After a long wait, the winner of the Field & Stream Women Hunters Web Poll photo contest is Marilyn Hughes of Wilkes-Barre. Pa. She sent some great photos of herself with two of her partners in the field: her son Alex (during a mentored youth hunt for squirrels) and her Weimaraner named Huntzer (with his first bird). Marilyn has been hunting since she was 12, and even hunted for small game when she was about 7 months pregnant with her son. Here’s what she had to say about a recent sporting goods store misadventure:

“I had just gotten a muzzleloader from my husband for Christmas and couldn’t wait to use it for the extended season. While I was at the store, the man asked if I’d gotten everything that my husband needed. I laughed and said that this was for me—that last year I’d had to use my dad’s muzzleloader, and got a deer, and fell in love with the season and the gun (the smell after you shoot, the snowy time of year when not a lot of hunters are out). The man just looked at my like he didn’t believe me, and I paid and went on my way.”

For winning, Marilyn has received Cabela’s Women’s Revolution Fleece pullover in Mossy Oak New Break-up. It’s “designed for the outdoorswoman” with 150-gram Thinsulate™ insulation, a front pocket with dual zippered openings, high-count tricot lining, and a Dry-Plus® waterproof barrier. Thanks to Cabela’s for providing the prize, and congratulations to Marilyn for winning it.

As Long As We’re On the Subject of Gear…

There’s currently a lot of women’s hunting clothing in the Field & Stream office left over from the photography we did for the magazine feature. Most of the manufacturers have nicely agreed to allow us to give it away on the blog. It’s a pretty random assortment of camo (jackets, coats, pants, etc…) and sizes, but it’s all high quality and brand new. So here’s the deal, each Friday, the person who posted the best blog comment or sent the best discussion suggestion of the week will “win” a piece of gear. Of course, this is just while our inventory lasts, but I think we’ll be able to keep it up for a few months at least. Thanks for helping us clean out our closets!