Today’s female hunters don’t have to rely on hand-me-down men’s clothing or cheap gear with pink accents. Women’s hunting apparel has evolved and gets better every season.
I began hunting with my dad when I was very young. I remember traipsing through the North Alabama woods in search of deer and turkeys and loving every second of it. As I grew, Dad started outfitting me in youth camo clothing designed to fit boys. That worked just fine when I was a young child, but once I hit my teen years, I noticed the comfort and fit were not ideal. The pants would often be tight through the hips and large in the waist, and the shirt and jacket sleeves were often too long.
I didn’t put a lot of thought into it back then because, at the time, there weren’t other options. I continued wearing boys’ large camo apparel even after I hit my mid-20s and started writing articles for hunting magazines. I actually remember being laughed at by all the guys in hunting camp when I walked out wearing a men’s camo parka that was way too large, but it was all I could find that would be thick enough to keep me warm in the frigid temperatures that week. And the men’s waders I had to wear during a waterfowl hunt were so large that they not only looked ridiculous, but they hindered my ability to walk. Boots were also an issue. Even though I could find men’s hunting boots that technically fit, they were still often too big in the heals, which resulted in awful blisters.
Good clothing can make or break a hunt and for many years, women like me hunted at a big disadvantage due to the lack of options.
