Why It Matters: Many states in the Midwest and across the country offer opportunities for youth hunters to hit the field in pursuit of game species including deer, turkey, ducks, and pheasants before the seasons open to the public. States offering youth hunting seasons provide a great opportunity for young hunters to participate in our time-honored outdoor traditions in a less-crowded, and lower-pressure environment, while also giving them a great opportunity to learn from an experienced mentor.
Highlights
- Hunter Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation, or R3, is a key element of ensuring a bright future for our sporting-conservation traditions, and youth hunting seasons provide a great opportunity to welcome new participants to hunting.
- Inviting prospective hunters to enter our community at a young age allows them to receive hands-on learning experiences that they can carry with them as they continue their hunting journey.
Many of the Great Plains States offer youth hunters the opportunity to hit the field before the seasons open to the public. Youth hunting seasons provide a great opportunity for kids to participate in a less crowded, and lower-pressure environment hunt. These hunting seasons are also a great opportunity for teaching the importance of safe and ethical hunting before they start hitting the woods as adults. Providing youth seasons can be an effective tool for recruiting new hunters and maintaining our sporting heritage.
In Iowa, the youth deer hunting season started September 21, allowing youth hunters to be in the field a week before the season opens for the early archery season. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has seen a great start to their youth deer hunting season with a higher-than-average number of harvested deer being registered.
Moving west to the Cornhusker State, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) is offering a special youth hunt season for pheasants for hunters under the age of 15, allowing them the opportunity to hunt with a mentor in a controlled environment where roosters will be released. Having a successful hunt can be important to helping to keep youth hunters engaged and motivated to continue hunting as they get older.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) also held their youth pheasant hunting weekend at the beginning of October, allowing hunters 15 and under to hunt under the guidance of a mentor. NDGF also offers a one-year apprentice hunter validation for hunters 12 and older. This allows youth hunters an opportunity to participate in the pheasant youth hunting weekend without needing to pass a hunter education course.
Youth hunting seasons for deer, turkey, ducks, or pheasants can be a great starting point for recruiting the next generation of sportsmen and women, leading to a life-long passion of outdoor sporting heritage. However, continued mentorship and multiple hunting experiences are pivotal for R3 efforts.
