What Do You Call a Female Hunter?

Women are rapidly growing in the number of hunters and all-around outdoor enthusiasts. But, what do you call her? Are they female hunters? Just hunters? Maybe we should be called a huntress? Or, are we simply outdoorsmen? Does gender matter? Do women prefer one of the other and men say one over the other?

We asked Miss Pursuit’s audience and want to share our results with you.

So, what do you call a female hunter? Based on a poll of our audience, over 80% think that a woman who hunts is simply a hunter or outdoorsman and that those terms are gender-neutral.

Here is some feedback from our poll:

“The word hunter is kind of bi-gender all by itself. If they can’t tell the difference between a buck and a doe they probably shouldn’t be hunting anyway.”

“It wouldn’t change. You are an outdoorsman and we are all outdoorsmen, hunter, etc. You have wo-man/men in the name for both.”

“ Huntress. “

“Huntress or I say ‘I’m a Hunter.”

“I refer to myself as a hunter/outdoorsman but am not offended by huntress, woman who hunts, outdoors woman, etc. Women definitely get too caught up in that.”

“She’s a killa!”

“Hunter (noun) — A person who hunts. Huntress (noun) — A woman who hunts.
Both are correct. In today’s environment, ‘hunter’ would most likely be applied as sexes are equal. Case in point is when women and men who act are referred to as ‘Actors.’”

“ Hunter works for me.”

“ Hunter and outdoorsman are good for me.”

“Wife material!”

“I don’t think it matters. There are Greek goddesses called huntress so it isn’t a separation of male and female in our time, but rather just an extension of whatever you’d like to call yourself.”

“I usually call them partner or friend — or daughter or wife — but I love seeing ladies outdoors.”

“I call myself a hunter.”

“ Hunter. I tell me people I’m a hunter. They know I’m a female based on my looks.”

“ Hunter. Plain and simple.”

“I think it’s a shame there’s so much negativity surrounding the word ‘huntress’ now. I’ve never really thought too much of it or cared. I just consider myself a hunter.”

“I would like to just be called a hunter or a person who loves the outdoors, but as long as you hold yourself to a level of respect, then anyone call themselves whatever they want!”

“I love the term huntress. ‘Heroine’ was coined for a reason… so why not? In all honesty, outdoorsmen and hunter fly alright too.”

“I use hunter. I think it is more of how we like to identify, some women want pink and to shout from the rooftops that they are women. I say to each their own.”

“I believe it’s a gender-neutral term. You are a hunter!”

“ Hunter. Why do women have to separate or differentiate themselves from men in a sport we all love?”

“The description relates to what we do not our gender.”

“I go with female hunter, female sportsman, women outdoorsmen and the like. Man/men is gender-neutral. It can be complicated though!”

“I always refer to gals that hunt as hunters. Basically, that’s what we all are, except y’all look better in camo.”

Now, tell us — what do YOU call a woman who hunts?

Originally published at https://misspursuit.com on May 15, 2020.