Shooting Camp

I just got home from my second experience with shooting camp and I have to say I highly recommend this one, Babes with Bullets. This shooting camp is for women only and is taught by some of top female competition shooters.


The camp organizer, Deb Ferns, shot a gun for the first time when she was 45 years old. Now, only about 6 years later she has become a firearms instructor and competes. She calls herself a princess, has a whole host of hilarious stories, and a myriad of pink guns and shooting gear.


The head instructor, Kay Miculek is not only a great shooter, but an excellent teacher.


Lisa Munson, another world-class competition shooter, was another instructor. Both Lisa and Kay have been shooting since they were 6 or 7 years old.


Left to right: Kay, Lisa, Amy (our hostess), and Deb.


This time it was a three (well, really 2 1/2) day class. We arrived on Sat. afternoon, got to know the group as we were entertained by our hostess' cat, Bailey, dog, Jake, and bunny, Sweetie Bun-Bun. Jake didn't stop running in circles long enough for a picture, but he's a sweet little Jack Russell terrier.


Bailey, the predator kitty, showed off his hunting skills right away as he found a lizard.


Later, he demonstrated how he would hunt wabbit using his friend Sweetie Bun-Bun as an assistant.


As this was a demonstration only, no actual rabbits were harmed in the process.


There were five other students, so with the three instructors there were a total of 9 of us. We got to stay at one lady's house...an officer with the LAPD, former marine, former beauty pageant winner...who should be an interior decorator. Beautiful, gorgeous house. We had two excellent shooters in the class, myself and another medium-pretty good shooter, and two ladies who had very little experience with handguns.


We spent a good portion of the day on Sunday and Monday shooting. (Though it felt less draining than Front Sight where I went last time, we actually spent about the same amount of time each day shooting and ultimately shot more ammo.) This class was geared toward "Steel Challenge" speed shooting where you shoot steel plates (which make a very nice "ding" when you hit them...instant gratification). After spending the first day warming up and focusing on safety, drawing from the holster, etc., we spent most of the rest of the camp shooting these steel targets.


Finally, on Tuesday, we shot for about half the day, each participant shooting a practice match. If you're a female shooter and want to improve your speed, accuracy and technique, this is a great class for you. If you're a woman who has never touched a gun before in you life (or don't have much experience shooting), it's for you too.


I had so much fun. It's incredible the immense difference between a class of women being taught by women and a predominantly male group being taught by men. Frankly, the women...even the ones who had never held a gun...were less scary, much more teachable...including those with a lot of experience...and more encouraging of each other.


Here are some videos that one of the girls took. This one's me.



Kay


And Lisa




Yeah, they're much faster than me.

Probably the best part of this camp was getting to spend time with other women not just shooting, but having fun...like a bit slumber party. We celebrated Amy's birthday with her, and had a great time laughing at Deb's stories (like when she handcuffed herself to the Cingular store or when she dressed up as a border patrol officer in the emergency room).