Running Head: EVOLUTION OF THE WOMAN HUNTER

Evolution of the Woman Hunter

Lorraine Bonkowski
Madonna University

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Hunting has been a basic instinct among humans 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 roles 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. Men have the role of going to work and
making money to provide for the family while women have the role of staying home to cook and
care for the children. However, when it comes to the actual activity of hunting, 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, 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 (Phro, 2013). But why the sudden increase? What is attracting more women to the
sport or influencing them? Also what kind of impact will the increase of woman hunters have on
the hunting industry?

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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, or fulfilling one of
humans most basic instincts. There are not many activities that are both peaceful and
exhilarating at the same time. Maybe it is something to do with the media or our cultures newest
trends such as the eat organic revolution or in general what is the cool thing to do? 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 are the
core values specifically to a woman that might be enticing solely more women to hunt?
Todays culture also supports a greater independence among women unlike that of our
ancestors. Women are now expected to go to college and hold careers just like their male
counterparts. Perhaps it is this change in our cultures gender role for a women that is opening
doors for more women to hunt. It is now encouraged that women take charge of their lives and
do as they please. I think the increase of women hunters has to do with the certain aspects in life
that a woman values along with the adjusting gender roles in our society. Stereotypically, women
are not thought of as hunters, but our cultures encouragement of woman independence along
with the core values of a woman, 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, and minimally processed 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 shifting, women are still predominantly the
ones to decide on household food and nutrition decisions according to the Bureau of Labor

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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 possibly
becoming interested 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 about the experience of eating it differently, and you have more control
over how the animal was treated. Women greatly value taking care of their families by feeding
them healthy meals and they are deciding to take control of what their family eats by getting it
directly from the source themselves.
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.

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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. This
reason for wanting to hunt shows the value that women place on family and relationships and
that modern gender roles have allowed hunting as an acceptable activity for women to embrace
this value.
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

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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
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. Regardless, this shows that women value media as it is a great influence
to the image of the independent woman, contributing to the increase in women hunters.
The increase in women hunters could also simply be because women are trying to
demonstrate themselves against certain stereotypes caused by typical gender roles 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 and submissive than men.
However, many women in todays society now have full time jobs while still taking care of the

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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.
More women hunting shows that they are embracing the shift in typical gender roles.
Even though this is becoming more acceptable in todays culture than in the past, women might
still receive some backlash for it. 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 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
similar 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? This shows that even though it appears our

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culture is having a change in gender roles, there might be certain individuals that are against
women venturing form their typical roles.
Contrasting the idea that women are trying to tear down typical gender roles, maybe
women value the attention it brings. Perhaps women being able to hunt is becoming a quality
that is attractive to men and therefore women are using it as a way to attract a mate. 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?
Maybe this idea of hunting being an attractive quality to a mate does still go along with
gender roles shifting, but in this case the role of the men. As mentioned previously, men were
typically the hunters, providing for the family and being the ones in charge. Maybe with the shift
in gender roles, men are becoming more passive and enjoy being taken care of instead of vice
versa. If so, then it would make sense that a man would find the ability to hunt attractive in a
woman. They might feel that this type of woman is capable of taking care of them. It might be
that women value the opinions of men and the males adjustment in their gender role is making
hunting for women more acceptable.
Regardless of the reasons for why more women are getting involved in hunting, the
hunting industry is taking note of the increase. Many hunting associations and clubs are now
offering classes and hunt camps geared towards accommodating women. They do this by

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providing women only gatherings sometimes taught only by women as well. 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 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. Maybe women
have always had an interest in hunting but were intimidated by their males counterparts. Now
that more training is available to them, we are suddenly seeing this increase.
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. They seem to
hope that making women feel more comfortable and involved will continue to keep their interest
in the sport.
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

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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
now being designed for shorter arm lengths as well as offering strong shooting force with less
pull back strength. These slight accommodations are making women feel that it is more
acceptable to get into the hunting industry. These accommodations again show that our society is
accepting and possibly embracing our evolving gender roles.
The number of more women wanting to hunt seems to stem from the core values that a
woman cares about. This idea, along with our cultures changing gender roles, gives
encouragement of women independence, making hunting a more acceptable activity for women
to participate in. Women are trying to lead better lives through food and activity as well as form
lasting relationships with the ones they love. This might show that women will always be the
more nurturing gender but hunting is a way of demonstrating that certain aspects of gender roles
are changing such as strength and independence. Women can be influenced by the media or their
peers and by other women wanting to redefine stereotypes. I think the most influential reasons
for more women hunting are the ones that tie in with the trends of todays culture such as
changing gender roles and the medias recent release of tough princess movies such as the
Hunger Games which only reinforce that roles are changing. The fact that more women are

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hunting is having an impact on our culture because it is an example showing that there is an
increase in women being more independent and that we are shifting away from the familiar
hunter and gatherer gender roles.

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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
Phro, P. (2013, November 12). Hunting: The newest growing hobby of Japanses women.
Retrieved from http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/11/12/hunting-the-newest-growinghobby-of-japanese-women/
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/