The Role of Women’s Groups in Hunting and Fishing Participation
SORP · April 22, 2026
National participation rates in hunting and fishing have been in decline over the past several decades, with one population bucking the trend: women. This webinar shares results from a recent collaboration between researchers from South Dakota State University and the US Forest Service that sought to learn more about the role of educational programs in strengthening women’s long-term participation in hunting and fishing in the Mountain Prairie region of the US. Researchers identified a range of programs available to women and used qualitative data gathered from 11 focus group interviews with women’s hunting and fishing group participants to: 1) develop an interactive map of educational programs aimed at building women’s skills, confidence and community in the outdoors; 2) identify effective program design choices; and 3) examine women’s relationship with educational hunting and fishing programs. This work identified 50 groups offering female-focused programs in hunting, fishing/shooting, other outdoor recreation, and survival. Program design influenced women’s long-term engagement, especially when event leaders tailored educational approaches to meet women’s needs, fostered community within and beyond events, and engaged thoughtful planning and logistics. Many participants first learned about state-led programs but sought other women’s initiatives to deepen their skillset. Programs prioritized women’s leadership, and empowered women with transferable outdoors skills to engage independently and in community. Strengthening the social support available to women through well-designed educational programs may not only bolster their participation in hunting and fishing but may have implications for wider social participation.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about the types of hunting and fishing communities available to women.
- Identify three main components of good program design that can maximize participation.
- Understand what brings women to hunting and fishing educational events
- Describe the role of social support in facilitating participation in hunting and fishing.
Presenters:
- Lauren Redmore, Research Social Scientist, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute
Resources:
- https://osf.io/preprints/
socarxiv/xhjqm_v1 - https://www.sciencedirect.com/
science/article/pii/ S2213078025001586 - https://research.fs.usda.gov/
rmrs/projects/women-hunting- and-fishing#resources - https://embed.kumu.io/
4d8a04ca1111d9865262549ee391b8 96#themes - https://openprairie.sdstate.
edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=2331&context=etd2 - https://openprairie.sdstate.
edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=2342&context=etd2 - https://openprairie.sdstate.
edu/nrm_datasets/22/
STEPS TO RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE FOR LEARNING CREDITS:
This course is worth the following credits: 1.00 AICP CM | 1.00 LA CES HSW | 0.10 NRPA CEU | 0.10 CEU/1.00 PDH Equivalency Petition. American Trails is a certified provider and is excited to partner with SORP to offer free learning credits to attendees. If you passed the quiz with a 75% or higher, a certificate will automatically be emailed to you. If you did not pass, you can retake the quiz to obtain a passing score and certificate.