of those women who enjoy the thrill of the hunt, over the next few weeks, the Journal will profile some of these dedicated ladies. 
    Megan Biel, who grew up in rural Marshall County, is a self-described ‘tomboy’. This is no wonder considering she has several brothers. “I have five older brothers and with my two older sisters out of the house by the time I was three, it was just me and the boys,” she explained. Part of that childhood included hunting. In her mid-teens, her brother Chris who lived in Webster, got her into a hunter’s safety class. He also helped her get her first rifle deer license and took her hunting. 
    “That year, walking to our hunting spot, we saw two does,” Biel said. “He helped me get into position and shoot one with my first shot, and I was hooked.”
    She continued hunting with a rifle until she married her husband Ryan who introduced her to archery hunting. Now, her whole family, including the Biel’s four children, all rifle and archery hunt deer, antelope, and elk in South Dakota and Montana, and also apply to other states.
    “The past few years we have really enjoyed archery hunting in Western South Dakota and exploring new areas with a little bit less hunting pressure” said Biel. 
    For the Biels, hunting is a family affair. “Our oldest daughter, Cassidy, and our oldest son, Trey, both shot their first elk at 12 years old,” the family matron said. “Maddie, our second daughter, shot her first mule deer at 12 years old in Western South Dakota and with a broken foot, cruising around on crutches. Colton, our youngest son has shot a doe every year since he was 5. He is ten now.”
    Not only is hunting an enjoyable hobby for Biel and her family, but it is also an important form of sustenance. “We rarely buy beef or pork,” explained Biel. “Our protein of choice is mainly wild game.  I would estimate that we eat wild game of some sort at least four to five times a week, so finding time to hunt is very important.”
    Though she loves to hunt, Biel admits she isn’t a fan of early mornings or the cold, but when she does manage to crawl out of bed, she thoroughly enjoys the experience. She emphasized, “The best part of hunting for me is sitting out in nature, enjoying the quiet, being able to have animals walk within a few yards of your tree stand and have no idea you’re there. It’s so peaceful and calming to have nothing to do but sit and watch. It’s a nice little vacation from a hectic life.”
    “I also really enjoy seeing all of the amazing places we’ve gone hunting,” said Biel. “Getting up at 4 a.m., saddling your horse and riding in silence through complete darkness, knowing you are probably riding past mountain lions, wolves and bears, in order to get to the top of the mountain where the elk are by sunrise. Riding 20+ miles a day on horseback through the Montana wilderness looking for elk, hiking some pretty rugged terrain in Western South Dakota, and constantly seeing new places make hunting the best adventure every time.”
    Biel has had some incredible hunting experiences. On an outing in 2019 with her daughter Cassidy, on a freezing day after trudging through feet of snow, the women encountered 68 deer. Biel took a shot at a mature buck and then had to wait a few hours before tracking him. The deer scored a gross 168 6/8 inches and was her first recorded Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett deer. The following year, in 2020, she battled mosquitoes on an early season hunt.  She made a perfect heart shot on a large buck, scoring 183 6/8 inches. This deer is in the Pope & Young record books but missed the Boone & Crockett requirement by just 1 2/8 inches.
    Though Biel acknowledges its often hard to find time to hunt with her family’s busy schedules, she finds it a very rewarding sport. She would also encourage other women to give it a try. They might discover they have an aptitude for it, Biel says.
    “If you look at skill, women tend to shoot better than men and are easier to teach because of their willingness to learn instead of desire to compete,” she noted. “In my experience as a youth archery coach, females tend to be steadier on the draw than males and shoot better under pressure.”
    If you would like to try hunting, Biel recommends you go on a hunt to learn the ropes. “The first year that I was learning to shoot a bow, my husband took me hunting with him and we would just sit together while he hunted. This taught me so much about how to walk into your hunting area, how and when you can move and when not to, scent control, shot placement and judging distance.”
    At the end of the day, Biel said she is proud that her children, and especially daughters, are avid hunters. “It is something you can do for the rest of your life,” she emphasized. “It provides food for your family, gives you tons of exercise and teaches you patience, strength, ethical behavior, and so many other great qualities.”
    Check back next week for more tales from women who enjoy hunting.