THE GROWTH OF OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN

In the year 2020, the hunting, fishing, and entire outdoor recreation industry saw a huge increase in participation by women. In partnership with state fish and wildlife agencies, sportfishing and hunting trade associations, and sportsman’s organizations, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the State of Oregon developed a license data dashboard to track fishing and hunting license sales in the United States. According to the data, last year, the following was true about license sales:

Fishing license sales increased by 13.5% compared to 2019, and sales to women specifically increase by 24%
Hunting license purchases increased by 5%, with growth among women totaling 15%
Purchases by first-time female anglers was up 48% and 41% among female hunters

Some may credit the Coronavirus with getting more women involved in these outdoor pursuits, but we’d like to think that organizations like Her Wilderness—aimed at fostering positive experiences for women in the outdoors—had a role in this growth. The goal of the data dashboard’s creation was to aid the evaluation of R3 efforts: the recruitment, retention, and reactivation of outdoor recreationists. And while this is a goal shared by many outdoor institutions, it’s organizations like Her Wilderness, including: the Female Federation of Waterfowl, Maine Women Hunters, Wildlife Women, wildHERness, Wander Woman Kansas, and many more, who are specifically addressing ways to effectively encourage and welcome women into the outdoors.

While Her Wilderness is proud of our own growth, and the diversity of outdoor programs we are now able to offer our attendees, we know that we are a part of a larger network of organizations with similar goals. Find out more about the interconnected responsibilities we share, and emphasize, below.

OUR COLLECTIVE ROLE

On the local, state, and national level, the number of organizations offering events for women to experience the outdoors continues to grow. Courtney Gorman, of the Female Waterfowl Federation, reminds us, “It’s equally critical to have local groups engaging women and youth as it is on a national level. Change starts in your own backyard.” She adds, “If you can plant the seed, the tree can grow. Before long we will have a forest. The more young women we can get involved, the brighter the future is for everybody.” At Her Wilderness, we are 100% supportive of this sentiment. Individually, and collectively, all of these organizations have an opportunity to directly impact the participation of women in the outdoor industry.

In light of that, it’s not a role that any of our organizations should bare lightly. It’s important that the opportunities we provide to our participants are experiences that intertwine enjoyment of the activity with the skills and knowledge that will foster continued participation. Christi Holmes, founder of Maine Women Hunters, recalls the moments that led up to her organization’s formation. She says, “It’s hard to try something new if you’ve never seen someone like you doing it. Normalizing women in the outdoors sends a message to other women that, ‘Hey, I can do that too.’” Big or small, together, we know that each and every organization like ours is challenging the limits of what women can accomplish in an outdoor setting.

THE COMMUNITY FACTOR

Inherently, regardless of the outdoor activities being offered by each individual organization—from the teams behind them to their participants—together we’re cultivating a community of outdoors women. As Melissa Blair, of Kentucky’s Wildlife Women, puts it: “All of us ladies are in this together. It’s all about supporting each other, encouraging and inspiring more! We all are out to achieve the same things. Enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s by yourself, with your family, or with friends.” While each participant is likely to walk away from organized activities with newfound friendships, the greater community they are joining in the process has far more profound and lifelong impacts than any one experience. And that is powerful.

Our very own MacKenzie Kroll tells us, “I have heard so many stories from women who attend a Her Wilderness trip saying things like ‘I would have never done this alone’ or ‘I feel like I can go home and do this on my own time now.’ If we are hearing that over and over again, I can only image that the other companies and organizations are too! Wander Woman Kansas’s Jessica White supports Kroll’s theory, saying, “Women that I have met have told me directly that they would not have known where to even start when it comes to outdoor activities if it hadn’t been for Wander Woman, or the other women groups available. It makes it easier to try these new activities and to get a feel for them.”

Overarchingly, all of these types of organizations are prioritizing creating environments where women can not only be exposed to these types of activities, but also develop the related skills and relationships with other women who will continue to lend them support in their future outdoor endeavors. Jess Rice, of wildHERness, summarizes that component this way: “While there are hundreds of reasons that women cite as barriers to participation in outdoor activities, creating a positive support network ultimately comes down to one thing: having a safe space in which women feel comfortable to grow and learn. If we offer that while simultaneously empowering women with the skills to ‘do it on her own’...well, that's where freedom is created.”

COMMUNITY, NOT COMPETITION

What’s most unique about the organizations that have been mentioned is their shared appreciation for the growth among this industry. Kroll continues to remind the Her Wilderness team, “If the whole community is thriving, supporting, and encouraging each other we all rise. We all feel like the confident and badass women that we are, together.” Meanwhile, Gorman adds, “The more people we can reach, regardless of the organization, the more light we shed on women in the outdoors.”

One of the greatest benefits of having so many organizations and programs for women to choose from is the resulting diversity of their total offerings. White says, “It’s important to have a wide variety of options for the community to choose from. Not everyone is ready to shoot a gun or go out to hunt, so having other training and events that help build confidence could potentially help guide someone to want to take that next step.” From hunting to fishing to camping, whatever path takes you to the outdoors is the right one. Individually, these organizations couldn’t stimulate the industry-wide growth that we’re now seeing as a result of the wide array of opportunities women have at their disposal to be introduced to or foster their skills in outdoor sports.

Rice looks back at the struggles NGOs have had with their R3 efforts, and observes, “Think about how many more people could have been recruited if resources, manpower, and funding had been combined to tackle the recruitment problem, if these organizations had worked together for the last decade instead of trying to be the one who did the most.” It’s in this spirit that we hope all the female-minded organizations of today and tomorrow can continue to support our shared goals.

In conclusion, we hope you’ll know that among the fun that is had in these outdoors settings, there is an opportunity for us all to support and encourage other women in their outdoor pursuits. It’s essential to the sustainability of these sports, the conservation of wildlife and the regions they inhabit, and the overall goal of providing more women with the confidence to participate in outdoor activities, that we all do our part to strengthen the community we’re all a part of.

Written by Sam Simma