Nearly 10,000 women have taken the province’s prerequisite course to become a hunter in the past five years. About 2,000 women have taken and passed the CORE Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education program every year since 2017, up from 791 in 2004.
That means one in four new hunters in B.C. is female, while the total number of licensed female hunters topped 12,000 last year, a figure that has doubled in the past two decades.
Hunting, angling, and outdoor recreation are increasingly a family affair. No longer just an activity for fathers and sons, the whole family is free to enjoy British Columbia’s natural beauty and share in her fish and wildlife, where they are abundant.
“Over the past two decades we have seen a massive demographic change, with a growing number of women taking up hunting and angling,” said B.C. Wildlife Federation executive director Jesse Zeman. “Wild, naturally organic game and fish are viewed as a huge upgrade on factory-farmed food and there is nothing healthier or more rewarding than family time spent safely in the outdoors.”
To empower women as they take up outdoor food gathering, the BCWF recommends supportive women-only training that provides all the skills needed to begin a new and active life harvesting wild food.
Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) is an all-inclusive weekend getaway with a program of outdoor recreation courses, to build basic skills for fishing, hunting and shooting.
The BOW program (https://bcwf.bc.ca/bow/) offers more than a dozen outdoor related educational workshops to choose from, taught by qualified instructors, ranging from wilderness survival, first aid and photography to marksmanship, fly-tying and game care in the field. Other practical skills include driving with a trailer, shelter- and fire-building, archery and trap-shooting.
The weekend-long course includes accommodation, meals and your choice of workshops, with skilled, patient teachers.
“Women’s programs, such as BOW, are so very important,” said Pamela Sveinson, BCWF programs administrator. “They not only provide a safe and supportive space to learn introductory outdoor skills, but they are the jumping off point or gateway where women can explore if they would like to advance their level of knowledge and take next steps in outdoor activities such as fishing, canoeing, shooting sports, hunting or archery. Not only are BOW weekends fun, but they are a great way to meet other women with like-minded interests, make new friends and even find mentorship.”
Costs:
BCWF Member $420.00 (GST Inc.) Non-Member $476.00 (GST Inc.) Includes 1 Year BCWF Membership ($56 value).
Your fee includes instruction in four sessions, program materials, use of equipment, meals, lodging, and a Becoming an Outdoors Woman T-shirt.
If you have any questions about registration, please contact the BCWF Programs Department at 1-888-881-2293 or programs@bcwf.bc.ca
Find out more & register at https://bcwf.bc.ca/bow/