BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

MEMBER

Get To Know Me!

5 Minutes With HSCF Board Member Monica Williamson

1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF HSCF? Since 2007, 14 years!

2. WHY DID YOU WANT TO SERVE ON THE HSCF BOARD?

I believe the more active you are in an organization, the more you get out of it. So I always go allin on anything I volunteer for.

3. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS A BOARD MEMBER? I like to do my part to try to get nonhunters to take their emotions out of the equation so that they can see the fact-based evidence that supports hunting as conservation. I want to introduce more women to hunting and fishing so they can provide their own meat for the freezer, I call it grocery shopping with my 308!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING AN HSCF MEMBER? I love the people. I’ve made so many great friends through HSCF. I know that I could go hunt anywhere in the USA or internationally and I have a lot of people that I can ask for advice at any stage of my hunt, whether it’s prior to booking, what to pack, type of ammo I need, etc.! HSCF provides an incredible wealth of hunting (and fishing) knowledge at my fingertips! honestly I think I’m just bad with a shotgun!

7. WHAT IS THE ONE ITEM YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WERE SHIPWRECKED ON AN ISLAND? The “girly girl” in me would want my mascara! But the survivalist in me would say bug spray because I’ve seen that show Naked and Afraid…those bug bites…not pretty!

8. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING HUNTING EXPERIENCE?

5. WHAT IS YOUR CAREER FIELD? I’m a Proposal Manager for Halliburton/Boots & Coots. I’ve been at Halliburton in oil and gas for 30 years.

6. PREFERRED HUNTING WEAPONRIFLE, SHOTGUN OR BOW? Definitely my rifle… I have such a lousy shot with a shotgun! I keep trying to blame it on the shotgun and being left eye dominant…but Hunting moose in Newfoundland was very challenging. You can be walking and suddenly sink in up to your knees. As big as moose are, they can disappear in a New York minute! I had shot at a moose and we ended up tracking it. We made a plan, and the guide was tracking the moose and trying to direct it towards our path for a second shot. After many hours, the moose had gone in circles and had gotten our guide lost! So we ended up hunting for the guide! My cheerleading whistling came in handy as I’d whistle and then from the phone he’d direct us towards his location from the sound! Long story short with a happy ending…we eventually found the guide and got my moose!

9. OF ALL THE SPECIES YOU HAVE HUNTED, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY? I love hunting everything in South Africa. I once shot two zebras (I couldn’t decide between a trophy or rug) but of course, they ended up quite a way from each other. I’ll never forget the look of the trackers after they had loaded one (which is no small feat) and then I made them unload it beside the other one I’d shot because I wanted a photo with both zebras together! My daughter, Haley, went with me to South Africa on that trip and that’s just such a special memory to get to have shared that experience with her.

I, fortunately, have enjoyed many times taking a group of women to South Africa that have limited hunting experience or no hunting experience and helping them on their hunt. I enjoy hunting, but I get so much more back when I’m helping someone else get something on their hunting list or accomplish something, they never dreamt they could do!

10. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE 18-YEAR-OLD VERSION OF YOURSELF? I’d tell myself to have more confidence to try things, and I’d talk my dad into taking me pheasant hunting with him. It would be such a great memory to have. I’m from southwest Kansas and it was a big deal every year, but back then no one really thought to take their daughters! Also, if I’d learned to shoot a shotgun first, maybe I’d be a better shot!