Women in the Outdoors on the Rise!

As overall numbers of hunters and anglers have remained relatively steady in recent years, one thing is certain; within that group of adventure-seeking outdoor enthusiasts, the number of women participants continues to climb. Today, women make up more than one-quarter of all anglers (nearly 27 percent), while just over one in 10 hunters (11 percent) are women. As a result of their growing numbers, women hunters and anglers are increasingly a force outdoor businesses are attempting to reach. To help those companies and organizations seeking to understand the modern sportswoman, Southwick Associates has created their annual "Women in the Outdoors in 2015" which is available for free on their website.

 

Key statistics and findings in the updated report include: 

• Forty-four percent of female anglers who fished freshwater fished for largemouth or spotted bass.
• Seventy-two percent of female freshwater anglers used artificial lures, the most by far. Second was live bait, used by 59 percent of female anglers.
• Fifty-six percent of female anglers who fish saltwater do so for any fish that bites.
• Ninety-six percent of female anglers fish with rod and reel, more than those who fly fish, ice fish, bow fish, noodle or fish with a cane pole combined.
• Just as with male hunters, the whitetail deer is the most sought after North American game animal by women (60 percent).
• A higher percentage of men (76 percent) than women (59 percent) shoot rifles, but a larger percentage of women (47 percent) use shotguns than men (43 percent).
• A larger percentage of women (28 percent) also enjoy archery than men (23 percent).
• Ammunition was the most purchased hunting/shooting equipment in 2015 by both women (82 percent) and men (83 percent).           

"Women are a huge part of the outdoor market and even influence spending decisions by others in their households. Smart companies need to reach out to the female segment," says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which designs and conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com. "Our annual 'Women in the Outdoors' report offers a lot of insight on this consumer segment not found anywhere else."

 

In addition to women's levels of participation and purchase habits, the report also sheds insight into the type of media females turn to for information -particularly information that influences their purchase decisions. Much of the data organized in the report is pulled from a year's worth of survey results on Southwick Associate'sHunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com, as well as the Southwick Associates Media Monitor (SAMM), a quarterly survey since 2010, to measure use of outdoor media -namely magazine, television and internet (social media) in the fishing, hunting and shooting communities. It provided insights as it matches sportsmen's purchase preferences to specific media programs and titles.