A woman has been trolled online for her love of hunting – but says she doesn’t care what people think as killing animals is her “passion.”
Katelyn Armstrong, 31, a nail technician from Ohio, US, started hunting wild animals as a child after watching her dad carry out the controversial hobby.
Aged 12, she shot her first deer and has continued to hunt them ever since, as well as other game animals such as turkeys.
In a bid to ensure her catch doesn’t go to waste, the female hunter processes all the meat herself and turns it into steaks, pot roasts, burgers and breakfast sausages.
Katelyn, who hopes to educate people about hunting, shares her journey on TikTok, with one video racking up 4.6 million views and 482,000 likes.
However, not everyone agrees with the sport.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and people do target me negatively because I’m a female,” she told NeedToKnow.Online.
“People make assumptions about me, such as my dad’s money getting me into hunting or that I’m not a real hunter and I’m only doing this for attention.
“I also get asked: ‘What did that animal do to you?’ and I try to educate these people – but pride, jealousy and ignorance get in the way.
“Most of the comments don’t bother me, and they only fuel me to educate those who are willing to listen and learn something new.
“People are OK with eating burgers from McDonalds that have been sourced from who knows where but they aren’t OK with a hunter ethically harvesting a free-range animal that lived a life without any human interaction.
“Nature is harsh and deer don’t die from old age, it’s usually slow and painful, with disease, starvation and coyotes [being the main culprits.]
“I try to point out the facts as much as possible, especially as hunters are the biggest conservationists out there.”
For Katelyn, a typical day begins around two hours before sunrise, where she showers to remove any human scent, before gathering her hunting and camera gear.
She then proceeds to climb a suitable tree to wait for her prey. She often goes through the process alone – but once in a while hunts with her dad when he visits.
Speaking about her hunting journey, she said: “My first experience was at around 11 years old, where I went as a ride along with my dad.
“I started off using a rifle and sitting on a log, as that was the easiest way to introduce me into being successful.
“Gun safety was always top priority and my dad never left my side until I was at least 16 years old.
“Bowhunting is my absolute favourite method, and I’m self-taught, because I really enjoy the connection I get to experience with nature.
“You have to become invisible to animals who have better senses than you do and be patient, so you can wait for them to get very close.
“During hunting season, I try to go at least four days a week and either do a morning hunt or evening hunt – sometimes both.”
In one of her viral clips, Katelyn phones her dad and tells him about her biggest hunt to date, a 200lbs buck.
While the two appear excited about the impressive harvest, users took to the comments to share their disgust.
“The buck just wanted to live,” one person commented.
Another user added: “Bro not the buck. He wanted to live.” [sic]
“No animals were harmed in the making of this video. ‘Dad I just shot a buck,’” someone else commented.
Another user added: “Noooooooooo,” followed by a crying emoji.
Others, however, found the moment touching and shared their feelings of admiration.
“Proud father moment,” one person said.
Another user added: “You can hear the pride and joy in your father’s voice. That’s awesome.
“Pops taught you well,” someone else commented. [sic]
One viewer added: “Love this! Congratulations.”
One of Katelyn’s biggest goals is to “make it” in the hunting industry, where she hopes to inspire others to partake in the controversial hobby.
Another one of her ambitions, which she claims takes months of preparation, is to go elk hunting – which involves miles of hiking and camping.
She said: “I really want to share my story and hunting journey with anyone who is interested, as I like to share what I’ve learned and why I do what I do.
“Most of the reaction I get is supportive and it’s really rewarding when I get taken seriously.
“As far as I know, endangered species are not allowed to be hunted in America and there’s lots of research that goes into it.
“Personally, I have only hunted animals that I enjoy eating and have no reservations, as long as the animal is taken in the most ethical way possible.
“Ninety-nine percent of hunting isn’t killing – I have seen and interacted with well over 200 deer last year and only harvested one.
“Hunting teaches you so many things, such as patience, hard work, perseverance, stamina and facing your fears.
“All of the struggle and hard work is worth the success that follows and it’s extremely emotional, sometimes overwhelming.
“You can’t be afraid to fail and hunting is my passion.”
