By Louie Stout

Hoosier Sydney Carson is shown competing in an international meet in Italy

Hoosier Sydney Carson is shown competing in an
international meet in Italy

Huntin’ ain’t just ‘fer old bearded guys who chew tobacco, drink Jack Daniels and go to the woods just to kill somethin’.

Of course, that silly stereotype espoused by the anti-hunting public is even less true today.

In fact, hunting isn’t just for guys, period.

It’s become a woman’s world, too.

The numbers don’t lie. In Indiana, the number of women who bought hunting licenses soared by 93 percent from 2006 to 2014.

It’s a national trend, too. A National Sporting Goods Association survey showed that the number of female hunters has risen 85 percent from 2001 to 2013.

And what about gun ownership? According to the Indiana DNR, gun permits issued to women rose 42 percent from 2012 to 2014. A National Shooting Sports Foundation study says one-third of women surveyed purchased their first firearm in the last three years and a whopping 95 percent have tried target shooting. More than half have hunted and 73 percent have taken at least one training class.

Tune into any of the outdoor hunting shows on TV and you’ll likely find some with women popping big game animals. It’s no longer the exception.

Why the surge in interest?

Mary Zeiss Strange, author of “Woman the Hunter,” says it’s because “women have gained sufficient ground socially and economically and have disposable income comparable to men’s.”

The sport is drawing younger women, too. Indiana licenses sold to female hunters under age 18 leaped 114 percent from 2006 to 2014, according to the DNR.

In her book, Strange said that younger women have little patience with the idea that hunting is “unfeminine.”

“It’s reasonable to assume that women’s growing participation in hunting mirrors (their) increased participation in the entire array of social and cultural activities that were formerly masculine territory.”

Locally, we’ve seen that, too. Photos submitted to my Michiana Outdoors News website “Braggin’ board” photo gallery include women of all ages proudly displaying deer and turkeys they’ve shot.

Perhaps a better example is North Liberty, Ind.’s Sydney Carson, a college student who is rated one of the top shotgun shooters in the country, if not the world. She is vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

State agencies deserve some of the credit for the growing interest. DNR activities such as women’s days at state shooting ranges, special hunts at fish and wildlife areas, and programs like “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” have created opportunities for women to explore and develop similar passions for outdoors activities as men.

Interestingly, another nationwide study of men and women hunters showed that females are more likely to hunt for meat than do men. They also embrace the sport to spend time with friends and family more so than men, whereas men are more likely to hunt for sport and recreation and to be closer to nature than those women surveyed.

All of this has to dampen the spirits of anti-hunting groups who have exploited the naivety of non-hunting women to create delusionary misconceptions about hunting.

Those ranks are closing fast.

And to all of this I say, “You go girl!”