Extreme Huntress Competition: Meet finalist Amanda Lowrey!

An article featuring interviews with the four final competitors in the Extreme Huntress competition ran in the December 2013 issue of Western Shooting Journal. This is the fourth and last finalist interview we’ve ran on our website too over the past month.  We will be interviewing the winner at SHOT Show.  If you enjoy these interviews, click on SUBSCRIBE or DIGITAL on the top right side of this site.

Meet the Gorgeous Finalists of Extreme Huntress
Dazzling And Daring Women Compete For Top Honor

Each year, the Eye of the Hunter Extreme Huntress competition seeks to find the most hardcore female hunter in the U.S. Organizer Tom Opre started the event in order to portray women hunters as positive role models, especially for kids. “It’s all about preserving our outdoor heritage,” Opre says. “If mom goes hunting, so will her children.” The competition is in its fifth year, and is decided half by a panel of celebrity judges and half by online voting. Readers can vote at extremehuntress.com. The ongoing competition, where the contestants face off against each other in extreme shooting situations, is being featured on Eye Of The Hunter, airing Sundays at 7 a.m. on NBC Sports. A winner will be selected in January 2014.

Western Shooting Journal interviewed all four of the contestants. We asked them how they got into hunting, why they should be selected as the winner, what advice they have for other women, and what kind of gun or bow they use.

AMANDA LOWREY (Idaho)

I was lucky enough to grow up in a family of avid hunters and began tagging along with my dad and grandpa when I was just a little girl. I am so thankful they took the time to bring me with them and show me the ropes! As soon as I was old enough, I took hunters ed and bowhunters ed and got my own hunting license. I have been hunting hard ever since. I have also been fortunate to have turned my passion for hunting into a career in various ways such as outfitting, taxidermy, marketing, etc.

As many of you know, the mission of Extreme Huntress is to preserve our outdoor heritage for the next generation. If mom goes hunting, her kids are likely to go hunting too! I am very  passionate about hunting, and having young children of my own, it is extremely important to me to do whatever I can to preserve our heritage and outdoor lifestyle, so that they too can enjoy the same privileges that I have. I believe in the mission and the goals of Extreme Huntress, and would be honored to be selected as the winner and be given this platform to be a positive role model for others and spread the word of this mission!

My advice to women is don’t be afraid to reach out to experienced hunters/huntresses. The hunting community is largely very willing and happy to help out, and give advice to beginning hunters and you should never feel bad about asking for help. Don’t give up. Learning how to shoot and hunt is a process and as far as I’m concerned, you never stop learning no matter how much experience you have. There are often high expectations for women hunters. Just do your best and don’t let others pressure you. Enjoy yourself! Hunting isn’t just about the success of harvest or a trophy on your wall. It’s about the experience, the enjoyment of the outdoors, and memories made.

While we have many calibers of rifles and handguns in our safe, I have almost always chosen my .308 Savage. it was a gift from my dad when I passed hunters ed, so I am a little partial to it. My choice of bow is a Mathews Outback. It fits me well and is extremely accurate. I trust it to get the job done. Over the last couple years I have become addicted to bow hunting. I absolutely love it!

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me get this far in the competition. First of all God, who has had His hand on me the whole way, and to my family and friends from all over the world who have cheered for me, prayed for me, and encouraged me, not just within the competition, but many other aspects. I’m thankful for you all!