wildHERness Teaches Women What They Can Do

“We teach women that they can so no one can ever tell them they can’t,” emphasized Jess Rice, founder and president of wildHERness.

Right away, these powerful words illustrate what the organization is about.

Even though it was a crazy time to start, it didn’t deter Rice, Sharenda Birts, Alex Mosiman and Jess Banes because they saw the positive aspects of the trying times. 

“We got started in 2020 and it was a wonderful time in terms of being able to disseminate programming. We were able to reach a wide audience right out of the gate through virtual programming,” Rice explained. “Our goal, first and foremost, is education — it’s something that can never be taken away.”

Rice highlighted another unique facet of her organization.

“We’re really interested in allowing people to create their own outdoor journey,” she said. “So, it takes the form of many different avenues. We have people who may never shoot a gun but are so in love with foraging and all the products that can be made from wild fibers that there is literally something for everyone. We have an opportunity for people to explore their wild so that’s wildHERness in a nutshell.”

Rice continued, “We are also very interested in mentoring and community service because we believe we are an integral part of our community. It’s important to us to give back in terms of habitat improvement and conservation projects that uplift women in general. 

“We are also a full 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Sponsorships, donations and merchandise sales help fund a lot of things for us. We’re committed to offering these experiences on a free to low-cost basis. All our programming is aimed at reducing barriers to entry, so we try to keep things as affordable as possible.”

Shared Passion Unites Group

When asked how they came up with the idea for the organization, Rice thought for a moment then said, “I think it was a long time coming. We have been involved with numerous women’s outdoor programs and while all are valuable in their own right, I felt like there were things that were lacking.”

When Rice met Birts, Banes and Mosiman, their shared passion for providing a safe space for women to learn more about the outdoors brought them together.

“We like to be able to focus on instituting the outdoors as part of life rather than just a one-and-done opportunity to participate,” she said.

The organization now has events in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New York, with plans to expand to Minnesota and other East Coast states in 2025. 

wildHERness holds a variety of events such as hunt camps and classes like Wild Edibles and Plant Propagation. Upcoming programs include an archery event, an astronomy event, a weekend rifle event focused on scopes and a tree-saddle event. 

The group is also partnering with the Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation to offer a “Mom and Me Squirrel Hunt.” All the equipment and ammunition will be provided. Kids must be at least 11 years old, and it can be any combination of an adult female with a female child.

GO WYLD

The largest and one of the best opportunities for women to explore these activities, however, is the GO WYLD event. GO WYLD stands for Go Outdoors Where You Lead Discovery. One is held in the fall in Missouri, and the first spring event was just held in Oklahoma.

“We have 30+ different class offerings and it’s a great way to get your toes wet, to see what kind of equipment is required and what kind of permitting is required, all before you ever make that investment in the activity,” explained Rice. “It’s a try-before-you-buy atmosphere, so it’s really an opportunity for people to begin new passions. When we’re recruiting instructors, we don’t want experts; we want people who are knowledgeable and can inspire people with a passion.”

The age range of participants varies. Rice elaborated, “For firearm-related classes, kids need to be 11 or older because it is the first age that they can take the hunter-ed certification. But for activities such as archery, there is no age limit because we typically teach with Genesis bows. They’re adaptable for all skills and age ranges.” 

The event capacity is for 100 women and often sells out within hours. They don’t anticipate increasing it, though, simply because of the value of the smaller class sizes. Attendees choose their own adventure, selecting and participating in five classes over the weekend.

Rice shared some of the classes that have proven most popular with attendees aren’t what she expected: “I was very surprised bowfishing was so popular this time around and even had a waiting list.” 

The mentored squirrel hunt is well-attended, too. Rappelling is always popular, as well as paddling, fly fishing and Wild Infusions.

Challenges

Rice is sad to say though that while their shooting classes are always the most popular, they are, unfortunately, getting to the point where finding locations that allow shooting classes is limited.

“The shooting sports need more attention because they tend to be some of the most intimidating classes for women,” she stated. “The classes have to be very carefully delivered, and the women need a lot of practice to make it a comfortable situation. We hope to develop a kind of a GO WYLD for shooting sports where we have different disciplines, and different kinds of accessory classes like cleaning, ballistics, long-range precision shooting, all sorts of topics exclusively shooting.”

When asked what kind of feedback they get from attendees, Rice supplied, “The one that comes to mind the most often with GO WYLD is ‘life-changing.’ It truly is a magical weekend where women are tapping into something kind of primitive. Being able to learn or master those skills is transformative for these women. Having other women around them who are interested in the same thing and are supportive of what they’re doing lends to a very open-minded, happy atmosphere. And then you add in a good caterer and you kind of have a magic recipe,” she laughed. 

She continued, “Between Friday and Sunday, you can see how the heads are held a little higher and the shoulders are just a little bit further back with the confidence gained from things they’ve been able to do and the relationships that are created. It’s incredible.”

Shotgun Cleaning Class

A brand-new event is a shotgun cleaning class at Olathe Gun Shop in Olathe, Kan. Birts coordinated the event and explained why they decided to offer it. 

“A lot of people don’t like cleaning their firearms, but I just happen to be the weirdo who enjoys it because it makes me familiar with the parts. Then if I have a malfunction, I can quickly figure out how to resolve it,” she conveyed. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to teach the ladies how to completely disassemble their shotgun and learn how to clean and condition it. We don’t want someone to do it for them; we want them to be comfortable doing it themselves.”

The staff at Olathe Gun Shop was eager to help, Birts said.

“It’s a local brick-and-mortar, the guys are very knowledgeable, very friendly and helpful, non-judgmental and they just love supporting what we’re doing on so many different levels,” she noted.

So how did the class go? It was capped at 10, and nine women showed up. (The 10th woman is in the military and had to go on a last-minute duty call.) Did they have fun?

“I haven’t had any negative feedback,” Birts reported. “I had several attendees reach out to say how much they enjoyed the class. They learned how to disassemble the shotgun clear down to the trigger. We sent out a survey asking for their complete honesty. We made them aware that we can’t give them what they need if they’re not honest and tough, no matter how brutal they think it may be.”

Responses to the survey showed the women enjoyed the instructors and learned what they were there for. They were also appreciative of the products they received. 

“We had so many wonderful useful items donated,” she added.

Donations were provided by Ballistol USA, Hoppe’s, Dirty Duck Coffee Company, Sage & Braker Mercantile, Starbucks and Slip 2000.

Olathe Gun Store was thrilled with the turnout and the event, too. 

“They want to do more classes as well. I’ve never seen them so excited. They want to be so helpful,” shared Birts.

The Missouri GO WYLD will be held October 11–13, 2024 at Knob Noster State Park.  

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