Mission
From Idea to Impact: The Inspiring Story of How the WOMA Was Born
Founders Story by Deb Ferns
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Many years ago I read a quote by a famous author and columnist (Erma Bombeck) “When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’ ” That quote, that sense of making the most of what God has given me while I’m here on earth is what changed my life at age 45. I learned how to shoot a gun, then decided to take up competitive shooting. At age 50, in 2004, I teamed up with two amazing women (Kay Miculek and Lisa Munson) and started Babes with Bullets. That was the first time that an all-female firearms academy traveled across the country training women in a multiday immersion program. Many other women’s programs have emerged over the years but we were the first and bluntly to this day, now over 19 years later with over 7,000 alumni, I believe we’re still the best training academy for women taught by women.
After starting Babes with Bullets I kept looking for the next mountain to climb, always with the thought in mind that there was more we could be doing for women to highlight their rise in fields of hunting, fishing, shooting sports and archery. It was from this passion to see women be more, to see women do more, that the Women’s Outdoor Media Association was born in 2009. From the very beginning we’ve been an all-volunteer board of directors. Then in 2014 we decided to expand into doing an annual training event (“She Never Quit”) relating to shooting, hunting, fishing and archery while developing into a 501c3 charity foundation at the same time.
Every year our She Never Quit event gets bigger and the dollars raised by our volunteer board of the WOMA charity foundation grows as well. The talented women on our WOMA board are AMAZING and their heart to continue this charity program for female veterans and female first responders is something I’ll cherish as my time to serve is gone and my time with God starts.
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About Deb Ferns
The WOMA Founder
Deb Ferns lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband Gary. They have two daughters and a parade of English Mastiffs. Ferns has an MBA and authored the book, Babes with Bullets. She is the co-founder of Babes with Bullets firearms academy, the Founder of the Women’s Outdoor Media Association and was awarded a NSSF Heritage Grant for her work in mentoring women in the hunting fields. In 2020 Deb was the first Super Senior woman (age 65+) to shoot in the Heavy Metal “multigun” world championships with a .308 AR-10, .45 caliber handgun and 12 gauge shotgun. In 2021 she became the President of the 501c3 charity program, Wild Horse Fire Brigade, trying to save America’s native wild horses from extinction.