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Women In Hunting: The Trend You Shouldn't Ignore
If you’re running a business, you know that one of the most important things to have a solid understanding of is your target market. It’s particularly vital in an industry such as hunting, where the demographic is often made up of a few neat and well-defined characteristics. If you’re in this business, then it’s likely you’re selling to people who love the outdoors. You’re selling to people who may have certain political persuasions. You’re selling to people with a decent amount of expendable income and the free time to go hunting. You’re also nearly always selling to men. At least, that’s the way things used to be…
There’s change brewing in the hunting industry; more and more women are reaching for rifles and heading out into the field to seek the challenge, reward, and enjoyment that hunting brings. What was once a rare occurrence has become an underlying trend that has been steadily gathering momentum over the last decade and has now reached a point where ignoring it as a manufacturer, distributor, or dealer could be a foolish move.
In Germany alone, one of Europe’s largest and most significant hunting markets, women taking up the sport is certainly on the rise. The German Hunting Association (Deutscher Jagdverband), estimates that around a quarter of people applying for the hunter’s exam at hunting schools in the country are women – a figure that has increased by more than a fifth over the last decade.
An international trend
It’s not only Germany where this movement is taking off. In Norway, so many women are showing interest in country sports that the national association, Norges Jegerog Fiskerforbund (NJF), has a thriving programme of organised events and learning opportunities specifically for that audience. From rifle shooting lessons to seminars about moose hunting, to clay shooting practice sessions – there’s a packed events calendar for women shooters in Norway. The NJF also has a Facebook group (NJFF Jenter) specifically for women who hunt or want to get into hunting, which currently has just over 6,500 members.
Across the pond, the latest figures from the United States of America show the same trend. In the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, it was revealed [on page 23] in a survey of 14.4 million hunting participants, that 22 per cent were female. This equates to 3.1 million women – ignoring a market that size would be pretty crazy.
However, it’s one thing to pay attention to a trend, it’s another to understand it.
© Alina Liebhoff-Schweitzer (Instagram: @jaeger.meisterinnen)Why are women taking up hunting?
The exact reasons why a trend like this is growing can be hard to pin down, mainly because it’s not as simple as just one or two factors causing it. One of the overarching causes could be the fact that more people in general have turned to outdoor hobbies in the last few years in direct response to having their movements restricted by lockdowns.Another reason could be that hunting in general seems to be becoming more accepted by the general public. A study by YouGov from October 2023 showed that 71 per cent of people in Austria were in favour when asked: “Regardless of your opinion on hunting, do you allow other people in your country to hunt if they do so in accordance with hunting laws and regulations?”
In January 2024, a similar YouGov study was conducted in Spain on behalf of the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation and the Real Federación Española de Caza. They asked: “No matter your opinion on hunting, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “It is acceptable for other people to hunt in my country if they do so legally and in accordance with hunting laws and regulations”. An impressive 70 per cent of respondents agreed with this statement. This more general acceptance of hunting could be a reason why women are entering the sport – perhaps they have always wanted to try, and an increased general acceptance makes them feel that they finally can.
Lastly, the efforts of the industry itself cannot be underestimated. Smart companies have identified that the number of women trying hunting is growing and they have embraced and encouraged that with female-specific products and also programmes to make it easier for them to participate.
How can you get involved?
As a retailer, there are plenty of things you can do to try and cater to this new audience and make them feel welcome in your store, which will ultimately help you gain new customers. For starters, you can research the products that are currently being produced for female shooters – things like clothing designed to better fit women, or lighter shotguns that are designed to fit smaller frames better. Simple tweaks like this by manufacturers and producers are making it easier for women to try shooting with the correct gear for them – so it makes sense for you to start stocking them.Another great thing you can do is to organise events that encourage women to come to your store – social events with some speakers and question and answer sessions are a great way to get people involved and build a sense of community. You could even try to get a prominent female hunter to be a speaker at any event you run. Better still, you could run a small shooting day or shooting competition for women somewhere nearby – it’s all about breaking down stereotypes and showing that your store is a welcoming place for women who will be treated as equals.
To go even further, you may even find that by better engaging with the female hunting community you end up finding someone perfect to work in your retail outlet. Having some female staff would not only make women feel even more welcome but show that you are a store that celebrates all hunters.
Whatever you decide to do, you better not ignore the growing crowd of women who love to hunt. They’re here to stay and they are only going to get more prominent.
