HAMBURG - Sooner or later - usually sooner - one's husband realizes that passing on unwanted fishing tackle to his wife is not a good idea.
All it takes to convince him is the need to take time away from fishing to repair reels and pick out bird's nests - aka "professional overruns" - from fishing line. Unfortunately, getting him to realize his hand-me-down hunting clothing fails to "fit" the bill can be more difficult than getting the message across when fishing.
At least that had been the case for years, even though some clothing manufacturers have been producing women's hunting clothing. Pictures in catalogs, however, fail to make the impact of being able to try on clothing items made exclusively for women hunters.
It is often said that "seeing is believing," and this year Cabela's has debuted its OutfitHer line of hunting clothing for women. Many items are available in multiple camouflage patterns and are available in sizes small to 2XL. Most importantly, the items are cut for the shape of a woman's body so they fit as well as they look.
Melissa Schmauch of Mohrsville and a bow technician at Cabela's Hamburg store said that having properly fitting clothing is no different than using a bow and shooting arrows that fit the physical build of a hunter. For that reason the OutfitHer line has become extremely popular in its first year because it is cut especially for the shape of a woman's body.
"Women want clothing that fits, is cut for women and provides comfort in warm and cold weather," Schmauch said. "Being dressed properly for the hunt is a bonding experience for many.
"In addition to the OutfitHer line, the Cabela's Zone line of camo clothing that changes its primary color from brown to green when the temperature is more than 65 degrees is unisex and is popular with men, women and children. Most women, however, seem to favor the OutfitHer line because both insulated and non-insulated items are available.
"Many women - like men - are buying camo clothing and wearing an orange hat and vest to meet game law requirements for rifle seasons. When clothing fits properly, you hunt more comfortably, don't feel and look like a marshmallow, and, after all, you do take pictures in the woods."
According to Schmauch, films such as "The Hunger Games" and hunting programs on television have done much to get women involved in hunting. Of those outdoors programs, none has had a greater impact than "Duck Dynasty," mainly because of its emphasis on family values.
"Last year, the day after the episode of 'Duck Dynasty' aired where the wives went hunting with their husbands, women came in to buy camo clothing," Cabela's special events coordinator Harold Luther said. "That weekend we sold more women's hunting clothing - especially camo - than we did even during the previous fall's hunting seasons."
OutfitHer insulated clothing items include a 4-in-1 parka that is waterproof, breathable, seam sealed, has 100-gram Thinsulate insulation, a reversible liner that can be worn alone and is available in Mossy Oak Brush and Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity; an insulated jacket with the same features and Mossy Oak patterns and a removable hood; insulated bibs with knee-length zippers and the same Mossy Oak patterns; and insulated pants with waist-adjustment tabs and the same Mossy Oak patterns.
OutfitHer non-insulated items include a full-zip jacket made of 100-denier, 88/12 polyester/spandex durable fabric that has a stretchable give and is available in Cabela's Outfitter Camo and Realtree MAX-I; a Lifestyle hoodie made of the same fabric and in the same camo patterns; a WindShear, three-layer fleece vest in Cabela's Outfitter Camo; and Lifestyle pants made of the same fabric, which features an elastic waistband and is available in Cabela's Outfitter Camo and Realtree MAX-I.
Also in the OutfitHer line is a rainwear jacket and rainwear pants that are 100 percent waterproof, breathable, have a seam-sealed membrane and are available in Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity and Realtree AP. And, for warm weather hunting, there is a Lifestyle 1/4-zip shirt made of the 88/12 polyester/spandex fabric that is available in Realtree MAX-1 and Cabela's Outfitter Camo.