One of The South's Top Hunters

[mossyisland]

Written By: Josh Webb

It is amazing to look back on the outdoor industry over the last twenty years and think of all the amazing things that carved their way into our hunting and fishing lifestyle. There have been areas of growth that created hunting pressure where it didn’t exist fifteen years ago. There have been declines in the numbers of hunters in certain geographical areas as well as spikes in animal populations due to conservation and hunting dollars. However, amongst all the rises and falls in the outdoor industry, there is one that sticks out the most to me. You simply cannot look at a catalog or turn on the television without seeing the presence of a female hunter. Ask any clothing company what trends they have seen in recent years, and they will immediately point out the ever-increasing need for women-specific hunting clothing. Firearm and archery companies have also noticed the trend and are now catering products specifically for the needs of a woman hunter. As luck, would have it, I was able to sit down with one of the greatest female hunters and conservationists the South has ever produced.

Mollie Van Devender was raised in the Simpson County community of Mendenhall and believe it or not she did not grow up hunting. Mollie spent most of her youth listening to the tales told by hunters in the area about how sparse the deer were. “I remember the Simpson County News had a picture of a deer track on the front page of the paper,” Mollie says. “That was big news back then.”

http://www.ducksouth.com/TheHotelBlind/ ... -devender/