Hunter wins national contest
Angie Haas-Tennison recently won the national “Extreme Huntress” contest.
Angie's daughter Quin, 4, received her gun (pictured) on her first birthday. While she isn't old enough to go hunting for deer just yet, her family lets her shoot at stumps and pop cans for the time being.
Nate Chute/Daily Inter Lake Angie Haas-Tennison, a native of Libby and an MRI technician who resides in Kila, is vying for a spot in the national Primal Adventure Extreme Huntress Contest. The contest winner is outfitted for a red stag hunt in New Zealand that will be filmed for an episode of the Primal Adventures television show.
KIla-area resident Angie Haas-Tennison has claimed the title of “Extreme Huntress” in a national contest.
Online voting ended Jan. 1 and Haas-Tennison came out on top with 4,040 votes, well ahead of her nearest challenger’s 2,733 votes.
The win will send Haas-Tennison to an Archery Trade Association show in Indianapolis this week, to a National Shooting Sports Foundation show in Las Vegas Jan. 18 and to New Zealand May 10 for a red stag hunt that will be filmed for the “Primal Adventure” television show.
“I found out Sunday evening, I finally got the call,” Haas-Tennison said Tuesday. “I watched the clock all day. I saw that I was still in the lead, but I said I’m not going to believe anything until I get the call.”
The call came from Tom Opre, producer and host of “Primal Adventure — Eye of the Hunter,” telling her that she was indeed the winner and to pack her bags for this week’s trade show.
“I’m going to meet all the sponsors of the competition and a lot of major players in the industry, a lot of the people you see on television,” said Haas-Tennison, 32, who has been an avid hunter since her upbringing in Libby.
She trailed other women early in the contest, but got a big bump in voting after being featured in the Daily Inter Lake and after appearing in other Montana publications. She says Montana’s high percentage of hunters made a difference.
“I totally believe that helped,” she said. “Montana has a huge population of hunters. I saw some of the other women get in newspaper articles but it didn’t seem like their numbers would jump a lot. It truly felt like Montanans wanted to see one of their own win. And I had a great group of friends.”
Her most ardent supporters carried out e-mail campaigns for her, and her Facebook page got busy as the contest moved along.
“It was kind of exciting. I’d get on my computer every day and there would be new people and messages,” said Haas-Tennison, an MRI technician and mother of two. “I even talked to relatives I didn’t know I had.”
Her overall prize package is worth about $25,000, and she will be getting a look at some of the gear she will receive at upcoming trade shows, including a new bow and a new rifle.
Her husband, sister and brother-in-law plan to go along for the Las Vegas trade show. The New Zealand trip is expected to take about seven days and will focus on a red stag hunt.
There may be other benefits that come with being the 2011 Extreme Huntress. Last year’s contest winner, Rebecca Francis, will co-host this year’s “Eye of the Hunter” series.
“That spot’s obviously taken,” she said. “I’m kind of anxious to see what the possibilities may be out there in the future.”
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.