Hyp81
Ultimate Member
I'll bite... keep in mind it's late and I am tired and I know this is going to be somewhat rambling....
I am a female who was born and raised in Dundalk, by parents who were born and raised in Dundalk... most of my family all lived within a 5 mile radius and NONE of them were hunters or shooters. At all.
Which is odd, because the outdoors has always been appealing to me, has always driven me.
We did used to camp when I was a kid. I was always the girl for whom sticks were "spears," or "rifles," and I was an amazing hunter, or a noble soldier with my stick guns. I have also always been a person who is obsessed with the idea of providing for myself and living as independently as possible. But I had few resources. No one to teach me to fish or hunt. No one to expand my outdoor knowledge. I was on my own.
When I went to college @ VT, I finally found myself surrounded by men who were outdoorsmen, men who fished and hunted. I got really into hiking and mountain biking and spent a ton of time in the National forest. I met a guy who became my best friend and he was was into shooting @ the range in the national forest, so I started learning to shoot his .22 and was pretty good at it. Summer of my junior year, I got an internship to the MD DNR and my boss taught me to fish. My first fish ever was a 41" muskie! I was hooked even more on the outdoors, and catching fish built a little fire in me... a flame that desired to try hunting...
For the next two years I spent a lot of time fishing, and hiking and shooting. But I still couldn't find someone willing to teach me to hunt. It took me years to finally find a program that was designed to teach women to hunt-- the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program through the Dept of Natural Resources-- and feel confident enough to sign up for it.
In one of my very first posts here, I replied to a man who was bashing this program and saying it is sexist and discriminatory... but to be perfectly frank and honest... one really doesn't know what it means to be discriminated against in a sport unless one is a part of that minority group. A great many men just don't believe that women have a place in hunting and shooting sports, and especially women who are not directly related to men already involved in the sport (wives, GF's, etc), or men who are a part of their club and camp. Many men are incapable of speaking to women without being somewhat condescending or making comments that just really don't make us feel welcome... (not saying ALL... but many)... and you have to have pretty thick skin as a woman in this hobby. As an example, I was at the range yesterday standing with a group of half a dozen men waiting for the range doors to open. It was early... cold... and snowing lightly. The one fellow commented that it'd be nice if they'd provide hot coffee and a danish, and another guy joked that coffee and a pole dancer for entertainment would be even nicer. When they opened the range doors, we walked in and one fellow said "Hey, is there hot coffee?" Range employee says "Nope," and I laughed and said "Guess your dreams of a dancer are dashed as well." He said "Well, if you want the position I've got a pocket full of ones." Because I am a female... I suppose I must be more useful as a pole dancer than a fellow shooter. It placed a divide between us. It creates an isolationist, me vs them mentality. This was followed by another man who said it did him a lot of good to see a woman at the range by herself. So I fully admit that not all men are like this... just trying to give some examples to provide a woman's perspective.
It is what it is... the point being that the existence of groups like BOW that cater to an under-represented minority in the sport are critically important. If it wasn't for the BOW program, I would not be hooked on hunting like I am now. In the five months or so since I really turned my full attention to learning to hunt, I have gotten at least five or six other women interested in hunting and shooting sports. It is so much easier and comfortable for women to learn from other women, when we don't have to worry about men judging us. This was an incredibly common theme @ the BOW goose hunt I attended-- women who wanted to learn a new skill-- hunting-- but had dealt with men being negative or condescending in the past with regards to their goal and just wanted to feel safe and supported in their pursuit of this new skill. As Michelle said in an earlier post... we just want to learn, without having to fear derision from men who think we are interlopers....
All of these experiences make me really want to create a group for women in Maryland who want to hunt and fish and shoot, so that we could gain the benefit that many men seem to have of belonging to a "good old boys" club where getting a fishing charter or a date in a goose blind is more affordable because there's a number of guys willing to pay in, and even if you are new to it, there's always guy friends willing to help you out. I can't afford to hunt by myself and it seems that most men don't want a girl along, so it's up to me to bring other women with me into the fold so that I can have the same benefits that the average male hunter/fisherman does-- a group of "buddies" who are interested in the same things and can benefit from being a part of a group.
I honestly think that there is a lot of truth to the idea that the shooting/gun owning community in general is very conservative and somewhat negative about their beliefs on the place of minorities in the sport. I am a woman... and I'm gay... and quite frequently I have to ignore my own discomfort at the remarks that I hear folks making on this forum, at the local range, or at the local Bass Pro. The number of men engaging in hunting and shooting sports over the past couple of decades has been declining significantly, so if this sport is going to survive the "gun grabbers" then it is imperative for all members of the community to embrace the individual differences that we all have and see the common thread that binds us-- we are all shooters. We are passionate about having guns in our lives, for whatever reason, be it hunting, recreation, self-defense, etc. I saw a post that one guy made today that said he would stand next to anyone who was willing to stand next to (and defend) him, no matter what they looked like or were and I hope that he meant it. More of that, please... and less of the "what do you expect from a state that legalized sodomy" comments. We are ALL gun owners, first and foremost. We are under attack from an enemy that is well funded, well organized and focused. We cannot afford to divide ourselves or alienate people who would be allies. United we stand... divided... well, you know the rest.
As I said... I know I rambled a bit. I will point this thread out to my friend, one of the women I've hooked and dragged into the fold, so she can offer her perspective as well.
I am a female who was born and raised in Dundalk, by parents who were born and raised in Dundalk... most of my family all lived within a 5 mile radius and NONE of them were hunters or shooters. At all.
Which is odd, because the outdoors has always been appealing to me, has always driven me.
We did used to camp when I was a kid. I was always the girl for whom sticks were "spears," or "rifles," and I was an amazing hunter, or a noble soldier with my stick guns. I have also always been a person who is obsessed with the idea of providing for myself and living as independently as possible. But I had few resources. No one to teach me to fish or hunt. No one to expand my outdoor knowledge. I was on my own.
When I went to college @ VT, I finally found myself surrounded by men who were outdoorsmen, men who fished and hunted. I got really into hiking and mountain biking and spent a ton of time in the National forest. I met a guy who became my best friend and he was was into shooting @ the range in the national forest, so I started learning to shoot his .22 and was pretty good at it. Summer of my junior year, I got an internship to the MD DNR and my boss taught me to fish. My first fish ever was a 41" muskie! I was hooked even more on the outdoors, and catching fish built a little fire in me... a flame that desired to try hunting...
For the next two years I spent a lot of time fishing, and hiking and shooting. But I still couldn't find someone willing to teach me to hunt. It took me years to finally find a program that was designed to teach women to hunt-- the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program through the Dept of Natural Resources-- and feel confident enough to sign up for it.
In one of my very first posts here, I replied to a man who was bashing this program and saying it is sexist and discriminatory... but to be perfectly frank and honest... one really doesn't know what it means to be discriminated against in a sport unless one is a part of that minority group. A great many men just don't believe that women have a place in hunting and shooting sports, and especially women who are not directly related to men already involved in the sport (wives, GF's, etc), or men who are a part of their club and camp. Many men are incapable of speaking to women without being somewhat condescending or making comments that just really don't make us feel welcome... (not saying ALL... but many)... and you have to have pretty thick skin as a woman in this hobby. As an example, I was at the range yesterday standing with a group of half a dozen men waiting for the range doors to open. It was early... cold... and snowing lightly. The one fellow commented that it'd be nice if they'd provide hot coffee and a danish, and another guy joked that coffee and a pole dancer for entertainment would be even nicer. When they opened the range doors, we walked in and one fellow said "Hey, is there hot coffee?" Range employee says "Nope," and I laughed and said "Guess your dreams of a dancer are dashed as well." He said "Well, if you want the position I've got a pocket full of ones." Because I am a female... I suppose I must be more useful as a pole dancer than a fellow shooter. It placed a divide between us. It creates an isolationist, me vs them mentality. This was followed by another man who said it did him a lot of good to see a woman at the range by herself. So I fully admit that not all men are like this... just trying to give some examples to provide a woman's perspective.
It is what it is... the point being that the existence of groups like BOW that cater to an under-represented minority in the sport are critically important. If it wasn't for the BOW program, I would not be hooked on hunting like I am now. In the five months or so since I really turned my full attention to learning to hunt, I have gotten at least five or six other women interested in hunting and shooting sports. It is so much easier and comfortable for women to learn from other women, when we don't have to worry about men judging us. This was an incredibly common theme @ the BOW goose hunt I attended-- women who wanted to learn a new skill-- hunting-- but had dealt with men being negative or condescending in the past with regards to their goal and just wanted to feel safe and supported in their pursuit of this new skill. As Michelle said in an earlier post... we just want to learn, without having to fear derision from men who think we are interlopers....
All of these experiences make me really want to create a group for women in Maryland who want to hunt and fish and shoot, so that we could gain the benefit that many men seem to have of belonging to a "good old boys" club where getting a fishing charter or a date in a goose blind is more affordable because there's a number of guys willing to pay in, and even if you are new to it, there's always guy friends willing to help you out. I can't afford to hunt by myself and it seems that most men don't want a girl along, so it's up to me to bring other women with me into the fold so that I can have the same benefits that the average male hunter/fisherman does-- a group of "buddies" who are interested in the same things and can benefit from being a part of a group.
I honestly think that there is a lot of truth to the idea that the shooting/gun owning community in general is very conservative and somewhat negative about their beliefs on the place of minorities in the sport. I am a woman... and I'm gay... and quite frequently I have to ignore my own discomfort at the remarks that I hear folks making on this forum, at the local range, or at the local Bass Pro. The number of men engaging in hunting and shooting sports over the past couple of decades has been declining significantly, so if this sport is going to survive the "gun grabbers" then it is imperative for all members of the community to embrace the individual differences that we all have and see the common thread that binds us-- we are all shooters. We are passionate about having guns in our lives, for whatever reason, be it hunting, recreation, self-defense, etc. I saw a post that one guy made today that said he would stand next to anyone who was willing to stand next to (and defend) him, no matter what they looked like or were and I hope that he meant it. More of that, please... and less of the "what do you expect from a state that legalized sodomy" comments. We are ALL gun owners, first and foremost. We are under attack from an enemy that is well funded, well organized and focused. We cannot afford to divide ourselves or alienate people who would be allies. United we stand... divided... well, you know the rest.
As I said... I know I rambled a bit. I will point this thread out to my friend, one of the women I've hooked and dragged into the fold, so she can offer her perspective as well.