On February 29, members of the Arizona Legislators for Wildlife and individuals from the state’s sportsmen’s community participated in a “Cast & Blast” event at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, AZ. The event was organized by the Arizona Game & Fish Department with the support of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF); uniting under the banner of Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation.
Multiple state legislators, including Arizona Legislators for Wildlife Co-Chair and Speaker of the House David Gowan, attended the event. Participants were given the opportunity to shoot sporting clays and cast for trout, bass and catfish in the Biscuit Tank fishing pond where volunteers from Arizona Flycasters and Arizona Trout Unlimited were on hand to provide complimentary casting lessons. The afternoon featured a BBQ dinner at the Ben Avery clubhouse where CSF Western States Director Andy Treharne and Western States Coordinator Soren Nelson were available to answer questions about the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucus (NASC) and other sportsmen’s issues.
Annually, Arizona’s 786,000 sportsmen and women contribute $1.2 billion to the state’s economy, supporting 18,220 jobs and generating more than $131 million in state and local taxes.
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?
