Hi, my name is Lynne Frady. I was born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Living here has been a great experience simply because of the beauty of the mountains, the wildlife and the pristine streams where I grew up trout fishing. Growing up with a brother three years older caused me to have an "if you can do it, I can do it better" attitude. My parents made sure I had plenty of time outdoors; I was very active in sports, softball being my main focus. My parents never told me that I couldn't do things because I was a "girl," so the sky was the limit. My competitive spirit has led me into several great adventures. One was driving in the Street Stock division at a local Nascar sanctioned racetrack for two years in the early 80's. Both my parents were very supportive no matter what we wanted to do. Dad, especially, knew the value of learning all that nature had to offer. It's amazing what you can learn on the banks of a trout stream with your dad and brother. He also took me and my bother scouting for deer sign early fall. He always made time for us to shoot his rifle, shotguns or pistols. He was kind enough to warn us if they were going to kick, but hey, what's a little kick, right?
I knew when I was young that when I grew up, I would be a boy just like my brother, but by the age of eight or nine, I knew this was not the case. Even though I have been known as the "other brother" for as long as I can remember, my dad tells people I'm his other son. Ha, ha. I do have a sister five years younger; she would rather be in the house with a good book than outside.
I have loved animals for as long as I can remember. I have had Labrador retrievers since I was nine years old. I have trained dogs for 19 years. I have titled in obedience, shown in conformation, worked field trails, and bird hunted with my dogs. I have owned and operated my own dog obedience training school for eight years. I love helping people with dogs that are on their way to the pound and I am their last resort. I have never had one go to the pound after training. All it takes is a little understanding and a whole lot of patience to get these dogs turned around. I lost Star two years ago; she was a black Lab I received as a gift from my dad. I got her when she was five weeks old; she lived to be 16 and died of old age. She was one of those non-existent pointing Labs, not to any credit of mine. She would do everything in the field but pull the trigger. I know I'll never have another Star, but I am looking for a puppy. Over the years I have fallen in love with German shorthair pointers as well; maybe two puppies are in my future.
I met my husband, Jim, in 1986 and we were married in 1993. I never knew what a blessing God sent me in Jim. He is my best friend; we do everything together. What was really great was he wanted me for his hunting buddy. He says not everyone can kiss his hunting buddy goodnight. He actually understood me and knew that my place was in the woods and not in the mall. I have a daughter who will soon be 14 and has been shooting a bow since she was four years old. She is an A-B student and plays in the band as well as loves to spend time with us in woods and at tournaments. One of the great things about Jim was the presents he gave me for my birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or just a "because I love you" present. They consisted of rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a Hawken 50 cal. muzzleloader. The greatest gift he ever gave me was a BOW. It was my birthday present in 1991. I had always wanted a bow and to learn to shoot it well enough to hunt with it. I knew I would never give up rifle hunting, even though Jim thought otherwise.
1996 held a new frontier for us. Jim thought it would be a good idea if we started going to local 3-D tournaments. I needed lots of help judging yardage. That was the one thing that kept me from taking my bow to the woods. I didn't feel confident to harvest an animal with my bow. Our first tournament was a local "Winter Chiller." It was 17 degrees and there were two inches of snow on the ground. Where we live there is no flat ground. We spent the day climbing the mountain in search of the colored pegs along the trail, stepping up guessing the yardage and letting the arrow fly toward the deer, turkey, or bear that stood so patiently at the end of the lane. When we came off the range, we were frozen and I had lost seven arrows. What was funny was I won the tournament with a score of 150, which for those of you who are familiar with 3-D shoots, out of 25 targets that's not a very good score. We loaded up in the truck and Jim turned to me and said, "Well, what do you think"? I just looked at him, smiled, and replied, "WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE?" He broke out in a laugh and said, "Oh, no, what have I done?" We now compete on the local, state, and national level, and of course our daughter is right there with us. She is a great shot. I have been the regional women's champion for five consecutive years, was N.C. State Champion in 1998 and was ranked 12th in the world that same year. Jim is always in the top 10% of his class and our daughter has more trophies than anyone.
Our adventures afield have brought us great success as well. Together Jim and I have harvested over 70 animals, including whitetail deer, turkey, wild boar, small game, birds, and exotics. I have completed three record book exotic slams with my bow. Have I laid my rifle down? Yes. I can't stand the thought of leaving my bow at home even during rifle season. You can hunt with a bow during rifle season here in N.C.
I have also been able to live another one of my dreams. I am an outdoor writer and photographer for National Bowhunter Magazine. The editor is the very well known Doug Walker. I can never thank him enough for the opportunity to write for his magazine. Now I have a chance to write for WomenHunters, which is a thrill in itself. Maybe through what is on this Web page other women will get involved. That's what we are all shooting for.
With the many blessings we have received, our main focus now is giving back to the sport of archery and hunting. Jim and I are both N.C. Hunter Education Instructors as well as N.A.A. Level 1 Archery Instructors. We do archery and our "Outdoor Classroom" programs for middle and high schools, summer camps, 4-H Clubs, Boy Scouts of America troops, and a camp for terminally ill children as well as Becoming an Outdoors Women programs. We also work with the NWTF and the Women in the Outdoors programs. We have a team of young people and their parents that we sponsor. We introduce them to archery and hunting and give them the chance to do what we do. It also instills self-discipline, teamwork, and self-confidence in them that they will use in everyday life. The outdoor industry is behind women and children 110%--all we have to do is introduce them to it and they will be welcomed with open arms.
Jim and I are truly the most blessed people on earth. We have worked hard to help others and to teach our daughter the values of wildlife and habitat conservation and how to enjoy what God has given all of us. We feel the outdoors is God's playground and he intended for all of us to use it and to show other its importance.
We are also lucky to have the greatest sponsors in the archery and outdoor industry; we are on 16 pro staffs and have 26 sponsors who believe in our programs and us as much as we believe in them. Thanks go to the love and support from Jim, my daughter Bud, my family and our great sponsors. I know there is no dream that is too big to dream. With hard work and a lot of support, you can not only chase your dreams, you can catch them. I always tell others,"Chase your dreams; you never know where they will take you." Let the dream begin....
