How to Become an Outdoor Woman in Kentucky

If you have ever wanted to hike to the peak of the Black Mountain, edge along the ridges of the Coal Hills, crawl through the depths of Mammoth Cave or canoe the Green River with only your pole and lurers to feed you, then you should consider joining an organization devoted to exploring the outdoors. Outdoor organizations provide an opportunity to get to know like-minded individuals who are passionate about the great outdoors and want to learn new ways to enjoy the wild.

Instructions

  1. Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW)

    • 1

      Contact the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Ask to be put on the BOW -- Becoming an Outdoors-Woman -- mailing list. This international organization, started 1991 by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, offers weekend and week-long workshops that introduce and hone skills such as canoeing, camping and hunting.

    • 2

      Get BOW's workshop registration form. This form will be sent to you once you are placed on BOW's mailing list, or you can download it off of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources website.

    • 3

      Read the class descriptions that come with the registration form. Although each workshop offers many classes, you can only take a few, so choose your favorite classes and mark them on the registration form. Each workshop offers many classes to can choose from, such as wilderness survival, kayaking, firearm training, fishing, nature photography and do-it-yourself vehicle care.

    • 4

      Mail in your completed registration form, accompanied by a check covering registration fees, to the address that is on the registration form. At the time of publication of this article, workshops cost $135 to $225. To confirm that you registration form has been received, BOW will contact you either by email or snail mail.

    • 5

      Attend the workshop. Accommodations usually are lodges or cabins with basic amenities. Enjoy the camaraderie.

    Beyond BOW

    • 6

      Click on the link "Beyond BOW International Workshop" from Kentucky's Fish and Wildlife Resources website. This link directs you to the University of Wisconsin's Beyond BOW website. Beyond BOW builds upen the skills learned in BOW and offers specific wilderness adventures utilizing those skills. For example, in BOW's workshop you might have taken a classes on turkey calls and shotguns, and Beyond BOW might offer a turkey hunt trip.

    • 7

      Scroll down the Beyond BOW's website and click on "Click here to Register Now." This takes you to an online registration form. Select the event you wish to register for once you have filled out the form. A recent event, as an example, was a snorkeling trip to Baja, Mexico.

    • 8

      Pay for the registration by entering your credit or debit card information into the appropriate place on the online registration form. You may pay in installments.

    • 9

      Attend the event. Accommodation include basic amenities.

    Kentucky Network of Outdoor Women (K.N.O.W.)

    • 10

      Go to the website of Kentucky Network of Outdoor Women. K.N.O.W., much like Beyond BOW, offers venues where the basic skills taught in BOW can be used. However, in contrast to Beyond BOW, these venues are in Kentucky. The activities K.N.O.W. offers include hiking, camping, climbing, spelunking and photography contests.

    • 11

      Click on the "Join" link. Download the form to join. You need a program like Word to open the form's .doc format.

    • 12

      Fill out the form. Mail the form along with a check covering membership fees to the address specified on the form. At the time of publication of this article, K.N.O.W. cost $25 dollars to join, or $30 dollars after March 1st.

    • 13

      Look for K.N.O.W's electronic newsletter in your email inbox. It is also posted on K.N.O.W.'s website, and, by request, can be mailed to your postal address.

    • 14

      Keep up with the activities offered by K.N.O.W. Review K.N.O.W.'s website or newsletter for upcoming events.