Prestonsburg, Ky. - The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, along with the Kentucky Network of Outdoor Women and Kentucky State Parks, will host a Beyond Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) Workshop Weekend November 3-5 at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park.

This workshop is for women 18 and older interested in learning outdoor skills, and will feature an elk viewing tour Friday afternoon, Nov. 3. On Saturday evening, biologists with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will also provide an update about the ongoing elk research work that is part of the management of what is now the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River.  

Pre-registration for this special workshop is required and now underway through Oct. 27. The workshop fee is $150. Late registrations postmarked from Oct. 28-31 will cost an additional $25. The workshop fee includes all meals from Friday night dinner through Sunday morning breakfast, lodging for two nights at the park, all session materials and transportation to and from class sites and during the elk viewing tour.

Registration forms are available by calling toll free 1-800-858-1549 weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. The workshop begins with check-in at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Nov. 3 and concludes after the wrap-up session and breakfast Sunday, Nov. 5. Jenny Wiley State Resort Park lies outside Prestonsburg, Ky.

There will be two instructional sessions on Saturday. Participants may choose from classes including firearms use and safety, first aid and survival, basic fishing, fly tying, hunting white-tailed deer in Kentucky, predator hunting, nature crafts and basic car repair.

“This is a special opportunity for women to learn more about outdoor skills, and have a chance to see a species they may have never encountered in the wild before,” said Beth Spivey-Minch, volunteer BOW program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

“Elk numbers are growing in southeastern Kentucky, but they’re still not an everyday thing to see for most people,” she continued. “Those interested in wildlife will thoroughly enjoy observing these animals, and perhaps hear a bull elk bugle as the end of their mating season nears.”

Sometimes women are reluctant to engage in activities related to the outdoors because fishing, archery, target shooting or hunting is often thought of as male-oriented recreation, or they simply don’t get a chance to do so in an environment that assists them in learning how. According to Spivey-Minch, women find these things equally as enjoyable as men do, once they learn a little more about it and have the chance to do it. BOW workshops are about hands-on doing, asking questions and being with others with like interests there to try new things, too.

“There’s no better way to learn basic fishing skills, firearms safety and operation and other handy tips that help us enjoy the world around us,” said Spivey-Minch.

“You make a lot of new friends and by the end of the workshop it’s amazing how comfortable our participants become with things they never thought they’d be able to accomplish,” she added. “You’ll be ready to be part of the next family fishing, camping or hunting outing and it will be much more fun because you’ll know more about how to do it.”

A January BOW workshop is also scheduled at Kenlake State Resort Park that will feature bald eagle viewing, as well as more outdoor skills learning opportunities. For more information, call the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at 1-800-858-1549 or visit the agency’s website at fw.ky.gov for details.