In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, Dana sits down with Paula McClain, a 2022 participant in the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt Field to Fork scholarship program, for an inspiring conversation about overcoming barriers, finding confidence, and discovering a passion for the outdoors later in life.

Paula grew up in Texas and spent more than 30 years working in education. Today, she works with a specialized school district serving children who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired—a role that is especially meaningful because Paula is a member of the deaf community herself. Her own experiences growing up with hearing loss shaped the way she approaches education and gave her a passion for helping remove barriers for others.

But hunting was a completely different story.

Paula didn’t grow up in a hunting family. In fact, she remembers being told that girls weren’t allowed to hunt or even touch her father’s firearms. Although she eventually married into a hunting family, hunting remained something the men did—until Paula's son, an avid outdoorsman himself, encouraged her to apply for the Field to Fork program. 

At first, Paula faced plenty of uncertainty and nerves, but with training, encouragement, and support, she began learning the skills and confidence needed to become a hunter. Her journey wasn’t without challenges—including missing an opportunity on her first hunt—but she persevered.

That perseverance eventually took Paula all the way to South Africa, where she harvested three animals: an impala, a springbok—which became her first-ever animal—and a red hartebeest. More than the animals themselves, the experience gave Paula a new sense of confidence and a desire to share what she had learned with the next generation.

Paula and Dana also talk about the importance of family, mentorship, conservation, and creating opportunities for women, girls, and people with disabilities to experience hunting and the outdoors. Paula’s message is simple but powerful: we all face challenges, but we can do hard things.

This is a conversation about much more than hunting. It’s about stepping outside your comfort zone, refusing to let fear define what you can do, and finding meaningful ways to connect with family, nature, and the next generation.
 

Tags: Women Hunt