DULUTH, Minn. _ Meadow Kouffeld remembers when she discovered she wanted to be a wildlife biologist.
"I found out there was such a thing when I was a senior in high school," Kouffeld said.
After a rich and varied background in wildlife-related jobs, Kouffeld became regional wildlife biologist for the Ruffed Grouse Society in 2015. Based in Grand Rapids, she covers Minnesota and the western half of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Kouffeld, who grew up on a small ranch in northern California, earned her master's degree in wildlife ecology and management at the University of Minnesota in 2011. Over her career, her work experience has included goshawks in California, desert bighorn sheep in New Mexico, sage grouse in Nevada and bears in Wisconsin.
She's an avid grouse and woodcock hunter who owns two Deutsch Drahthaars, a pointing breed. In her work with the Ruffed Grouse Society, she has conducted two in-depth classes called "Women's Intro to Wingshooting," which involve weekly sessions culminating in game-farm pheasant hunts.
The Duluth News Tribune recently asked Kouffeld to talk about women in hunting.
