About VOW and Doe Camp

Vermont Outdoors Woman (VOW) is a volunteer, member-driven, non-profit organization that facilitates access to a broad range of outdoor resources and services to women. Through generous sponsorships from local and nationally based businesses and organizations we are able to accomplish the following goals:
  • Provide quality outdoor recreation-based learning experiences at reasonable prices.
  • Help build participant self-confidence in a safe and friendly atmosphere.
  • Connect with others with similar interests for encouragement, networking, and new friendships.
  • Encourage a strong, well-informed voice in the management of natural resources.
  • Foster a lifelong interest in outdoor activities.
  • Expand knowledge of the natural world and our place within it.

History
Employees at Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department came up with the idea of a statewide organization for women in 1995 during their first Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) weekend. They realized that there was a need for more than the BOW clinics could offer -- and Vermont Outdoors Woman, VOW, got its start in 1996. Immediate success of its weekend retreats/camps made it obvious that additional help was needed to run the organization. Vermont Outdoor Guide Association (VOGA), a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the support and promotion of outdoor professional leaders and educators, stepped up and reorganized VOW into a division of VOGA. In 2018 VOW became its own non-profit and assumed independence shortly thereafter.

VOW Camps
VOW has offered weekend retreats/camps in Vermont for adventurous women since 2000. Our camps provide seasonal education and skill building programs in many outdoor activities, including: archery, firearms safety, hunting skills, fishing, orienteering, GPS, canoeing & kayaking, snowshoeing, search & rescue, wildlife photography, snowmobiling, ATV safety, rock climbing, winter camping, wilderness first aid, self defense, mountain biking, wild medicinals & edibles, forestry, and more. Originally called Doe Camp, VOW currently offers two seasonal weekend  retreats:  VOW Fall Camp and  VOW Winter Camp. 
 Women fishing
​