Running Head: EVOLUTION OF THE WOMAN HUNTER

Evolution of the Woman Hunter

Lorraine Bonkowski
Madonna University

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EVOLUTION OF THE WOMAN HUNTER

Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to examine the recent increase in the number of women of hunt
whether it be gun or bow and any type of game. Gender roles that are stereotypic to women as
well as ones that are not, and also influences from todays culture were used to determine
possible reasons for the increase. The impact on our society of more women hunting was also
examined and what it means for the future.

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Hunting has been a basic instinct of man kind as long as we can remember. It was used as
a way to survive. If you did not hunt you became the hunted or if you could not successfully
catch a meal you would starve. Another sense of the word survival for our ancestors could be that
if the men did not hunt successfully the women would not stay with him. In order to survive
herself she would need a compatible mate that could provide for her and her children. The
stronger, smarter men and women would stay together, probably then claiming the phrase only
the strongest survive. This has led to our cultures historical gender stereotypes where we
portray men as hunters and women as gatherers. The men were responsible for tracking and
killing the familys meals while the women had the less gruesome task of foraging for fruits and
vegetables.
Even though hunting is no longer a means of survival for most, we still tend to separate
the genders with the idea of hunter versus gatherer. However, when it comes to the hunting
world, this division of labor is diminishing in todays modern society. According to Schmitt
(2013), in the United States, over the past 10 years, the number of women that hunt has grown by
25 percent. In British Colombia, Canada women hunters have increased by 62 percent from 2003
to 2012 (Mitchell, 2014). Women of all ages, all around the world are becoming equally as
passionate as men about gun and bow hunting of deer, elk, moose, bear, turkey to even exotic
creatures such as big cats and rhinos. But why the sudden increase? What is it that is attracting
more women to the sport? Also what kind of impact will the increase of woman hunters have on
the hunting industry?
There are a number of reasons that could be causing this increase of women hunters.
Perhaps they like being surrounded by nature, feeling the rush of adrenaline, and fulfilling one of

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their most basic instincts. There are not many activities that are peaceful and exhilarating at the
same time. Maybe it is something to do with the media or our cultures newest trend ever since
the eat organic revolution. It could be valuing family time or a chance to get a way from the
family for stress relief (Dedyna, 1999). A few of these reasons though, can be shared by both
men and women. In that case, what specifically are the values that might be enticing solely
women to hunt? Todays culture supports a greater independence among women unlike that of
our ancestors. Women also value certain aspects of their lives differently than men.
Stereotypically, women are not thought of as hunters, but the cultural values behind it are
causing an increase of women in the sport and the hunting industry is noticing.
Roughly in the same time frame of increasing women hunters, there has been a boost of
consumers wanting all natural, wholesome, minimally processed and simple foods. People now
prefer to visit local farmers markets to purchase fresh produce and locally made products instead
of a grocery store. Even though some gender roles are changing, women are predominantly the
ones to decide on household food and nutrition decisions according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (Schmitt, 2013). About two thirds of women are involved in daily household food
preparation, compared to only one third of men (Schmitt, 2013). More women are interesting in
hunting because it is a way to provide their family with a variety of natural, sometimes organic,
meats (Mitchell, 2014). It offers them an alternative to shopping for meat at the grocery store and
feel more at ease knowing where it came from. Schmitts article (2013) quoted Georgia
Pellegrini, a woman chef, Hunting made me realize that there's a lot that has to happen before
that piece of meat gets to your plate. As a chef, I wanted to participate in that process because it
makes the experience more meaningful. You think about the ingredients differently, you think

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about the experience of eating it differently, and you have more control over how the animal was
treated.
Another possible reason for the increase in women hunters is that women value spending
time together with their families. Not to say that men do not value this quality time, but women
are the nurturers that often bring the family together. In a world full of distractions, such as
televisions, phones, and computers it is hard for some families to find activities they can do
together. Hunting has always been a tradition type of activity for families year after year.
"Women are realizing how much fun hunting is and how close it can actually bring them in their
relationships with their families," says Tiffany Lakosky, co-host of the Outdoor Channel hunting
show Crush with Lee and Tiffany (Schmitt, 2013). Women are wanting to spend quality time with
their family in nature, out of the house, away from the television and other types of technology
or distractions.
For some women it is more specifically about finding an activity to do with their
husbands. As couples get older they sometimes find themselves growing apart or having less in
common. Finding an activity to do together as a couple is a great way to bond. Blogger Jacque
writes about interviewing a husband and wife hunting couple (2015), Today, we are a society of
constant connectivitysocial media, television, Internet, etc., which often comes at the
unfortunate expense of family time. Hunting is an exception and has, without question, made
our relationship stronger and brought us closer together. The frequent downtime of the hunt
allows us to grow through communication and involvement. In a society where divorce is
becoming more familiar, women might be taking up hunting to be closers to their spouses.

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Our culture is easily influenced by movies, tv shows, music, books and the celebrities
that produce them. Many times, we are mesmerized by celebrities, addicted to their reality
television shows and wishing we had their glamorous lives. So why would celebrity women that
hunt have any less of an impact? There might be an increase in women hunters because of the
influence of women in the media that hunt. Famous women such as Miranda Lambert, Eva
Longoria, Sarah Palin and Avril Lavigne are avid hunters. When attractive or influential women
celebrities are seen hunting, women might be thinking, I want to be like her. Also, some of the
most successful women in the hunting industry are young, attractive women such as Olivia Nalos
Opre, Mindy Arthurs, and Melissa Bachman. Opre is even a former pageant beauty queen. Just
like when an attractive women is advertising the newest make-up, consumers would think, I am
going to buy that make-up because I want to look like her, women might be influenced by
women hunters in the media.
When it comes to fictional characters, they can be just as influential. Katniss Everdeen,
played by Jennifer Lawrence, is the heroine character in the popular movie series, The Hunger
Games. She is a fearless young woman that is strong, independent and very skillful with her bow
and arrow. This type of character has become the essence of the new fairytale princess. Another
example is the Disney movie Brave, where Princess Merida has to rely on her archery skills to
save the day. This princess is also strong and fearless. These princesses are not waiting for the
prince to save them and take saving the day into their own hands. Women, especially younger
girls, fall in love with these characters and get the sense that they can be just like them. One of
the ways they can achieve this is by taking up archery and learning to hunt. Not only is there
increase in women overall picking up hunting but many of them are teenage girls. According to

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Shockey (2015), teenage girls are the fasting growing market in sport shooting. If this is one of
the main reasons women are hunting more however, it could diminish just as quickly as it began.
Many times influences from celebrities or the media are just a fad and will disappear once the
next one comes along.
The increase in women hunters could also simply be because women are trying to
demonstrate themselves against certain stereotypes and hunting may be another way to prove
this. Woman are normally thought of as the ones to stay home, take care of the kids and house.
They are also portrayed as more weak than men. However, many women in todays society now
have full time jobs while still taking care of the household and families. In some families, the
women even take charge of the finances and important decision making. Woman also now hold
jobs that in the past were unheard of such as police officers, mechanics, politicians, or
construction workers (Brach, 2015). Even Hilary Clinton is thinking to run for presidential
election. Perhaps it is this I can do it too independent attitude our culture has encouraged in
women that is causing their increase as hunters.
Even though women standing up against certain stereotypes in todays culture is
becoming more acceptable than in the past they still might receive some backlash. Back in June
of 2014, a 19 year old Texas cheerleader, Kendall Jones, was harshly criticized about her African
safari hunting trips. Safari trips have been one of the most dreamed of experience among hunters
for many years. Men have been going on these excursions long before her time. This young
women states how much she values this type of hunting because it helps with safari conservation
and it supports the communities she is hunting in. She posted pictures on Facebook of herself
alongside her trophy kills such as lions, zebras, and hippos. An online petition was started and

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passed which forced her to remove her Facebook page with all the pictures. Another one was
started to prevent her from ever returning to South Africa (Kwong, 2014). She received many
angry letters and hate mail some even threatening her life. Whether or not one agrees with what
she is doing, it was stated that she has not done anything illegal. She paid for all the hunting trips
and had all the proper licenses and documentation just like anyone else that has hunted in South
Africa before her. So why is this young girl getting so much criticism for something that has
been going on for years? She shares the same values and reasons for hunting that men do. If it
were a young man in the article instead would he have received the same type of judgement?
Opposite from the idea that women are trying to tear down typical stereotypes, maybe
women value the attention it brings. Perhaps it is becoming a quality that is attractive to men.
Women, many times, value the opinion of others, especially men. Some women that hunt receive
comments such as, well you dont look like you would hunt. Or some women even say
themselves, if you saw me you wouldnt think that I was a hunter just like Keith (2010) writes
about in her article. Is it that we have always expected hunters to be big burly men that we are
shocked when we see a woman that hunts? Is it this surprise factor that women create, that adds
to the attractive mystery quality of a woman?
Many hunting associations and clubs are now offering classes and hunt camps geared
towards accommodating women. They are providing women only gatherings sometimes taught
only by women as well. They hope that making women feel more involved will continue to
increase the hunter numbers. The Department of Natural Resources in Maryland says that they
have a high demand for women hunting workshops. They have over 3,000 women on their
mailing list and the workshops fill up quickly (Schmitt, 2013). Many times women may feel

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uncomfortable being in the same group as men. According to England (2011), The reasoning is
simple: There are probably thousands of women who would enjoy those activities but are
intimidated by them and also, quite frankly, don't want to listen to another man ignoring their
questions or telling them what to do. He is referring to activities such as hunting and fishing.
The increase in women hunters could be from this greater number of workshops, clubs, and
classes geared specifically towards women.
Although the number of women hunters has been on the rise the number of overall
hunters has been steadily declining since the year 2000. The DNR predicts that there will be a 27
percent decline in the number of hunters by the year 2030. The lack of hunters has actually
become a problem. Less hunters mean overpopulation of animals, less vegetation for animals and
less license sales. States rely on the sales from hunting licenses to help pay for environmental
conservation (Chu, 2005). Seeing the slight spark of interest from woman wanting to hunt has
opened up a new opportunity for the hunting industry to increase their numbers.
Now that there are more women valuing hunting, it means that the hunting culture needs
to keep up. Companies of the hunting industry need to start tailoring their products towards
women. Women need proper fitting attire and many companies have already done a great job of
this. Cableas offers their line of women clothing called OutfitHER and Bass Pro Shop has a SHE
Outdoor collection (Robbins, 2007). Under Armour has a women's collection featuring pink
trimmed camo attire.
The increase of women hunters means that there needs to be guns and bows sized
properly for them. Guns, for the most part, are all similar in size but companies like Remington
have been featuring rifles and shotguns that are lighter and have less recoil (Petzal). Bows are

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now being designed for shorter arm lengths as well as offering strong shooting force with less
pull back strength.
Overall, the number of more women wanting to hunt is the result of many reasons that
can vary for each individual. Women are trying to lead healthier lives through food and activity
as well as form lasting relationships with the ones they love. Women can be influenced by the
media or their peers and by other women wanting to redefine stereotypes. I think the most
influential are the ones that tie in with the trends of todays culture such as changing stereotypes
and the recent release of tough princess movies such as the Hunger Games. The more women
hunting will also have an impact on our culture because it is changing gender roles and affecting
the hunting industry.
This reads much like a report rather than an analysis mainly because I don't see
the context in which hunting fits. For instance, I can't dispute all the facts
and conjectures you offer but I still wonder what has changed in the meaning of
hunting to the point that at one time even women would not consider hunting as an
acceptable social activity to today where they do. Is it merely because hunting
is just another thing that women can do because of a changing ideal of "womanhood"
brought on by feminism or maybe is it just a reaction to what is being taught in
the schools, I.e., a greater reliably on math and critical thinking, traits that
seem fundamental to the hunt.
You hint at a number of possibilities for hunting, but I'm still wondering what
you have to say about the changing role of women in hunting; the feminization of
hunting.

See you at 7:10-7:15 on 4/9

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References
Brach, G. (2015, February 26). Girls take a shot at hunting WNY teens talk about their
experiences as more females are showing an interest in the sport. The Buffalo News, p.
21.
Chu, R. (2005, June 11). Endangered species? The hunters, not the hunted, are facing pressures
on their population: Decline in the number of hunters drives recruitment women, young
people for B.C.Wildlife Federation. The Vancouver Sun, pg. B1.
Dedyna, K. (1999, March 20). Women find sport and relaxation in hunting for food: Outdoor
recreation is a great stress reducer, says an avid woman hunter. The Vancouver Sun, p.
B1.
England, D. (2011, Apr 15). Aiming for estrogen: Organizations targeting women to fill
traditional roles of hunting and fishing. McClatchy - Tribune Business News Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/861965819?accountid=27927
Keith, T. (2010, December 9). For some girls, the ultimate goal is to kill a buck. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/09/131390073/for-some-girls-the-ultimate-goal-is-to-kill-abuck
Kelly, O. (2013). Hunting girls: Patriarchal fantasy or feminist progress? Americana : The
Journal of American Popular Culture, 1900 to Present, 12(1).
Kwong, M. (2014, July 6). Kendall Jones big-game hunting furor:Is it sexist? Retrieved from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/kendall-jones-big-game-hunting-furor-is-itsexist-1.2697848

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Mitchell, A. (2014, August 22). Why more women are taking up hunting. Retrieved from
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/why-more-women-are-taking-up-hunting/
article20179382/?page=all
Petzal, D. (n.d.). The correct way to introduce a woman to the ways of the rifle. Retrieved from
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/04/introducing-women-rifles
Robbins, J. (2007, Jan 25). Dressed to kill: Companies founded by women specialize in hunting
clothes for their gender. McClatchy - Tribune Business News Retrieved from http://
search.proquest.com/docview/459576098?accountid=27927
Schmitt, K. (2013, Nov 3). More women give hunting a shot. Retrieved from https://
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/