Start with a heaping bowl of southern hospitality, add a sprinkle of warm gulf breezes, and throw in a handful of enthusiastic women who love to hunt. Add a dash of mouth watering southern cooking, garnish with products and prizes from industry manufacturers, and you have a very successful and appetizing weekend of hunting, Alabama style.

The gun slings are hung by the ammo with care with hopes that daylight will soon be there. While visions of big racks dance in their heads, the wives pray silently for the days ahead.

Oh yes...the Eve of the Opening day.

The opening day to any season is a time for wonderment and excitement to the outdoorsman only matched by a child's love of Christmas morning.

As you watch him skitter boyishly around the kitchen packing those gadgets he just had to have, you are quite convinced there is enough equipment there to survive any natural disaster known to man.

Africa is potent, and those of us who fight for her best interest are as courageous and passionate as they come. And we might not even come from Africa...

That I am a young American should not call for a dismissal of my relevance to the conservation of southern Africa's wildlife. While I am not a self-proclaimed expert, I do stay informed as to the goings-on of the international hunting world at large. Cooperation and interaction with WomenHunters®, the African Hunters Guild, and other sporting and conservation organizations facilitates the extent to which those of us living overseas can participate regularly in the safari industry. Active in game conservation, I have worked and have been educated alongside top wildlife veterinarians and game wardens to ensure the health and quality of the most sought-after big game in my home country. Opportunities to remain connected with Africa are invaluable to me. It is a privilege to have several close friends who run hunting concessions and related businesses in South Africa and Zimbabwe. I am privy to first-hand accounts of the Zimbabwean land seizures as well as other related current issues affecting Africa. International hunters require the most up-to-date access to current legislative, scientific, and political happenings in order to make responsible and profitable decisions.

By Deb Luzinski

It's been said that we never forget our "firsts". First car, first date, first job, first doe that we arrowed- you get the idea. I remember my first hunting set up- from my boots to my bow. It was 1992 and I was about to enter the woods of Western Wisconsin for my very first bow hunt. My first bow was an old wooden Browning that had been altered to fit me. My clothing well, that is a completely different story. Picture this- Eddie Bauer Duc Boots, oversized jersey gloves, a half-mesh mask, a camo baseball hat, and my favorite- a one piece coverall that was meant for Duck hunting. It was a men's size medium, the sleeves and the legs had to be rolled up several times, held tight with rubber bands. The zipper on this suit literally went from my neck to my knees. Each time I raised a leg to climb higher to my portable tree stand, I had to grab the 2 extra feet of fabric from the rise and lift it so I didn't get my suit hung up on my screw-in tree steps. A standard fixed 3-blade broadhead screwed onto a fat aluminum 2413 arrow. Those arrows seemed as fat as a fine Ashton Reserve cigar! I hung my bow and I sat impatiently, hoping that a deer would wander through my woods. I arrowed a doe on my first night in a tree stand. The challenge was phenomenal, and just like that it was over until the next season.

Back then I spent maybe 5 days in the field then put my bow away until the following August when I would ready my skills for the fall hunting season.

Some people are born into a hunting family. Some people are introduced to hunting later in life. Once the seed of hunting has been planted, it attaches itself to your body, your heart, and your soul.

I was 17 years old when I was introduced to the sport of hunting. As with most, I began hunting with a firearm (a .30-.30 Marlin). I enjoyed all of my hunting experiences that involved using this choice of weapon, and after practicing, and practicing, and practicing some more, I became an excellent shot . I gained the confidence that, if given the chance, I would undoubtedly bring home an animal while hunting with my gun.