Pioneering Montana State Women’s Trap League Wraps Up Season with Shotgun Sister Shoot-off in Kalispell
Shooting sports are on the rise across the country and Montana is leading the way with a women-only trap league now in its fourth year
By Micah Drew
When Tracy Kienitz founded the Women Shooting Sports Association, comprising the Montana State Women’s Trap League, in 2021 the inaugural three clubs and 62 shooters made history as members of the first women’s trap league in the country.
The following year, four more clubs joined, and this year shooters from 15 clubs, including the inaugural Colorado Women’s Trap League, have taken part in the summer shotgun series.
“It was the very first league like this in the history of the United States, and the growth has been unstoppable,” Kienitz said. “It’s all about helping support women to get involved in shotgun sports — learn about them, learn how to shoot and have some friendly competition.”
The league has grown so rapidly, with more than 350 participants across Montana, that the annual year-end event, the Shotgun Sister Shoot-off taking place in Kalispell on Sept. 7, has outgrown the local range. Kienitz said 170 shooters will take part in the weekend activities and league awards ceremony. Next year, the league will move its wrap-up event to Helena to accommodate the anticipated growth.
Shooting sports have steadily grown in popularity over the decades, but the growth among female and youth participants has accelerated in recent years. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, female participation in in shotgun target shooting grew by 71.1% between 2005 and 2019, and women made up 32% of all sport shooting participants in 2022.
Kienitz said the main reason female participation has been depressed for so long is due to most firearms manufacturers designing their wares specifically for men. To market products to women, there’s a common refrain to “shrink-it and pink-it” as opposed to actually altering the design, which in the case of firearms creates physical hazards and prevent women from finding enjoyment while shooting.
Kienitz owns and operates Passionate Outlaws, a firearms dealer in Kalispell that specifically focuses on guns designed and fit for women.
“Part of the reason women are often so hesitant to get into sport shooting is because they fire a shotgun and it hurts them. Part of the reason it hurts is because it’s not properly fit for their body type,” Kienitz said. “If a woman has a shotgun that fits properly, it won’t kick her or hurt her like a men’s model will. Even if it doesn’t hurt, poor configuration of the shotgun will lead to subpar performance.”
Kienitz has worked with hundreds of women to find the right fit, as well as introducing them to shooting basics and performance. She puts on clinics in Kalispell, Missoula and Helena and founding a women’s trap league was the natural next step to grow interest across the state.
Member clubs of the MWTSL compete at their local shooting clubs and are remotely scored against each other. Kienitz said that 70% of members this year are new to any kind of shooting sports and range in ages from 12 to 75. Seventy-six members are 55 and older, and this year the first three-generation team has begun competing together.
More than 60 members of the MTSL competed in national and international shoots put on by the Amateur Trapshooting Association this year, up from nine in the first year.
“Every year we get women coming out who are very nervous to show up at the range and won’t even get their shotguns out of their car until we encourage them. But by the time they leave they’re smiling and can’t wait to return,” Kienitz said. “Our mission is to inspire, encourage and empower more women to join up and the excitement just keeps growing.”