You Can’t Hunt, Your a Girl!

By: Shelly Kruger

Canada’s Trophy Chick

“You can’t hunt, you’re a girl!” was a phrase I had heard more than once as I began to take interest in the outdoors and wildlife. Many men would look at me with a smirk and laughed as I was finally brave enough to voice my dream of becoming a woman hunter.  Luckily, I had a husband who stood beside me and would tell me over and over again, “YOU CAN DO THIS!” Without him, I may have caved into the stereo typical  image others had of me. 

Following my dreams, guidance and encouragement from my husband, I became a successful “hunter” as I tagged my first ever buck! From there, my confidence built and I began to take so much pride and respect for wildlife and the species I was hunting. My focus and reason shifted from “proving people wrong and challenging myself” to “a personal love and passion.” I studied hard and learned how to do things like, pattern the herd, pick out the older bucks or bulls who will die of old age, let the young ones grow, and I grew more fascinated. I changed the way I hunted and my respect for the animals only increased as I learned how they live, their behaviors, and their respect for one another. A few seasons later, I tagged my biggest whitetail buck ever. This guy scored 173 and was a perfect typical 6×6! Sharing the photo with the public and social media completely changed my life as a hunter. I could not believe how many hunters praised me as a woman for hunting such a beautiful animal. I was blown away with the congratulations, and nice buck comments. More importantly, it touched my heart as women reached out to me and told me how inspired they were.  A trigger went off as I realized fulfilling my own challenges of becoming a woman hunting was inspiring others to do the same. This was a brand new passion of mine I had no idea I had. From there, I began filming and working in TV to bring my hunts public in hopes of inspiring more and more woman and youth girls.

Along my exciting path in the public hunting industry, I met a woman who touched my life in such a special way, Mary Roberts. She continued to support me with every hunt I went on, successful or not. She would encourage me, and make me feel so special and we shared this hunting passion together. She also owned an incredible woman’s apparel company! Her clothes were so beautiful and they represented women in and out of the field! My love for her products and her heartfelt message to all women hunters captured my interest even more. I believed and worked hard to inspire women the same way she does! Our friendship grew, and we decided that together we can inspire even more women North American wide. She decided to promote her gorgeous clothing company and her strong mission statement to women into Canada. From there, she named me “Canada’s Trophy Chick” being the only Trophy chick Pro-Staff in Canada! Honored to be a part of this company doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings of representing this company.  Mary’s Pro-Staff team has grown into a group of incredibly skilled women hunters that all share the same passion and love for the outdoors. Together, we all work hard to support each other through the good days and bad in and out of the field. This team and company is so much more than just gorgeous product. The underlying purpose of Trophy Chick Apparel will forever touch my heart and I am so thankful it has been a part of my life. I feel like I have grown into a more educated, supportive, loving person because of it. Thank you Mary Roberts and my entire Trophy Chick team for all of your continued support and love for a Canadian woman hunter!

Check out our website at www.trophychickapparel.com

Help me show some Canadian support for women hunters and make your purchase today.