A panel of celebrity judges have announced the top ten finalists in the 2012 Extreme Huntress Contest. The top scoring essays were chosen by a panel of five judges who are hard core huntresses in their own right: Vicki Cianciarulo, host of Archerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Choice and the Choice TV shows; Melissa Bachman, outdoor TV show host and producer; Brittany Boddington, world-class hunter and TV show host; Rebecca Francis, Extreme Huntress 2010 and co-host of Eye Of The Hunterà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢; and Angie Tennison, Extreme Huntress 2011.

Entrants were asked to write a 500 word essay on why they think they are the most hardcore woman huntress in the world. The overall winner will be decided via an online public vote posted at tahoefilms.com. The voting will remain open from Tuesday Nov. 1, 2011 through Jan. 1, 2012.

The contest winner will be named Extreme Huntress 2012 and travel to the Omay Concession in Zimbabwe, Africa for an all expenses paid, fully outfitted expedition to hunt Cape buffalo with Martin Pieters Safaris. The hunt will be filmed for an episode of Eye of the Hunterà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ airing Sundays at 7 a.m. EST on NBC Sports starting in Aug. 2012.

And the finalists include…drum roll please… Rhonda Cork from Wasilla, Alaska, Jody Geistweidt from Fredericksburg, Texas, Joey Nelson from Bozeman, Mont., Jamie Nelson from Salem, Utah, Olivia Nalos from Dripping Springs, Texas, Jackie Gross from Silt, Colo., Liz Caddell from Fort Smith, Ark., Miranda Browne from Alder, Mont., Stephanie Love from Danbury, Texas, and Tiffany Brewer.

The Extreme Huntress Contest is not about bagging the biggest trophy animal. These womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s essays do show, however, that women are just as hardcore and passionate about hunting as their male counterparts.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Every year we get dozens of essays from the most hardcore huntresses from around the country,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  stated contest organizer Tom Opre, owner of Tahoe Films, Ltd.. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“We want to personally thank all of the women who shared their amazing stories with us. Our outdoor heritageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s future is at stake. With divorce rates at 50 percent and the latest US Census stating that 41 percent of all children in the country are born out of wedlock, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s imperative to get woman involved in outdoor field sports. What it comes down to is if mom goes hunting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  then her kids will too à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  ensuring our outdoor heritage.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 

The top ten scoring essays, judgesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ bios and complete contest information are posted online at tahoefilms.com. Everyone is invited to read the essays and vote on who they think should be the next Extreme Huntress. Voting will remain open through Jan. 1, 2012 and the new Extreme Huntress 2012 will be introduced two weeks later at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas.