Ultimate Extreme Huntress Finalist With Ulrika Karlsson-Arne

The Extreme Huntress Competition is about preserving the outdoor heritage. In this episode, Extreme Huntress Competition finalist Ulrika Karlsson-Arne talks about how you can vote for her to become the Ultimate Extreme Huntress. Provides the website and the details on how to vote, Ulrika also shares inspiring and wonderful messages to women around the world to promote hunting. The Extreme Huntress Competition continues to set the bar for serious outdoors women, while at the same time providing positive role models for women who are new to hunting, shooting, and other traditional outdoor sports. Who will be our Ultimate Extreme Huntress? Vote by January 6, 2020 to determine which finalist will be our next Extreme Huntress™. Winner will be announced at the Dallas Safari Club Convention.

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Ultimate Extreme Huntress Finalist With Ulrika Karlsson-Arne

We’re with Ulrika Karlsson-Arne from Sweden. She is a finalist in the Ultimate Extreme Huntress contest. She was the award winner of Extreme Huntress. We’re going to talk about how you can vote for her during November and December to become the Ultimate Extreme Huntress. Ulrika, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much. I’m so happy you connected to me.

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I’m happy you reached out because I did send an email to the four finalists. Jackie has been on the show. You and I hope the other two reach out.

I love this show. I’m happy to be in it.

The last time we had you on, you either won or announced as a winner of Extreme Huntress. What does that mean to you when you stood up on stage in Dallas Safari Club and you got that award? That had to be unbelievable.

It was so amazing because I had a feeling that I could be the winner, but you’re not sure until you stand there and they’re telling my name. This whole competition has been so much more than a competition. It’s about knowledge, conservation and working hard. I’m a proud hunter and I want that to be shown. I want people to get to know more. That’s the best thing about all this.

You became an ambassador. One thing about the voting as I understood it is it was extremely close.

I have a lot of people on social media. I posted in a lot of Facebook groups and I had hunters from all around the world helping me out. In the end, I was the winner and I was so happy.

Congratulations to you for getting that award. What was the responsibility for being the Extreme Huntress? What was your role?

The role is to be like an ambassador. You have to behave. Don’t do anything wrong. You have to lead the way. There are a lot of beginner hunters who want to learn more. There are also a lot of old ones that know more than me and I am so happy to always get new knowledge from those who knew more than me. Being the Extreme Huntress winner has a deeper meaning. You’re not supposed to be the best shooter or the best hunter. You have to be best in another way. You have to be kind, caring, humble and thankful for everything that has to do with hunting. I think I’m a good person at that.

I know you can’t talk anything about Zimbabwe or any of the hunts until the show airs. I understand that.

I could say that Zimbabwe was fantastic. Desfountain Ranch is unbelievable. I’m looking forward to when the episodes air.

Let’s talk about the Ultimate Extreme Huntress contest. There are four gals. I think they chose whoever could make the hunt out of the last ten years. Tell me how all that came together that you four were chosen.

Everyone was like, “Do you want to be in this?” Yes, of course everyone wants to but some of them couldn’t be on the show. It came down to six or seven and the judges had to pick four of us and there was online voting. I was one of the four going. We first went to Texas to the FTW Ranch for a shooting competition and then we went to Zimbabwe for this hunting and knowledge and everything around life and African stuff. That was the start of it. They were putting us together. The judges said what they were thinking and there’s this online voting before summer.

This is the last portion. Voting’s open for November and December and accounts for 3% of the total. Is that correct?

Yes, it is.

It’s important for people to vote.

I knew that the voting could be what you needed because we were so close to the competition. I didn’t do that good at the shooting range in Texas. I know that maybe I need those votes to be in the lead. It’s extremely important to get those votes.

How does somebody vote for you for the Ultimate Extreme Huntress? What’s the process?

You have to visit the websites and there are going to be pictures of all four of us and our names. You put in what name and what picture and who’s the huntress you want to vote for. When you do that, you press a button called Vote and you’re going to get poll. Fill in your email. That’s the most tricky part because you need to go in your email inbox and check that email and it’s from Polldaddy. The important thing is you have to confirm in your email. That’s the only way I’m going to get a vote.

It’s at ExtremeHuntress.com and then you go to Ultimate Extreme Huntress and choose one of the four, vote for that person, put your email address and go to your email box and confirm.

You’re going to see how many percent everyone has. If I’m in the lead, you’re probably going to see that, if you vote for me. I want to win because the last time was funny and amazing and I was so proud. This time, I’m going to be cool, calm and take it easy. Since it’s coming closer, it’s like, “I want to win too.”

I wish you the best. There are four ladies and you are all quality women and great ambassadors for women and hunting.

I probably should vote for some of them. They are my best friends and we had a good time. At the end of the day, I would love all of us to be winners. We are just by doing this.

It must have been amazing. I can’t wait until the shows air and then possibly we can join back up in November and talk about the shows that you’ve been on.

I have so much to tell you. If we’re going to connect in December, I’m going to tell you.

We’ll do one in November and we’ll do one in December and then you can talk about your episodes.

I have some filming also. I’ve taken some behind the scenes shots.

Got to ExtremeHuntress.com and vote for one of the four. Put your email address in and you only can vote once because they check the IP address.

If you start to fool around and try to email other addresses, I’m going to be disqualified and I don’t want to be disqualified. I want to do this honestly.

I think technology won’t let that happen anyway. Everybody’s computer has a unique address.

Since the 1st of August, I’ve been out hunting every day.

You’ve been hunting like a thing.

I love predator hunting.

You went seal hunting. This has to do with Ulrika’s ability as a hunter and the different types of hunting she does in Sweden. Tell me about the seal hunting, that was in August perhaps or early September?

No, the seal was earlier because I went to Finland and that was the mink, the small black ones. I’ve been reindeer hunting up in Norway. I’ve been doing a lot of funny stuff. I’m hunting all the time. I went to Azerbaijan. I was up in the Caucasus Mountains. I almost died.

No oxygen?

It’s not safe to climb around those high steep mountains. You shouldn’t be up there, but I did go.

Were you hunting for ibex?

No, the Dagestan tur. You have to be high up to get them. It’s a long-range shooting also. I had to be focused and have my equipment in order. I took my tur in 320 yards.

How many meters is that?

It’s 320 meters. It’s not that big difference, 20 or 30 meters.

What are you shooting for that? Is it Sig Sauer? What rifle did you take for that?

I’m using Sauer 300 win mag. I like that caliber when we’re shooting in the long-range. I use my 308 a lot because I have a collaboration with Norma Ammunition. I get to test all the new ammunition. I’m going to South Africa. There’s a Norma event coming up. I’m going to be one of the first to tests shooting new ammunition down there.

What are you going after? Plains game or dangerous game?

Plains game. It’s going to be shooting exercises for a couple of days. We’re going to test some Bergara rifles. We’re going to test some rifle scopes and use stuff. In my work as a freelance producer and influencer, I can do a lot of funny stuff. I can travel and I can test new gear and equipment. I love that. I can also be a focused person for hunting. I’m going to go to an influencer breakfast. I’m going to have a lecture and talk about hunting and what I do.

You’ve built an iconic brand and you’re in the process of building it. You’re doing it well because I know some of the companies that you collaborate with.

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I’m looking forward to being in your show again and tell you all about Zimbabwe.

We know about the other four ladies. What do you think the message of Ultimately Extreme Huntress is to a woman? If they’re all for a run, what would you be saying is the unified message that you want to get out to the women of the world?

First of all, hunting is about doing what you love because staying outdoors, being in the forest, in the field is good for you. It’s good for human beings to be outdoors. I don’t have to visit a doctor or psychiatrist. I don’t have to go to a gym or do yoga. I get all that when I’m outdoors. That’s the biggest message of why I do this. Also, hunting is a responsibility because without hunters, there will be no animals left. We have a great responsibility for conservation. For example, in a mountain, there could be a couple of animals that there are not that many of them in the whole world. Maybe the people are going to kill them and eat them because they need food. Instead, if you put a value to these animals and a guy or a woman like me come there and hunt them and pay a lot of money, the people will protect those animals because they want my money. In that way we can make the animals survive. Hunters have a responsibility and I don’t think that non-hunters understand that. It’s our duty to educate people and stand up for this cause because it’s important. There are facts and numbers and everything that you can read about it. If I tell you this, you’re going to believe me and you’re going to start understanding.

You’ve got an Africa trip. What’s the rest of the fall look like?

It’s going to be moose hunting in Sweden. That’s closest to my heart. I like moose hunting. I’m also planning for some other hunt. We’re going to do red stag and we have some fallow deer coming up and a lot of wild board-driven hunts. I’m not going to be that wild boar fever, but I like driven hunts also. My schedule is crazy. I have two kids, I have to take care of them also.

What are their ages?

Thirteen and nineteen. They’re more like, “Mom, are you gone? Are we going to be okay?” It’s so funny because my daughter, she’s thirteen. She went with me to South Africa and she killed her first animal. I was so proud. That’s important also to keep working with the next generation because they’re going to be there when we’re not here.

You’re doing a good job. What’s your message to the ladies who aren’t sure about this hunting thing and why they should get involved? We both know women represent the fastest-growing demographics across the world of hunters. What’s your message to them?

I get people writing on my Instagram that they don’t like what I’m doing. I take my time and I always answer them because I hunt for food. I love the game, the meat. Also, with this conservation thing, you have to tell them and educate them. At the end of the day, it’s always someone tells me, “It’s interesting to listen to Ulrika. I would love to sit down by the fires some evening and you can tell me more about hunting.” That’s my goal because I tell them, “This is what we do and this is our lifestyle and we’re not doing it because we like to kill animals. We don’t like to pull the trigger.” We have a cause and it has a meaning. When I get them to be interested and they want to sit down with me and talk more, I’m so happy.

That’s good, a glass of wine and a fire going. I call it common ground and so many people don’t try to reach common ground. In Colorado, we have a big deal going on with people wanting to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. One, they’re already here. Two, in Southern Colorado, there’s an endangered species, the Mexican wolf, and the wolves they want to introduce is the gray wolf. It’s not the timber wolf. The wolf that was eradicated back in the ’40s, they’re not going to reintroduce the same wolf. There’s so much going on and there are pros and cons. Myself, I love hearing a wolf in the wild. Why? Because that means it’s wild. You have to manage the process. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve seen other states like Idaho, Montana and Wyoming being hammered. The deer population in Wyoming has gone down drastically because they’re easy prey for wolves. Did they have wolves in Sweden?

Yes, we have wolves and they are always a problem for the people who live close to them. Another dog was taken during a driven hunt. The wolves took the dog. We try to manage this population, but unfortunately we’re not allowed to hunt them every year. It’s like a license. We have to kill some of them and the government doesn’t want us to hunt that much. Although we have a lot of wolves in this area where I live. I’m not going to be able to hunt moose that much because of the wolves. It’s a tricky situation. I love wolves and we should have them in the forest, but we can’t have all of them in my backyard.

It’s a matter of management. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife are on record saying, “If wolves come in from Wyoming, if they crossed the state line, then they’re here. We have wolves here.” It’s a crazy thing why people want to reintroduce or introduce something that’s already here. I don’t understand it.

In Sweden, we have a lot of wild boars. If you don’t manage them and hunt them during the summertime in the evenings and in the nights there’s going to be a lot of wild boars because they can give birth to ten small ones and then it’s going to be another ten one.

The gestation period is quick too. It’s just a couple of months.

They can give birth up to three times a year. You need to manage them from the start because otherwise they’re going to be too many of them. We have a lot of car accidents and it’s tough to be out there. I’ve been hunting a lot. I’ve been out the middle of the nights and it’s crazy getting home at 3:00, 4:00 AM and you’re so tired. You have to take care of your kids and you have to work. We have to do that because we need to keep the numbers down.

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We’re talking about conservation and stewardship and management of these wild animals and nobody does it better than hunters. Yes, cars and trucks take out a number of critters but not the same number. The other thing is we turn it into meat, we turn it into protein. It’s organic food and we’re eating it. We’re serving it on the table to our friends and family.

We’re taking care of everything. We hunt conscious because we are aware of what we are doing. We’re not supposed to kill the wild boar mother if she has babies with her. We always have in our mind how to do it and in the best way and don’t make the animals suffer. If we can shoot with one shot and kill it instantly, that must be our main goal. It’s up to us to be on the shooting range and train a lot. It’s the circle of life and we have to help nature out.

We’re part of the process. That’s what you don’t want to do. The Ultimate Extreme Huntress of which you’re a part of speaks to that because it’s more than just hunting. It’s conservation and stewardship. It’s a global economy. In Africa, when people go down and spend their money, that helps everybody. Plus you get protein. Your kill is shared with the families, with the trackers so nothing goes to waste.

There are poachers all over. You have to get money to get people paid to protect those animals. That is the main goal. As a hunter, I tried to explain to people I meet. If they’re not into hunting, I try to explain what we’re doing and I try to explain it in a conscious way so they can understand. I always try to make some good moose stew or barbecue and they were like, “This is a good dinner.” “Yes, it is. It’s game. I hunted it by myself.” You can get them more interested and they can be on my side.

They’re neutral or just get them to neutral.

In Sweden, 87% of people like hunters. That’s good.

You’re standing at the Dallas Safari Club awards ceremony. I’m saying you won. What are you going to say?

I’m not going to be prepared because I’m not going to think I’m going to be the winner because the other girls are all awesome. Of course I want to win because I am the best. I’m going to say, “I’m so proud to be in this competition and I’m so proud to be the winner and I want to thank Extreme Huntress for making me more aware of what I’m doing, all this knowledge, traveling, seeing new places, meet new animals and meet new people. All that, I want to bring back to all of you guys in some way. Thank you so much.”

Ulrika, thank you so much for being a guest on the show. We will be back to talk about Zimbabwe.

I love to be on your show. I want to connect again.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

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About Ulrika Karlsson-Arne

Hardcore but also conscious! My passion is the outdoors, to explore nature, forest and of course go hunting. I hunt 2-3 times per week year-round. I love to know where my food comes from. I make the most out of my life and I´m always positive. I´ve been hunting for 18 years but only the last three years this much.

I quit my job as a producer at Swedish Television and are now freelance, film and content in hunting business. But nowadays more of an influencer with sponsors like Sauer and Swarovski Optik. My whole life is on Instagram @swedishvenatrix – I´m a proud hunter and to me success isn’t always a game with me back home (but I for sure love to pull that trigger)… success can be helping the next generation, a nice day by the fire, meeting friends and see new places.

And being mentally strong makes you achieve what others say you can´t do. Makes me wanna try harder and go further. Of course, I want to win and of course, I´m gonna give you something extra in that Extreme Huntress-show! I mostly hunt in Sweden, but I have also been to Alaska, England and the Alps in Austria. Love the mountains, love the challenge of hard work before you find the animals.

Cause life is right here right now and it´s up to you what you wanna do with it. While others think about it I´m on my way out stalking, killing something.

List of accomplishments of merit, special awards and organizations involved with: Worked on free basis with the Swedish Hunting association for more than 10 years. Helped new hunters and women. Got a silver medal for that. Been guiding school kids in “nature school” on wild hiking. I´m writing content for Fjällräven right now. Also working as a freelance producer with bearplay.se – live broadcasting hunting-tv called Jaktstudion. I often visit Hunting Fairs and store events and talk about my hunting life. I´m sponsored by Sauer, Swarovski Optik, Polyver boots and Norma Precision and collaborates with Volkswagen, Aimsport and Fjällräven.

Last weekend I was invited (one of 30 from around the world) to a workshop and summit with Swarovski Optik, Sauer and RWS in Croatia, we tested long-range shooting and talked about future and social media, it was awesome. I´m known as a conscious hunter, inspiring others, but I also stand up for our rights and I´m proud, and with my age comes more “there´s nothing to lose” – do whatever you can with what you have!