Pro Talks: with Elite Field Master, Lauren Harvey
The sport of hunting with dogs has been around for thousands of years and throughout time has normally been a very male-dominated activity. Hunters take their best friends into the outdoors to hunt animals of all types ranging from bears, raccoons to wolves, fowl, and coyotes. Over time, more women have gotten involved in the sport of hunting and they are hoping to change the game. Sportsman’s Pride Field Master, Lauren Harvey, is one of the amazing women breaking gender norms and making a name for herself in the big game world but she says her journey is not without challenges. We sat down with Lauren to talk to her about her experience in the hunting world.
How long have you been hunting?
I’ve been hunting my whole life but with dogs, it’s been ten years. I grew up deer hunting and stuff like that. I was about 16/17 years old.
What got you started in hunting with dogs?
I had a friend message me and ask me if I wanted to go coon hunting for my birthday. The coon season opener is usually around my birthday. It was a new thing, just a bunch of friends hanging out in the woods and that was the end of it. I didn’t have my own hunting dog at the time, I went out with other people’s dogs. We’ve had dogs since I was little, just never for hunting.
How many dogs do you have? Who was your first dog?
I have four dogs right now; I might be getting another one. Dilly was not my first dog; Bailey was but she’s not my house dog. Dilly was my first hunting dog.
What animals do you hunt?
Mostly bear and coyote right now. I have run coon and bobcat. Right now, I have a beagle so I'm starting to run rabbits now too.
Who do you hunt with? Do you have a group?
It depends on what I'm hunting. If its rabbit, I'll go out by myself. Just because it's one dog. With Bear, I do go out by myself but a lot of the time it is with a group. Bears are bigger, you usually need more dogs and more hands in the mix. The other day we had a couple of dogs that were walking a bear, they caught him on the ground. It’s a lot easier to pull dogs off in that situation with more than one person.
I went through three hunting groups until I found one that would actually help me. Last year, I got kicked out of two hunting groups for hunting too much. What I got out of it was jealously. These were older guys that are supposed to be pushing the younger generation to carry it on. That kind of got to me a little bit and so I kind of just decided to do my own thing.
How often do you hunt?
I go hunting every weekend, for sure. I used to hunt every day because I had more dogs than I have now. I had to cut back some.
How many events do you attend yearly?
I try to get to a couple a year but I haven’t this year because I haven’t had the time to drive. Being so far north, I don’t always have a good opportunity to go.
What’s it like being a female in a male dominated sport?
It’s hard. It’s hard because you there are people that say “oh you can’t do that. You can just come along for the ride”. It showed this past weekend, especially. We had a group of people come out to where I keep my dogs and when I pulled my hound truck up, they said “Oh you can’t have good dogs, you’re a woman”. I started being a little back-sassy and they didn’t like that. I told them I would put my dog, Dilly, against any of their dogs cold trailing. Some people think that they’re everything and that I can’t do it because I’m a woman. They all run female dogs, so what's the difference? It sucks, because there are a few people that will push you to do better but then there are people that will just out you down and be jerks.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing women in hunting?
The fact that a lot of people are putting you down. They don’t trust you to do stuff, they’re always second-guessing what you say but then using your idea anyway. You have to overcome whatever is thrown at you and embrace the challenges. Don’t let anyone get you down.
Do you ever feel excluded as a woman in the sport?
I don’t in the group I'm in now. But before, when a bear would be on the ground and men would say “wait in the truck”. You should see all the weird looks I get with being a woman, hauling a trailer, and a dog box, they don’t think that you can do it. I’ve had that happen a few times with the other groups I've been in. Even with carrying a gun. It shouldn’t be that way but it is. It needs to change.
What are some ways individuals can help reform gender-roles in hunting?
The only thing you can do is find a group of women and push through the negativity. Wisconsin has the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, there’s hundreds of members. It’s huge, they really push for the women hunters. There’s a lot of women who have been on the board over the years. It’s cool to see women stepping up in leadership positions. There have been big group hunts where it’s been 20-30 girls going hunting together for the weekend. It's nice to have something like that to show guys that we can do it on our own. Finding an organization to help push you and accepts or pushes more women. It’s getting better but you still meet guys who are cocky and stuck in their ways.
What would you tell your younger self?
Don’t listen to what other people think. I did that a lot when I was younger, I always got pretty much told what to do and pushed around until I started hunting by myself. I then realized I could do it on my own, even if I didn’t catch much game when I was younger but that is just because I didn’t have the dogs or experience that I do now.
What would you tell girls who are intimidated?
Don’t be. I was intimidated. Anyone pushing you around is not worth it. If they say they’re going to help you but then start pushing you around and not pushing you to be better, find someone else to hunt with. It will hurt you in a way that won’t build you up versus breaking you down. I always said “grab your dogs and your gun then go out and find something.” Show them what you can do. Once you have that dog established and someone, who can help you with that, it gets easier. You have to find a good support system. Even if it's just one or two guys or gals, helping you reach your goals.
Do you mentor anyone?
I have one girl that I used to work. She hunts and last year, I actually gave her one of my dogs that fits in with her pack better than mine. She calls and texts me all the time about stuff. I’m there for her. She’s 18 years old and getting into hunting. I see myself in her a lot. It’s cool to have someone look up to you. I looked up to so many people. It’s nice to show younger girl they can do it too.
Where do you find support when you need it?
A lot of friends that I’ve met through hunting. One in particular is my biggest supporter. She is the one I can call anytime. I can ask her what to do, for help, and because she is a woman, she really understands what I'm going through. The guy I’m hunting with right now, he pushes me to do things out of comfort zone but I do it because I have the support system. He’s actually going to help me breed Dilly soon to carry on her legacy.
If you have someone to help you, that’s the biggest thing. Whether it’s an older man or younger kid, or older woman that wants to push you to do what you need to do. I wish I would've had someone from the beginning to push me and do more. I think I would be in a different place but in the last four years being able to catch game by myself, my dogs have learned to catch bears themselves.
What advice would you give women/youth wanting to start hunting?
Just do it, push past the jerks., You can handle it. Just because you’re young or a girl doesn’t mean you can’t handle it. It might take time and it’s going to take confidence but it's worth it.
