It’s not just Katniss Everdeen sporting a bow and arrow these days. The number of female hunters has increased steadily over the past seven years, and shows no sign of slowing.
Of the nearly 14 million hunters in the United States, 11% of them are women, according to statistics provided by the Census Bureau. With the increase in participation by women comes the increase in marketing to women: More merchants are pushing their small firearms and outdoor gear on women, looking to take advantage of a market with plenty of room for expansion.
Fortunately, the members of what used to primarily be a boys’ club aren’t exclusionary, as reported in this article from Fox News:
One male hunter, Fred Williams, speaking to NPR, says, “”women tend to be actually better hunters because they tend to be a bit more patient, and oftentimes are a much better shot, because they tend to be a bit more focused.”
In Wyoming, Marilyn Kite, the state’s first female state Supreme Court justice, helped come up with the idea of the Women’s Antelope Hunt.
“We’ve found it to be just great recreation, lots of fun, and the camaraderie of it is why you do it, really,” Kite told NPR. “But we also really like the meat.”
Photo: Petersen Hunting (top), Field and Stream (above)
