The Outdoor Scene

The results from questions posed at anglersurvey.com and huntersurvey.com about pink outdoor gear are in and when the dust settled, it appears that color alone may not woo women who are shopping for equipment.

In addition, there were not huge differences between men’s and women’s responses. However, there was a disparity in the numbers of men and women who took the survey. More than 2,500 men logged into anglersurvey.com with only 148 women participating. The hunter survey showed stronger numbers with about 190 women and 3,500 men taking part. I’m not surprised, though, because even in this day and age more men hunt and fish than women. Of the total number of anglers, 75 percent are men while 25 percent are women. The difference among hunters is even more striking with men comprising 91 percent of all hunters and women only 9 percent.

What I am surprised about is while there are 30 million anglers versus 12.5 million hunters, more people took the hunter survey than the angler survey. Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, attributes that difference to the hunting press doing a great job of getting the word out and hunters being more apt to see the need for collective action.

Taking a look at the angler survey first, it’s apparent when buying outdoor gear (such as rods and reels, firearms, binoculars, coolers and similar gear) men and women prefer black. Pink is way down on the list after camo, brown/tan, blue, gray and green. Interestingly, the same question revealed about a third of men and women don’t give a rat’s fanny what color their gear is. In a separate question, slightly less than half of men and women say color of outdoor products doesn’t matter when purchasing outdoor gear.

One difference I noted is what men think of pink versus what women think. Half the men said they believe women are more likely to purchase pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer, while only 40 percent of the women responded that way. However, it’s important to note because far fewer women took the survey, it introduces variability into the results. Simply put, there may not be a big statistical difference in the results.

Half the women who took the survey believe offering pink outdoor gear is a condescending way to market to them, while only 46 percent of the men believe that. Again, statistically there may not be a big gap between how men responded versus women.

The majority of men and women agree pink outdoor gear that supports breast cancer awareness promotes sales and more than 80 of men and women concur pink gear offered to promote breast cancer awareness is viewed positively by women.

Hunter survey results were not that different than angler survey outcomes.

When it comes to color the majority of men and women said they prefer camo, then black. Green and brown/tan also were popular. However, approximately 20 percent of men and women said color doesn’t matter. And only about 15 percent of women preferred pink.

Similar to the results of the angler survey, half the men said women are more likely to purchase pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer while only 40 percent of the women said they believe that. A bigger sample size of female respondents would have allowed us to draw conclusions with more confidence.

47 percent of the women taking the hunter survey said they believe offering pink outdoor gear unrelated to breast cancer is a condescending way to market to them, while 42 percent of the men believe that.

Three quarters of men and women who took the hunter survey believe pink outdoor gear that supports breast cancer awareness does promote sales and more than 80 percent of men and women indicated it’s viewed positively by women.

Overall, it appears pink is effective when used to help support finding a cure for breast cancer but may not be important otherwise. While we didn’t test this, my gut tells me women (and men) are more concerned about gear fit, performance and value and less interested in what color it is. However, if pink provides a welcoming entry point for women to try hunting, fishing or shooting, I can heartily embrace that. And I also can understand those who wouldn’t touch a pink firearm with a 10-foot pole. What we can all agree on is the debt we owe to the many strong women who paved the way for today’s female outdoor enthusiasts to be exactly who they want to be.

This has been an interesting project and I really hate to see it end. Please join me in thanking Rob Southwick and Donna Leonard of Southwick Associates for their help and willingness to share their knowledge.

In this post, I’m sharing a sampling of exclusive survey results from women who hunt and target shoot. You have never seen this data because it was specially pulled for the Women’s Outdoor Wire from Southwick Associates’ March 2009 hunter survey. See how you stack up against those women who took the survey.

What is the average age of hunter survey respondents?
Under 18 – 0%
18 to 24 – 5.08%
25 to 34 – 27.44%
35 to 44 – 29.54%
45 to 54 – 24.43%
55 to 64 – 10.36%
65 and older – 3.16%

Did you hunt this past month?
Yes – 15.38%
No – 84.62%

Species Sought in the past month by respondents who hunt.
Deer – 11.13%
Elk – 0%
Turkey – 53.94%
Waterfowl – 7.65%
Small Game – 16%
Dove – 4.81%
Upland Game Birds – 7.54%
Predator/Predator Calling – 12.23%
Varmint – 0%
Coyote – 19.09%
Bear – 0%
Moose – 0%
Prairie Dog – 0%
Other – 24.39%

Did you target shoot last month?
Yes – 44.58%
No – 55.42%

Target shooting activities by respondents who went target shooting.
Rifle shooting (plinking, benchrest, tactical, cowboy, etc) – 42.64%
Handgun shooting (plinking, benchrest, tactical, cowboy, etc) – 39.37%
Bow/archery – 44.48%
Air rifle – 8.65%
Shotgun – 30.06%
Sighting rifle or muzzleloader – 26.25 percent
Other – 2.71%

Did you purchase any hunting or shooting items last month?
Yes – 35.62%
No – 64.38%

The primary purpose of the purchase was:
Hunting – 53.14%
Target shooting – 20.39%
Self defense – 9.92%
Gift – 8.34%
Other – 8.22%

What survey respondents reported buying:
Firearms – 9.17%
Ammunition – 28.09%
Blackpowder – 0.29%
Bowhunting – 12.03%
Game Calls – 13.94%
Hand loading – 0.61%
Optics – 0%
Hunting apparel – 18.55%
Hunting accessories – 8.66%
Shooting accessories – 8.48%
I did not purchase anything - 0.17%

Types of stores where hunting equipment was purchased:
Gun shows or expos – 5.2%
General sporting goods (Sports Authority, Dicks, Academy) – 15.7%
Local shop (bait tackle, specialty fly shop) - 18.7%
Mass merchant – (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Sams Club) – 51.1%
Outdoor specialty store (Bass Pro, Cabelas, Gander Mountain) – 58.1%
Printed catalog – (Bass Pro and Cabelas) – 6.4%
Used - 0.4%
Web site (Cabelas, Bass Pro) – 5.0%
Other – 12.9%

For those women who desire more choices when shopping for hunting and shooting equipment and apparel, this type of information is exactly what the industry looks at when making decisions. Manufacturers and retailers aren’t going to deliver what we want based on a gut feeling. Business is business and it requires hard numbers to measure demand. The good news is this data is being generated. The bad news is the number of women who take the survey is miniscule compared to the number of men.

If we’re serious about wanting more retail choices, we’re going to have to prove it. I recommend you visit www.huntersurvey.com and share insights about your purchasing habits. If you’re an angler, you can do the same at www.anglersurvey.com

Results of the surveys are used by wildlife agencies and sportsmen’s groups to protect and enhance hunting opportunities. Also, your participation will help the industry develop new products and improve services.  As a bonus, every month you complete the survey, you can win one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of your choice.

So go ahead, make your wishes known.

And don’t forget you can catch up with me on Facebook at facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.