Women are a growing segment of Michigan hunters

Report for America|

Many Midwest states and outdoor organizations are now trying to reach groups that haven’t historically participated in hunting — including women. But while women make up about a third of new hunters, many face barriers to break into and continue with the sport.

Charlene Gawronski waits in a tree stand in the early hours of Michigan’s opening day of the deer firearm season. When out in the field, she said she often thinks of her Uncle Bob, who taught her to hunt rabbits when she was a girl. “Sometimes, I’ll say a prayer, and instead of talking to Jesus or God, I’ll say, ‘Uncle Bob, give me a good shot. Or make sure that I take a clean, ethical shot,’” she said. (Teresa Homsi / Harvest Public Media)

Teresa Homsi’s piece on women in hunting examines a common part of rural life from an underreported lens. Teresa commented that her work is “an enterprise piece that explores buried demographic data, but it also raises interesting questions about safety, inclusion, and the appeal of hunting for groups of people who may have never seen the sport as an option.” Her editor added, “It taught our audience something new and other outside organizations emailed us and wanted to learn more about the data she had collected on female hunters.”

Teresa Homsi is a Report For America corps member covering Environmental concerns in rural Michigan for the WCMU Public Radio in Michigan.