Women are a growing segment of hunters. But keeping them in the sport remains a challenge

Harvest Public Media | By Teresa Homsi

Published December 16, 2024 at 4:00 AM CST

Charlene Gawronski waits in a tree stand in the early hours of Michigan’s opening day of the deer firearm season. When out in the field, she said she often thinks of her Uncle Bob, who taught her to hunt rabbits when she was a girl. “Sometimes, I’ll say a prayer, and instead of talking to Jesus or God, I’ll say, ‘Uncle Bob, give me a good shot or make sure that I take a clean, ethical shot,’” she said. — Charlene Gawronski waits in a tree stand in the early hours of Michigan’s opening day of the deer firearm season. When out in the field, she said she often thinks of her Uncle Bob, who taught her to hunt rabbits when she was a girl. “Sometimes, I’ll say a prayer, and instead of talking to Jesus or God, I’ll say, ‘Uncle Bob, give me a good shot. Or make sure that I take a clean, ethical shot,’” she said.

Many Midwest states and outdoor organizations are now trying to reach groups that haven’t historically participated in hunting — including women. But while women make up about a third of new hunters, many face barriers to break into and continue with the sport.

Sitting in a tree stand, Charlene Gawronski is decked out in camo on Michigan’s opening day of the deer firearm season.

Gunshots ring nearby, but three hours pass without any deer sightings. After 50 years of hunting, Gawronski knows it takes patience.

She shot her first rabbit when she was 12 years old with her Uncle Bob.

“That just was our special thing,” Gawronski said.

Gawronski said she doesn’t know for sure why her uncle chose her instead of her brothers and sisters, but she suspects he noticed blood and guts didn’t bother her.

“I think that was part of it, because he didn’t like cleaning the animals. He was squeamish, and I wasn’t,” she said with a chuckle.

In its first-ever national survey on outdoor recreation from 1955, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that roughly 4% of hunters were women.

Charlene Gawronski cleans the first rabbit she shot, likely in 1974 when she was 12 years old. Gawronski said hunting was something she shared with her uncle, but her younger sister tagged along once. "After Uncle Bob shot the rabbit, she cried the whole time, petting it," Gawronski said. "She didn't understand the dynamics that we eat the meat, and yes, it's sad that we harvest the animal. After that, she didn't want to do [hunt], and some people don't." — Charlene Gawronski cleans the first rabbit she shot, likely in 1974 when she was 12 years old. Gawronski said hunting was something she shared with her uncle, but her younger sister tagged along once. "After Uncle Bob shot the rabbit, she cried the whole time, petting it," Gawronski said. "She didn't understand the dynamics that we eat the meat, and yes, it's sad that we harvest the animal. After that, she didn't want to do (hunt), and some people don't."

That number has climbed to around 22%, according to the latest 2022 USFWS survey, but the gender gap remains wide.

“Whether that has to do with it being a traditionally male dominated field, or just lack of representation, women get intimidated by the subject matter,” said Jess Rice, the founder of wildHERness.

WildHERness began in Missouri and hosts regular events for women to get together and hunt. Rice grew up hunting and knows how empowering it can be, especially as a woman.

“All I’ve ever wanted out of this is to show people what this incredible world has to offer us,” Rice said. “Because all of it, at the end of the day, relates back to conservation.”

An untapped market

Hunting licenses — along with taxes on firearms and ammunition — generate a lot of funding for state wildlife agencies and conservation programs in the U.S.

Hunter numbers peaked in the 1980s, but even with a short-term “COVID bump,” hunting license sales have generally declined in states like Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio since then. Nationally, license sales appear steady, but a smaller percentage of Americans hunt today compared to 50 years ago.

Fewer hunters can also hurt wildlife management, causing out-of-control deer populations, for example.

Swanny Evans, a USFWS biologist, said there’s a concerted push to reach and recruit different demographics. In addition to gender, there’s also a racial gap — 76% of hunters in the 2022 national survey were white.

“I think there's a lot of audiences out there that have an interest, and just haven't had the avenue or haven't been asked,” Evans said. “Maybe they don't even know they're interested yet.”

The USFWS estimates that 33% of new hunters are female, but that piqued interest among women is not having as big of a long-term shift on who hunts.

“Females, in general, they don't tend to hunt as consistently,” Evans said. “They tend to be a little bit less avid, and then they have a tendency to drop out more.”

In a 2022 survey conducted by the California Waterfowl Association, female hunters reported a lack of time and access to public land as the top barriers, followed by intimidation and safety concerns.

Rice, with wildHERness, said for a lot of women, childcare takes up their free time. She said her organization has found that hosting outdoor opportunities geared at moms and families can help hunting experiences “stick.”

Charlene Gawronski's daughter, Jennifer Lynn, poses with her first buck. She used Uncle Bob's shotgun, which Lynn will pass down to her children. In 2019, Gawronski and Lynn started the Michigan Women's Hunting Club Facebook page to connect with other female hunters in the region and organize group hunts.

“Because if momma gets on board, typically the rest of the family is going to get on board,” she said.

Building community

Gawronski said that some hunting clubs still feel like an exclusionary “boy’s club,” and she’s not alone. Harvest Public Media surveyed women on hunting forums across the Midwest, and out of 242 respondents, around 32% said they felt “very unwelcome” in traditional, male-dominated hunting spaces.

A safe, non-competitive environment is important to build confidence among female hunters, according to Rice. She believes female mentorship and a sense of community is necessary for hunting to become a long-term passion.

“[I have seen when] a woman hits a clay [target], and the rest of the women in the class jump up, they're clapping, and they're so supportive,” Rice said. “Knowledge is something that can never be taken away from you, and that increases confidence.”

Rachel Alliss coordinates the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The organization, with chapters in most states, hosts workshops for women to learn the ropes and feel less overwhelmed — such as when buying hunting equipment.

“The whole focus is to create a pretty inviting space where like-minded ladies can ask those questions like, how did you go up to that gun counter?” Alliss said.

Alliss said she had to overcome her own reservations about hunting. She was a vegetarian for more than a decade before she moved to the Midwest. Then five years ago, a coworker invited her to go hunting.

“There was a lot of soul searching,” she said. “Can I identify as this? Can I put on social media to my vegetarian East Coast friends that I did this thing?”

But Alliss said she got excited about harvesting fresh meat, and now, she’s helping other women do the same. She said the image of a person dressed in camo and covered in face paint doesn’t capture the heart of hunting.

“The picture that should be shared is the table with your friends and family around it, and the meal you’re having because of your work,” Alliss said. “It's not about the excitement of, hey, I killed this thing. It's that I've been able to provide this meat and now I can share it.”

Passing the torch

Back in Michigan, Gawronski said her proudest moment as a hunter was when her daughter, Jennifer, shot her first buck.

She remembers warning the then 12-year-old not to shoot if a deer went past a certain range, but Gawronski recalled, “Sure enough, the buck walks out on the other side of the tree, and she had a small .410 bullet, and she shot it.”

The two found the buck dead, but because the bullet was so small, they couldn't see any blood.

“She's like, where did I hit it? So I teased her, and I said, well, you scared it to death,” Gawronski said, with a laugh. “She said, 'Really?' She was so gullible.”

Charlene Gawronski's six-year-old grandaughter, River, poses with a crossbow target.

Now, Jennifer is teaching her 6-year-old daughter to hunt, who will happily practice shooting her crossbow in a poofy princess dress.

“She's really a girly girl, but she likes to do that stuff too,” Gawronski said.

Gawronski said passing on her knowledge brings her pride, as a mom, grandma — and a hunter.

“Having your grandkids see that ‘Nana got a deer’ makes you feel… pretty cool,” she said. “Yeah, I’m ‘cool-grandma.’”

This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.