Number of Women Hunters Increasing

[Hot4huntin]

Number of Female Hunters Increasing

April 1, 2008 (National)


According to a survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), more women, especially younger women, are participating in hunting.

The 2006 National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreation produced by the FWS indicated that while the total number of hunters decreased 11 percent between 1991 and 2006, the number of women taking to the sport is actually increasing.

Women make up about nine percent of the 12.5 million hunters in the U.S., showing a slight increase, according to the survey.

More interestingly, the survey showed that 304,000 girls ages 6 to 15 hunted from 2001 through 2006, which was a 50 percent increase over the period of 1991 through 1996.

The FWS collected data for the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreation through the U.S. Census Bureau. This survey has been produced since 1955, and it is considered one of the most comprehensive and oldest of its kind.