Becoming an Outdoors-Woman

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) and Beyond BOW are programs designed to teach women outdoor skills. These programs provide women with information, encouragement, and hands-on instruction in outdoor skills such as fishing, shooting, archery, hunting, trapping, outdoor photography, map and compass, survival, camping, canoeing, and outdoor cooking. BOW workshops are designed primarily for women who have little or no experience with outdoor activities. These are three-day workshops that offer many different classes over the course of a weekend.

Beyond BOW workshops are another opportunity for women to learn outdoor skills and are anything we offer that is not the traditional three-day BOW workshop. They may be "next step" classes for women who have completed a beginner class at a BOW workshop. They may be one day, one subject classes. They may even be an actual hunt, canoe trip, or camp-out.

BOW and Beyond BOW workshops are open to anyone aged 18 and over-past participants have ranged in age from late teens to mid-eighties!

View the photo gallery from past BOW workshops on DEC's Flickr page.

Support the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program

Members of the public can support DEC lands, facilities, and programs through our charitable partner, the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT). Online giving is simple and secure and fully tax-deductible. Donations to NHT directly support projects and programs that enhance facilities, expand access to outdoor recreation and environmental education, provide public land access, and protect natural resources. Donations made on Natural Heritage Trust's website, will be used to provide scholarships for women that otherwise would be unable to attend.

Upcoming BOW Events

When: September 13-15, 2024
Where: Forest Lake Camp, Chestertown, NY
Cost: $440 per person

Courses will include: Stand Up Paddleboard, Fly Fishing, Intro to Fishing, Shotgun, Rifle, Plant & Tree ID, Knots, Map & Compass, Hunter Education, Kayaking, Wild Crafting, Power Tools, Archery, Crossbow, Basic Self Defense, Backpack Camping, Field Dressing and much more!

Registration: Registration is full.

Once you have completed your registration form you will be sent a confirmation email. Once registration is closed, participants will be chosen at random in the lottery. You will receive the results of the registration lottery in an email, July 5th, announcing if you were selected to register or placed on the waitlist, with a link to the BOW Square website for secure online payment. 

Cost includes all meals, lodging, instruction and class equipment.
Meals and lodging: Friday Sept 13th (starting with lunch) through Sunday Sept 15th (ending with lunch).

There are a limited number of $100 scholarships available to those who need financial assistance. Details are in registration questionnaire.

You must be at least 18 years old to attend this workshop. 

Please contact BOW with any questions.

Bowhunting 101—Rescheduled for October

This Beyond BOW workshop is a true Adirondack experience! Stay at the historic Great Camp Sagamore, built in 1897. Surrounded by wilderness and alongside a serene lake, this camp property was a family retreat for the Vanderbilts for over fifty years. 

Visit the Great Camp Sagamore website for more location information.

Earn your NYS Bowhunter Education Certification with other women, taught by women

While at this idyllic location, you will:

• Learn archery and crossbow techniques
• Learn tree stand safety
• Discuss hunting gear
• Track a realistic blood trail
• 3-D target shoot
• Much more!

When: October 4-6th, 2024
Where: Great Camp Sagamore
Cost: $440 per person
Registration: Visit the registration page to register for the workshop

Workshop Times:

• Friday, October 4, 6 p.m.—Wild Game Feast with instructors (optional)
• Saturday, October 5, 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Sunday, October 6, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Minimum age: 12 (if between 12-17, the student must be accompanied by an adult for the entire weekend).

No experience needed. All equipment will be provided. Students may bring their own bow if they choose.

Contact BOW for more information.

Beyond BOW Wilderness Paddle Camping in the Adirondacks

BOW instructors Barb Brenner and Lydia D’Amato will lead a 3-day / 2-night paddle camping trip on scenic Little Tupper Lake in the Whitney Wilderness area, located in the west/central Adirondacks.

When: Friday, July 26 – Sunday, July 28, 2024
Where: Little Tupper Lake, NY
Cost: $40 per person

Deadline to register: Friday, July 12, 2024

Practice your outdoor skills on this trip:

• Water filtration/treatment
• Fire making
• Using a map and compass
• Campfire cooking
• Backcountry camping

This trip involves several miles of paddling and tent camping.

No boat carries are necessary, except a short one on Saturday if the weather allows the group to explore nearby Rock Pond.

Participants will participate in trip planning and preparation in a Zoom meeting on Wednesday July 17^th at 7:00 pm.

Equipment: Participants must provide their own boats, gear, food, cooking equipment, and transportation to the Little Tupper Lake Boat Launch. (Participants may be able to rent equipment from outfitters in advance.) 

Canoes are recommended for the trip as they are easier to carry gear in.  Kayaks are allowed as long as they have below-deck storage. Recreational kayaks are not appropriate for this trip as this type of boat isn’t intended to carry gear for a 3-day trip.  When emailing to sign up for the trip, please include a picture of your boat.

Camping: Enjoy the nighttime stars and evening ambiance at an Adirondack wilderness campsite. Box-type (no roof) pit privy on-site.  Water will be filtered from the lake. 

Prerequisite: Paddling experience is required. Must be at least a novice-level paddler and able to manage your craft in moderate wind and waves. 
Must be age 18+ to participate. 
Maximum number of registered participants: 5
(Registration is first come first served.  Preference is given to paddlers who have not yet been on a wilderness paddling trip with Barb and Lydia.  A waitlist of others will be used to fill available positions.) 

Contact Barb Brenner to register, and for more information.
Please send a picture of your boat in your registration email.

Beyond BOW Workshops

Beyond BOW workshops are any event other than the 3-day, 30+ courses BOW workshop listed above. To get the most updated information on all Beyond BOW events, enter your email address in the DEC Delivers section at the bottom of this page.

For More Information

The best way to get up to date information about BOW and Beyond BOW events, when BOW registration opens and other programs of interest to outdoors women, is to sign up for the BOW email notification list. To sign up, look for the green "DEC Delivers" box below. Enter your email address to get started.

To contact us, please call (518) 402-8963 or e-mail us.