Jen “The Archer” Cordaro, who has received death threats because of her passion for hunting and teaching children to hunt, has entered a worldwide competition.
The Extreme Huntress Competition, a televised program, is in its sixth year and seeks to “create positive role models for women who want to positive role models for women who want to participate in hunting.” There are currently 20 semifinalists, which will be narrowed down to six finalists after May 30. The finalists are determined by judges (60 percent) and an online vote (40 percent).
Speaking to Western Journal Tuesday, Cordaro never thought she would be involved in such a competition. “No, definitely not,” the San Diego native said, laughing on the phone. “This is not something I typically do in my life. It’s not something I see myself doing.”
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In January, a group of liberal activists circulated a petition to ban hunting in California, citing Cordaro as their impetus. Cordaro “brainwashes children into believing that murdering animals is a positive activity in the world and then helps them brag about their kills by turning to social media for the accolades of trophy pictures. She must be stopped,” the petition read.
Now, Cordaro says 20 percent of her motivation to enter the competition is to spite the anti-hunting activists, while the rest is on behalf of the young archers she has taught and connected with on social media. “They’re probably afraid of what they don’t know,” Cordaro said of the activists in February.
To enter the competition, entrants must submit a 500 word essay explaining why they are the most “hardcore Extreme Huntress.” Here is an excerpt from Cordaro’s:
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I picked up my first bow a year and a half ago to fill a bucket list item to bowhunt a pig. I never intended to become a hunter or an archer but I fell in love and the rest is history.
The thing I like most about my love story is that I became a huntress without being born into it, without the persuasion of a man, all while being a city-dwelling woman in Southern California.
I hope that this love story inspires others to follow their dreams because if I can do it, anyone can!
Her essay also notes that in that time, she has hunted over 30 species, 80 percent by bow and 20 percent by shotgun.
Still, Cordaro acknowledges she is not from a big game background like some of the other women in the competition, “I’m your girl next door who hunts for her food. I hunt in California. I fish in California.” Jen “The Archer” added that while many of her competitors have been around the world on hunting trips, she has been hunting out of state only once- a hog-hunting excursion in Florida.
Cordaro says she still receives death threats, though they are tempered as compared to several months ago. “They’ve calmed down quite a bit,” she said. The Extreme Huntress semi-finalist noted that a new threat were Christian extremists who assert she is dishonoring man and God. “I just give them the address for the Westboro Baptist Church,” she quipped.
I want to move away from threats in the next few months and start promoting archer in the urban areas. People forget I’m a city girl, not a country bumpkin.
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You can vote for Jen “The Archer” or any of the other competitors here.
Do you support Jen “The Archer” for Extreme Huntress? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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