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Brittany Boddington HuntingLife Interview

Brittany Boddington Wolf

Brittany Boddington is a California native, Brittany is no stranger to Television or big game hunting. Brittany Boddington grew up in Los Angeles. Her father, author and outdoor television personality Craig Boddington, traveled around the world in search of big game animals; instilling in Brittany a sense of adventure. While he was away, Brittany was busy working in the film and modeling industry as well as doing volunteer work at the local animal shelters. Her competitive nature and tenacity enabled her to reach the Junior Olympics in Synchronized swimming at age 16.

Brittany’s hunting career began after high school when, as a graduation gift, she went on her first safari with her father, taking five trophy animals. She now spends most of the year happily living out of a suitcase in pursuit of exotic animals and exciting adventures. She writes for several notable outdoor publications including Peterson’s Hunting Magazine, Sports A’field, Wild Deer Magazine and Gun’s and Ammo. She was honored as the first woman to ever appear on the cover of Petersons Hunting Magazine and she was also featured in the book “The Diana Files” by Fiona Clair Capstick. With her father Craig’s help Brittany has discovered a love for the great outdoors and has become a passionate hunter and conservationist. She aspires to follow in her father’s footsteps while cutting some new trails of her own.

 

What’s one rookie mistake you’ve made hunting?

I was on a public land hunt for Thar in New Zealand and we were spike camped up in the mountains. In the evening we had to cross a little river to get back to camp and I got wet to my thighs, it was sub-freezing temperatures but I warmed up during the hike back to base camp. That night I changed into my sleeping clothes and left my boots and wet pants sitting just inside the fly of the tent but not close to where I was sleeping and they both froze solid. I couldn’t get my pants out of the ball that they had frozen into and the boot laces were so frozen that I couldn’t loosen them to get them on in the morning I had to use the little propane burner that we used to boil water in order to loosen them up. Then I had to wear frozen pants and boots all morning. Definitely a rookie mistake!

 

What’s the hardest lesson you have learned while hunting?

I learned to persevere. I learned to push myself past the breaking point, past the point where I want to quit.

 

Brittany Boddington BuffaloWhat one hunting skill that you most want to improve?

I need to improve my bow hunting skills, I have only been on one bow hunt but I like the challenge and I plan to work on it more in the future.

 

Who do you admire most in the hunting and conservation world and Why?

Rene Snider is my hero. She is a Diana award winner and she won the Weatherby award this year which makes her the first female to ever achieve that award. Besides all the awards she is a genuinely hard hunter and for the most part she travels and hunts the world on her own like I do. She does not acknowledge a difference between female and male hunters she thinks that we take on the challenges the same way and therefore we are all just hunters. This is a serious message that I would love to help carry on in the future. She is also a philanthropist, she has donated countless hours and dollars to helping children with disabilities, and she found her mission and stuck to it. I admire her spirit.

 

How were you introduced to hunting?

My dad has always hunted but I grew up in Los Angeles which is not exactly a hunting friendly city. When I would be asked what my father did for a living I would say that he was a writer and when they asked what he wrote about I would simply say “sports”. I think they all thought he wrote about basketball or something! It was only after high school that my dad decided to take me to Africa for my graduation present. I started doing my research in the weeks leading up to the trip and I learned a lot about Africa and the activities that were available to tourists. One of those activities listed on many websites was hunting. I started reading more and more about hunting as conservation and I decided that I would like to give it a try. My dad was shocked when I asked him to teach me to shoot but he did and he insisted that I do a pig hunt in California before he arranged for a hunt in Africa. We did a hunt for wild boar in Paso Robles California and from then on I was hooked. I took 5 animals on that first safari and it changed my life completely. I found a passion for hunting and for Africa that has lead me to the life I have now.

 

What advice would you give someone just getting into hunting?

I would tell a new hunter to prepare, work hard, never give up and try to always enjoy the experience.

 

What is your perfect big game rifle and bullet set up?

I really like the .300 Winchester Magnum caliber at the moment, it works for pretty much anything except the larger dangerous game. For big dangerous game I like the .416 Blazer, I just shot a buffalo in Mozambique with it and it was a one shot kill with very little recoil considering the size of the caliber.

 

What is your most memorable hunt?

I get asked this question all the time but I find it impossible to answer, I loved every hunt for different reasons. Some hunts were exciting and adrenaline filled while others taught me about myself and the patience that I can put in to achieve a goal. I remember all my hunts and all of them are special to me.

 

What five pieces of gear do you carry with you on every hunt that you could not live without?

  • Firearm
  • Ammo
  • Binoculars
  • Range Finder
  • Zambuk (works for everything from chapped lips to cuts or burns product of South Africa)

 

What conservation organizations do you support with your time and money?

I support Safari Club International, National Rifle Association, Houston Safari Club, Dallas Safari Club, and the Crescenta Valley Sportsman’s Club.

In all of the years of hunting what is the most important lesson you have learned from the outdoors?

Be true to yourself. If it doesn’t feel right for whatever reason, resist outside pressures and do the right thing.

Where and when can folks tune in to catch your show?

Both The Boddington Experience TV Show and Petersen’s Hunting Adventures can be seen on the Sportsman’s Channel. Past episodes of The Boddington Experience can also be seen at www.GlobalSportsman.com.

What would you like other hunters and non-hunters to know about you as a hunter/huntress?

I do my best and I know I’m not perfect but what you see is what you get. I stick to my ethics and I try to be a better person and hunter every day.

When youngsters and their parents come up to meet you for a quick photo or autograph, what message do you hope to convey?

Follow your dreams, no matter how big they are or how difficult they may be to achieve.

Do you feel any need to overcompensate or overachieve in the hunting/shooting industry because you are a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field?

I really dislike the separation between male and female hunters. We are all just hunters that put in the same effort for the same animals and I think the world needs to realize that.

Have you ever experienced any discrimination (or on the flip side, any benefit) because you are a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field?

There is definitely a plague of discrimination against female hunters on the internet. The insults and threats that we get are so ridiculous. No one takes the time to tell my dad that he’s a ____ ____ and his hair is stupid. It just shows us that they obviously to not know any female hunters if they can really believe that these asinine comments will cause us to run in fear or stop hunting.

 

How do you feel media portrays women in the hunting/shooting industry? Do you feel there is a double standard?

I think the media is a little confused as to how and why this phenomenon of discrimination against female hunters began but I’ve seen positive and negative coverage so I would not want to categorize the media as one or the other.

 

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can find me at the campfire at www.globalsportsman.com or on Instagram under BrittanyBoddington, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Brittany.Boddington or on twitter under @BritBoddington

 

Brittany Boddington Mountain Goat Brittany Boddington Mule DeeBrittany Boddington ChamoisBrittany Boddington Chamois

Kevin Paulson

Kevin Paulson is the Founder and CEO of HuntingLife.com. His passion for Hunting began at the age of 5 hunting alongside of his father. Kevin has followed his dreams through outfitting, conservation work, videography and hunting trips around the world.

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