Outdoor Sports: A Woman’s Touch
Written by playerpress.com, Wednesday December 17 2008
A Field & Stream survey conducted in 2007 discovered there are over 3 million female hunters in the U.S. The survey asked for the respondents to submit a brief bio including how they got into the sport. While many were introduced courtesy of their spouse or father, several took to the outdoors on their own.
That is fascinating since many of those who came aboard on their own had to battle the stigma held by their friends and family members. One woman talked about how both her parents oppose hunting, so she could not share her experiences with them. Likewise, many revealed that friends tended to avoid that part of their life. They chose to overlook the guns and the equipment that began to take up more space and time.
Interestingly, none of the women felt the lack of acceptance would cause them to give up their hobby that became a lifestyle. Like their male counterparts, women who hunt assume it as a life style. Manufacturers of everything from clothing, equipment lines and weaponry have introduced items made specifically for the female hunter. The quality of the product is so good that most women do not feel that men have any edge in the sport since they are equally equipped when hunting game.
Most of the women reported that they enjoyed the camaraderie of hunting and the challenge of bagging game. While many had never handled weapons previously, they all became adept as their interest flourished. Several use bows to hunt and all of them handle their own game when it comes to dressing and butchering the animal.
While they may be new to the sport, they have already started their own support groups. One such is an organization named Camo and Lace. This group teaches women weapon safety, the type of game that can be hunted in a specific area and how to obtain the proper licensing and permits. The idea is to promote safety, politeness and equality through understanding. Female only events and shoots are common and growing in popularity.
This works well when there are a number of female hunters in an area. Unfortunately, many must go solo since sometimes even spouse, boyfriend or family member prefers the company of their fellow men and the woman is left to fend for herself. Still, this does not cause many to desert the ranks. Oftentimes they attempt to convert a friend. One would imagine that it takes a great deal of persuasion to convince a friend to pass up a mall trip for a weekend of hunting, but these women are determined to make it in the world of outdoor sports, so they probably have the ability to convince friends to join their ranks.
While some have broken the conventional stereotypes male hunters would have had prior to becoming familiar with women hunters, many of the females who have entered the sport confessed it changed their thinking of male hunters. For instance, gone is the impression that a hunting trip consists of guzzling beer and shooting anything that moves. By entering the wild women have proved they are equal and understand the challenges and rigors of the sport. In other words, it has been an eye opening experience for both genders.
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