Women's pro-gun Websites offers dealers useful insight - Arms and the Woman

Shooting Industry, Jan, 2003 by Lisa Parsons-Wraith

Firearm dealers looking for ways to attract women customers need only look to the Internet. There are numerous information-packed Websites representing organizations that support women in the shooting sports.

One of the newest sites is www.WomenHunters.com. Do women really hunt? Are there really women customers Out there looking for a gun shop like yours? Do women really have the passion for hunting? Here's a sample from www.WomenHunters.com.

"There are many reasons women hunt, whether it be family, husbands, or just the liberating independence of being in the woods," Michael Lynn Nye writes on the site. "For me it is a chance to be surrounded by nature with the people I hold so close to my heart. Though harvesting an animal tops my list of priorities, it will always follow the joy of taking in the beauty of the earth around me."

Yes, women hunt, and more will take up the sport, if they are encouraged and have a place to purchase hunting products. That's why Sue Burch, an avid hunter, created www.WomenHunters.com.

"My short-range goal was to design a Website where women could go to share, learn and explore the sport of hunting," Burch said. "My long-range goal is to have WomenHunters Club chapters in every state. It's a place for lady hunters to get together in a formal setting in order to take care of the hunting needs for each individual state."

The WomenHunters Club charges a $12 membership fee and members receive a quarterly newsletter, invitations to participate in women-only hunts, a membership card and a WomenHunters window decal.

"The response is great!" Burch said. "Our numbers increase every month."

Members also benefit from the wisdom of experienced lady hunters who share their knowledge through editorials, essays and product reviews on the Website.

Dealer Research

This is where dealers can uncover useful information on the types of products women use and want. Recent articles reviewed the Dixie Super Cub muzzleloader and the PSE Stingray LC Compound bow.

"Product reviews are something our Pro Staff will do more often as products become available," Burch said. She said one of the problems women face with rifles and shotguns is sizing. Future articles will address this topic and many others.

Burch said women are very focused on price when it comes to purchasing a firearm, but a good welcoming atmosphere in a gun shop is important as well.

"If I feel like I'm not accepted as woman, I won't buy anything there," Burch said.

WomenHunters.com is a useful site for dealers for another reason; it has a great deal of information for physically challenged hunters. Burch was diagnosed with FMS (Fibromyalgia) in 1998 and has had to adjust her hunting style to compensate for the affects of the disease.

To reach out to other women who are physically challenged, Burch organized an All Women Disabled Hunt. The event was a great success and the 2nd Annual All Women Disabled Hunt was held in December. This event, with help from sponsors Buckmasters American Deer Foundation, Streamlight and Safari Club Sables, provides scholarships for women with disabilities and women cancer survivors.

If you have physically challenged customers who are looking for help in pursuing the shooting sports, www.WomenHunters.com can help. The site's inspirational articles and links to organizations that support physically challenged hunters are a great service to all outdoor enthusiasts.

The WomenHunters staff is also passionately committed to preserving our shooting heritage. The Website has numerous essays and articles on gun rights.

"WomenHunters can also band together to be a force in protecting the rights of hunters and our sport," said Burch.

WomenHunters.com is a Website filled with useful information for gun dealers and their customers. Use this valuable resource as a tool to uncover how women hunt and the products they want to see on your shelves. Also, use it as resource for physically challenged hunters (male or female) and consider it a force to be reckoned with in the fight to sustain and expand our shooting heritage.