Syracuse.com - More female hunters taking to the woods in Central New York

[HuntingNY-News]

"None of my female friends hunt," Reeher said. "But some have gotten interested. Some on Facebook have seen my deer and say they want to go hunting with me."

Amy Easterly said this fall is her second season of hunting deer with a rifle, and her first with a bow.

"I've definitely seen and heard of more women out there hunting. Some of my friends are," said the 24-year-old Cazenovia resident who hunts with a .243 caliber Savage Arms rifle. She got into it because of her boyfriend and father, who both hunt. She has yet to get a deer, but is undaunted.

"Hopefully, I'll get one soon," she said.

Easterly's observation that more women are picking up firearms and taking to Central New York's woods and fields in search of game is reflected in state and national statistics.

Nancy Canavan, of Syracuse, was happy last fall when she shot this 8-point buck in Cazenonia. 

The trend is also reflected in the retail market, where clothing lines for female hunters and firearms tailored to attract female buyers are showing up with more frequency in sporting goods stores. Specially cut, fitting jackets and shorter pants are being offered now under brands such as She (the Bass Pro Shops brand), Cabela's, RedHead, Mossy Oak, Under Armour and Scent-Lok. Many sport pink-colored aspects in the camouflage pattern or pink labels.

Easterly, who stands 5 foot, 3 inches, has seen the new clothing lines, but notes, "One thing they need to work on is the undergarments you wear under your hunting clothes. Most of it (that I've seen) is tailored to a man's body."

The numbers of female hunters in New York have grown steadily the past three years. During the 2010/2011 season, women held 38,655 of the state's 479,906 licenses issued, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

This past 2012/2013 season, that number rose to 42,666 licenses held by women - an increase of 4,011 female hunters or a 9 percent increase. During that time, women reported taking 15 bear, 2,418 deer and 163 turkeys, the DEC said.

Mark Duda is executive director of Responsive Management, a Virginia-based firm that specializes in crunching numbers and at looking trends associated with nature resource use and outdoor recreational issues for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and state fish and game agencies. He said nationwide, female hunters make up 8 percent of the hunting population.

Duda said female participation in hunting saw a marked increase in the early 1980s and mid-1990s. "You saw an increase in programs targeting women and the outdoors and at the same time that women were becoming more independent in regard to their careers. They started exploring and doing different things," he said.

The numbers of women going into hunting leveled off in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but picked up after the 2008 recession, Duda said. "You had more people out hunting for meat and women became a part of it," he said.

Ken Shupe, sports supervisor at the Herb Phillipson's store at the Western Lights Shopping Center in Syracuse, said he began seeing more females in the store looking at firearms following the election of President Obama, with the wide-spread speculation and apprehension about increased gun laws and how they might affect the availability of guns.

He said the market today for female hunting clothes and firearms is an "untapped" market that many companies are trying to capture. He said he's seeing more hunting couples portrayed on the outdoor hunting shows, with many of the women pushing their brands of female hunting gear on the commercials.

Brenda VanValkenburg poses with her first doe in 2009. She field dressed it herself. Two weeks before, she shot her first wild turkey. 

.Bernadette VanValkenburg, 63, of Sherrill, said she tried hunting with her husband after she first got married, but got out of it when the kids came. She said part of the difficulty for many female hunters, or any new hunters for that matter, is having a mentor to help get them started.

"When the last child left home about 8 years ago, I went out because I wanted to share something with him," she said. "I now hunt pheasant, turkey, deer and geese. This will be my fifth year hunting deer."

She hunts with a 20-gauge, Remington 11-87, 20-gauge shotgun. It's a youth model with a short stock.

"I've been wearing an old pair of wool, German military surplus pants that my husband got me years ago," she said. "This year, I bought a pair of camo bib pants, which are youth- sized and fit fine. I also bought a 'She' hunting jacket. It's expensive, but it fits."

Jen Reeher, 34, of Parish, said she started hunting five years ago when her former boyfriend brought home his first deer after several years of trying.

"Suddenly, our freezer was filled with meat," she said. "It was pretty cool."

Reeher, who stands 5 feet, 8 inches, has been hunting ever since. She's aware of the new line of female hunting clothes, but wears a "hand-me-down" men's hunting jacket and pants. She hunts with a .30-.30 Marlin rifle, which was made in 1936 and originally owned by her husband's grandfather. "It's short-barreled and light," she said.

Last weekend, Reeher shot a massive, 8-point buck from her tree stand that weighed 226 pounds after getting field dressed. It was her first buck. She proudly added that she processed the entire deer herself, "a chore that took all weekend."

"None of my female friends hunt," Reeher said. "But some have gotten interested. Some on Facebook have seen my deer and say they want to go hunting with me."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog