On August 1, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) staffers kicked off August Recess by joining the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) along with other representatives from the sportsmen’s community and allied industries outside Washington, DC, for the annual August Recess Shoot-Out.
The event, which gathered nearly 200 attendees, included a trap, skeet, and sporting clays competition. CSF President Jeff Crane thanked staffers for their work on behalf of sportsmen and women over the last year. “Thank you for your efforts to advance policies that ensure hunting and angling, as well as fish and wildlife conservation are advanced,” said Crane. “Your dedication to the nearly 40 million sportsmen and women across the country will ensure that our collective passion for outdoor pursuits is accessible and abundant in the future.”
Among attendees were over 40 beginner shooters who had the opportunity to learn the basics of firearm safety from professional shooting instructors. Hunter and recreational shooter recruitment, retention, and reactivation is one of CSF’s top priorities. Increasing participation in the hunting and shooting sports is important to the 
future of outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife conservation funding, which is primarily funded by sportsmen and women through the American System of Conservation Funding.
After the competition, the following awards for the sharpest shooters in trap, skeet, and sporting clays were announced by Crane along with CSF Board of Directors Member Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
CSF Board Chairman Paul Miller and Board Members Jeanne Mitchell (Exxon Mobil Corporation) and Chris Gullott (Bridgestone Americas, Inc.) were also in attendance.
Title Sponsors included: BP America Inc.; Cabela’s Outdoor Fund; Exxon Mobil Corporation; Hess Corporation; ITC Holdings Corporation; National Shooting Sports Foundation; Natural Resource Results LLC, LLC; and Vista Outdoor Inc. Host Sponsors included: Anheuser-Busch Companies; Bass Pro Shops; Ducks Unlimited Inc.; Federal Forest Resource Coalition; Herbalife International; Hornady Manufacturing; IceMiller Strategies LLC; National Rifle Association; The Nature Conservancy; Oracle; Outdoor Sportsman Group; Petroleum Marketers Association of America; Plano Synergy Holdings; Richard Childress Racing; Safari Club International; Shimano American Corporation; SilencerCo, LLC; Washington Metro Chapter of Safari Club International; and Winchester Ammunition.
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?
