Even though women are a very fast-growing demographic in the world of hunting, it is still a male dominated industry. However, there are women like me across the country who spend a huge amount of time mentoring new women hunters and encouraging them to embrace the sport in a safe, supportive environment.
I first started mentoring women about eight years ago when I hosted my first pheasant hunt in Wisconsin sponsored by Próis Hunting Apparel for Women. As the Wisconsin and Minnesota state coordinator for the brand, it became part of my job to host events for women in my area. Little did I know that helping women learn hunting and outdoor skills would become a passion of mine! It was exhilarating to watch first time hunters connect with their first birds and to teach them how to field dress for home processing.
Since then, I have gone on to host just shy of 20 events for almost 150 women in hunting and fishing across the country. In 2019, I joined up with the Minnesota DNR BOW (Becoming Outdoors Women) program and volunteered to mentor hunts for their events. I have since joined the steering committee for BOW and continue to mentor archery turkey, shotgun, and archery deer hunts in Minnesota when possible and to teach outdoor skills classes for the BOW workshops.
We recently completed the mentored archery turkey hunt, and my mentee was successful in harvesting a turkey! This was her first ever successful hunt in her life, and it was a very proud moment for me to be a part of that milestone. It can be just as great of a feeling watching someone be successful for the first time as it is for me to be successful in my own hunts. There’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve helped someone along their journey to becoming a self-sufficient outdoorswoman.
Many women have learned these skills from the men in their lives: fathers, grandfathers, husbands, etc.; however, some women do not have that connection, and this has been a great opportunity for them to have a safe, supportive place to learn. For those women who haven’t joined a women’s only group hunt/fish event and are on the fence, I encourage you to take the leap! There will never be a more supportive, judgement-free environment for you to learn new skills. I find that it is a fulfilling way to give back to the community for all that the outdoors has brought into my life as a sportswoman.
As the secretary for the Lake Superior Chapter of SCI, I also have opportunities to mentor new hunters, especially youth. We hold an event yearly that is free to youth to learn to shoot trap and to hunt pheasants. Recently, we organized a Sables chapter and will be hosting a similar type of event for new adult women hunters as well.
As the CEO for Provider Outdoors, my mission for the company is to support women who provide for themselves and their family through hunting, fishing, foraging, gardening and ranching or any variation thereof. Women may be in the minority as far as the participation in the outdoors, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing amazing things for the sport and teaching the next generation of outdoorsmen/women. Provider Outdoors supports them and encourages women not to be afraid to get out there and embrace their passions!
– Jennifer Piasecki-Dums, Prois Scheels Representative, Prois Wisconsin and Minnesota State Coordinator, Secretary-Lake Superior Chapter SCI
