Women Who Hunt - Lily Patterson on hunting, family, and footy

Women Who Hunt - Lily Patterson on hunting, family, and footy

Lily Patterson shares how hunting started with rabbit and fox hunts alongside her dad and grandfather, then grew into a lifestyle built around safety, patience, and making the most of every animal harvested. She also talks about the first date that turned into a hunt, the thrill of calling in deer and wild dogs, and how hunting and AFL fit into a full, busy life.In this episode, we hear from Lily about the skills she learned from her dad, how she and her husband hunt together, and why the quiet moments in the bush matter just as much as the shot. She also reflects on being a woman in hunting, why more women are getting involved, and what she wants to pursue next.

Key topics

• Lily shares how hunting began early, going out with her dad and grandfather on a hobby farm near Storm King Dam for rabbits, foxes, and feral cats.
• She explains that hunting became more serious when she met her husband Jordan, and their first date was a hunt for red deer.
• In this episode, Lily talks about harvesting and using the whole animal, including meat, dog bones, and taxidermy.
• She describes the importance of firearm safety, especially around livestock and while hunting with others.
• Lily shares the story of her first successful deer, a cull red, and how she remembers the nerves and the satisfaction of the shot.
• We discuss her recent successful rut hunt, where she called in a red deer stag after about an hour and brought him down with an engine room shot at around 70 meters.
• Lily explains her setup, including a Remington 700 in .243, and why the smaller rifle suits her build.
• She says wild dogs are her favorite species to hunt because of the speed, unpredictability, and challenge of calling them in.
• We discuss how hunting techniques change by species, from walk and stalk deer hunts to sit and call dingo hunts.
• Lily shares how the quiet moments in hunting help her switch off from work and everyday stress, and how patience and resilience carry over into life.
• She also talks about playing AFL for Tomba Tigers, the physical demands of footy, and how the two hobbies complement each other.
• Lily reflects on women in hunting, saying the community is growing and more women are getting out, supported by better clothing and more suitable rifle options.
• She shares that she mostly hunts close to home to help pest control on local properties, and that camping overnight is less common for now.
• Lily says her next goals include trying for different deer species, possibly goats, and more cod fishing after a successful first trip.

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome to Lily Patterson and her hunting story 00:43 - Growing up hunting rabbits, foxes, and feral cats with family 01:40 - The first date hunt that started it all 02:59 - Safety lessons that still matter in the field 03:27 - Showing up to the wrong house before the first hunt 05:10 - Why hunting strengthens a relationship 05:49 - First cull deer and learning to harvest the whole animal 07:23 - The rut hunt that led to her first proper trophy 08:27 - Calling a stag in from open country 09:35 - Staying calm, breathing, and making the shot count 10:02 - Her .243 Remington 700 and why it fits her well 11:06 - Full taxidermy and getting the stag back later 12:06 - Can you eat rutting stags? 13:39 - Knowing the stag would be there this season 14:13 - Early starts and long hunts that finish around 9 p.m. 15:02 - Why wild dogs are her favorite hunt 16:04 - Using her husband’s howl to call dogs in 18:18 - Different hunting approaches for deer and dingoes 20:16 - The fast dingo hunt where four dogs came in 21:19 - Council payments for skulls and skins 22:29 - What species Lily still wants to hunt next 23:50 - A first-time cod fishing trip and learning a new technique 26:19 - Why quiet time in the bush matters 27:21 - Walk and stalk, plus using glass effectively 28:04 - Staying aware of footing and wind while stalking 28:50 - How hunting discipline carries into footy 29:45 - Eleven years with Tomba Tigers and falling in love with AFL 30:54 - Reaching 100 games and aiming for 150 32:13 - Switching mental focus between sport, hunting, and work 32:54 - Footy as the tougher physical test 33:27 - How footy helps keep her hunt fit 34:03 - Being a woman in the hunting community 35:00 - More women getting into hunting and better gear options 36:07 - What hunting has taught Lily about patience and resilience 37:04 - Dad’s pride and the family roots of her hunting life 38:39 - Butchering and processing at her father-in-law’s place 39:38 - Why using and sharing the meat matters 40:01 - Go-to venison meals, including schnitzels and spaghetti bolognese 41:42 - Hunting mostly close to home instead of camping away 42:40 - What she wishes she had known before getting back into hunting 44:15 - Her advice to women who want to start hunting 45:08 - Common misconceptions about how hard hunting is 45:57 - The kind of person she hopes others see in her 46:27 - Why her husband is proud of her persistence 47:19 - What’s next: New Zealand hunting plans, more deer, and cod fishing

Key frameworks

• Patience and resilience - Lily repeatedly comes back to these traits as the biggest lessons from hunting and life.
• Use the whole animal - From meat to bones, Lily and her family make sure nothing goes to waste.
• Switch on, switch off - She talks about mentally shifting between football, hunting, and work depending on the day.

Notable quotes

• "If you're interested in it, just do it."
• "It just gives you a rush."
• "You stop when you've won, right?"

Action items

• If you’re new to hunting, start with confidence-building practice and safe shooting fundamentals.
• Focus on learning animal behavior, tracks, terrain, and sign before expecting consistent success.
• Make time for the quiet parts of hunting, not just the shot.
• If you’re a woman interested in hunting, Lily’s advice is simple: don’t wait, get started.