Real Women Hunt

The saga of which hunt areas to apply for licenses for the upcoming season generally starts sometime near the end of the current season and is the subject of much debate. We usually end up in the same place, but we always try for a premium area. We hunt on public land. Opinions on public versus private land will be the topic of another post, but we do believe in hunting on public land.

This year we were all gathered together for Easter, so we used that weekend to make the final decision and submit the applications. Like most families, there was church, bunnies, chocolates and a big dinner, but we added the anticipation of this fall’s hunting season to the mix. It was the source of much debate and more than a few stories about seasons past. We might be a bit excited.

The anticipation is part of the fun. It will be a couple of months before the Game and Fish Department “draws,” but the lure of the outdoors has started at our house with the first signs of warm weather. This year will be the first year my son-in-law will hunt with us and we are excited to show him around. I’m sure my husband will be happy to have another man to hunt with. Hunting is a family affair for us. We asked our three year old granddaughter if she wants to hunt this year. She promptly responded that yes, mommy will shoot a deer and we will get him and put him in the truck. She hasn’t grasped that the meat on her plate came from last year’s deer, but the rest sounds about right.

I have to admit, I just didn’t get opening day. I watched my husband get all excited and start getting ready weeks before opening day. I knew his chance of a successful hunt on opening day was not great. I asked him year after year, “Why not wait until it gets cooler? It’s too hot. You won’t get anything. His reply was always the same: “Because it’s opening day.”

Ok. Whatever. Now that I hunt with him, it is a whole different conversation. I laughed at myself when not long ago, I caught myself saying, “Antelope opens in four months.” He just looked at me and smiled as he told me it will still be hot. Yeah, ok. Maybe I do get it.

We wait all year. It isn’t exactly like waiting for Christmas, but the excitement is close. We get to ditch the high heels and suits and be outside. We get to be ourselves and test our skills and our wits in the mountains. If we are lucky, we get to see animals in their habitat, unconcerned that we are there.

One evening last year I sat just beneath a shrub watching the sun set. I hadn’t seen much and didn’t expect to see anything I could or wanted to shoot. After a while, deer started crossing right in front of me. All of a sudden there were about a dozen does and fawns within twenty yards of me. It was an amazing experience watching them feed and interact with each other so close to me. They never knew I was there. That kind of experience doesn’t happen back in town. I think I get it now.

This is a hunting blog, not a fashion blog. But my challenge in finding suitable clothing and equipment is important to being able to be successful and safe while hunting, so I wanted to post at least one more time on this issue. For those who manufacture hunting gear, women are a huge market. There has been a push to get more women into hunting but the gear hasn’t quite caught up. I had the same issue in the Army. Women can’t just be issued smaller gear. Those that manufacturer clothing and equipment need to understand that men’s and women’s bodies are different. Duh!

My guess is that most women in the military have been tossed a size small body armor vest and told that’s all that’s available. Deal with it. That is, if the woman is lucky enough to get a small. Personally I was issued a large. It was absurdly huge on my 5’2″ body, not to mention completely ineffective and probably dangerous.

Hunting clothing was much the same. My first pair of pants were so big on my legs that I kept getting them caught on barbed wire fences and tree branches. They didn’t last long. Fortunately last year I found some pretty good gear that was made for women. I like UnderArmor gear, but it is a bit pricey. If you can afford it, it is worth the money. I bought a pair of pants and a vest from “Girls With Guns” and wore those all hunting season. They fit well and were functional and durable. I liked them so well I bought a jacket for this year. I also noticed there are a couple more companies dipping their toes in this market.

My advice is that if they want women to buy what they are selling, ask women for their input on design. And although I am sure models are wonderful people, they aren’t necessarily the best folks to use for size and shape models. Ask some everyday women who have actually hunted. We would love the input.

I started hunting just a few years ago for two reasons. First, I have always loved being outdoors. I grew up in the south, where fishing and camping were the best part of summer. The second reason was that I was tired of not seeing my husband for 3-4 months every year.

Eventually I accepted my husband’s oft repeated invitation go along with him. One of my first projects was finding suitable clothing for hiking and being in the mountains. The terrain can be challenging and the temperatures can vary greatly in Wyoming. Having been a Soldier with some outdoor survival skills, I had a pretty good idea of what I needed and wanted.

Much to my chagrin, I found plenty of camouflage lingerie and pink sweatshirts, but not a single pair of pants. Honestly, who needs a camouflage nightie? Was I supposed to hunt in that? I just needed a decent pair of pants! Eventually I settled on a good pair of boots, even though they had pink stitching and just wore my old Army pants with a sweatshirt. I was pretty disgusted, but undeterred.

Happily I had some basic rifle skills thanks to my Army training so it didn’t take much to get my rifle sighted in and I was ready to go. I had a wonderful time and shot a nice mule deer. I was hooked. Now I am pretty sure I like hunting big game more than my husband does.

But in the back of my mind I still wondered about the women in those hunting shows with their ample chests, tight pants and perfect makeup. That’s just not me. As I sat around the campfire with our three daughters and granddaughter, I thought about the women in those shows and the women in our camp. I think it’s important for girls to understand they can be themselves and be strong capable women who can do anything. This blog is for all the real women out there every day doing what they love.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton