News – Sheridan Media
On October 9 through 12, The Ranch at Ucross hosted the 13th Annual Wyoming Women’s Antelope hunt. The Wyoming Women’s Antelope Hunt was founded in 2013 by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation (WYWF) as an opportunity for mentoring and developing camaraderie between women.
The event emphasizes hunter safety, hunting and land ethics, and the conservation and the proper management of wild natural resources, for an enjoyable experience for participants, guides, and landowners.
It is a way to invest in the economic self-sufficiency of women. Teaching women to hunt can help them feed their families nutritious food. One feature of the antelope hunt is teaching women not only to harvest their antelope, but also cut, package and preserve the meat. There is a cooking demonstration as well for those who want to learn to prepare the meat.
Bekah Smith Hazelton, Director, Wyoming Women’s Foundation talked about the current hunt.
She added a thank you to The Ranch at Ucross and the Ucross community for hosting the event each year.
First time hunters are paired with a mentor, a woman who had hunted before, and capable guides show the hunters around the land and help them to fill their tags.
One of the volunteers, who was a first-time hunter in 2023, is Jean Baum. She said she had never hunted before but decided to try the All-Women hunt.
She added that she continues to hunt, she harvested an elk on a Wyoming Game and Fish hunt last year, and two weeks ago this season she filled her antelope tag. “This is such a great experience,” she said about the Ucross hunt. “You meet such amazing people.”
Gail Symons, Cherly Roebling and State Representative Marilyn Connolly attended the event.
Landowner Gail Symons, who has land around Wyarno, has worked with the Women’s hunt for around four years, letting them hunt two pronghorns on her property.
She added that she has won some of the prizes available at the hunt as well, including firearms.
Hunters Lindy McHutchinson, and Katie Murray hunted with Symons.
Murray said this was her first time hunting. She said she has family in Wyoming, and had been exposed to hunting, but had never hunted herself. She said her cousin has hunted in the women’s pronghorn hunt event before and urged her to come and hunt.
Murray described the emotions that went into her hunt.
Many of those attending commented on the sunny, dry weather at this years hunt. Live music was provided by A Band Named Sue, and there was an auction with many items available to raise funds for the Foundation.
Governor Mark Gordon and his wife, Jennie, were some of the landowners who opened their property to the hunters, and they attended the banquet and said a few words about the Women’s Hunt. Gov. Gordon also signed a proclamation declaring Oct. 9-12, 2025, as Commitment to Conservation and Equality Days in Wyoming.
For more information about the Foundation and next year’s hunt, go to the link, Wyoming Women’s Foundation
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Last modified: October 13, 2025