Meet Weatherby's First Woman President - Denise Welker

Denise Welker has always loved the outdoors, even as a little girl. Since her family wasn’t really into outdoor activities when she was young (except for water skiing), she joined the Girl Scouts and went on their activities as much as possible. In high school she met her future husband, Brian Welker, an outdoorsman and passionate hunter. Brian also loved water skiing, so they became friends through that; as time went on he introduced her to hunting, which she very much enjoyed.

Throughout their 47 years of marriage, Brian & Denise have had five children (four boys and a girl) and now have 11 grandchildren. For the first 30 years, Brian worked at his many growing businesses and Denise raised the kids, involving them all in many sports and, yes, hunting. However, her most accomplished feat was raising them to be respectful and loyal adults. As the kids went off to colleges, she began hunting with Brian more often. After their last child went off to college, Brian began traveling the world with Denise, which she loved! It wasn’t just hunting, but it was also meeting new people around the world and learning how they lived, especially in the bush!

Denise has now traveled to and hunted on every continent except Antarctica (maybe someday, you never know), and despite experiencing every hardship imaginable (from extreme heat to extreme cold to no showers for days, etc.), she still enjoys traveling the world and hunting.

She is a Life member of SCI, HSC, DSC, NRA, and TTHA. She is actively involved with SCI and SCIF with her “Women Go Hunting” program she started 3 years ago and it’s growing significantly every year. 

Denise has been honored with many awards, including SCI’s Diana Award (’17), The Beretta Conservation & Hunting Award (’20), the Forth Pinnacle of Achievement, the Zenith Award, and the Crowning Achievement. Most recently she achieved SCI’s World Hunting Award ring the Venator Maximus, and now she is pursuing SCI’s World Conservation & Hunting Award. Those last two have been achieved by only a very few select women, and Denise is working hard for them.

Who knows what the horizon holds for her; only time will tell! Denise has said for many years that the goal of making a difference for the future of hunting is important. Getting more women and youth involved is critical, and she loves the fact that Weatherby Foundation focuses on education for future generations. Denise is honored to have been named the next President of Weatherby Foundation International.