22 September 2014

Alaska Women: As Tough as They Come

If you're 8 1/2 months pregnant, craving meat and find the freezer empty, what do you do?

Well, if you're a woman in Homer, Alaska, you go out and shoot a moose. That's what Ashley Switzer did.

Ashley Switzer shot a moose on Sept. 8, 2014, while she was eight and a half months pregnant. Ashley Switzer
The 22-year-old, soon-to-be first-time mom was home alone in early September when it came time to put food on the table. Husband Scott was off working on a fishing boat somewhere near Kodiak Island, about 130 miles to the southwest.

Ashley wasn't sure when he'd be home, so she decided she best do something about providing for the family. She borrowed her dad's rifle and headed for the hills above the Kenai Peninsula community of about 5,200 at the end of the Alaska road system some 220 miles south of Anchorage.

"It was my dad's .270 (caliber rifle) because my husband took my .30-06," she said in a telephone interview Thursday.


Read the rest here.

Alaska women: kickin' butt and taking moose. :)

13 comments:

Matt said...

Impressive.

Rev. Paul said...

Indeed, Matt.

Vicki said...

So many just stand there with a hand out waiting for someone else to take care of them. Good on her, for doing whatever it takes to see to it that her family has what it needs.

Rev. Paul said...

Too true, Vicki. We still have a lot of good folks here, who believe in self-reliance.

eiaftinfo said...

Susie says she's willing to go to the grocery store . . . :)

Rev. Paul said...

Bill, I'll leave that entirely up to her. :)

Old NFO said...

I wouldn't want HER mad at me...

joated said...

Good for her!

Rev. Paul said...

NFO - nor I!

joated, agreed.

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

Good shot, meat for the family and freezer. My question is how on earth will she get all this meat loaded and walked back to her vehicle.

Rev. Paul said...

Sandy, that ATV behind her in the picture will have a trailer; she probably had to make it in several trips, but it beats walking through bear country with fresh meat.

Anonymous said...

While I laud her for her skill, ability and bravery. And Alaska-ness!
Is it prudent to expose a late-term baby to the sound of rifle fire?
I know some doctors are concerned about this and metals from breathing in the barrel smoke. (Perhaps that's just extended exposure at a shooting range?)
I'm not a wuss in this area, but I do wonder.

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Geez, Guffaw ... just can't leave a "feel-good" story alone, can you?

LOL!