by Melissa Fox
Today, just about everyone agrees that women are a growing force in outdoor sports like hunting and fishing.
Surprising to some, according to statistics from zippia.com, over 44% of hunters today, nationally, are women. Women seem to be taking up arms, and rods ‘n reels, in droves, learning to harvest their own sustenance, and reclaiming a skill that has often been unattributed to their gender. The public at-large may be tempted to believe this is a newer phenomenon, but what if women have always been involved in these endeavors? Consider Artemis, the goddess of the hunt in Greek mythology. She is often depicted carrying a bow and wearing a quiver full of arrows.
The classic division of what was a male job versus a female job in ancient cultures is probably too simplistic. The truth is probably that then, as now, the roles and responsibilities often blur between the genders. In her book, Why Women Hunt, author and hunter K. J. Houtman interviews 18 women who hunt to explore their motivations for this most ancient of survival rituals, from the physical to the familial. The goal of the book was never a how-to manual, but rather to share exciting and endearing stories of lives changed. So if you haven’t read it already, it is a must-read!
On the ultimate reasoning for why women hunt, Houtman summarizes “For some it’s a sense of independence that comes from possessing the skills to hunt, the ability to provide food without having to rely on others. While many grew up in hunting families where they learned to hunt from a young age, an increasing number of adult women are becoming hunters through friends who hunt and by enrolling in programs that help teach women the skills to hunt and process their wild game.”
One such notable program is “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” (BOW), founded by Dr. Christine Thomas, Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources. Thirty-eight states across the U.S. now offer BOW workshops including the state wildlife departments of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
“We’ve had more than 300,000 women go through our program since it was created in 1991,” says Thomas. “Women want to hunt for many of the same reasons that men do. They enjoy the time in nature and the unexpected things that occur and the wonderful interactions that happen with wildlife. They love the fellowship of the time with family and friends and they like providing wild and healthy food that they then turn into gourmet meals. Women also appreciate the self-reliance and self-confidence that comes with going safely and successfully afield and they love to share stories after.”
For avid outdoorswoman Tina Henry of Henderson, Texas, she reminisces that “When I started hunting years ago, it was alongside my husband and another couple-friend of ours. While my husband taught me how to hunt, my girlfriend taught me how to have fun while hunting!” Now, many years later, Henry finds herself surrounded by female hunters regularly. She is actively involved in representing several hunting companies, one of which is Prois Hunting, a company specifically geared toward providing the highest quality gear for female hunters in particular. One of Henry’s favorite occasions is an annual hunt with an all-female hunting group, which she refers to as her ‘Hunting Sisters’. “We love to support each other in all of our different endeavors. We learn from and encourage each other, and have a blast while doing so!”, says Henry.
Whether it’s an annual girls weekend or a structured BOW workshop from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the end result of both is to provide an atmosphere where women feel comfortable learning new skills associated with hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities, in a supportive and non-threatening environment. BOW workshops, in particular, span a weekend usually Friday through Sunday afternoon and include four “hands-on” sessions that cover a diverse list of topics.
For local outdoorswoman Holly Dean of Murchison, Texas, her hunting journey began before the age of 7 years old. “My dad is who really sparked my interest in the hobby and started me with hunting whitetail and dove. While we didn’t get to go as much as we would’ve liked, I can remember begging him to take me every chance I could. Luckily for me, my sister showed no interest in hunting, so youth weekend and any other opportunities were all mine.” says Dean.
Passing down the love of hunting and fishing has also been a large part of another avid outdoorswoman, Holly Reding’s, life. She formed the first ever Fishing Team at Van High School in Van, Texas and ran the program for 9 years before retiring to be a full-time grandmother. Throughout her tenure with the team, she influenced over 175 students’ lives, many of them girls, by teaching them the ins and outs of the sport of competitive fishing.
“It was so exciting to see more and more female students begin joining the fishing team. I encourage any girl or woman who has never been out on the lake to join a friend or significant other and try it! There is something so special about the peace and serenity you get from being on the water.” says Reding. “Girls today need an escape from the constant pressures of society, now more than ever,” and she is convinced that “a little time on the lake accomplishes more than just the knowledge of fishing, but the takeaways and metaphors for life that are obtained are immeasurable.”
Fourteen year old Aubri Lemmert of Mt. Sylvan, Texas began hunting and fishing with her dad, uncle, and grandfather as soon as she was big enough to tag along. At her young age she has taken deer, dove, and caught every kind of fish imaginable. She and her dad, Ben, are known to take off and spend several weeks at a time on the Texas coast catching everything that swims or crawls. According to Lemmert “Enjoying the outdoors is in my DNA!”
From family outings, to school teams, to non-profit organizations, there are many ways for girls, and youth in general, to be involved in outdoor sports and lifestyles. When asked when she started hunting, Tina Henry laughs and says “I didn’t grow up hunting, I wish I did. But, I got here as fast as I could.” While she may not have had the opportunity to grow up in the sport, she now gives back as much as she can to not only her own children and grandchildren, but also as an active mentor in several different youth organizations geared toward educating youth in the sport.
Henry believes the biggest gift she can give the next generation is that of learning the art, and experiencing the joy, of hunting. As an example, for several years now she has volunteered her time to guide a hunt out of Mason, Texas solely for girls through Operation Orphan. She has three granddaughters and they take great pride in quizzing their “Nina” on where their meals come from when they spend the night at her place, “is this deer meat? dove? or hog, Nina?”
As many outdoorswomen can relate, Holly Dean remarks that hunting is a great outlet for her to relieve stress, take some time for herself and enjoy the blessings of nature. But even more than that, the time that she is able to spend with her family is what she says keeps her involved. “I even credit my love for hunting as being what brought my husband and I together. His opening pick-up line was ‘Hey, have you ever shot a deer with your bow before?’ and thus Dean is convinced “there are some memories that you can truly only make while hunting!”
Most hunters would argue that one of the more challenging aspects of being an avid outdoorsperson is the criticism received from those opposed to their sport. That rings especially true for women hunters. Dean says “The stigma behind hunting being only about ‘killing for fun’ is unfair. I find every aspect about hunting, except the killing part, to be fun. As a matter of fact, that’s the hardest part! I always thank the animal that gave its life, to feed me and my family.” She admits that her motherly conscience can sometimes make hunting difficult, but that’s why she says it’s important to learn to hunt ethically and successfully and to not be wasteful in consumption.
“In taking life, you are essentially giving life…” says Dean, “and that is the component that critics do not understand. Yes, my family and I enjoy our time in the outdoors, but we utilize every aspect of our harvests. We cook all the meat we take, as well as share it with our friends and family.” In regards to the topic of conservation, her favorite quote from Aldo Leopold comes to mind, “There are two spiritual dangers of not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”
Whether it’s a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, helping to provide food for the family or the opportunity to spend quality time with them, it’s clear women are finding plenty of reasons to don boots and camouflage. According to a report issued by National Geographic, “The proportion of women who hunt has risen 25 percent in the last 20 years.” and from the looks of it, that trend is not declining anytime soon.
