Women Hunters: Fastest Growing Hunting Demographic in Wyoming and Elsewhere

Wyoming declares that the number of women hunters in the state grew by thousands over the past few years. The same appears to be true nationwide.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department records show that the number of women hunters grew by leaps and bounds over the past several years. Other states show similar trends.

From 2008 to 2016 female hunters increased from 11,189 to 14,770, while the number of male hunters in the state stayed relatively the same (even declining slightly) at more than 64,000.

That's a 32 percent increase of women hunters in the state of Wyoming.

Of course not every state shows such phenomenal growth, but overall from 1991 to 2011, while the total number of hunters in the country declined from around 7 percent to 5 percent of the total population, the proportion of women hunters increased.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation determined that in 2001 there were 1.8 million registered female hunters in the United States. By 2013 that number had increased by 85 percent and almost doubled to 3.3 million female hunters nationwide.

Now, around one-in-five, or 20 percent, of all U.S. hunters are women.

More people are enjoying the great outdoors than ever before. It makes sense that more women would be interested in hunting as part of that trend.

There are several factors that are likely responsible for the upswing in female hunter numbers, not the least of which is the ability to put healthy, organic food on the table.

Whitworth University Sociologist and women in hunting and angling panelist for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers National Rendezvous, Stacy Keogh, declared that, "Women are currently the fastest growing hunting demographic in the country."

Female hunters are also doing exceptional work in pushing issues of conservation and public lands.

"Women hunters have been doing great stuff in the conservation movement yet haven't received the attention they deserve," says Aaron Kindle of the National Wildlife Federation. 

That suggested lack of recognition appears to be changing quickly though, as both the hunting industry and politicians are increasingly recognizing the important role that women are playing in conservation, hunting and public land issues.

Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.

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