Ladies, you know you’ve been there.
You’ve got the gals all set up for a weekend of hunting. No kids, no dishes, no laundry, just hiking and guns and bawdy humor with your favorite women. Then, who wants to tag along? Someone’s boyfriend/husband. Oh sure, he says he can hunt, but what if he doesn’t care for our schedule? We’re all used to running on 3 hours of sleep, what if he gets cranky when we don’t turn out the lights 8 hours before our dawn roll out? What if he expects us to cook for him or do his dishes? What are we going to wear to sleep in? It’s a small cabin, he might be uncomfortable. Heaven forbid someone be on the rag or lactating, men get pretty uncomfortable around liquid expulsions.
Seriously?
Ok, yes, I’m being facetious here. But, only a little. A recent set of posts by a SHTF reader, really got me thinking about the co-ed hunting friction. Hopefully he’s cool with a shout out, I’m talking about the set of posts by The Maine Outdoorsman – Girls at Deer Camp. Now, setting aside his use of the pejorative term “girls” when referring to grown women, 😀 I have to give him props, because the women in question had a great time, no men were harmed, (no deer either it sounded like) and everyone enjoyed the co-ed hunting experience. Why does co-ed hunting get people’s dander up? Women have been hunting since humans lived in caves. American women have been hunting since before there was a USA. But, ask a man to take a woman hunting, and it’s like asking him to shift the magnetic poles. I’ve heard all the excuses. But what’s the real reason it’s so problematic?
Is it because women of my grandmother’s generation stopped hunting? I don’t have any facts or figures to back that up, but maybe they were too busy being the greatest generation, and they got caught up in the fancy home appliances and their growing wealth, and forgot to go out and shoot anything. Thus leading to a group of (mostly older) men who are unused to seeing females with guns? Perhaps even leading to another generation of women who never got exposed to hunting, I know my mother and her sisters never hunted, but again, I have little in the way of facts and figures to back that up. I do know that my generation hunts. Granted, the numbers show us at a 1-10 minority, there’s at least enough of us to count. 😀 I’ve seen recent numbers that seem to indicate women hunters are growing in numbers while the ranks of men hunters dwindle or remain stagnant.
Is it the sit/stand issue? I know the realities of blind hunting, and the convenient bottles of liquid that men fill to avoid leaving the blind or leaving scent. Here’s a news flash. We’ve got that one solved. GoGirls and other Female Urination Devices enable us to just as discreetly use our own little bottles.
The blood thing? This one is 2 sided, on the one side, I do know women that don’t dress their own kills. They might for birds and such, but after bagging their deer for the season, they quite happily call up hubby and he comes and dresses said deer for them. I’ve not yet shot a deer, nor dressed one, but I really think I could dress it without qualms, as long as it was small enough I could physically handle the weight. I’ve cleaned a lot of birds, and I’m pretty comfortable with raw meat and dead animals. The other side of this coin seems to be men’s fear of women’s blood. Are they afraid we’ll attract bears? Be too smelly? Leave gross stuff laying about a small hunting cabin? Again, I’d say we have that one covered. Diva cups allow us to go all day, with no smell, no pads, needing nothing more than water to deal with the monthly visitor.
Don’t even try to bring up close quarters, humans have lived in much closer quarters for much longer periods of time, I have little patience for the particular brand of puritan modesty that so infests America. I scratch my ass when it itches, just like everyone else.
What is it? Guys? Speak up if you have some insight here. Women, you too, what makes you pause before going on a co-ed hunting trip? I’ve successfully done it a number of times, and everyone had a blast. It does feel like an uphill battle though, every time.
– Calamity Jane
Hunting with Men
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24 comments
Heh, i would lo ve to have a hottie that would hunt with me and look at animals like meat on the counter instead of BAMBI or THumper! ITs nice to be able to appriciate that beauty of animals and the outdoors but it must be balanced with common sense when adn where it pertains to food. Ive only ever had one woman in my life that hunted and she was my High School sweetheart. She killed an 8 point buck while we were dating. I dont see the problem other than wanting to stay in the sleeping bag to long in the morning(wink wink…)
LOL! I actually have a bit of contrast…
My ex-wife’s idea of ‘roughing it’ meant a 2-star hotel instead of four.
I’ve watched my current missus gut her own elk, so that’s not a problem. We’ve cracked jokes the whole way, and the only time I’d ever seen her get queasy is if someone accidentally punctures the stomach (it’s enough to make anyone at least cough a little…) Her only gripe is that she hates the smell and taste of liver, but that’s my favorite part (fried, with onions and steak sauce) – there’s usually enough for 3-4 meals on a spike bull, and up to six on an adult. She OTOH prefers pulling the tenderloins straightaway, since I immediately sprinkle a whole can of cheap black pepper in the body cavity – keeps the flies away, and does good things for the meat. Either way though, the heart becomes stew that very night. 🙂
Haven’t had a chance to really get hunting in Oregon yet, but hunting in Utah usually meant bringing the trailer or tents out, because most of your hunting grounds there are on BLM land, or otherwise way the hell out in the center of nowhere, so there is no real cabins to be found. You can ‘bunk up’ in groups if you wanted to, but most folks usually like to have their own family trailers or tents, with a communal awning, gazebo, or other spot where everyone meets, eats, tells lies, etc.
Either way, I’ve seen women and girls easily get their tags, and out here you just don’t find anything like the ol’ battle of the sexes.
Besides, I don’t care how much of a man you think you are… bagging a 600-lb Elk or 400-lb Mule Deer means that you’re always going to need at least some help in getting it out of there – at least before the local cougar population finds out about it.
Oregon elk rocks….you should come on out and try it…
plan on going out next year with my soon to be son in law and my oldest son…I concur…my mom did not hunt but all of her brothers did and I know that my great grandmother hunted and granny did as well..my generation didn’t but my girls do and so do my daughter in laws…I am the odd firl out…my DH DOES not like to hunt, but my sons do…go figure…and believe me, I hike down my Carhartts with the best of them and let it fly if need be…at zero dark and 4 am…in a very cold Nebraska deer blind…
my wifey uses the diva cup. we save hundreds per year. it’s pretty sweet.
Great post Calamity…I find it so irritating when guys look at me askance and find it so “cool” that I hunt….but as soon as you talk about a joint hunting trip, they clam up and make up excuses for the “girls” not to be able to go! “Im man, hear me roar” *insert chest pounding with fist*
Oh yeah, the diva cup…? Great invention 😉
-=Sarah
http://www.beewench.blogspot.com
I told my kids we’d play after I found what I nedeed. Damnit.
probably a lot depends on whether the wives are ok with it. some of them may feel differently about their husbands going to a “coed” deer camp, as opposed to the “traditional” version.
That’s an interesting thought, I hadn’t considered the wives left behind.
…and another thing; bears can be a worry regardless of who is hunting with you. it’s a bigger worry for me during “muzzle loader” season, because of how long it takes me to reload… during the regular season i should be just as prepared to shoot a bear, a coyote, a boar hog, or a rabid skunk as to shoot a deer. by law, i’m not allowed to carry my S&W as “backup” during the “primative” seasons. (although by “flintlock” season, the bears should be hibernating)
At last some rationality in our little deatbe.
me, rational? you’ve got the wrong guy.
normally, the only bears this side of the appalachian trail are in the zoo. up where my friends hunt, in Carbon or Luzerne county, you are still more likely to encounter a bear while taking out the trash, or walking the dog, than while hunting. (although encounters are on the increase) i think i saw one once, out of the corner of my eye, but i didn’t hang around to make sure… i hadn’t even loaded my rifle yet. i think it was probably a cub, so, i wasn’t eager to meet its mama.
As a father of two girls and grandpa of two others I say” You go girls” My Christmas present this year to my 12yr. old granddaughter was her first rifle.
My wife is not afraid of breaking a nail or getting dirty, and cleaning an animal in the field does not faze her one iota. When when faced with processing a full grown cow which had died while calving, she helped right along side me. This while dating ( you big strong man you! . . . :^)) She was raised in the rurals, and her parents had 10 acres which was used to raise cattle – she knows what life and death is about. They raised rabbits for food, and raised their own vegetable garden as well.
She has gone out deer hunting and even shot and killed her own deer. Needed some help dragging it in – I understand that. Really proud of her. She does not like recoil though, I let her try my .308 and she did not like it one bit. She shoots a 7-08 just fine.
For her, personal functions outside (R.R.) are the biggest hurdle, not that she can’t but she feels very exposed. She’s overcome that wearing a poncho, she can do her restroom or even take a sponge bath very easily while undercover and still be able to see if ‘anyone is peeking’ (hey, its you and me cowboy, I’ll turn around!).
I don’t mind her in camp, she doesn’t complain.
Interesting post. As a woman reading this, I find it ironic that there is disdain for being referred to as ‘girls’ yet no qualms about using the derogatory phrase “on the rag”. But I digress…..
I’ve killed my share of deer -about 15 at last count-and field dressed them all. It’s a messy job, not to mention it stinks- literally. I don’t blame a soul for not wanting to do it and it’s hardly a proving ground for me. I’d welcome any female to hunt with me; to share in the love of the sport and the beauty of the outdoors. If she knocks one over I’d be happy to dress it and celebrate in her victory.
I’ve been on countless co-ed hunting camp trips hunting bear, moose, whitetails. I’ve not yet encountered a grown man that’s “afraid of women’s blood” ( I think those boys stay back with their mommas) and if you decide to squirt at the base of your tree stand then that’s your poor judgement -who cares what the guys think?
So lets get past the GoGirls and the Diva Cups and recognize that we’re all cut of the same cloth at hunting camp -we’re all people who love an adventure, love to hunt, and love spirited company with good friends. Throw in some beer and some cards, some fresh kill frying in a pan, while listening to numerous tales of the 30 pointer that got away and you’ve got yourself some time well spent. I can hardly wait until my two kids are old enough to go.
Calamity,
Thanks for the mention. I am hopeful the increased traffic on my blog will help increase my Adwords account so I can afford to buy the old lady a diva cup for Christmas. I strongly believe that if we want our sporting traditions to survive, we need to introduce ALL interested people to our outdoor heritage regardless of sex. I recently started volunteering my time for Maine BOW, as it has some great programs to introduce women to outdoors activities . . . spread the word.
I also refer to all my male friends as “boys”, such as I have been know to say; “the boys and I are headed upta camp for the weekend, to drink lots of beah, shoot stuff and think up new ways to be pejorative. “ Sometimes when you read something based on a preconceived notion, it can lead to the incorrect conclusions. Just remember as a female hunter to keep an open mind when interacting with male hunters. Female hunters can also be responsible for creating divisions, when they think we (male hunters) are all the same and willingly pile us into the same category. Though I understand why this occurs, I think it unfortunate.
I really did enjoy your read, liquid expulsions and all! The blogsphere needs more “girls” out there writing about their outdoor passions and inspiring a younger generation of women to take to live a life more wild.
Take Care,
RO
Did you say “beah”?
And “UPTA” . . . I had to make sure and sick within the bounds of my stereotypical Redneck lingo.
I really was teasing about the “girls” in the title, I think sometimes that doesn’t come through enough in my writing. The hazards of the written word. 😀
I love the BOW programs, we have a couple here in Iowa too.
In fact, the only thing close to the all-woman hunt I made up in the first paragraph, was a BOW program, I’ve never since had that many women in one place for hunting, it was quite the experience.
Thanks for being cool with the shout out.
Well, if I knew any women hunters I probably would not mind taking a
few extra steps further into the wood for relief, but what about the campfire songs? We sit around a campfire at night playing guitar,
singing and consuming adult beverages, late into the evening there
is always a request for the traditional “Beverly Hillbillys” favorite.
This is a throughly disgusting version to the tune of the Beverly Hillbilly’s TV show (remember that?), and very creative. Would such traditions cease? Many questions.
I tend to go with boys and girls, rather than women and men, when I’m speaking informally.
A friend of mine started going hunting with her dad and his friends a couple years back. After the first year she got her own tent as the boys farted to much, other than that she’s just one of the boys and does everything like they do.
I hunt with my girlfriend all the time. She’s a proficient marksman (markswoman, if anyone wants to split hairs), and and excellent skinner/butcher. ‘Jenny’ is also, if may say it, really hot. The true action begins after sundown…and I ain’t talkin’ bout spotlighting.
But she respects the fact that I sometimes like to go off on guys-only hunting trips. Sometimes guys like to get together and talk, drink, smoke, and stink sometimes.
Jenny does not ask what we discuss on these weekends. It’s none of her business. I don’t ask her what she discusses with her friends when they go off to Dallas to shop for a weekend. It’s none of my business.
Ladies, if you want to wreck your relationship, the best way to do it is to crowd your man and keep him from having time with his friends.
Guys, if you want to wreck your relationship, the best way to do it is to smother your lady, and keep her from having her night-out with the girls.
Deer camps and mall trips are about respecting boundaries.
Post-SHTF; boundaries will mean very little.
Dr. Bry has spoken.
Dr. Bry,
“Deer camps and mall trips are about respecting boundaries” . . . you speak with a wisdom that would rival the great Confucious. I tip my hat to you!
I love that you mentioned the Diva Cup. In my “Twelve Days of Prepping” series, the Diva Cup made the list ;). For camping or TEOTWAWKI, it will have no equal for feminine hygiene ;).
Seems like in all the “traditional bushcraft” videos, it is the WOMEN of the tribes dressing the deer and tanning the leather, and often the women cooking too. It’s silly to think women faint at the sight of blood!
Of course in these tribes men also know how to cook and sew, just as women also know how to hunt and use knives. Division of labor might be convenient, but deliberate ignorance is death.