An Ohio woman with a passion for hunting deer, turkey and other game is being slammed online after sharing her prize kills, and how she got them, while racking up millions of views in the process.
Rather than ruffle feathers, she said she hopes to help destigmatize the controversial hobby.
“I try to point out the facts as much as possible, especially as hunters are the biggest conservationists out there,” Katelyn Armstrong told NeedToKnow.Online.
Armstrong began hunting at 11, when she would watch her father hunt, and killed her first deer at 12.
“I started off using a rifle and sitting on a log, as that was the easiest way to introduce me into being successful,” recalled the 31-year-old nail technician. “Gun safety was always top priority and my dad never left my side until I was at least 16 years old.”
In one recent clip on TikTok, Armstrong is seen calling her dad after killing her biggest game to date — a 200-pound buck.
It was a touching “proud father moment,” several users agreed, as one noted, “You can hear the pride and joy in your father’s voice.”
Not all were moved by the father-daughter bonding. Others accused Armstrong of killing innocent animals, as one critic lamented in the comments, “The buck just wanted to live.”
But Armstrong is quick to point out hypocrisies.
“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,” she rebuked. “Nature is harsh and deer don’t die from old age, it’s usually slow and painful, with disease, starvation and coyotes.”
Added Armstrong, “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.”
Indeed, she argues that hunting is a serious skill, not to be taken lightly.
“Ninety-nine percent of hunting isn’t killing – I have seen and interacted with well over 200 deer last year and only harvested one,” said Armstrong.
During hunting season, Armstrong goes out four days a week, early in the morning or late night, and sometimes both. A typical hunting day for Armstrong usually starts two hours before sunrise with a shower to remove any human scent. After that, Armstrong climbs a tree to wait for an animal to appear.
“Hunting teaches you so many things, such as patience, hard work, perseverance, stamina and facing your fears,” she explained.
Despite her apparent dedication, she’s also endured her fair share of scrutiny from fellow hunters, and those who have dismissed her hunting persona as a way to get attention.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and people do target me negatively because I’m a female,” said Armstrong. “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.”
Her favorite way to hunt is with the classic bow and arrow.
“Bowhunting is my absolute favorite method, and I’m self-taught because I really enjoy the connection I get to experience with nature,” Armstrong gushed. “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.”
One of her greatest ambitions is to go elk hunting — which involves miles of hiking and camping.
Said Armstrong, “All of the struggle and hard work is worth the success that follows and it’s extremely emotional, sometimes overwhelming.”
