The Rise of The Huntress A Commentary On The Rising Popularity of Hunting Among Women

AFRICAN INDABA

Contributor
AH enthusiast
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
402
Reaction score
159
Website
www.africanindaba.co.za
Media
70
Articles
182
Member of
CIC, Rowland Ward, B&C, DSC, German Hunting Association, KZN Hunting Association, Wild Sheep Foundation
Hunted
Western US, Western Canada, Alaska, Colombia, Tajikistan, Russian Federation, China, Iran, Austria, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, UK, Indonesia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Namibia
While working at Africa Geographic I have been privy to every side of the hunting debate. Though no-one in the office hunts, and many of us have moral and evidence-based objections to trophy hunting in particular, there are times when we can understand the merits of some forms of hunting.

Leading conservationists have shown how hunting, if managed correctly, can indeed benefit communities and wildlife populations in areas where tourism does not appear to be a viable option. And I can understand why people hunt – the thrill of the chase, a sense of accomplishment, satisfying a primal urge that exists in us all, or to harvest a natural food source. In a Hollywood-esque moment I can even picture myself clad in tight camo, weaving my way through the forest undergrowth, bow and arrow poised while my hair blows in the wind. But that is where my fantasy ends, because looking into the eyes of a magnificent creature, and then killing it, doesn’t fit into my movie.

But in an effort to understand women hunters I decided to explore their history and rationale. From women who hunt for food, to those who hunt for the thrill and the trophy, each is truly different; each forms part of the history of the huntress and lends insight into who she is today.

The idea of the huntress is nothing new. In classical times, the goddess of the hunt (Diana to the Romans and Artemis to the Greeks) was not only lauded for her prowess with a bow, but also for her beauty, fertility and vulnerability. Throughout history prominent women have stood alongside male hunters, equipped with bows or high powered rifles. Elizabeth I of England was a keen hunter in the 1500’s, as were the ladies of Louis XIV’s court and Queen Anne of Denmark in the 1600’s; George Washington’s wife, Martha, in the 1700’s, and so on right up to Sarah Palin, who proudly demonstrates her hunting skills to – perhaps – bolster her image in the rough world of American politics.

To some it may seem that these women fall into affluent societal groups where animal life seems to hold less value, and hunting is an entertaining sport. But many of the women involved in hunting throughout history are seen as bold, brave figures who stood for freedom in an oppressive age, fended for otherwise forsaken families, and lent gravitas to feminist movements and women’s rights – and did so with grace and aplomb.

Some women rose to prominence by hunting for necessity. Take Annie Oakley for example. Among many others of her time, she started hunting as a young girl to provide for her family during tough times. And this holds true in the USA even today. Surveys show that the number of women hunting has risen from roughly 1.2 million between 1996 and 2006 to 1.5 million in 2011. Richard Aiken, Natural Resource Economist at US Fish and Wildlife states, “We are not sure why there was such an increase, but our educated guess is it had to do with the low ebb in the economy. Unemployed and underemployed people had more time to hunt.” And, on the other side of the world, women of the Australia’s Aboriginal Martu tribes hunt extensively – mostly, smaller animals that are shared with children and other women to maintain cooperative relationships.

If there ever was a lull in women’s hunting it was when men were hunting one another. In her book, Heart Shots, Women Write about Hunting, Dr. Mary Zeiss Stange writes that American women were often featured in hunting publications like Forest and Stream before World War II, but during the war they assumed more traditional roles, nurturing roles.

But the sexuality of the Diana/Artemis hunting goddess is a familiar archetype in popular culture. Examples include the 1947 release of the sexy DC Comic, The Huntress, followed by the self-sacrificing, rebellious bow hunter Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, and the new-style Disney princesses. Unlike the sweet, subservient Cinderella and other traditional damsels in distress, these strong, taciturn women, like Princess Merida in Brave, have more time for a bow and arrow than a man.

Whether it’s the influence these characters have had on real life, or that real life trends have inspired these characters, it is true that hunting, and particularly archery, have become increasingly popular with the fairer sex. In 2013, Jay McAninch, president and CEO of the US-based Archery Trade Association, stated that one third of all archery participants were women.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service reported a 25% increase in the number of women that hunted between 2006 and 2011, making up 11% of the total US hunting population, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission found a 20% increase in the number of female hunters between 2009 and 2012. Roberta Owens, the membership manager for the Dallas Safari Club, told me that 25% of their members are female. And it’s not just the US that’s seen an increase in women hunting. Enter Japan’s new hunting buzzword, kari-gaaru, which means “hunting girls”. According to Japan’s Environment Ministry the number of women in the hunting industry grew significantly during the first decade of the 21st Century, despite the overall number of hunters decreasing over these years.

But this trend is nothing new. In his 1877 book Fox-hound, forest, and prairie, Captain Pennell Elmhirst wrote, “It will, I think, be admitted by everyone that the number of ladies who hunt now is at least tenfold as compared with a dozen years ago.”

The increase in women who hunt has led to the establishment of a number of organizations, such as the US-based Women in the Outdoors, which had over 10 000 members little more than a year after opening in 1998. A 2012 report from this organization stated that, “women have become the fastest-growing segment of the hunting and shooting community.”

A number of companies now offer women-only hunting classes and trips. One such is Charmaine van Vuuren’s Woman Hunt SA, which began operating in 2013. Van Vuuren says that her company is “also involved in transformation, training of black professional hunters. In the intake for this year [2014] there were three black ladies who had undergone training and were successful in graduating as professional hunters, a first for the industry.”

Ladies’ hunting gear is now widely available with pink arrows, bow strings and camouflage coming out as firm favorites. Just look at the website Women Hunt Too, where you can buy a camo tee that boldly states, I don’t wear bows… I shoot them! One statement I found from a former Mississippi State University student sums it up, “I love my bow. It’s camouflage and has all sorts of pink accessories on it. There are all sorts of colors. You can definitely make bow hunting girly.” A quick Google search will give a girl insights on how to make beer-basted rabbit or springbok pie, while articles like 10 ways to decorate with antlers lie within the same blog as bridal shower ideas and wedding details.

As the above blogs and recipes demonstrate, it’s not all rough and tumble in the world of the huntress. There is something about a girl who can take care of herself that is undeniably appealing, but an air of femininity and vulnerability still underscores the huntress.

As per the hunting goddesses and Annie Oakleys of this world, and the Martu women who focus their hunts around community and children, fertility and family still seems to play a big role, particularly with subsistence hunters. And this filters down to mainstream movies like The Hunger Games, in which Katniss hunts to provide for her family, but still has respect for the natural world and an empathetic side with which girls all over the world identify.

Interestingly, a 2007 poll by Field and Stream showed that 25% of women hunters had hunted while pregnant. One particular writer on the site Muley Madness went as far as to comment that “the cutest thing” he had ever seen was his “wife, seven and a half months pregnant, strolling up a hill packing her Remington .308 with a big ol’ smile on her face.”

Author of “Call to the Mild: Learning to Hunt My Own Dinner”, Lily Raff McCaulou, mentions family as integral part of the hunt, “To hunt and butcher an animal is to recognize that meat is not some abstract form of protein that springs into existence tightly wrapped in cellophane and styrofoam. Meat is life. So I seek out recipes that make the most of it. I cook it with care. I share with friends and family. I make sure every bite gets enjoyed.”

Marilyn Kite, Wyoming’s first female state Supreme Court justice, and an instrumental player in the Wyoming’s inaugural Women’s Antelope Hunt says it’s a sense of fellowship that has women dreaming of the hunt, “We’ve found it to be just great recreation, lots of fun, and the camaraderie of it is why you do it, really.”

Tiffany Lakosky of the hunting/outdoor travel TV show, Crush with Lee and Tiffany, echoes these statements in a National Geographic article, “Women are realizing how much fun hunting is and how close it can actually bring them in their relationships with their families.”

Social media and American TV channels are plastered with women like Tiffany leading hunting shows with titles like Dressed to Kill, Whitetail Freaks and Winchester’s Deadly Passion, while Sarah Palin’s Alaska sees “the first lady of the outdoors” enjoying some mother-daughter bonding over a spot of hunting and fishing.

A sense of bonding and affinity for family don’t seem to be the only draw card with trophy hunting becoming a new realm of the huntress. Some outspoken female hunters, such as Kendall Jones and Melissa Bachman, who bare perfect dentition as they pose smiling with fresh lion carcasses on social media sites, have become household names, but also the whipping girls of anti-hunting lobbyists. Jones stated in a recent interview with First for Hunters, “I find it odd that only women have been targeted by these organizations. Why would these huge, powerful organizations go after me, a woman, a minority in the hunting community and attack me with their anti-hunting rhetoric? I am not the first to go on African safaris yet these groups attack me nonetheless.”

On the other hand, for women like Kendall, it seems any publicity is good publicity. Despite having to remove some of her hunting images from her Facebook fan page as requested by the social media giant itself, she has shot to fame garnering over 685 000 likes on her page since she launched it in February this year.

On the rise of powerful huntresses in the media, Larysa Switlyk, host of Larysa Unleashed on the Sportsman Channel and Destination America, says, “It is a great thing because it is breaking the stereotypes on woman and showing the world we can hunt just as good or even sometimes better than men! Also, it is making it more acceptable to the general population that doesn’t understand hunting.”

With movie hits like Hunger Games, shooting a bow now becomes cool and sparks an interest in girls to try hunting. Switlyk herself only started hunting at age 22 and, unlike many other female hunters, was not introduced to hunting by male family members despite having three older brothers. In fact no-one else in her family hunts and they were the first to criticize her when she took up hunting.

Brenda Valentine, spokesperson for the National Wild Turkey Federation in the United States put it all into perspective in a National Geographic article, “Across the board, women are more independent than they’ve ever been, and they realize they are capable of hunting.”

And Mikayla Lewis, a 15 year-old huntress from Oregon, told CNN why it is that young girls look up to media-born hunting characters as role models, “Katniss is a good representation of female hunters. We’re not what you expect. We can be pretty just like any other girl, even if we’re not afraid to get dirty.”

Perhaps we have come full circle to the goddess we worshipped in ancient times, a sensuous, strong woman who flirted and manipulated her way into our lives. It seems today’s huntresses still hold the same appeal, no matter if they hunt for food or for fun. Love her for the woman she represents and the ideals she fights for, or hate her for the same reason. Either way, it seems the huntress is here to stay.

Africa Geographic asked a pair of huntresses why they hunt, what their thoughts are on woman in hunting and what conservation value they see in hunting a vulnerable species.

EVA SHOCKEY (ES) is the daughter of Jim Shockey – hunter, writer, photographer and guide who owns his own hunting adventure company. Eva is the co-host of Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures and a representative of the Outdoor Channel.

BRITTANY BODDINGTON (BB) is the daughter of hunter and journalist Craig Boddington. Brittany herself is a writer, hunter and was the first woman to ever appear on the cover of Petersons Hunting Magazine. She is also a frequent guest host on Petersen’s Hunting Adventures, previous host on The American Huntress TV show and is currently collaborating with her father for The Boddington Experience for 2015.

Africa Geographic (AG): Why and when did you start hunting?

ES: I have gone out hunting, camping and hiking with my dad my entire life but I never actually shot an animal until I was 20. My mom was a professional ballet-jazz dancer and my dad was the hunter of the family. It took me awhile to realize that I could still be a lady like my mom and also love to hunt.

BB: My dad started hunting (in) Africa when he was very young … I was excited to see the magical place that he had always told me stories about but I was not interested in hunting. .. My graduation present was a trip to Africa. In the weeks leading up to the trip I started to research Africa. I eventually started looking into the hunting side of African tourism and I fell in love. I loved the idea of being out in the bush in the middle of nowhere, the excitement of sneaking through the brush with animals all around. I asked my dad to teach me how to shoot. He was shocked! I had always been against hunting, I never wanted to talk with him about it and I carefully avoided telling my friends that my dad was a hunter. The sudden turn around caught him off guard… That safari was unforgettable and since then I have been back over a dozen times.

AG: Why do you hunt?

ES: I am motivated by the healthy, organic wild game meat I get out of a hunt. I grew up eating moose and deer meat and now I have a hard time buying beef from the grocery store.

My favorite hunt to go on is a moose hunt up in the Yukon with my dad … We are in the middle of the wild lands in the most beautiful place on earth with some of the most magnificent animals, and to top it off, I get to share it with my dad! Heaven!

BB: I love to hunt because I feel that it connects me with nature and I get very primal enjoyment of harvesting my own food. I love to hunt in Africa, that is where I started hunting and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

AG: What are your thoughts on women in hunting?

ES: I love hunting with other women! It brings such a different element to a hunt and I still get caught off-guard when I am surrounded by other girls who have the same passion and love for hunting as I do – it makes me so happy! I went on an all-girls hunt in Alaska for reindeer a few years ago and it was one of the most enjoyable hunts I’ve ever been on.

The increase in female hunters over the last few years is HUGE! When I used to attend hunting shows when I was young, my mom and I would often be two of the only females in the entire place. Now when I go to hunting events, it’s nearly split 50-50 between men and women. My favourite part of my job is meeting female hunters and encouraging them to keep hunting!

The industry is adapting and is making room for female hunters. There are products specifically made for women now, like bows and guns… There are hunting TV shows hosted by women and hunting products endorsed by women and mainstream celebrity females announcing to the world that they are proud hunters… It’s a good way to get kids involved with hunting, it’s fun to spend time with wives/girlfriends/sisters/mothers out in the woods – the hunting demographic has changed for the better and the industry is continuing to adapt to these changes.

I am very active on Facebook and that’s mostly because I know there are women who keep up with my page and go from non-hunters to “well if she can hunt, then I can hunt” and sooner or later, they go on their first hunt. I hear this often and it makes me so happy and proud that these women believe in themselves and have changed their mind about how they thought of hunting in the past. The more accessible women hunters are, the better for the growth of women hunters.

BB: I love to hunt with other women. I live in Los Angeles which is not a hunting friendly area and yet several of my friends from LA have become avid huntresses.

There has been a major boom in the number of women hunting in the last decade. I think women are doing a lot of sports that were previously male dominated. The world has changed and women are just as capable and sometimes even better hunters than men… Hunting is a wonderful activity for families and it teaches strength, patience, respect and responsibility.

I’m very proud of the way women have risen in modern media. There are several notable huntresses that have made themselves known and are striving to educate the public on hunting and conservation. It is unfortunate that they get attacked in the media. The anti-hunting media has focused its attacks on female hunters… I can only assume that they see us as weak targets because we are female. They obviously don’t know any female hunters because weak is not a term I could ever associate with any of the ladies I know.

AG: Many conservationists question the conservation value of the hunting of wild free roaming animals in Africa. Focusing on lions, the species is under threat (wild population 23,000-39,000 from 76,000 in 1980), the meat is not sought after by local communities, there are excellent predator/human conflict strategies in place in many areas and only 3-5% of hunting revenue actually does trickle down to the relevant communities (source: Economists at Large: The $200m Question). What then is the value to lion conservation of the trophy hunting of free roaming wild lions?

ES: I will refrain from commenting on the question.

BB: Having never hunted a lion and being unfamiliar with the statistics you mentioned I would prefer to stay out of that conversation.

The original article with illustrations was first published on the Africa Geographic Online Magazine – we are indebted to Africa Geographic Magazine for the kind permission to re-publish this article in African Indaba. Africa Geographic Magazine is a weekly magazine of African wildlife, people and travel. Content is provided to Africa Geographic by many people, both professional and amateur, and via traditional and social channels. In the interest of bringing you the full picture AG permits as broad a spectrum of content as possible, although we and our team don’t necessarily agree with opinions expressed. Any Africa Geographic team member that comments on AG and other social media channels does so in their own capacity and not with Africa Geographic sanction, unless otherwise stated by Africa Geographic.
 
My wife and daughters have hunted, but for them its not a priority.
I'm a bit sceptical of the motives behind some of the glamour dolls who post hunting pix.. I also get sceptical when some really old guy in a hunting video is the first to congratulate her.

I'd like to see some more women hunting without financial or sponsor support which to me, is a give away.

Call me chauvenistic. I'm guilty.
 
I don't come from a world of hunters. Men or women. And to say my friends find it incredibly odd that I do, would be an understatement. I've even had one woman tell my husband that she wanted no friendship with me because I do hunt. And have had a couple personal female friends delete me on the social media sites because of my hunting photos. Works for me. I've never had much patience for ignorance. It's their line of thinking (without facts) that is largely the cause of the decimation of animal populations. I didn't even pick up a gun until my later forties. But I fell in love with the shooting sports and then, not long after, was introduced to the hunting sports by other female friends (what very few I have that big game hunt).

The reason I love to hunt so much is varied. As Britney pointed out, there is a primal enjoyment to harvesting one's own food. I love the idea of going out in the wild, hunting an animal, and prepping a meal from start to finish as a result of the hunt. I have always loved the outdoors and being physically active. I also have a great love for traveling. And hunting provides me with new ideas and opportunities to go to places I probably would have never considered otherwise. Attributes such as gender, age and ethnic background will never be a determinant as to whether a person loves to hunt or not. Hopefully, in due time, the question as to why women hunt will be a mute one. ;)
 
My wife hunts vicariously, through my son and I.

If we are getting low on venison, she will be sure to tell us! In other words, "You providers better get to providing"!

It isn't that we cannot afford to buy store-bought meat...heck, we all know that for most of us in our suburban/city working life, store-bought would be cheaper.

She prefers to both eat and feed us venison...and we prefer it too. I doubt she would go out on her own to take a deer, but she is very happy to push us out the door to do it (not that we fight her!).

So in a second-hand sort of way, she is hunting.
 
my wife and daughter , hunted and hunt , both were more in it for supply of meat , and trophie a long second to that .
my daughter would rather hunt hard with her brothers and me , in a week end hunt humping the hills and gullies and have a big carry out with the meat.
as samba meat is the biggest protein intake our family has known since we were all a wee bit younger .
my daughter will walk miles stalking rabbits with the .22 or bow . all day long .
she guts and skins everything she harvests ,and has she was first shown how .
its the carry out, that she gets a lighter role in , much to her own discomfort .
 
It was my wife and her family that got me started in hunting back when we met in 1982. I was the city kid marrying the farmer's daughter. My father in law couldn't stand the fact that his son in law to-be had never held a rifle before. So he took me out with his 30-06 and taught me to shoot. I hunted for a few years with my family with my wife accompanying the guys as a pusher and sighter just like she always had.

Then one very very VERY cold December in 1989 I was hunting antlerless deer on the farm and having no luck. On the afternoon of the last day of the season my wife donned her snow suit and blaze orange vest to help out. Sure enough we coaxed out some large does and I missed a rather easy shot.

On the way home that night, somewhere South of Harrisburgh PA on PA Rt 83, my wife exclaimed: "I could have gotten one of those does".

With insult added to injury I replied. "Ahhh yep. I'm sure you could have".

Next she said: "I want my own rifle. Get me a rifle".

And so we did. A nice Browning Bolt action in .243

The next season she got a very nice 6 pt buck her first day out.
We've hunted and shot together ever since.
 
Sorry for the two posts in a row...but I couldn't find this right away...

Regarding the question of "What then is the value to lion conservation of the trophy hunting of free roaming wild lions?".

In very broad terms, it enhances the economic value of the lion. Same goes for any game animal, in my humble opinion.

See the video: How the ban on lion hunting killed the lions: Mikkel Legarth at TEDxCopenhagen
"When it comes to animals, people's behavior is usually driven by their emotions instead of facts and knowledge -- it's a behavior that can result in the exact opposite of what was intended."

 
my wife and daughter , hunted and hunt , both were more in it for supply of meat , and trophie a long second to that .
my daughter would rather hunt hard with her brothers and me , in a week end hunt humping the hills and gullies and have a big carry out with the meat.
as samba meat is the biggest protein intake our family has known since we were all a wee bit younger .
my daughter will walk miles stalking rabbits with the .22 or bow . all day long .
she guts and skins everything she harvests ,and has she was first shown how .
its the carry out, that she gets a lighter role in , much to her own discomfort .

The world would be a better place, if there were more daughters like yours.(y)
 
enjoyed the read. I think the women who hunt do it for many varied reasons. Whether to impress Daddy or boyfriend or just the thrill of hunting.
Females are just like people (lol), and have just as many reasons for enjoying hunting as men do.

My wife never hunted or fished growing up. no brothers and her dad didn't.
She was immediately hooked on fishing when we dated and married.
She learned to enjoy the woods quickly the first hunting season, but no desire to shoot an animal.
She started shooting pistols, then 22 rifle. She couldn't understand the deer head on the wall.
Then, she decided to squirrel hunt and killed a raccoon with a 22. when the coon hit the ground, she said "Can we get it mounted?"
After some time, she started hunting deer and loved it. The hunt and the cooking of it.
I saw the glow on her face as she hunted and killed 4 animals in africa this year, esp the zebra and caracal.

My daughter?
From her first kill at about 8, she was a killer. Might not be politically correct to say it, but she likes the hunt ok, but really enjoys the kill. As a child, she'd shoot every legal deer I allowed her to shoot.
she loves deer backstraps also. cooks them up nicely on the grill. Interestingly, she eats very little meat, but loves venison.
She's killed many deer with her rifle, then asked for a bow because she wanted the challenge.
She's as proud of her little doe bow-kill as any deer with her rifle.
She and I are headed to hunt mule deer and predators soon. Her choice of hunt for college graduation.

My son?
not the killer my daughter is. He got his first turkey at 5 and first deer at 6 (a 180 pound 6 point shot with a 20 guage shotgun at 20 yards)
By the time he was 12, he had no interest in shooting a doe and wants only to shoot a large buck.
I don't know where he got that from. lol.
Because of that, his sister has killed many more animals than him.
He had a blast, though, in africa 4 years ago when he graduated college.
He doesn't hunt much because he's working and in grad school and married.
His wife, a nurse, had never hunted but enjoyed going with us a few times.
she shot at a deer, but missed. loves to eat it though.
 
As a Young Man I would Venture North to Wisconsin to my Aunts Farm where the Clan would get together every season to hunt Deer,,Uncles,Cousins ,Second and Third Cousins Nephews, Nieces, and Aunts and One Chicago Pollack all together for the Season,,,I remember my Aunt Inez (I refered to her as Inny The Hiney) sure looked good in a Pair of Snow Pants,,all great hunters
 
I think that it is wonderful that women are becoming inceasingly involved in hunting. My son and daughter both hunt. My daughter enjoys it very much, whether she continues or not once she is grown remains to be seen. I think she enjoys it mostly because of the time she and I spend together hunting more so than the hunt itself. At the end of the day thats what its all about, right! I am always looking to promote our way of life, with both men and women. I spend a whole lot of time taking children hunting that otherwise wouldn't be able to through the Texas Outdoor Adventure Foundation. I am lucky enough to be on the board of directors of our chapter. My point is, it doesnt matter if it is man or women or old or young. It is our duty as ethical sportsman to teach and get people involved in hunting to squash all the left wing rhetoric that is shoved down people's throats these days. To see that more and more women are hunting is a good thing. It means we're winning the battle. Never lose sight of that or it will cost us the war.
 
I think its a good thing wether they are doing it for sport or food. At this time its more the better. Their is good to have a balance between hunters and non-hunters as too many hunters you have lack of game and high prices while too little you get over population of animals and banning of hunting, gun ownership, etc. I have met many great women hunters or those who just like to come along for the trip.I hunt mainly for the trophy and sport but do not waste the meat, make deer burgers, stew, etc. Roan is great! We also give a lot of the meat we harvest to those less fortunate. Or in the case of Africa, a lot of the meat goes to the local villagers.

Good post BigSteve, I'm going to save that video for the next time I run into a PETA freak. Im in a very liberal state so its pretty much everyone, I just try to keep my mouth shut. Unless of course I know they are hunters or don't mind hunting.
 
There's a couple of threads on here about women hunters but I picked this one based on the content of the original post. I'm married to a female hunter and as I mentioned above, she is the one that got me started in hunting. So I always take note of discussions involving women and hunters and/or hunting.

I just came across this. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if women were better hunters or at least equal to men. However, the reason given I found a bit surprising!

Some excerpts:

Joe Pinkstone
Mon, November 27, 2023 at 2:38 PM EST
Prehistoric women were probably better at hunting than men, scientists suggest

"When it comes to hunting down a sabre-tooth tiger or slaying a woolly mammoth, the fairer sex has the upper hand, according to two new studies."

"Women have a metabolism better suited to endurance, according to Dr Cara Ocobock, director of the Human Energetics Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame."

"“[This] would have been critical in early hunting because they would have had to run the animals down into exhaustion before actually going in for the kill,” she said."

REF:
https://news.yahoo.com/prehistoric-women-were-probably-better-193819280.html
 
Comment deleted
 
Joe Pinkstone
Mon, November 27, 2023 at 2:38 PM EST
Prehistoric women were probably better at hunting than men, scientists suggest

"When it comes to hunting down a sabre-tooth tiger or slaying a woolly mammoth, the fairer sex has the upper hand, according to two new studies."

"Women have a metabolism better suited to endurance, according to Dr Cara Ocobock, director of the Human Energetics Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame."

"“[This] would have been critical in early hunting because they would have had to run the animals down into exhaustion before actually going in for the kill,” she said."

REF:
https://news.yahoo.com/prehistoric-women-were-probably-better-193819280.html

Dr. Ocobock is clearly allowing her own biases skew known facts...

Lets see... men, as a rule are larger and stronger than women... activities associated with hunting in primitive cultures like... walking great distances, carrying heavy shit around (like I dunno.. the dead animal.. back to camp for likely MILES...), and actually being able to ram a spear or pull the draw weight on a bow suitable for killing large game (like the woolly mammoth and sabre toothed tiger mentioned in the article) requires a significant amount of strength and body mass..

running animals down into exhaustion???? Since when has that ever been a hunting tactic?

I'd guess Dr. Ocobock has never hunted anything in her life.. a human isnt going to run much of anything down.. no matter how fit they are or how good their metabolism is.. generally speaking almost every breed of game animal on the planet has greater speed and greater endurance than even the most fit humans.. and mind you, the "fit" humans of todays world are SIGNIFICANTLY more fit than the "fit" humans of the ancient world.. they have the benefit of modern medicine.. modern science behind their exercise regimens.. modern science behind their dietary habits, etc.. they arent limited by what foods they could hunt or gather today.. or just basic human activity to keep their aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels up..

but lets put an olympic class sprinter, an olympic class marathoner, and a impala all out in a 1000 acre field and lets see who catches what or who escapes..

I know of no culture that ever hunted by "running game to exhaustion".. there are some that would run them to their deaths by getting them to run off cliffs (i.e. native american technique for hunting bison for example).. but good luck chasing even a rabbit on foot until its exhausted.. Neanderthal girl would be laying on her back in the field trying to catch her breath after 5 minutes.. while the sabre toothed bunny sat 20 feet away laughing at her..

there are plenty of people on this earth still living like their ancestors lived hundreds, if not thousands of years ago.. using primitive tools to hunt game.. living primitive lives, etc..

why is it none of them have their cultures centered around women being the hunters? why is it with the Awa in Brazil, the Nomole in Peru, the primitive tribes in Papua New Guinea, etc.. the hunters are all male?

I am not discounting women as hunters in any way, shape, or form.. my wife and one of my daughters are avid hunters.. and I have another daughter starting to express interest in hunting.. and frankly there are some things they are better at than I am.. all of them are FAR more patient that I am for example.. and all of them have the ability to be much quieter than I am for long periods of time (sitting in a blind, etc).. and they are certainly more than capable and more than willing to hunt in challenging conditions (cold, wet, etc), walk long distances on spot and stalk hunts.. climb to elevation, etc.. etc..

but at the end of the day.. guess who drags the deer back to camp (no matter who shot it)?

It aint the ladies with a metabolism better suited for endurance lol..

and none of them are running around attempting to chase anything until its exhausted..
 
Last edited:
My GF went from being a vegetarian of 20+ years to killing her first elk 2 years after she and I got together, followed by a number of deer and antelope. She hasn't hunted in several years now, but does remind me something needs to come home with me when the freezer is getting low.
My Granddaughter has been hunting with me since she was little. One of my favorite pics is when she was helping gut an antelope and got some blood on her sparkly purple tennis shoes, and she was laughing about it, lol! No qualms about helping clean an animal, to be sure. She shot her first deer and javelina in Texas when she was 11, first antelope she shot at 12 here in Colorado, and has since taken several more. She shoots better than either of her brothers as well. Now in college, she was not able to hunt this year, but I'm hopeful that she will continue to hunt in the future as she always enjoyed the time in the field. Definitely understands the hunter's role in conservation, I made sure of that.
My experience has been that women do well as hunters. Better patience than a lot of men, able to discern the color variations of animal versus terrain better, and typically more readily "coachable" in shooting, whatever the weapon of choice. Their biggest impediment seems to be the societal pressure that women shouldn't hunt; and some of the worst are the old school hunting guys in this regard. We, hunters generically, need more of them joining us in the field. This is truly a pursuit that gender doesn't really matter or give an edge.
 
My girlfriend hunts, (pretty much just with me), but she really enjoys it. She is especially fond of bowhunting, which makes us an excellent match.

She has her own medical practice and with her full body mount black bear in the waiting room, (along with my Bull Moose shoulder mount), she gets a lot of questions and she answers them all, unapologetically. We both teach Hunter Safety classes (Bow and Firearm) and a lot of the students are females.
GemsbuckLusi.jpg
WH-Both.jpg


It's pretty funny when a smart female who hunts gets described as "badass" while us guys who hunt are cretins.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
53,624
Messages
1,131,367
Members
92,680
Latest member
ChadSimpso
 

 

 

Latest profile posts

Impact shots from the last hunt

Early morning Impala hunt, previous link was wrong video

Headshot on jackal this morning

Mature Eland Bull taken in Tanzania, at 100 yards, with 375 H&H, 300gr, Federal Premium Expanding bullet.

20231012_145809~2.jpg
 
Top