Women outdoors events set for April

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host a women’s outdoor weekend April 8-10 with workshops throughout the state to engage women in the beginning steps of hunting, fishing and how to be a larger part of conservation.

The weekend of small workshops began in lieu of a large gathering during virus protocols, but administrators saw the increased opportunity for one-on-one instruction in smaller workshops and began to build the new spring format to capitalize on the variety of outdoors options found throughout the state.

Visit https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/177277 to see a list of classes and locations. Other Game and Fish workshops are available at https://www.register-ed.com/programs/arkansas/240-arkansas-outdoor-skills-network.

Lea White, who coordinates Becoming an Outdoors Woman for Game and Fish said the format allows participants to enjoy some of the best outdoors opportunities where they happen instead of trying to bring many different experiences to one location.

Weekend experiences range from outdoor photography sessions and knot-tying workshops to an overnight camping trip and catch, clean and cook fishing excursion. Nearly every Game and Fish nature center is holding at least one workshop for the weekend, but many of the outings are spread to different locations to maximize the experience for attendees.

“All of the classes are free, except one of our concealed carry classes,” White said. “That one requires a small fee paid directly to the instructor, not to Game and Fish.”

Some activities will require participants to bring their own food and drinks they may need for a day outdoors. Participants also should look at the class description and dress accordingly.

Some classes fill quickly, so interested participants should sign up as soon as possible. Even if an event is full, people are encouraged to sign up for the wait list to fill any spots that may open and to evaluate the need for more classes on each topic in the future.