A LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY LADIES
Spanning the generations, women have planted themselves here among the cactus and pine. They’ve forged unconventional paths west — hunting and harvesting stories worth remembering. Today, they are still heeding the call of their heritage, bravely shedding all that is frivolous as they head deeper into the backcountry. They pursue that which will outlive them, in faithful stewardship of the tender shoots of conservation.
This league of extraordinary women have been tested and tried in the high lonesome; blooming amidst the rugged terrain with tenacity and grace that has changed the landscape on which they reside. They are too many to name — those women who have led the way — but each month we aim to share their stories. These are Women of the West.
MARY RONDEPIERRE
WASHINGTON
In the wake of a clean shot that rendered the mountains silent, Mary Rondepierre crested the last hill, her eyes engrossed by the scene unfolding below. Her grandfather, a man of great faith, knelt in the stillness stroking the deer’s head and praying over the life that was lost. Unbeknownst to her, what she observed that day would pen an indelible mark upon her story.
As a Montana native, Mary developed a lifelong curiosity for wild places and a profound respect for wildlife on the heels of her grandfather, father and brother as they explored Big Sky Country. “More than anything, I loved just being outside and looking for animals. I was constantly searching and observing, and always had a pair of binoculars in my hands,” said Mary. “It’s that five senses feeling that I love.”
Hunting took a back seat to riding horses and sports, but Mary was always willing to tag along with her dad and
