The venerable institution that is National Geographic came out with an article last week entitled, More Women Give Hunting a Shot (great title, wish I had thought of it). Being a fledgling writer on the subject of women out-of-doors, I enthusiastically read and re-read the article by Kristen A. Schmitt. It is without a doubt exciting that National Geographic is writing about hunting and especially women hunters. I think this topic does have much more to explore and I hope NatGeo further explores some of the hindrances this topic faces more fully in future articles.

Schmitt’s article touched on some of the best general arguments for getting women more involved in hunting. Included were well-known points such as women are still much more involved in meal preparation and clean up than their male counterparts so having an attachment to the source of their meals is a logical step. Schmitt also included an updated statistic on the hunting population in the US: according to the most recent Census Bureau data women hunters surged to 25% of the general hunting population from 2006 – 2011!

My favorite two points in More Women Give Hunting a Shot were a) theintimacy of habitat and b) the element of fun that hunting brings into our lives. The experience of hunting, especially in one’s local area, gives hunters such a greater appreciation for their environment and a much deeper understanding of place. The more hunting I do, the more I see how true this is. Hunting forces us to focus our senses on environmental subtleties that we often otherwise neglect. The slight change in wind velocity, noises like leaves falling or trees grinding, and temperature variances when the sun is shaded behind a passing cloud are all examples of this.

Even when I am in urban areas the environmental sensitivity I have developed from years of hunting are there. I believe this development of a deeper understanding of place is by far one of the best benefits of hunting. I feel more fully alive because of the honing of my senses that being outdoors has taught me. The second point in Schmitt’s article that I enjoyed was that we can not underestimate how much fun it is to hunt with friends, significant others, and family. Hunting creates a special opportunity for bonding that is hard to find elsewhere. I highly recommend hunting with your boyfriend — it is way more fun than going out to dinner (and you may just get a successful shot at your dinner!).

More Women Give Hunting a Shot‘s concluding point was that not everyone lives in an area where they can hunt but giving hunting more accurate exposure causes people to think about their food – which is a good thing. I agree and am excited that National Geographic gave this topic a shot. Perhaps it will motivate a reader to sign up for a hunter’s education class, or maybe it will just soften someone’s negative view on hunters. I hope that in addition to continuing to provide world-class photography and journalism on some of the world’s most remote tribes, etc., that National Geographic also strives to produce more articles like Schmitt’s – thoroughly exploring the many interesting issues we have in this great country. Get out there, girls!