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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey published a report in 2007 showing that the number of female hunters has grown since 1991, showing significant growth among young females. According to the survey, over 300,000 girls ages 6 to 15 hunted from 2001 through 2006 which is a 50% increase over the number of young girls hunting from 1991 through 1996. While much of the country was surprised to learn that the Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential nominee, Sarah Pailin, was an avid hunter -- it opened the doors to the big secret that hunting is not just for men! The striking photos of her taking down a caribou are a shining example of what women all over the country do all the time, without notice or fanfare.

So, what kind of animals do women hunt? Just like men, everything from birds to the dangerous predators of Africa and the bears of the far North. What do these women use for hunting? Again, just like men, they use modern, high-powered rifles, handguns, black powder rifles and bows. The interesting thing about women hunting is that unlike families where only the man hunts and goes out for the weekend by himself or perhaps with his son, the family with a female hunter goes out together and shares excellent family time together.

Just as for men, firearm choices for women depend on what you are hunting. While a lot of firearms can serve multiple purposes, there is no single gun that can do it all. There are a lot of rifles and handguns out there in a lot of calibers. Most of these are fine choices, in their own right. However, our perspective is to keep things simple and as inexpensive as possible. A key to bringing home the meat and having a successful hunt is being able to hit your target. This doesn't happen all by itself but rather it requires practice. Practice requires ammunition, which can get expensive. While a rifle chambered in some exotic caliber might seem like a great idea, the fact that this exotic ammunition might cost you several dollars a round will certainly keep practice to a minimum. Our thoughts are that for a basic, big game rifle in the deer class, you can't go wrong with either the .308 Winchester or 30-06 Springfield. Both of these rounds have the power to take down all game in the lower 48, except the big bears. Ammunition is plentiful and as cheap as it gets and there are literally dozens of rifles chambered for these rounds form every manufacturer. In addition, the bolt action rifles that these rounds are chambered for are easy to use, reliable and will last forever.

Selecting a rifle is important. Most rifles made today are sized for a man. While a few "youth models" are made, this is not the norm. The distance between the trigger and your shoulder is an important factor in being able to shoot a rifle comfortably and accurately. The bulk of rifles on the dealer's shelves will not fit a woman properly. While a custom rifle is a possibility, that entails a lot of money and time waiting for delivery. However, there is an other way. Shop for a rifle and select one that has the features and functionality you like the best. Feel the bolt and work the action. Try the safety and see if it feels comfortable. Check out the trigger pull and how easy it is to load and unload ammunition. A nice feature of some rifles is the 3-position safety. This allows you to work the bolt to remove cartridges from the gun while the gun is in safe mode. But in the full safe position, it locks the bolt making sure it stays closed. 

Once you've decided on a rifle, go online and look for a shorter pull stock for your rifle. Several manufacturers make drop in stocks in several pull lengths for popular rifles. Measure the length of the stock from the trigger to the butt on the rifle you chose and then measure the distance from your shoulder to where your trigger finger lies in it's most comfortable position. Typically this will be a 1 to 2 inch difference in length. This distance is the "pull length" of the stock you will need. Since these stocks are drop in just order it up and when it arrives unscrew the factory stock and put on the new one. You can even sell the brand new factory stock on the auction sites for likely half the cost of the replacement stock, making your total investment smaller.

We recommend a high-quality, low magnification scope for all regular hunting needs. The low magnification scope will have excellent eye relief, thereby making sure the scope and your eye never come in contact during recoil and have a wide field of view (see our rifle scope article for more information). However the real benefit to a woman for a low-power scope is in the lack of shake you will see. Heavy, high-power scopes on heavy rifles are hard to hold still for a man. A woman will find this even harder, making hitting the target more difficult. By choosing a light rifle and a light scope you will be able to hold the rifle more steady and thereby hit the target more effectively.

You also need to consider balance in the rifle. Choosing a short pull length stock and combining it with a long barrel rifle will result in a very front heavy combination.  This will be awkward and hard to hold and sight. Although a shorter barrel will result in a bit of a velocity loss the balance of the rifle will improve. With improved balance will come easier shooting which will easily make up for the slightly slower bullet. The Ruger 30-06 rifle pictured was equipped with a stock with a 12 inch pull, a Leupold 1x4 scope and the barrel was shortened from the original 22 inches to 19 inches. This combination is a perfect package for the female hunter. When selecting a new rifle pick one with a 18-20 inch barrel from the start and save the time and effort required to have a longer barrel shortened.

Women and Firearms     Choosing a gun     Holsters