The response from Ellen Benitz and Sherry Hill when they answered the phone two days prior to the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Women’s Outdoor Weekend event was always the same: “Rain, snow, sleet or shine, we’re on!”

The Platte Purchase Chapter hosted the event at Camp Geiger last weekend.

“We had a few cancel because of the weather moving through the Midwest but for the most part, nearly everyone showed up,” said Ellen Benitz, Women’s Regional Field Supervisor for the NWTF. Ninety-eight ladies turned out for the annual event despite terrible weather conditions, which consisted of a combination of freezing rain, snow and painful sleet.

Event coordinators considered this a resounding success, considering recent economic impacts and the less-than-desirable weather. Last year the same event drew more than 135 participants and set a record for the local chapter.

The Women in the Outdoors Program was created to help women learn and enjoy outdoor skills in a non-threatening environment. The annual event offers a wide variety of classes ranging from shooting bows and shotguns, growing herb gardens, dutch-oven cooking, feather painting and more than 20 other outdoors-related selections.

The most requested class at the event was “harnessing and hitching,” a course on handling draft horses. One of the more interesting classes involved the use of duct tape. Like men, women have found an offbeat uses for it, too. These women have figured out how to use the durable tape to make tote-style bags that resemble something you would purchase in a store.

The event is great for not only introducing women to the outdoors but also as a fundraiser for the NWTF.

“We raise some pretty good money here. The gals know we’re going to have a lot of great quality stuff to be sold and raffled, and they come prepared,” Benitz said.

The women raise money for NWTF projects and get some opportunities to purchase or win some exceptional outdoor gear, guns, clothing, jewelry and much more, including a chance at a donated archery bear hunt or fishing trip at the Bear Paw Landing in Ontario. St. Joseph residents Carl and Susan Seek own Bear Paw Landing.

“Participants at the event came from as far away as St. Louis in Missouri, and every bordering state except Arkansas,” said Melissa Elam, one of the event organizers. Beth Osler of Normal, Ill., traveled the farthest for the event. She, along with eight friends who live in the region, came to the event together.

Besides archery, Osler’s favorite course was the tomahawk and knife throwing.

“I think I’ve found a new hobby; it was so much fun,” she said, laughing, as she joked about going home and practicing for a future celebrity career featuring a show with her husband strapped to a spinning wheel.

For those who missed the Camp Geiger event, the NWTF’s Brickyard Hill Drummers Chapter will hosting an event at Squaw Creek on April 17-18.

The Squaw Creek event will feature a “Jam Mixer” on Friday night. Attendees can bring their favorite homemade jellies and jams for a taste-testing contest on home made bread, followed by a light meal, bonfire and a hayride around the Squaw Creek Refuge.

For more information on this or other NWTF events, contact Benitz at (816) 387-6606 or by email at nwtfbenitz@socket.net.

Outdoors correspondent Jeff Leonard can be reached at outdoors@npgco.com