Ashley Look
I have lately been wondering about us women who hunt. Perhaps it’s a self-discovery sort of thing considering I define myself as a hunter.
I am not concerned with the number of women that hunt as much as I am concerned with the way women hunt. Including myself. I think the ways women hunt is a major factor in the reasons for why a lower number of women hunt. If we get women to hunt differently, this could help increase the number of women hunters. However, this same strategy can ultimately decrease the number of women hunters.
Let me explain:
Think of the all of the people you know that hunt. Ask them how they got started if you haven’t already. Most or all will say their father, grandfather, or high school friends. No mothers or grandmothers are directly part of the socialization regarding hunting. Sure, they may support hunting and perhaps hunt themselves, but women are not taking an active role in introducing their loved ones to hunting. Several factors contribute to this, none of which I want to even begin talking about.
Now think of all of the women you know that hunt. Ask them how they got started. All of them will say their father, or in rare cases, their grandfather or husband. This says one thing about women hunters: they rely on a male partner to be introduced into hunting.
While superficially beneficial, this leads to two general categories of negative consequences:
1) Women tend to always rely on hunting with a male companion.
2) Women who do not have a male companion will not be introduced to hunting and those that already hunt will hunt much less or stop hunting altogether.
All of my personal experiences can be applied to my theories regarding women hunters. I consider myself considerably independent for a female hunter. However, the only true independence I had from any male partnership was when I turkey hunted spring of 2010. I packed my own gear, found my own place to hunt, paid for my own license and was prepared to harvest a turkey without the help or companionship of a male. I am the only female that I know of that has taken it this far. I know women throughout the U.S. do hunt on their own, but to my knowledge, none of my many female friends has hunted completely on her own.
In contrast, all of my other hunting experiences involved the help of a male partner. During the gun deer season, I take my sister out hunting. However, at the end of shooting hours, I go back to the cabin and tell the guys that the stand they set up for us “must be bad luck.” When I went out west to hunt mule deer and pronghorn in Wyoming, I spent the entire day hiking the backcountry on my own. But, when I needed help field dressing the pronghorn or sighting my rifle, I relied on my male friends to help me out.
This parallels the experiences of my female peers. In most or all cases, women depend on a male partner to be introduced to hunting and to maintain their identity as a hunter. Hunting is typically a social experience for both men and women, but it is clear that men tend to be more willing to experience hunting completely independent of hunting partners.
Perhaps it seems judgmental to say that women are not independent enough hunters. But I think that despite the social nature of hunting and of women, women need to begin to find a more wholly intrinsic reason to hunt. I think then we can find hunting a more liberating pastime if we truly can participate in hunting independent of other persons.
4 comments:
I can see what you are saying. I think that a lot of what occurs has to deal with the way things have always been. I know it sounds bad to say that but I agree that if things change it wouldn't be a bad thing. The biggest question is how to break old habits and ways of doing things? Also if you are suggesting that women should be taking other women hunting but there are few women that actually hunt by themselves where to you begin to solve this issue?
I agree with you. I do not know that many women that hunt, and the few I have talked to got started because of a husband or boyfriend. Only one that I can think of actually hunts on her own now, but she got her start from her dad and brother.
I think part of the problem is that men are seen as providers and have always been the ones to go out hunting, while women stay back to watch the kids. Also deer camp is seen as a time for us men to get away from work and family for a weekend where we can just be men, which makes it easy for us to shun women away from camp.
I personally have no problems with women hunting, as long as they are properly educated like everyone else with hunters safety and have spent some time with an experienced hunter in the field to learn proper educate and techniques.
Do you think something along the lines of a woman's hunt would do some good to get women interested in hunting. Something similar to the youth hunt, where they would let women go out hunting earlier in the season, and not feel all the pressure of other hunters as they would in the regular season?
Good thoughts, and it was nice to read from the perspective of a woman about women hunters.
Not sure where to begin on addressing this issue. I like Austin's idea of a "women's hunt," and think that if that could create a community of women hunters, then women hunters are closer to becoming a bigger demographic.
I'd personally love to work with women more and show them that women can be included in this sport.
However, as Austin said, deer camp is unique. It's generally a chance to get away from the women and work in their lives and act like men. I experience this firsthand with the deer camp I go to; oftentimes I am excluded from jokes or need to ignore some comments or jokes made.
Perhaps the women's hunt would help address this. Still, our most primal behavior points to women as being the nurturers and men being providers. It's hard to fight this (and maybe we shouldn't!) so hunting camps being male-dominated may be perpetual. But, hunting camps can in the future turn into an experience much different (and perhaps more positive) experience by incorporating women into deer camp.
It will be a long road, but I think my main intention is to be a part of introducing women to a great sport and show them that women do not need to rely on a male partner to start hunting or continuously hunt.
Happily, Ashley, the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program does offer women's hunts. I agree that it is difficult to get started. I learned from my husband. But, with interest comes independence. I have frequently taught field-dressing classes. I have a gang of women I hunt with. Today, I was RUSHING to class because I had been quartering a deer for our friend to take home in his cooler rather than tied to his car. (While the two guys hunted a few more minutes...)
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