Redefining tradition: The growing ranks of women who hunt

Underrepresented groups could bring new life, and a sustainable future, to New York state’s hunting community

By David Escobar

On an icy November morning, Amanda Oldacre trekked through frozen wetland grasses behind her home in Canton under the dim glow of moonlight.

Dressed in an orange vest and full camouflage, she settled beneath a treeline overlooking a wide field, and the minutes ticked away as she awaited a chance to line up a buck in the scope of her rifle.

Oldacre, 32, has been hunting in these woods for five years. Her passion for big game hunting took root eight years ago during her first-ever hunting trip when she harvested a whitetail deer in Steuben County.

“All of a sudden, this doe comes up out of nowhere and I’m by myself,” she recalled. “The adrenaline of it is a combination of fear and excitement.”

Since moving to the North Country in 2019 to teach at St. Lawrence University, Oldacre has made hunting a cornerstone of her sustainable lifestyle. The game meat she harvests and the produce she grows account for roughly three-quarters of her food supply.

Yet throughout her time in the woods, a trend has stood out.

“I’m one of two women that I know that hunt,” Oldacre said. “And generally, I’m around a lot of men.”

Claiming a place in the woods

Oldacre’s experience mirrors national trends. In 1955, a survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that only around 4% of hunters were women. By 2022, women accounted for 22% of hunters nationwide, but they remain underrepresented overall.

Megan Plete Postol, northeast regional director for the National Deer Association and an ambassador for Artemis Sportswomen, attributes part of this gap to lingering attitudes within the hunting community.

The 35-year-old grew up in Remsen, hunting with her father in the southern Adirondacks. She remembers suiting up for a rabbit hunt with a group of her dad’s friends when one of the men upset her when he asked if it was safe for a girl to have a gun.

“It’s such a tiny moment, but it felt terrible,” she said. “I would love to help other people not feel like that, or never to doubt themselves because somebody else doubted them.”

After taking a break from hunting during her teenage years, Plete Postol returned to the sport in her mid-20s. The experience showed her how many skills she had to relearn — and how challenging that process can be for beginners without guidance.

“Mentorship is crucial,” Plete Postol said. “There’s a lot of interest, and there’s just not a lot of stepping stones.”

Plete Postol has helped organize mentorship programs that pair seasoned hunters with women who are new to the sport. These programs, she said, have established safe spaces where women can learn the basics of hunting — skills like identifying a hunting spot and handling firearms safely.

RELATED READING: Read an article by Megan Plete Postol about women and hunting

In the Adirondacks, embracing and educating novice hunters is only part of the equation for inclusive hunting advocates. Land access remains a significant barrier for hunters looking to enter the sport.

To use private land, hunters either must own property or secure permission from landowners. Public land is abundant in the park, but Oldacre said understanding how to safely hunt and track game on it can be daunting, especially for beginners.

Building a more diverse hunting community

Despite these challenges, the Adirondack Park’s public land offers an open opportunity for another underrepresented community: people of color.

Nationwide, only 3% of hunters are non-white. Brandon Dale, New York ambassador for the organization Hunters of Color, has been working to create more inclusive fish and game opportunities across the state.

“I think a lot of people … have a desire to belong to a community,” Dale said. “If you look around and you don’t see yourself, or you don’t recognize anyone or don’t feel welcome in a community, then you’re going to eventually realize, ‘Oh, it’s maybe not my community.’”

Dale, 29, grew up in an African-American and Indigenous family of outdoorsmen in Louisiana. Now based in New York City, he facilitates mentored hunting and fishing trips for people of color living in urban areas. He said the trips give mentees hands-on knowledge of the logistics and tactics of hunting, helping participants feel a sense of belonging in the predominantly white outdoor community.

Beyond fostering inclusion, Dale has also addressed practical challenges like transportation by organizing carpools for city residents to access rural outdoor spaces.

Ensuring the sport’s future

Efforts to grow the ranks of “non-traditional” hunters are about more than representation.

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act — which resulted in taxation on sporting goods like firearms, ammunition and archery equipment — generated over $23 million for New York’s wildlife restoration and conservation funds in 2023.

The amount of funding the state receives from the federal pool of money is determined by the number of hunting and fishing licenses sold. Revenue generated through hunting license sales also contributes to the state’s conservation efforts.

As the number of state-issued hunting licenses decreases, the state’s population is continuing to grow more racially diverse. Dale said both trends should serve as a wake-up call for all outdoor enthusiasts, regardless of their feelings toward hunting.

“This is literally how we fund conservation in America,” he said. “We can’t just keep reaching out to the same people.”

Locally, some fish and game clubs are adapting to these shifting demographics. Francisco “Rocky” Nogales, membership secretary for the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club, said his organization has kept its membership dues affordable to make the club more accessible for families and young adults looking to get into hunting.

“A lot of people in this community hope that their children are brought up understanding the importance of what fish and game contribute to our environment,” he said.

The club has held fundraisers to cover fees for young people to attend Department of Environmental Conservation hunting and fishing camps, and it is revamping its website to attract younger online audiences.

Dale and Plete Postol agree that expanding the state’s hunting community will require targeting a younger, more diverse demographic.

The process will take time, but as Oldacre attests, patience is a virtue every hunter develops.

David Escobar is a Report For America Corps Member. He reports on diversity issues in the Adirondacks through a partnership between North Country Public Radio and Adirondack Explorer.