Skip to Main Content
≡
Buy Licenses

Virginia Outdoor Women

  • Home
  • Virginia Outdoor Women
Virginia Outdoor Women

The Virginia Outdoor Women (VOW) program’s goal is to develop a community of women who enjoy the outdoors, value the importance of conservation and outdoor recreation, and want to have opportunities for personal growth, independence, and empowerment. This program is also designed to promote and incentivize participants to become VOW instructors. In the end, we want a community of “women teaching women”.

Partnerships

This program will devote much of its success to partnerships. DWR will make it a top priority to partner with other groups/organizations/agencies etc. who share a similar vision. DWR would like to partner with groups within, or associated with the three focal areas: hunting, fishing and outdoor skills. Not all partnership events will count towards VOW certifications, but they will guide us towards achieving our program goal and vision. Furthermore, all partnership opportunities will aid in increasing the number of VOW instructors, further growing the program and aiding in creating a community of lasting relationships.

VOW Program Information

This program is available to women of all ages (but tailored to 16+) and skill levels and has three focal areas: hunting, fishing, and outdoor skills.

The VOW program is divided into five event categories:

  1. VOW Weekend Events
    • Events held over a weekend (typically); Friday arrival, Sunday departure with courses/classes all day Saturday and a portion of Sunday.
  2. VOW Virtual Events
    • Events held 100% online.
  3. VOW Social Partner Events
    • Partner Events (Evenings). Partners provide the “social aspect” while DWR focuses on the hunting, fishing and/or outdoor skills component.
  4. VOW 1-day skills Events/Mentor opportunities
    • These events can take one of three forms: a 1-day skills event, OR a 1-day skills event with live fire, OR a 1-day Mentor opportunity.
  5. VOW Ladies Night Events
    • Certification options available, see course list below.

Many events allow women to work towards becoming “certified” in one of the three focal areas (hunting, fishing, and/or outdoor skills). DWR also has a Mastery level certification for those women who want to complete all courses in all three focal areas. Women who choose to work towards any certification level will also have an opportunity to become future instructors for the VOW Program. The focus of the Virginia Outdoor Women (VOW) Program is to build a sense of community among women who share a passion for conservation & outdoor recreation. Women who attain certain certifications are responsible for tracking their progress via the curriculum tracking form and submitting a request for certification to VOW@dwr.virginia.gov. Courses will be verified by the VOW program manager prior to certificates being mailed. Curriculum trackers are available below.

VOW Certification Courses (Ladies Night Events)

Ladies Night @ the…

  1. Range (Shooting; Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol, Muzzleloader)
  2. Archery Range (Archery)
  3. Field 1; General Workshop (any species)
  4. Field 2; General Workshop with Live Fire (any species)
  5. Field 3; Hunting Workshop (any species/active hunt)
  6. Table (Food Prep/Processing)
  7. Pond – (General Intro to Fishing Course)
  8. Lake – Flyfishing
  9. River – Catfish
  10. Tackle Shop – (Skills course: Knot Tying, Casting, etc.)
  11. Foraging Spot (Mushrooms, edible plants, medicinal plants etc.)
  12. Camp (Dutch oven cooking, basics of camping, tents, etc.)
  13. Trail (Wildlife Viewing, Navigation, Hiking)
  14. Backcountry (Survival, knots, fire starting, first aid, etc.)
  15. Classroom (Learning the Regulations)

Hunting Certification (6 courses)

You must participate in each of the following courses to complete this certification:

  1. Range (Shooting; Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol, Muzzleloader)
  2. Archery Range (Archery)
  3. Field 1; General Workshop (any species)
  4. Field 2; General Workshop with Live Fire (any species)
  5. Field 3; Hunting Workshop (any species/active hunt)
  6. Table (Food Prep/Processing)

Fishing Certification (4 courses)

You must participate in each of the following courses to complete this certification:

  1. Pond (General Intro to Fishing Course)
  2. Lake (Flyfishing)
  3. River (Catfish)
  4. Tackle Shop (Skills course: Knot Tying, Casting, etc.)

Outdoor Skills Certification (4 courses)

You must participate in each of the following courses to complete this certification:

  1. Foraging Spot (Mushrooms, edible plants, medicinal plants etc.)
  2. Camp (Dutch oven cooking, basics of camping, tents, etc.)
  3. Trail (Wildlife Viewing, Navigation, Hiking)
  4. Backcountry (Survival, knots, fire starting, first aid, etc.)

Mastery Level Certification (15 courses)

You must participate in all Ladies Night Courses.

Virginia Outdoor Women Interest Form

DWR would like to gauge interest in this program, and the specific categories listed above so we can better tailor opportunities into the future. Please consider filling out the interest form below if you are interested in the Virginia Outdoor Women (VOW) program, or any of the specific event categories listed above. By submitting the interest form, you will automatically be added to the VOW email distribution list. Information submitted will also be used for future marketing and event information sharing.

  • Used to send/identify relevant, local events in your geographic area.
  • Used to send information on events, application deadlines, and other DWR events.