Hunters are on the rise in Alberta many of them are women

Beneath an overcast sky, crouched in a field of brown timothy grass, Fatima Dhooma fires a single echoing shot. This is just her third time hunting, but her marksmanship rings true she's successfully brought down a deer.

Dhooma approaches the animal gingerly and kneels in front of it, overcome with emotion.

"There is something about that experience that will forever leave an impression on me."

Dhooma is one of the many, if unlikely, people in Alberta who have turned to hunting in recent years as a means of food provision.

WATCH |More women in Alberta are trying their hands at hunting:

More women are trying their hands at hunting in Alberta

3 years ago

Duration 4:02

While hunting has been in decline across Canada, numbers in Alberta are seemingly on the rise. Fatima Dhooma is one of the many, if unlikely, people in Alberta who have turned to hunting in recent years as a means of food provision.

While hunting has been in decline across Canada, numbers in Alberta are seemingly on the rise.

From 2016 to 2020, hunter license sales for Alberta residents have gone from 127,020 to 151,724.

Surveys have also shown that the number of female hunter numbers hasincreased from less than 10 per centto approximately 15 per centover the same period.

Allan Orrwith the Alberta Hunter Education Instructor's Association (AHEIA)attributes the upturn in part to organizations like his, which are seeking to demystify hunting for those who have never done it before.

"We're working so hard to include women and young people in hunting and [to make] things accessible for them."

"I'm a person of colour, I'm a Muslim woman," Dhooma said. "I'm not the typical hunter that you'd see in the field in Alberta."

Dhooma completed her hunter education certificate onlineand went on mentored hunts with Orr offered through AHEIA.

"I was really grateful because [AHEIA] provided all of the equipment, so it was actually a really low barrier to entry."

Dhooma, who was born and raised in Toronto, said she was always interested in food and dreamt of being a chef. But after moving to Alberta with her family and working in commercial kitchens, Dhooma said she realized something was missing.

"Looking back, that piece [that was missing] was the connection to the environment and learning about how people connect to their food," said Dhooma.

"Every time I go out hunting I learn something more about myself, something more about the environment. [Hunting] makes me think about agency and responsibility and dietary practices and ethics."

Orr said Dhooma's perspective is something that all hunters should possess, no matter how advanced they are.

"[She was] thinking about taking a life and wondering if she could do it and that's a good question for hunters to ask themselves. If they don't then I kind of question what their ethics are."

Back out in the field, a slight wind rustles the grass aroundDhooma as she strokes the fallen deer's neck. After a moment of silence, she looks up and speaks through tears.

"I'm just grateful it was a good shot."