Women’s Outdoor News
since 2008
Born out of a desire to capture the energy and up-to-the-moment tactic of using the electronic age, the WON delivers the latest news about women in the outdoors, events, gear, tips and Barbara Baird’s weekly blog, “Babbs in the Woods.”
- 2008 Barbara Baird launched The WON
– newspaper and then magazine editor
About The WON
The WON (Women’s Outdoor News) is an online publication covering hunting, shooting, fishing and outdoor adventure “for women by women.” Barbara Baird launched it in 2008 to answer the lack of women’s voices in outdoor media. Baird, based in southwestern Missouri, worked for years as a newspaper and magazine editor and freelance writer before founding The WON, where she serves as publisher and editor with her daughter as a business partner. The site’s regular features include her “Babbs in the Woods” column and “Gal Gab” interviews with women in the firearms and outdoor industries.
For gun owners, The WON is one of the longest-running outlets focused on women shooters and hunters. It covers new gear, events, hunting trips and profiles of women who run training programs and organizations, many of whom appear elsewhere on Minuteman University.com. In June 2025, Missourinet profiled the Missouri-based publication and its role in opening the outdoors to women, noting that women and girls are a fast-growing market for outdoor gear. The WON was still publishing in 2026.
Key Facts
- 2008: Barbara Baird launches The WON
- April 12, 2022: The WON publishes a “Gal Gab” interview with Baird about the publication
- June 25, 2025: Missourinet profiles the Missouri-based publication
- 2026: Still publishing hunting, shooting and outdoor news for women
Learn More
Sources
- The WON: Gal Gab, 6 Questions for Barbara Baird
- Missourinet: Missouri-based Women’s Outdoor News Opens the Outdoors to Millions of Women
Profiles on Minuteman University.com are editorial content compiled from public sources. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of, sponsorship by, or affiliation with this site or the Gun Websites Firearms Network. Corrections and removal requests are welcome through Contact Us.