12 Most Vile- #2

Almost there! My #2 Most Vile is Joella Bates. Where do I even begin? I guess I'll start by saying that Ms. Bates is a 5 time World Champion archer.  I personally have nothing against archery as a sport BUT, Ms. Bates uses her archery skills to kill. Joella Bates has several different Bios on several different websites so I will pick just one, which also happens to be a T.V. show that promotes kids and hunting.  On Paul Goulding's Kids Hooked on the Outdoors  it states: "Joella Bates is a Wildlife professional and dedicated outdoors participant. She has worked as a naturalist, wildlife officer, fisheries manager, and environmental scientist prior to becoming an outdoors promoter. She can do it all: hunt, fish, shoot any type of weapon with considerable skill. She is also a writer, speaker, instructor, coach, sales person, and motivator drawing many persons into outdoor adventures."  It also states that, "After attending the University of Tennessee at Martin on a rifle scholarship and earning a B.S. in Natural Resources Management, she added a M.S. in Biology with emphasis in Fisheries Management from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN. In 1996, Joella became an inductee into the UTM Athletic Hall of Fame for the sport of rifle." AND, here's the "best" part, "In 1989, Joella took up archery for bowhunting; she has taken 63 different species of animals with her bows including becoming the first woman bow hunter to harvest a Cape buffalo in 2001; a Wild Turkey Grand Slam in 2004; and the Big 5 (lioness, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and green hunted a white rhinoceros) in 2009. She is the first bow hunter to take the Big 5 of Africa in a single safari in < 30 days." Joella Bates, by-the-way, is co-host for Kids Hooked on the Outdoors and frequents schools to demonstrate the bow.

Bates has written her own Bio on Outdoor Envy. Here is what she has to say, "Shooting archery and hunting are more than obsessions for me; they are an integral part of my life. I have spent most of my life compiling an impressive list of credentials that include 40 years of hunting and fishing experience and 17 years of archery and bowhunting. I have taken my passion for this outdoors-lifestyle and devoted my life and career to promoting it. In the early 1980’s, I met a speaker at 4-H Wildlife Conference in Milan, Tennessee. He was an anti-hunter. The longer he talked the more upset I got. When he opened the floor for questions, I stood to talk. I was shaking like I had buck fever; and as I began to speak, my voice quivered and tears rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks. Anti-hunters work on emotions and mine were certainly flowing. The audience revolted against the speaker. Some of the kids even threw things at him. That day, I realized how important the privilege to hunt was to me and vowed to take a stance for hunting. Several years later, I saw the anti-hunter impostor again. (aahh, hunters are posing as antis to promote hunting??) This time, he was the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Area 11 law enforcement assistant supervisor. I had just been hired as a wildlife officer and he was my boss. We recognized each other then hugged and laughed. We both knew that his presentation had worked. I was and still am protecting and passing on the hunting heritage"  AND ; "I dreamed of being a wildlife-professional.... My passion for sharing archery with others has had me conducting many programs: motivational programs at schools and with youth groups; in-store promotional programs, seminars and archery shooting clinics."

Ms. Bates has also been featured in many hunting magazines and websites.