Learning how to cast a line, shoot a bow, or even butcher a deer - these are just a few of the skills women across Montana are gaining through the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, a national nonprofit initiative run locally by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The Becoming an Outdoors Woman program was started in 1990 in Wisconsin and has since expanded to 38 states and six Canadian provinces. It’s been active in Montana since 1994, with dozens of women taking part in workshops every year.
Aneesa Coomer reports - watch the video here:
The program, known as BOW, focuses on providing a supportive, noncompetitive space where women can learn everything from fly fishing and kayaking to hunting and wild game processing.
Kylie Kembel, the Outdoor Skills Coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, explains, “It’s centered around an encouraging and noncompetitive atmosphere. We aim to create these spaces of openness and inclusion, especially for outdoor skills that are traditionally thought of as male dominated.”
Kembel says the goal is to make the outdoors more accessible, especially for those who might not have grown up hunting or fishing. “If it’s something they’ve always wanted to try but never had the opportunity, hopefully we’re creating that space for them to join other people who feel the same,” she says. “We want people to feel encouraged to try these new skills in an affordable, approachable way.”
Unlike some of FWP’s more traditional education programs, BOW focuses on adult learners and is almost entirely volunteer-driven. Workshops are held throughout the year, ranging from one-day clinics to multi-day events.
Kembel says, “We try to keep a balance between hunting sports, fishing sports, and other outdoor skills. We’ve done archery, rifle shooting, kayaking, fly fishing, even wild game cooking. It just depends on what volunteers want to offer and what participants are interested in.”
While FWP staff help coordinate logistics, most of the workshops are led by volunteers, people like Katie Vivian, an FWP fisheries biologist and hunter education instructor who teaches an upcoming Deer Butchering Workshop near Fairfield.
Vivian says, “This is a class I’ve been teaching for the past three years. The purpose is to create a free opportunity for hunters to come learn the basics of processing a deer, which includes field dressing, skinning, quartering, meat processing, and packaging.”
The workshop, part of BOW’s “Beyond BOW” series, offers hands-on experience in a supportive environment. Vivian says it’s less about perfection and more about learning together.
“I am a late-in-life hunter myself,” she says. “I taught myself how to hunt when I was in college, I didn’t grow up hunting. And so getting to this part where I now have skills that I’ve learned through trial and error, and now getting to pass it on to other late-in-life hunters, has been really rewarding.”
Vivian says the feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. Some are brand new to hunting, while others have hunted for years but have never processed their own game.
She says, “We’ve had women who are just curious, they haven’t hunted yet, but they want to understand what goes into it. And we’ve had experienced hunters who’ve always paid to have their meat processed. It’s a fun, welcoming space where you don’t have to know the jargon to learn the skill.”
Beyond teaching practical skills, both Kembel and Vivian say the program is about building confidence and community.
Kembel says she often hears from participants who walk away not only with new skills, but with new friendships and a sense of empowerment. She explains, “A lot of people come in nervous, they think they’ll be the only beginner there, but they leave realizing there are dozens of other women just like them who are curious and excited to learn.”
Vivian agrees, adding that mentorship is a key part of sustaining Montana’s outdoor traditions, saying, “I think there’s a lot of opportunity for other hunters to get involved in these kinds of things. Look at whether you can talk to new hunters about ethics and how we can protect our public lands. I say take an opportunity to look at how you can give back to the hunting community, because there’s a lot of space for bringing in new people.”
Kembel adds, “We’re always looking for new instructors, new ideas, and new ways to help people get outside.”
You can find more information about Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshops on the FWP website by clicking here.
