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Herrgesell, who stages Fish and Game training for hunters to hone their skills, said there is no definitive way to tell how many California hunters are female because license applications don't ask for gender. She estimates that 5 percent of training enrollees are female.

Herrgesell is also the state president for Becoming an Outdoors Woman, a growing network of skills programs offering training and guided events for women.

It's an easy sell.

"The prize is being out there when the whole world comes alive. The sights and sounds, it's a whole world in itself," Herrgesell said. "You see what's going on around you, and you really want to preserve that."

Preserving nature

What's at stake is millions of dollars raised for preserving or restoring wildlands, said Lorna Bernard, a marketing spokeswoman for state Fish and Game.

Since 1937, license fees have raised $7 billion for enforcement of conservation laws or for conservation projects, she said.

Groups such as Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited and the California Waterfowl Association, which raises $20 million annually, contribute heavily, she said.

"They literally come to us and say, 'We have some money, do you have a project that you want funded?' " Bernard said.

The environmental aspect and debunking the myth that hunting depletes a species -- urban growth and habitat degradation are the biggest threats -- could help to generate more diverse interest in hunting, she said.

"It really all started with hunters," Bernard said. "They're the ones that realized wildlife is a limited resource. It has to be managed if we want to keep it."

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