Being a female in a mostly male dominated world presents many challenges. The biggest one? Clothing. For years and years we have looked ridiculous wearing our daddy’s old camouflage and suffered ridicule when our pants weren’t long enough. But we keep hunting.
We have different obvious requirements for our bathroom needs; sometimes it is near impossible to find an adequate place to go in the desert. But we keep hunting.
Let’s face it, sometimes the dirt and the bugs suck. You start to smell from your hours of hiking, any makeup you attempted to put on at that un-human early hour of the morning has worn off, and you are pretty sure a bird is starting to nest in your once luscious hair. But we keep hunting.
We persist, and we are proud. Women hunters are some of the strongest, goal-oriented women I have ever met, and to consider myself one is an honor, even if I don’t always look pretty doing it.
Companies are starting to notice our strong voice and cater to our specific needs. The days of wearing ill-fitting camouflage are disappearing thanks to companies like Prois, Haley Vines and Under Armor. You can actually order pants that do not have the mile long zipper and shirts that don’t make it look like you are wearing a tent, genius!
When I was looking to get a new bow, several companies offered a female version to fit me exactly, and it was still a great product! My rifle is not female specific, but I had the stock dipped in Muddy Girl Camo so it fits my personality perfectly!
Even the company where I worked and suffered many a conversation with pig-like men, Sportsman’s Warehouse, holds an annual Ladies Night where women can get discounts and prizes just for us.
Now I’m not saying women should rise up and dominate the world of hunting, but recognize that we are equals and deserve the chance to prove we can keep up and we can pack out that trophy. We aren’t trying to discount your manliness, but do not assume our femaleness.
Looking at me you might never guess I am a hunter, I appear to be one of the most girly girls ever which is probably why my time at Sportsman’s was a constant battle for respect. But I didn’t stop hunting, and I never will.
So ladies, if you are looking for something exciting to do with your time, why not consider hunting? Or fishing? (They are starting to make more pink fly rods, and groups like Casting for Recovery support breast cancer awareness, so even more reason to support this great addiction)
It’s something that you can enjoy with anyone, generally terrific exercise, and you aren’t sitting in the house letting your brain rot away by watching some snotty woman shop a lot or getting carpel tunnel syndrome looking at Pinterest. Go outside and show the world that you are a lioness.
