A woman has been trolled online for her love of hunting – but says she doesn't care what people think of her “passion” for killing animals.
Katelyn Armstrong, a 31-year-old nail technician from Ohio in the United States, started hunting wild animals as a child after watching her dad carry out the controversial hobby.
Aged 12, she shot her first deer and has continued to hunt them ever since, as well as other game animals such as turkeys.
In a bid to ensure her catch doesn’t go to waste, she processes all the meat herself and turns it into steaks, pot roasts, burgers and breakfast sausages.
Katelyn, who hopes to educate people about hunting, shares her journey on TikTok, with one video racking up 4.6 million views and 482,000 likes.
However, not everyone agrees with the pastime.
“I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and people do target me negatively because I’m a female,” she told NeedToKnow.Online.
“People make assumptions about me, such as my dad’s money getting me into hunting or that I’m not a real hunter and I’m only doing this for attention.
“I also get asked: ‘What did that animal do to you?’ and I try to educate these people – but pride, jealousy and ignorance get in the way.
“Most of the comments don’t bother me and they only fuel me to educate those who are willing to listen and learn something new.
“People are OK with eating burgers from McDonald's that have been sourced from who knows where but they aren’t OK with a hunter ethically harvesting a free-range animal that lived a life without any human interaction.
“Nature is harsh and deer don’t die from old age, it’s usually slow and painful, with disease, starvation and coyotes [being the main causes].
“I try to point out the facts as much as possible, especially as hunters are the biggest conservationists out there.”
For Katelyn, a typical day begins around two hours before sunrise, where she showers to remove any human scent, before gathering her hunting and camera gear.
She then proceeds to climb a suitable tree to wait for her prey. She often goes through the process alone – but once in a while hunts with her dad when he visits.
Speaking about her hunting journey, she said: “My first experience was at around 11 years old, where I went as a ride along with my dad.
“I started off using a rifle and sitting on a log, as that was the easiest way to introduce me into being successful.
"Gun safety was always top priority and my dad never left my side until I was at least 16 years old.
“Bow hunting is my absolute favourite method, and I’m self-taught, because I really enjoy the connection I get to experience with nature.
“You have to become invisible to animals who have better senses than you do and be patient, so you can wait for them to get very close.
“During hunting season, I try to go at least four days a week and either do a morning hunt or evening hunt – sometimes both.”
In one of her viral clips, Katelyn phones her dad and tells him about her biggest hunt to date, a 200lb buck.
While the two appear excited about the impressive harvest, users took to the comments to share their disgust.
“The buck just wanted to live,” one person commented.
Another user added: “Noooooooooo,” followed by a crying emoji.
Others, however, found the moment touching and shared their feelings of admiration.
“Proud father moment,” one person said.
