Congratulations to Abbey Clary, director of media, advertising and public relations for Ruger, who recently took her first plains game animal—a bull nyala—on her inaugural hunt on the African continent. Abbey was accompanied by friend and veteran industry hunting editor Kali Parmley, with whom she’d previously hunted Texas Axis deer. Her experience is documented on video as part of Ruger’s “Horns of Africa” series airing on Outdoor Channel.
What I love about this video is its authenticity, simplicity and ability to convey the emotions felt by Abbey as she embarks on this new hunting challenge, and the camaraderie and mentorship offered by Parmley and her guides. If you’ve been hunting long enough, you can relate to Abbey’s state of mind as she transitions from initial nervousness to relaxation after meeting her guides, traveling to camp and sighting in her rifle, to the excitement of ultimately harvesting her game. Her experience mimics many hunters’ range of emotions, especially new-ish hunters. In fact, save for the 15-hour flight and hours-long journey to camp, it is very reminiscent of my first hunt nearly 25 years ago, where I hunted with a group of women in southwest Texas and quickly took a whitetail buck, doe and a javelina. Even though this was not Abbey's first hunt, the emotions looked familiar: the initial uncertainty that with the right coaching and mentoring transforms into confidence and a proud sense of accomplishment.
The women went armed with Ruger American Generation II rifles chambered in .308—a rifle that NRA Women awarded its Golden Bullseye for Gun of the Year in 2025. It is no surprise, then, that their chosen gear aptly handled the task at hand.
If you know a woman who is contemplating hunting or expanding her hunting horizons, tell her to enlist a girlfriend who hunts to go with her, and have her watch this video for a very real example of a proper introduction to a new hunting environment.
For more, visit Ruger.com. For the full video schedule go to OutdoorChannel.com.
—Ann Y. Smith, Editor in Chief, NRA Women
