SCI’s 2026 Diana Award Winner Says: Hunt Hard, Stay True to Yourself

Women Go Hunting asked 2026 Diana Award winner Madeline Demaske to share her hunting journey and provide advice to other women pursing goals in the outdoors. Below, she talks about how hunting and being her father’s hunting buddy was woven into the tapestry of her life story. She’ll have more to share with you as the keynote speaker at our annual Mix & Mingle (details below).

You should also know Demaske is SCI’s associate litigator and part of the organization’s advocacy team, fighting for hunters’ rights and sustainable-use conservation every day. She is also on the Women Go Hunting team, helping out at the booth during convention and also at our annual Mix & Mingle. We hope you will join us to meet Demaske and the many other ladies who can support you in the outdoors no matter how you participate. Here’s Demaske’s story:

I like to say my hunting career started before I could even walk—because technically, it did. I was only 18 months old when my dad strapped me into one of those little backpack carriers and took me on a deer hunt. My mom was working, so Dad brought me along, determined to fill the freezer with me bobbing along behind him. He loves telling the story of how he harvested a mule deer doe with me on his back, my tiny feet kicking him and my voice chirping, “Got ’em, got ’em!”

From that moment on, I was hooked. If my dad was headed to a deer stand, a goose pit, or a turkey blind, you could bet I was right there with him. Hunting wasn’t something I did occasionally—it was a thread woven through my entire childhood. I shot my first turkey at eight, my first deer at 12, and drew my first sheep hunt at 14.

That Oregon sheep tag changed everything for us. It kicked off what became a shared passion for big, wild adventures. We chased sheep and goats across North America and eventually across the world. Every hunt my dad planned, he asked me to join. I became his built‑in hunting partner, the kid who spent more nights in a tent with her dad than most girls spend at sleepovers, and who logged more hours on a plane next to him than she did on school buses.

Our hunts were never about awards or recognition. They were about setting goals, pushing ourselves, and doing something we loved—together. People underestimated us more often than not. My dad is six‑foot‑six and hardly your stereotypical sheep hunter, and I certainly didn’t fit the mold either. I’ve been showing up in hunting camps since I was 14, earning my place the same way everyone else did: one climb, one stalk, one challenge at a time.

Most of the hunts in my life have been with my dad by my side. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve begun branching out and hunting on my own. But no matter where I go or what I pursue, that foundation—those years spent learning, failing, succeeding, and growing beside my dad—has shaped the hunter and conservationist I am today.

Becoming a Diana wasn’t something I ever thought was possible for me. For the longest time, I assumed it was out of reach. I didn’t see anyone close to my age earning it, and I figured I needed a decade or two more experience before I could even think about applying.

All of that changed when Diana Britt Longoria reached out to me. She asked if I had ever considered applying, and I told her I didn’t think I met the criteria. She disagreed—strongly—and encouraged me to get my animals entered into the record book. Her belief planted a seed I didn’t realize I needed.

Then, the next year, Diana Denise Welker reached out too. She sent me the application and nudged me again and again as the deadline approached. I almost let it pass—I actually hadn’t submitted my application until the day of the deadline—but she kept encouraging me, reminding me that sometimes we’re ready long before we believe it ourselves.

So, I kept doing what I always do: hunting hard, staying true to myself, and focusing on the conservation work that matters to me. I didn’t change to fit anyone’s expectations—I just kept being the hunter I had always been.

Then last fall, the call came. I’d been selected as the 2026 Diana. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more emotional than I was in that moment. And now, somehow, I am officially the youngest Diana ever—just 30 years old.

Sometimes I think about that 14‑year‑old girl on her first sheep hunt in Oregon. She had no idea where this path would lead. But I know she’s proud. I know she’d look at who I am now and say, “Yeah… we did it.”

Postscript: The Mix & Mingle takes place Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville, TN, from 10 am to noon. It is a free event open to all women attending the SCI Convention. Also, come meet some of the past Diana Award winners at Women Go Hunting Booth #3306 at the SCI Convention on Thursday, February 19, 12:30 to 2 pm. Hear their stories and get advice on reaching your hunting goals from these accomplished ladies!