National WITO Coordinator Meeting Furthers Women’s Hunting Retention Techniques
NWTF R3 coordinators from across the country discussed ways to recruit and retain women hunters.
Shelby Isensee, NWTF’s newest hire, is the Nebraska hunting and shooting R3 coordinator. Celebrating her third day on the job at the NWTF’s 49th Convention and Sport Show, she presented her master’s project, which focused on maximizing women’s hunting and fishing retention.
Her presentation jumpstarted a table discussion about successful instructors for engaging new women hunters. NWTF volunteers and members said that most women often felt intimidated by male mentors.
Isensee recommended pairing a few women with a male instructor or even hosting a social event before any mentored hunts to make first-time female hunters feel more comfortable. She added that her master’s project found that women want a sense of community more than anything else when they attend events. Another success she noted was women promoting gear to new women hunters to promote gear that fits body type.
“Plus, a lot of gear is only online, so it’s important to have that interaction in person,” Isensee said.
Jen Davis, NWTF’s hunting and shooting R3 coordinator for Michigan, followed Isensee’s presentation by showcasing ways for women to get involved in the outdoors. Organizations like Artemis Sportswomen, which have the mission of creating new women conservationists and hunters, are a good place to start she noted.
Davis added that partnerships with parks and recreation departments and even coffee shops, farmers’ markets and college campuses have been essential to the success of recruiting new women hunters. Reaching out to nontraditional hunting audiences to have conversations about wildlife and conservation is essential to engage the community and explain why NWTF’s mission is important.
“I also connected with local foragers,” Davis said. “They are interested in going outdoors because they want to get something to eat from their woods. These groups could be interested in the same kinds of skills hunters are.”
As new female hunters are recruited, it becomes hard to retain their participation.
“We have to think about the 40%-to-60% new-to-returning hunters ratio [40% new hunters and 60% returning hunters] to help build support and community,” Isensee said. “If only new hunters attended events, they wouldn’t know where to go next or feel the support to continue.”
Having a structured mentor system allows for a mix of experience levels and community it built.