Women Representation

[Brandon270]

I think field and stream did a better job in the subject of real women hunters. I have the full article somewhere, this looks like it's missing the whole thing.

The New Game Changers

These 11 outdoors women are inspiring other females to take to the outdoors in record numbers

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[seeth07]

Man tough crowd on this SF writer. I think everyone is digging in way deep and trying to interpret this article for something it isn't.

The way I read and saw the article was about this girly girl urban writer who was curious about these Barbie social media hunters and told her story about it. I don't really feel her intent was to tell the story of the ranchers daughter.

 

[MNElkNut]

I read the whole thing and yeah, there were parts that were a little fluffy, but overall, I liked it. Some of her sentences were cringe worthy, but remember, we weren't her target audience. It put hunting out there in a positive light, especially coming from an unlikely source. Would it have been better if it was written by an experienced hunter? I don't think so; the perspective would have been off. This was written from a point of view of a SF food critic who is new to hunting. If one keeps that perspective in mind, it was good. We need all of the good press like this we can get from people like the author who influences a different demographic than we can. I hope the hunting community embraces her and makes her a hunter some day!

 

[Hunting Wife]

I read the whole thing and yeah, there were parts that were a little fluffy, but overall, I liked it. Some of her sentences were cringe worthy, but remember, we weren't her target audience. It put hunting out there in a positive light, especially coming from an unlikely source. Would it have been better if it was written by an experienced hunter? I don't think so; the perspective would have been off. This was written from a point of view of a SF food critic who is new to hunting. If one keeps that perspective in mind, it was good. We need all of the good press like this we can get from people like the author who influences a different demographic than we can. I hope the hunting community embraces her and makes her a hunter some day!

Maybe the best way to illustrate what I’m talking about is an example. I offer this article in contrast, from an extremely unlikely source yet written in a much more empowering and thoughtful way:

http://www.oprah.com/food/women-and-hunting-kimberly-hisss-humbling-harvest/all

Not a single mention of her looks. No squealing ala tweenagers at a Beyoncé concert. No trendy product mentions. Just some introspection and a hunt. This article is a decade old and remains the exception. Its an honest portrayal of a normal woman who happens to hunt, published in a magazine targeting readers that are likely more hostile and farther removed from the sport than the Outside crowd.

Do folks see the difference? Thoughts?

 

[Panda Bear]

I read the whole thing and yeah, there were parts that were a little fluffy, but overall, I liked it. Some of her sentences were cringe worthy, but remember, we weren't her target audience. It put hunting out there in a positive light, especially coming from an unlikely source. Would it have been better if it was written by an experienced hunter? I don't think so; the perspective would have been off. This was written from a point of view of a SF food critic who is new to hunting. If one keeps that perspective in mind, it was good. We need all of the good press like this we can get from people like the author who influences a different demographic than we can. I hope the hunting community embraces her and makes her a hunter some day!

although I understand you point and agree somewhat , it was a tough read for me and I personally believe it could have been written better even by these ladies and if it had, it would have been seen in a better light by an even larger group or cross section of people.

April made a rather subtle point in her post that at first blush some might miss. I also in my younger years found myself watering down who I was and what I enjoyed doing ( hunting and trapping ) in an attempt to garner acceptance from a wider group of people. I dont do that now and I think the audience you think they are attempting to reach may or may not be reachable, but the audience in the world of hunters, both men and women, will dismiss the article ( and the person writing it ) as silly.

The OP has no problem using the word "huntress"---nor, should she. It is what she is, it is what I am. I would prefer to be referred to as a huntress, as in "the huntress watched the animal through her binoculars " compared to something like " as the wind blew her beautiful black hair across her face, she held her binoculars with long slim fingers to her sparkling dark eyes and watched her prey in awe of how majestic he appeared"

Hunting Wife posted while I was typing and she is 100% correct. Excellent example of the point I was attempting to make. To answer Hunting Wife's questions at the end of her post---yes and you are correct. Thank you for posting that article for comparison.

 

[noharleyyet]

I'm just surprised politically expedient wokeness hasn't banned pink hunting equiment and ear adornment....the pink 'toques' being exempt of course.

Separating the fluff ain't complicated....and I still don't know what a mack daddy is.

 

[thomas89]

Maybe the best way to illustrate what I’m talking about is an example. I offer this article in contrast, from an extremely unlikely source yet written in a much more empowering and thoughtful way:

http://www.oprah.com/food/women-and-hunting-kimberly-hisss-humbling-harvest/all

Not a single mention of her looks. No squealing ala tweenagers at a Beyoncé concert. No trendy product mentions. Just some introspection and a hunt. This article is a decade old and remains the exception. Its an honest portrayal of a normal woman who happens to hunt, published in a magazine targeting readers that are likely more hostile and farther removed from the sport than the Outside crowd.

Do folks see the difference? Thoughts?

Yes much different and a much more palatable read.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Exactly this.

In pleats. Grandma Kramer, somewhere around Moore, MT in the 1940's. I have that Winchester 32-40. It's a tack driver.

Mom always said that if she never ate another deer, she'd be just fine. She was the second oldest in an itinerant preacher's family of 6 kids (Baby Walter is buried in the Sheridan, MT cemetery, he was the 7th). Everybody was expected to put meat in the freezer. Often times regardless of tag availability or age.

Fascinating discussion. Just showing my support before going back into the shadows to listen & learn.

 

[Hunting Wife]

In pleats. Grandma Kramer, somewhere around Moore, MT in the 1940's. I have that Winchester 32-40. It's a tack driver.

Mom always said that if she never ate another deer, she'd be just fine. She was the second oldest in an itinerant preacher's family of 6 kids (Baby Walter is buried in the Sheridan, MT cemetery, he was the 7th). Everybody was expected to put meat in the freezer. Often times regardless of tag availability or age.

Fascinating discussion. Just showing my support before going back into the shadows to listen & learn.

View attachment 153552

That’s a great picture and story. Those are the women that inspire me. What stories they must have had. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Europe]

Ben, the car, the rifle, the deer and grandmother. Beautiful and it brought back some beautiful memories as well. Although we had World War two in the first half of the forties, I still have some wonderful memories of those times, Thank you Ben

A bit off subject but just yesterday someone was asking me about the forties and how hard it must have been with no cell phone or computer. I laughed --no cell phone--we had one phone on the wall and it was a party line telephone, out house, no t.v., and the one thing I remember was when grandmother reached for her oak switch, we suddenly didn't have what they refer to today as "attention deficient" She had our attention !

Some ask me where I though the best hunting women in the world were and I said possibly Norway, referring to the Norway Jegertroppen, but they had no idea what I was talking about (-: In real time, I have met some fine "huntress's" from each corner of our world. Here on the forum, it would be a pleasure to share a campfire with Hunting Wife, Panda Bear, Mtelkhuntress, Randi and several of the gentlemen here as well

Hunting wife posted a second article that clearly shows the difference, not just in hunting styles and writing styles, but in attitudes. I personally believe that the second article posted would receive better reception from women and men who hunt, as well as non hunters.

MKElkhuntress. Great thread , thank you for it.

Noharleyyet, you just could not resist (-:

Panda Bear. Damn, if you ever decide to change occupations, you might consider writing for cosmopolition or maybe even playboy ( is playboy even published now that Hefner passed ? ) anyway--"beautiful black hair, long slim fingers, sparkling dark eyes" (-:

wilm1313 post 19 - I agree

BuzzH post 16--Exactly. And in many cases the entire story is designed to sell something besides what the story is billed as. AND as Panda Bear mentioned, using women to market products is not a new concept. ( I was also going to mention Copenhagen and Las Vegas as examples to illustrate my point but did not want to make a nice southern gentleman like noharleyyet uncomfortable with such a reference (-; )

 

[Deleted member 28227]

The OP has no problem using the word "huntress"---nor, should she. It is what she is, it is what I am. I would prefer to be referred to as a huntress, as in "the huntress watched the animal through her binoculars " compared to something like " as the wind blew her beautiful black hair across her face, she held her binoculars with long slim fingers to her sparkling dark eyes and watched her prey in awe of how majestic he appeared"

Fair point... I wouldn’t enjoy the latter either.

I do find it strange that there are some terms we try to provide a female version of instead of just degendering.

A doctor is a doctor. Nurse, teacher, pilot, etc. Sure these terms have some lingering gender specific connotations but society, I think, has move past those connotations (trying to).

I guess my preference would be for it to read, “The hunter watched the animal through her binoculars.”

That said I have no issue with huntress, if that’s someone’s preferred term.

In general the overly marketed persona drives me a bit crazy, feels I don’t know, saccharin... fake... lacking authenticity. The way those people talk/write about hunting is just so different than my understanding of reality.

The persona of the woman in the piece versus @Hunting Wife or yourself...

Though similarly I have the same issue with the go hunt/gritty bowman/ Cam Hanes of the world.

It’s not that I don’t respect them... I just feel (for whatever reason) as if I’m looking at a carefully cultivated facade.

I had a similar feeling with pro athletes of various sports growing up.

Guess I will always be team pup and suds.

If anyone gets that reference I will be shocked.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

I will also add that my wife also gets annoyed with the marketing of today's female hunters. She will always say "OMG" she is wearing makeup and her hair looks washed, must have been a real tough hunt!

I've definitely caught myself saying the same things but recently I've just kind of ignored it. If some women want to wear makeup while hunting, that's fine but it shouldn't be the focus of who they are. There does exist diversity in the women's hunting community.
Also I think this needs to be said, none of us are bashing the women in the article but more pointing out how the article could of represented the women better and more authentically. I had never heard of the women in the article....so I cant really speak to who they are.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I've definitely caught myself saying the same things but recently I've just kind of ignored it. If some women want to wear makeup while hunting, that's fine but it shouldn't be the focus of who they are. There does exist diversity in the women's hunting community.
Also I think this needs to be said, none of us are bashing the women in the article but more pointing out how the article could of represented the women better and more authentically. I had never heard of the women in the article....so I cant really speak to who they are.

100% people need to get over the makeup thing. Some dudes are clearly going to the barber once a week no one is commenting on their perfect fade.

 

[MTelkHuntress]

The OP has no problem using the word "huntress"---nor, should she. It is what she is, it is what I am.

Well said.

Not to burst anyone's bubble....but when I chose a username, MtElkhunter was already taken....and I have the username creativity of a toothpick. I'm not sure where along the way women allowed the word to become a negative thing by men and other women. My great grandfather called me "a little huntress" and no one ever thought it was negative. If women want to use the word, great. If they dont, also great. The elk in the woods are going to run away from you regardless of what you identify as.

 

[Scott85]

When I hear huntress I think of lioness and we all know how badass lioness are.

 

[TOGIE]

Guess I will always be team pup and suds.

If anyone gets that reference I will be shocked.

brink, no?

 

[Deleted member 28227]

brink, no?

...

....

maybe I do belong here

 

[kwyeewyk]

If some women want to wear makeup while hunting, that's fine

Funny this thought popped into my head last night going to sleep, I wonder what the makeup routine looks like on day 6 or 7 or so of a backcountry hunt? Not to mention hunting in grizz country.

 

[vanish]

The title of the article wasn't "Women Hunters", it was "Instagram's Most Fascinating Subculture? Women Hunters" so I tried to read the article from that perspective. It wasn't so bad then. Anyone with the desire to be "Insta-famous" is going to be vain, Male or female.

Actually thought the latter half, describing how hunting can hook a person, was decent. However, I suspect the author has read a romance novel or three.

 

[TOGIE]

...

....

maybe I do belong here

or neither of us do