Girls, Girls, Girls A new survey by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) suggests amazing growth in female participation in hunting and shooting. According to the survey, 72 percent more women are hunting with firearms today than just five years ago. And 50 percent more women are now target shooting. Here’s a roundup of specific NSGA findings on female participation from 2001 through 2005: hunting with firearms, up 72 percent; hunting with bow and arrow, up 176 percent; overall (net) hunting, up 75 percent; target shooting with rifle, up 53 percent; target shooting with shotgun, up 16 percent; target shooting with handgun, up 33 percent; target shooting with air gun, up 55 percent, overall (net) target shooting, up 50 percent. The NSGA survey suggests more than 3 million women now hunt and over 5 million women now enjoy shooting. From a business perspective, women account for roughly 15 percent of the shooting, hunting and firearms marketplace. Programs to introduce females to the traditionally male sports deserve part of the credit, as do more and more manufacturers designing products especially for women.