BCJ_SPRING 17 Digital Edition

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ASHLEY KURTENBACH: Deadwood, South Dakota
Fitness Competitor and Coach, Corporate Recruiter
HOW DID YOU GET
INTO HUNTING AND
FISHING?
I was born and raised in
Iowa. My dad is a huge pheasant
hunter and an avid deer
hunter. I was around it but
didn’t really do it. I didn’t have
the equipment or the money.
I’d ask my dad to come and
he’d say, “Is this a joke? Because
I’m not going to go out
and buy stuff for you if you’re
not 100 percent serious.”
I didn’t get into hunting
until I met Jesse. When we
started dating, he was into
hunting. I’d always wanted
to learn and he was willing to
teach me. I got my first bow.
He made me practice for two
years before we even went
turkey hunting. At that time
we lived on the east side of
South Dakota. There wasn’t a
lot of public lands so we had
fewer opportunities. When
we moved to the Black Hills,
I was able to step it up because
there’s so much more
public land. I could go out
every weekend. The last three
or four years we’ve been going
nonstop, as much as we can. I
love it.
WHAT ATTRACTED
YOU TO BHA?
I heard of it through social
media last year. Jesse had an
antelope tag in Utah last fall,
and he filled it within a few
days. We decided to get me an
over-the-counter archery elk
tag because we had blocked
out 11 days for the antelope
hunt. We have some friends
who are on the board in Utah,
Jason and Kait West. They said
we’d be perfect to start a BHA
chapter in South Dakota. We
were talking general public
lands stuff while we were on
our trip, and they were helping
us with our elk hunt.
We talked about how it
would be nice for South Dakota
to have a chapter because
it is needed. We have the same
issues that so many other
states are fighting. So, I contacted
the organization and
got enough people around it.
We are just starting out, telling
people, “Hey, this is a great
organization. It’s been around
for a while, but we are just getting
the ball rolling in South
Dakota.”
HOW DOES FITNESS
FACTOR INTO YOUR
HUNTING?
I train every year, regardless
of competitions, for hunting
season. I like to keep up with
the boys as much as possible.
I like carrying my fair share.
I pack out my own animals.
I train like mad for about six
months before hunting season.
I do cardio to help my endurance
in the mountains. Weight
training helps me carry my fair
share of a deer. When I shoot
an antelope, I carry the whole
thing out by myself. I feel like
I can contribute and people aren’t
taking care of me.
I also hunt a lot on my own.
That’s a big thing for me and
other women. If I go out and
harvest something, I don’t need
to call anyone because I know
what to do. That’s rewarding
to me. Especially when I am
in a backcountry camp with a
bunch of men and they’re like,
“Holy crap, you can keep up
with us.” That’s a compliment
to me because that’s what I
train for. It’s nice to be respected
on that level, especially in
a sport where men dominate.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST
THREAT TO HUNTING
AND FISHING?
It’s a dying activity anymore.
This is why I love BHA.
It draws attention to future
generations. If we lose public
lands now, it won’t be here.
Future generations won’t even
get the option. I don’t have
kids, but I’m super passionate
about passing down the love of
the outdoors.
I see a lot of women getting
involved. With more women
hunting and fishing, hopefully
there will be more kids. We
also live in a world where kids
are in a lot of extracurricular
activities. Unfortunately, fewer
people are taking the time
to bring kids into the outdoors.
If we lose public lands
we will lose hunting even faster
because there will be even
fewer opportunities.
SPRING 2017 BACKCOUNTRY JOURNAL | 15