My first bow didn't fit - no surprise there, I got it at a yard sale - not only was the draw length too long, the poundage was too high. But I struggled and fought until with great body contortion, I could draw it. I practiced until I could put six arrows into a paper plate pinned to a stack of straw bales roughly twenty yards away. Three of the arrows which came with the bow had broad heads, which I never sharpened or changed.

For hunting clothing I used what I already had - a black waterproof jacket I used for running and a pair of brown corduroy pants. I wore the boots I used at work then, a pair of light brown cowhide steel toes. I had enough good instincts to hang my clothes outside to dry, which must have helped - I eventually arrowed a doe.And used a diagram in a library book to attempt field-dressing it. Without going into a lot of detail, let's just say that I made a mess of it and passed out, cold, into the mess. I had to seek help that night, and my neighbors later drove me to a carwash - to clean me.But that winter, with my first deer until my belt I began to think it was time to up my game. I thought I might get a new bow, and maybe some camouflage clothes. I'd heard that I needed scent-proof rubber boots. I picked an archery shop out of the yellow pages - this was in the Harrisburg area - and drove there.I was eager, couldn't wait in fact, to try out a new bow and have some proper instruction. But I remember the punched-in-the-gut feeling I got when the group of guys hanging out by the counter gave me "the look," the one that said, "What's she doing here?"And the business owner didn't help. He said, and I remember this precisely, "Are you looking for something for a husband, or boyfriend?" It was inconceivable to him that I might be shopping for myself.But that was then and maybe thirty years ago now. According to figures recently released by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, during the 2015-16 season, 96,555 females purchased Pennsylvania hunting licenses or mentored permits. That's more than 10 percent of all license buyers, and yet another increase for this rapidly growing demographic. Since the 2009-10 license year, when 67,165 females bought licenses, participation by females has grown by more than 44 percent; the fastest-growing age range is women 26-30 years old.That's all great for hunting in Pennsylvania, said Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough."Pennsylvania hunters usually don't have to look too far to find reasons to get excited about hunting," Hough said. "And I couldn't be happier for the girls and women who now are experiencing that excitement for themselves, and enjoying all the rewards that come from spending time in the field and hunting and harvesting game."Dave Andrews, who owns an archery shop in Frackville, said that he's witnessed that change in customer base as a "chain reaction.""Over the years I've seen young girls getting involved in archery because their fathers were involved," he said. "And then of course you have young girls getting involved because their girlfriends got involved, so getting one girl or woman started in hunting starts a chain reaction."Female License Buyers2009-10 - 67,1652010-11 - 67,7872011-12 - 72,7142012-13 - 79,1812013-14 - 87,0912014-15 - 94,0372015-16 - 96,555Is there a woman in your life - daughter, wife, girlfriend, friend, mother, aunt, grandmother, friend, cousin - who seems to be interested in hunting? If so, make this the year to make time to add her to the rapidly-growing ranks of female hunters.