Bull Creek Is In The News! Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club invites women to have a blast

From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review!

By Julie E. Martin

Published: Sunday, May 27, 2012, 4:04 p.m.
Updated: Tuesday, May 29, 2012

An all-day event Saturday promises a host of fun activities for women -- but this girl's day out trades facials for fly-casting, shopping for self-defense and manicures for marksmanship.

That's all just fine with Lori Lojak, coordinator of the annual Women in the Outdoors event, which is sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Brittany Thomas tries out a bow and arrow during a

previous Women in the Outdoors event at

Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club

"I want women to get out of the malls and out to the woods," Lojak says. "There's so much more for women. Once they come and they see what it's like, they have a blast -- it's so much fun."

The event, at Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club in Fawn, includes a choice of four classes, continental breakfast and lunch and all necessary materials.

The $55 cost also covers a one-year membership in the National Wild Turkey Federation and a one-year subscription to Turkey Country and Turkey Talk. For those who are members of the federation, the cost to attend is $20.

"It was created to get women more involved in the outdoors," Lojak says. "When they come to the event, it's noncompetitive; it's a friendly atmosphere. It's supporting them; you can just see the amount of joy and pride in them when they accomplish something."

Attendees select from two morning classes and two afternoon classes, which include archery, bird-watching and gardening for wildlife.

Bud Murray, the owner of Murray's Stream Master Fly Shop in Cabot, will lead a fly-casting class that, he says, will cover the basics, like what to do when casting in the wind or around trees. If his experience at his shop and on recent fly-fishing trips is an indication, he'll likely have a good turnout.

"There's more and more women getting involved in (fly fishing)," he says. "They're enjoying it as much as any man does."

According to Brian Sackett of C.S. Kim Karate in Natrona Heights, his women's self-defense class should offer a lasting lesson.

"You're not just exercising; you're learning something," he says. "By the time they leave, it's like something inside of them woke up. They've been empowered."

Leslie Smith, Pennsylvania Women in the Outdoors Coordinator for the National Wild Turkey Federation, says the opportunity for women to try something in a friendly atmosphere is a welcome one.

Like the 15 other Women in the Outdoors Events taking place in the state -- the Allegheny Valley event appeals to the spirit of today's women and allows them to not only take a walk on the wild side, but also make new friends.

"These events are set up so women can go out and enjoy the outdoors without any kind of pressure," Smith says. "It's the camaraderie of the other women -- women with the same interests that come from the same area."