ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 21, 1996 TAG: 9610220007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: HUNTING
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
Shelly Crumley, a turkey hunter for nine years, likes to wear military-style BDU pants when she hunts.
Not because they fit particularly well, but because they have a drawstring to fit her waist and cinch tabs to fit her hips.
The vice president of Trebark Outfitters in Roanoke usually buys her pants in a size small - men's small, that is.
With an increasing number of women hunters and anglers out there, the need for clothing that fits comfortably has increased. But because of increased prices and a perceived lack of interest, most women have a tough time finding what they need.
Small women's-only clothes companies are sprouting all over the country. They say the only way to get their products into large companies - and into local stores - is to speak out.
``As far as hunters, we just don't see that many women out there,'' said Ryan Shadrin, a spokesman for Orvis.
That's the problem, Crumley said. She serves on the board of the National Wild Turkey Federation and often holds seminars for hunters. When she asks how many women belong to the federation, only one-fourth of the women usually raise their hands.
``I always tell them, `Until you start being more active, then those numbers are not going to give a real indication of how many women are out there,''' she said.
One group estimates 10 percent of hunters in the United States are women. They make up about 30 percent of the angling population, as well.
``On the fishing side, the growth is exponential,'' Shadrin said. ``Our largest-growing market is women.''
Orvis sells an entire line for women anglers and holds fly-fishing schools just for women.
Crumley said her company sells few items for women because the prices generally are twice as high as those for men's clothing. Uninsulated coveralls, she said, run about $40 for men; some designed for women cost $80 or more.
Prices will come down if large manufacturers take the plunge into women's clothing, Wanda Lott said. She runs Georgia-based Lucky Lady, Inc., which offers women's hunting clothes in a ``Dame-O-Flage'' print she designed herself.
``It's a smaller, more slender pattern,'' Lott said. ``There are 300 or more patterns available for men, and those big tree trunks [designs] make you look huge.''
Suzy Smith Outdoor Sportswear, based in Colorado, offers camouflage clothing with smaller shoulders and higher waistlines. Some models even come with a ``Nature's Door'' back flap for easy relief.
A Richmond company, Sassy Sara's, provides a line of clothes for anglers, along with fishing rods with smaller grips to fit women's hands.
Lott said these and other companies manage to stay in business through catalog and trade show sales.
``It's hard to get an established company to put confidence in us,'' she said. ``It's aggravating because they could really do a lot with it.''
A list of women's outdoor products is available through the National Rifle Association by calling (703) 267-1413.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. Women hunters often settle for small-size men'sby CNBclothing, which can give them a bulky look. 2. (headshot) Crumley.