Breaking Into the Boy's Club

I have a lot that I plan to write about hunting, firearms, sportsmanship and how a woman can chart her course through all of these male dominated fields, but to get to all of that I need to begin with my experiences “breaking in” to this “boy’s club”. The first few steps can often be the most difficult.

A few days ago I wrote about finding a tribe of wild women to run with, and the sportsman’s club that hosted the local WWOW event. That club is very near my home, and seemed to hold the promise of a new community that could help me along my journey. The club runs various activities that are open to the public, including an evening handgun shooting event, designed to help beginners learn the ins and outs of basic firearms handling. This was especially perfect for one friend of mine who had attended WWOW with me and was primarily interested in learning about handguns. She wanted someone to accompany her to the evening shoots, which I completely understood, as a woman entering into this male dominated arena, which is already a little intimidating due to its potential for harm if handled incorrectly, the safety net provided by a member of your community that you already know and trust can be a vital component. I went along for the shoots and quickly got hooked and was going even once my friend stopped.

patches earned at the evening handgun shoots at my sportsman's club

It wasn’t long before, I started asking the guys running this event about the club and how to join. They explained the structure of dues, the need for someone to sponsor you, putting in work hours, etc. This sounded quite promising, my husband and I had been looking for a gun club to join and were running into walls including everything from thinly veiled racism to requirements to put in bartending hours (as Teatotalers and safety conscious individuals this was a big problem), as well as complicated or virtually nonexistent safety rules. Simultaneously I was working on my husband (who is a bit of an introvert) to get him to come out to the evening handgun shoots. He is far more interested in handguns than I am (he approaches firearms from a self defense minded perspective, while I come mainly from the hunting perspective), so I knew he’d enjoy it. Once convinced, he was immediately hooked and it wasn’t long before he was approached and offered sponsorship to become a member of the club. Don’t get me wrong, I was quite pleased to be joining the club, but I was a little flummoxed that he was offered sponsorship so quickly and I was unable to elicit such an offer despite having known these guys a fair amount longer, although not well by any stretch.

During the process of becoming members we were told that I would be considered an “associate member” and that all of the same privileges were granted to me as to my husband, with the exception of voting for board members or holding office on the board myself. Only recently did I discover that this was, in fact, not the case; I cannot receive email newsletters or updates, am not granted membership to MUCC (Michigan United Conservation Clubs) and cannot independently log into or post in the forums, therefore I am now pursuing my own membership with my husband as my sponsor.

This serves to highlight the difficult position a woman can find herself in if she does not have a man of some relation to intercede on her behalf, to allow entry into the “boy’s club,” which is not to say this sportsman’s club in particular. Access to the entire world of shooting sports, hunting, and many other outdoors(wo)man activities can be limited if you do not either have some male friend or relative to “vouch” for you (which has it’s own issues), or have a woman who has gone before you and can help lead the way. Some of us get lucky and stumble upon a whole community of women who are ready to help guide you and share their knowledge and access. Below find a list of some resources for women interested in these fields:

Women’s Outdoor News here’s their facebook page

Women Hunters

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (you can sign up for email news for Michigan’s BOW)

    Wild Women of Washtenaw

Women On Target (this can be a good resource, however I still have some unresolved issues with the NRA on a number of political issue that do not necessarily even have to do with firearms)

NWTF WITO (National Wild Turkey Federation Women In The Outdoors)

me with some of the women I've found while breaking into the boy's club

I promise to share much more about being a woman in the boy’s club, as I have a great deal more to share. I also strongly encourage you to share the ways you have found to connect with other women in the fields of Shooting Sports, Hunting, Sportsmanship, Outdoor Adventure, etc.