More and more women are joining the ranks of hunters, with data showing a 25 percent increase in the number of female hunters between 2005 and 2011. According to National Geographic that number comes from Census Bureau statistics, which confirm that 11 percent of all hunters were women in 2011 as opposed to nine percent in 2006.
This trend is not entirely unprecedented. According to opinion research firm Responsive Management, the number of women hunters has been rising since the 1980s. Research from the National Sporting Goods Association showed that women have a significant impact on hunting and shooting sports. In 2005, studies showed that more than three million women across the United States identified themselves as hunters, compared to a mere 1.2 million in 2001.
Organizations from wildlife agencies to hunting clubs to retailers have taken note, offering new women-oriented hunting classes and products.
“I just started three to four years ago. I was primarily a bird hunter, but deer hunting, there is something about the big game that is different,” Minnesota hunter Alex Larson told WCCO.
Read more: outdoorhub.com
