Cassandra Oosterhof wants to win the Extreme Huntress Competition, and she needs your help.
The Chilliwackian is one of 21 semi-finalists in a world-wide challenge, up against outdoors-loving women from Canada, the United States and as far afield as South Africa and Australia.
Oosterhof and the others are gathering online votes between now and June 1, hoping to be near the top when voting closes.
The top six will compete in a series of skills challenges at a hunting ranch in Texas, and their exploits will be filmed and aired as a reality show on extremehuntress.com
As of Wednesday afternoon, Oosterhof had collected 423 votes and occupied seventh spot, just 35 behind a women from the tiny town of Hagensborg, BC.
“This competition is an amazing opportunity to really represent the outdoor lifestyle to the rest of the world,” Oosterhof said. “My goal is to reach people and let them know that hunting is a very healthy and rewarding lifestyle.”
“You get the adrenaline from the hunt, you work hard to provide organic healthy food, you donate to conservation, you spend quality time with loved ones out in the field and you build a strong connection to nature and the outdoors.”
Oosterhof was asked to write an essay stating her case to be the extreme huntress — the essay is posted online at extremehuntress.com/main/cassandra-oosterhof/
She said she grew up in a house where her dad and four brothers were always going hunting, but she had to stay home.
“As much as hunting was a part of the family it was a ‘guy’ thing,” she wrote. “I always had a passion for the outdoors but in our house mom didn’t hunt so the girls didn’t hunt.”
“It took me a while but I decided that hunting wasn’t just for men and I could do it too.”
Oosterhof said she’s pursued black bears in the mountains of BC, and Mule and Whitetail deer in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Recently she traveled to Tanzania where she took down a massive Cape Buffalo.
“It takes an extreme and hardcore woman to have the strength, dedication and patience that it takes to be involved in the roller-coaster of extreme highs and lows that come with hunting,” she wrote.
“Whether I am hunting in (temperatures of) thirty below or thirty above, driving rain or blowing snow, swarming tsetse flies or curious predators, I have always been able to physically and mentally push myself through strenuous situations.”
Oosterhof views the Extreme Huntress competition as a chance to act as a role model for girls/women who are interested in hunting. She also sees it as a way to talk about conservation.
“When you’re out in the field you see nature in a new way,” she explained. “You see the doe walking with her fawns and the bear cubs playing and chasing each other up a tree.”
“You realize that without hunters there would be no one looking out for the animals’ well-being or the safe keeping of the land.”
“I have learned to respect animals more than I ever thought possible.”
Should Oosterhof make it into the top six she’ll be appear in short six-to-nine minute episodes that will run over 26 weeks.
A second round of voting based on those episodes will determine the Extreme Huntress winner.
Oosterhof hopes to be in Texas in January for a black-tie dinner at the Dallas Safari Club.
She hopes her hometown will back her by visiting extremehuntress.com/main/2017-voting/
Under her profile pick, enter an email address and click the green vote box. Click once more where it says ‘send confirmation email.’
Finally, respond to the email.
Only one vote is allowed per email address.
Search Cassandra Oosterhof on Facebook to follow her adventure.