FISHING, HUNTING & CAMPING 2018 Special advertising supplement
Sunday, August 19, 2018 - 1
Northern Arizona
Fishing, Hunting & Camping guide 2018
ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Hunting
Women making their mark O
Julie Jacobs
Julie Jacobs with her dad Bob Jacobs
ver the last few decades wom- said, adding that the activity was so en have made a growing mark typical for them that she thought in hunting, which has tra- “that’s what everybody did.” ditionally been the realm of But not everybody does, in a men. One Flagstaff huntstate with so many parks By Nancy Wiechec er attributes her interest and outdoor opportuniin hunting to her father ties, just one in five Ariand her family’s appreciation of the zonans participates in some form of outdoors. wildlife watching activity, accord“Dad’s a big hunter and fisher- ing to the Arizona Wildlife Fedman,” said 35-year-old Julie Jacobs. eration. Those who fish and hunt “From the earliest time I can re- are even more rare. Nationally, 21 member, I was exposed to hunting, percent of men fish compared to 7 fishing and camping, to the out- percent of women; and 8 percent of doors in general.” men hunt compared to 1 percent of According to the latest Nation- all women. al Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Jacobs, who had her first sucWildlife-Associated Recreation, cessful big-game hunt in her early one of every 10 hunters is a wom- 20s, said that for her hunting is not an. And, although the total number just about taking an animal for food of hunters has decreased in the last or trophy. She said harvesting an decade, the number of female hunt- animal is simply “icing on the cake.” ers has remained about the same. “For me hunting is about build“The largest percentage of new ing relationships, spending time hunters are women,” said Jacobs. “I with family and friends. It’s about think this is because of the ongoing having an experience and creating breakdown of the barriers that have memories,” she said. “You can get traditionally defined male and fe- out there and unplug from all the male roles.” distractions, get back to the basics Jacobs leads hunter education of understanding our role in nature, classes in Flagstaff and helps run a in the world.” hunting camp for kids with the loShe easily recalls taking her first cal chapter of the Mule Deer Foun- elk, a small bull shot with a muzzledation. Her foray into fishing and loader. She said her feelings during hunting began as a youngster, and that hunt ran the gamut, “everyeven in adulthood, she said her dad thing from excitement, nervousremains a mentor. ness, anxiousness, happiness, fear “When we were young we would of the unknown, a tinge of sadness, go out every Sunday on a dirt road awe... You name it, I felt it.” somewhere looking at wildlife,” she A 2015 study that looked at the