Shooting Sports: Women in Hunting

The Boston Globe has a surprising look at huning. Gun-toting sorority: Women taking aim as game hunters. It is surprising, because it is a fairly neutral (almost positive) story out of the Boston Globe on hunting.

While men often come to hunting as boys or adolescents, the women hunters are often choosing the sport as adults and often take classes to learn the ropes, said Jan Dizard, an Amherst College professor and author of a book on hunters.

"Women, particularly adult women, are much more thoughtful and considerate, and come into hunting with a much clearer ethical sensibility," Dizard said. "I think that's one of the reasons why one sees a decline in the number of accidents."

Following a couple of women hunters, and detailing how they got into the sport, and why they stay. The article is informative, free of bias, well written and interesting.

This article caught my eye, because just the other day - Friday in fact - I was discussing hunting with a friend of mine, and she maintained that she had "evolved" past the need to hunt. She is a vegetarian, so at least she has the courage of her convictions, but I don't see being herbivorous as a sign of evolution. (I didn't spend millions of years getting to the top of the food chain, so I could be a herbivore!) Hunting is neccessary part of wildlife management today given that we have eliminate predators from the ecosystem. The result is huge populations of dear, and the starvation and disease that go with that.