Hunting is growing in popularity among women nationwide and in Indiana, according to officials with the Department of Natural Resources. They say the number of hunting licenses sold to women increased by 93 percent from 2006 to 2014. During that same time period the number of female youth hunters skyrocketed 114 percent.
Nationally the number of female hunters increased by 85 percent from 2001 to 2013, according to the National Sporting Goods Association’s annual participation study.
Female firearms ownership also is rising. From 2012 to 2014, gun permits issued to women in Indiana increased by 42 percent. A National Shooting Sports Foundation study released earlier this year reported that more than one-third of the women participating in an NSSF-commissioned study said they purchased their first firearm within the last three years. Nearly all of them have tried target shooting, more than half have hunted and 73 percent said they have taken at least one training class.
