Where are the women?

by Oct 6, 2011Maine Outdoors, Women Who Hunt

Where are the women?

This week, my interview with Steve at The Maine Outdoorsman went live. Steve said yesterday 200 people hit his site viewing over 500 pages. That is a lot of people reading about little ole me and hunting. Why?

When I think of women who are in the general public’s eye and hunt, I can think of 2 – Country singer Miranda Lambert and Sarah Palin. Why only two? Why is the female hunter such a fascinating thing? (I should probably note that I do not have cable so any and all female hunters on the hunting stations are lost to me. I’ll keep it to the general public because that’s what I am familiar with.) People/media were fascinated by the fact that they could get footage of Palin and her gun, shooting (and gutting) animals but I feel like the nostalgia would be lost if they had the same footage of McCain. Lambert and her hubby Blake Shelton tweet photos of their kills, and comment on what/where they are hunting. I only know this because I follow both. That’s it. I can not think of any other women who are public about their hunting.

As I am writing this, a coworker made a comment about another coworker needing some vacation time and that he would be better after his drunken hunting weekoff. Maybe that’s why women hunting is so interesting – we don’t fit in the mold of the at-sports-camp-drinking-lots-of-beer-not-really-hunting stereotype of a hunter. At least for me, hunting is a serious thing. I am not a big drinker anyways, but the idea of drinking and hunting (even if its a hangover from the night before) terrifies me. I have a very healthy respect for my gun and I know that even though the safety is on, its not 100% safe. The idea of shooting myself (or my dad) makes me sick to my stomach (I felt bad when I hooked his finger while we were fishing when I was maybe 10) so I know I need to be on my game when I am holding my 30-06.

Im proud to be a hunter and I think its really cool that I get to have the chance to hang out with my dad, be in the Maine woods and hunt in the same area my grandfather’s did when they were my age. I like being a Maine girl who hunts – so where are all of the other women???

15 Comments

  1. There are more and more women in the hunting woods these days and a fair share of them are featured in those hunting shows that do run on cable. It is still a male dominated sport, but I follow several blogs written by women who are hunters such as yourself. I think it is great that you are out there cheering loudly for women in the outdoors. Keep it up!

  2. Any recommendations Trey? Maybe they are on Hulu and I can check them out. Thanks for the support!

  3. Rick, Trey, Duckman and many others all have extensive blog rolls listing women who hunt and fish. Check them out and link away! Its a great way to make connection with other women who hunt. Also, you need to make a "blog listing" in your side bar and link to your new friends!

  4. My blog listing is at the bottom but I will move it. Ill change it out with my Twitter Im still learning, Steve! =)

  5. Thanks Trey! I added them to my google reader and will check them out. Im excited about what they are posting and I havent started reading them. I will keep you posted =)

  6. Yeah, you put up/moved your blog list . . . hey wait a minute . . . 🙁

  7. I added you to my list. Wish you could say the same =)

  8. Don't tell them Trey sent you or you will scare them off ;)haha.

    I will be back to give you more links to woman hunter/outdoor blogs, I'm at work now. sshhhhh

  9. Awesome! I look forward to it. You had to work on Columbus Day? Yuck = )

  10. Don't listen to LB when she is talking about me. She is still upset that I beat her in every blog giveaway/contest. 🙂 Can't help that I am lucky!

  11. Wait – you two have giveaways??? = )

  12. From time to time you find someone hosting a blog give away for their followers. Check this out for an example.

    http://treyluckie.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-give-away-time.html

    LB makes the best jams and jellies on this earth. She will give some of that away so keep watching!

  13. Ohh… that sounds yummy and fun. I think I need more than 10 people following my blog first though. Right? Maybe I can make something and just give it away for an incentive to like my blog – ha!
    Thanks Trey

  14. You are welcome! The blogging community is a fun one. I see that you have already made a few friends. That will only grow! Feel free to stop by my blog when you get a chance. I have the best followers!!!

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Meet The Author

Erin Merrill, author of And a Strong Cup of Coffee, is president of Women of the Maine Outdoors, a senior writer for Drury Outdoors, a contributor to the Northwoods Sporting Journal and passionate all things Maine, Hunting, and the Outdoors.

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