Mission of Women in the Outdoors

Sharing the Wealth
According to a study by the National Sporting Goods Association, female hunters have increased 75 percent in the last five years alone. Women are now the fastest-growing hunting population. Educating women about the joys of outdoor sportsmanship has paid off for the organizations and the economy [source: The Holland Sentinel].

As with all organizations, presenting clear goals is a crucial element to attracting participants, which is why W­ITO states its mission and goals clearly:

Mission:

  • Provide interactive educational outdoor opportunities for women.
  • Conserve wild turkey.
  • Preserve the tradition of wild turkey hunting [source: PAWITO].

Goals and Objectives:

  • Teach the importance of responsible wildlife management.
  • Increase outdoor activities participation.
  • Preserve hunting traditions.
  • Introduce and involving women in outdoor activities.
  • Create and mentoring female outdoor educators.
  • Provide a network for men and woman to share outdoor interests [source: PAWITO].
Rules of the Land
Before you go out there and start shooting, remember that each state has their own hunting, fishing and trapping rules and regulations. Check with your local Department of Natural Resources about any licenses you may need to obtain. Your local WITO representative can help you get this information.

­WITO builds on its success by publishing a magazine of the same name and maintaining a Web site. The quarterly magazine is 80 pages long and contains articles on many outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, health, kayaking, gardening and bird watching, to name a few. If it's related to the outdoors, it's in there. And if not, you can often find the information you need on the Web site's message boards [source: WITO Magazine].

Ready to sign up? Read on to learn how to join WITO.