A Woman’s View: We Aren’t Just Gatherers

By Hannah J. Ryan

A social scientist, a fly fisherwoman, an archery huntress, and a hook and bullet daughter held court on an all-women panel at this year’s Rendezvous. Last year was the inaugural women in hunting and fishing panel at the yearly gathering of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. This year I was honored with an invitation to sit on the panel.

 Stacy Keogh, a sociology professor at Whitworth University, kicked things off by presenting her findings about the motivations of women hunters. She interviewed 39 hunting women of various ages across 11 states and she shared a few of their responses as well as distinct themes in their responses. Many respondents said they recognize they are challenging gender norms by hunting, some mentioned how they enjoy challenging this norm. In every case of Stacy’s study the women claim to hunt for the primary purpose of gathering meat. Ninety percent of the women interviewed hunt with another person (10 percent report hunting alone). Of women who hunt with a partner, 100 percent of those hunting partners are men. Even in cases in which women reported hunting alone, they were first introduced or taught to hunt by a father or significant other. Many of these findings fit the motivations for the other women on this panel.

Heather Hodson discussed Spokane Women on the Fly, a fly fishing group she founded that provides workshops for women new and experienced in fly fishing. She also holds fly tying nights and organizes fishing outings around the northwest. Heather said fly fishing requires patience, an open-mind, a willingness to learn and practice to visualize what’s taking place on the water.

“Don’t get so focused on how many fish you’ve landed, rather take it all in,” she said. “If you start with this mentality I’m very confident that you will have many more ‘Epic Days’ than not on the water.”

Spokane Women on the Fly has a newsletter full of detailed fishing tips and fish science. Heather doesn’t intend to be exclusionary with this all-women fishing group, but wants to provide a safe, open and unintimidating avenue for gals to get “hooked” on fishing. Learn more about this group here.

Yana Roberston is a traditional bowhunter who spoke about what it means to have the heart of a huntress. In Random House Dictionary she found a definition of the term warrior that she feels relates well for women hunters: A person who has great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness.

“These are all qualities I believe a huntress must possess and she takes them in and out of the field with her,” she said. “To me, this warrior spirit resides in the heart of a huntress.”

Yana said to have the heart of a huntress a woman possesses vigor to gain ability; courage to take a life and walk her own path; and aggression to keep going. She discussed the importance of her grandmother’s early encouragement that she is just as capable as the boys. This support was a key to her making hunting into a career.

I got to talk about how despite growing up in a hook-and-bullet household I quit hunting (and even eating meat) for years. It took living in big cities, missing the open spaces of the West, and my dad’s steady encouragement for me to realize that I was very much in the wrong to ignore my heritage and privilege as an American hunter. It took one particular week in elk camp where the screaming bulls and campfire conversations with my dad and uncle made me realize what an incredible blessing it is that we can hunt and harvest backcountry animals. It made me realize that the meat we chase is the most organic, free-range protein a human can find. That September trip reshaped my perspective on hunting and threw me head first into making up for lost time learning the family trade.

Rachel VandeVoort deftly orchestrated the panel. Rachel also grew up in hunting and fishing family where she was eldest of all her cousins and lead the pack with a fly rod in hand. She said it boggled her mind when she learned that most girls didn’t fish or hunt. She was a successful competitive rifle shooter, worked in fly shops, fishing and rafting guide, outdoor adventure sales and marketing, and now works in marketing with the firearms manufacture Kimber Mfg. Her experience, skills and exuberant enthusiasm make her the type of role model women need when establishing and advancing our knowledge in hunting and fishing. 

“Women have to be their own best advocate,” she said. “They have to seek out that mentor or friend to help teach them. There are many opportunities out there, such as joining organizations like Trout Unlimited or Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, go find them!”

At the end of the panel I extended a challenge to everyone in the audience. Many of us see conservation and mentorship as crucial hunter responsibilities. If we do not conserve habitat, we do not have wildlife. If we do not mentor others, the American hunter will go extinct. I challenged everyone to take someone new, either a woman or a kid or a novice, fishing or hunting in the next year and talk with him or her about why conservation is important. Doing so could make huge strides in securing the future of hunting and fishing.

As the Communications Specialist for a migratory bird habitat conservation organization, the Intermountain West Joint Venture, Hannah gets to talk about birds all day. She currently resides in Missoula, Montana.

* Photo by Sam Lungren, Backcountry Journal Editor for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers