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THE 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL OUTDOORSWOMEN OF THE YEAR, 2015 EDITION

As the number of outdoorswomen continues to grow at an impressive rate, the influence of these women on future generations is remarkable.

Women are making a name for themselves both in the woods and on the water by proving they can do all the same things their male counterparts can do, and in many cases do it better.

However, the way these outdoorswomen serve as role models is far more impressive than the bucks they’ve bagged, the fish they’ve reeled in, and the rugged paths they’ve trekked.

These 10 most influential outdoorswomen of 2015 are blazing trails, breaking down barriers, and challenging the stereotypes of being women in a male-dominated world.

10. Taylor Drury

Taylor Drury is no stranger to the outdoors. In fact, she could actually be considered hunting royalty.

Her father, Mark, and Uncle Terry, have spent the last 20 years building their family business, Drury Outdoors, into an award-winning television company.

When Taylor isn’t attending college classes in Missouri or working as Drury Outdoors’ Social Media Manager, you can find her in the woods hunting whitetail deer and turkey.

As a seasoned outdoorswoman, Drury is an exceptional role model for other young women.

9. Linda Gilbertson

Linde Gilbertson was the 2015 recipient of the National Rifle Assocation’s Marion P. Hammer Woman of Distinction Award for her dedication to the preservation of the Second Amendment and the shooting sports through education, advocacy, and volunteerism.

The former Oregon State Police Officer and United States Treasury Department Special Agent volunteers countless hours as an NRA Certified Instructor to help women become comfortable and confident with firearms.

Together with her husband, Gilbertson co-hosts “The Gun Locker,” a weekly radio show that explores firearm safety, training, cleaning, shooting, and more.

8. Peggy Farrell

Fore more than 20 years, Peggy Farrell has been the director for Becoming an Outdoors-Woman and has welcomed thousands of women to the outdoors by teaching them beginner-level outdoor skills.

She has mentored new deer and turkey hunters, coached beginning shooters, and coordinated hundreds of BOW workshops.

In addition to her outdoor pursuits, Farrell is also an accomplished outdoor writer. Her work has been published in magazines including Wisconsin Natural Resources, North American Hunter and North American Fisherman.

7. Georgia Pellegrini

Georgia Pellegrini is more than just a modern pioneer, she’s also an accomplished chef, hunter, and author.

After years of working in the corporate world, Pellegrini decided she needed to get back to her roots.

Now she loves helping other women to do the same by hosting a series of adventure getaways each year.

On the adventure getaways, women enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities including fly fishing, falconry, ATV trips, horseback riding, and, most importantly, wild game hunts.

The best part is that outdoorswomen of all experience levels, even those with no experience, can enjoy the getaways.

6. Kirstie Pike

In 2006, Kirstie Pike founded Prois Hunting Apparel — the premier manufacturer of technical women’s hunting gear.

As a hunter herself, Pike was unable to find high performance hunting gear for women. Instead of waiting on the manufacturers to take notice, she did something about it herself.

Nearly a decade later, Prois now offers product lines for big game, safari, upland and waterfowl hunting, along with shooting.

Pike and her team at Prois advocate for outdoorswomen to take pride in NOT being one of the guys.

5. Darcie Arahill

At just 26 years old, Darcie Arahill has gained more than 62,000 followers on Instagram where she chronicles her bikini-clad offshore fishing exploits.

From rigging to casting netting, Arahill shows that girls can battle for the big fish with the best of them.

Arahill hopes the attention she gained on the web will her turn her love of fishing into a professional career.

Darcie Arahill is a force to be reckoned with on the water and we can’t wait to see what she reels in next.

4. Kendall Jones

Texas Tech University student and cheerleader Kendall Jones sparked national outrage in 2014 after sharing photos from his big game hunts in Africa on social media.

Despite vicious cyber-bullying and even death threats, Jones remained committed to her values and her love of hunting.

Now sponsored by several big name manufacturers including Remington and Marlin, Jones continues to breakdown the barriers of conventional stereotypes and advocate for not only for hunters, but female hunters.

You can follow her hunting adventure adventures as she continues to push the envelope on her web series Game On on YouTube.

3. Cheryl Strayed

Cheryl Strayed is a New York Times bestselling author most known for her memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which chronicled her 1,100 mile solo hike up the west coast.

In December 2014, actress and producer Reese Witherspoon brought Strayed’s story to the silver screen which ultimately led to a 2015 Oscar nomination.

Strayed has penned three other books including Brave Enough, Tiny Beautiful Things and Torch.

If there’s one thing we learned from Strayed, it’s that women are strong, resilient and capable of accomplishing even the most seemingly impossible challenges.

2. Tiffany Lakosky

Star of the Outdoor Channel series The Crush with Lee & Tiffany, renowned huntress Tiffany Lakosky has proven that women can do it all.

On the latest season of the show, viewers watched as Lakosky continued to pursue monster bucks while being pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Since baby Cameron’s arrival in March, Lakosky has taken to social media to share how she and her husband maintain their outdoor lifestyle while raising a family.

Contrary to stereotypes, hunters are not just middle-aged white males. Hunters are also women. They’re wives, daughters and moms.

1. Eva Shockey

Forget the year of the sheep, 2015 was the year of Eva Shockey. Though she’s the daughter of hunting legend, Jim Shockey, Shockey has earned her place on this list on her own merit.

She hasn’t been a lifelong hunter, but instead took up hunting around age 20 when she realized that loving the outdoors and maintaining her femininity didn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Eva is a social media phenomenon that inspires other young women to get outdoors. In 2015, she balanced planning her dream wedding while traveling more than 250 days out of the year filming as the co-host of Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures on the Outdoor Channel.

With the release of the Eva Shockey Signature Series Bow by Bowtech Archery, Shockey is a driving force pushing outdoor equipment and apparel manufacturers to pay attention to the needs of outdoorswomen.

With the help of these 10 influential women, 2015 saw great strides in challenging the conventional stereotypes that women in the outdoors face.

Of course there are hundreds of other outdoorswomen throughout the world that could have easily made this list, but the important thing to remember is that progress is only possible if we work together.

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