By Soren Nelson, Pacific Southwest States Coordinator
On May 22, the California Outdoor Sporting Caucus hosted its annual trap & skeet shoot and barbecue at the Cordova Shooting Center in Rancho Cordova, California.
A diverse group of legislators, legislative staff, and sportsmen’s organizations were joined by game wardens with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife who generously donated their time to teach new sportsmen and women about firearm safety.
The bipartisan and bicameral Caucus, within the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) network, is an important forum for educating legislators about the many conservation and economic contributions of California’s 1.8 million hunters and anglers. The Caucus serves to protect and enhance California’s wildlife and their habitats, further the understanding and acceptance of outdoor activities throughout the state, and provide a bipartisan voice for outdoor sporting issues within the State Legislature.
Sponsors for the event included: Black Brant Group, California Bowmen Hunters, California Deer Association, California Houndsmen for Conservation, California Rifle & Pistol Association, California Waterfowl Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Gaines and Associates, Monterey County Fish and Game Commission, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Tulare Basin Wetlands Association.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
