On October 11, Co-Chair of the North Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Representative John Bell was honored with the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Heritage Award by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) at CSF’s annual Wine, Wheels & Wildlife event in Lexington, North Carolina.
In recognition of Representative Bell’s strong leadership in supporting NASC over the years, including most recently, his co-sponsorship of the 2017 Outdoor Heritage Enhanced legislation that increased access for North Carolina’s hunters by expanding Sunday hunting opportunities, CSF awarded Representative Bell with the NASC Heritage Award for the Southeast Region. The award was presented by CSF Honorary Board Member Richard Childress.
Serving his third term representing House District 10, Rep. Bell is the current House Majority Leader. An avid hunter and angler, he joined the North Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s 
Caucus in 2012 and was later appointed by the Speaker of House as Chairman of the Sportsmen’s Caucus.
During his time in office, Rep. Bell has worked to advance the interests of hunters and anglers in the Tar Heel State by championing efforts to expand private lands Sunday hunting, reduce the liability standard for landowners that allow hunters to retrieve their hunting dogs, create the Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council, and establish the Hunter Heritage Apprentice Permit.
Rep. Bell reflected, “It is a tremendous honor to receive the NASC Heritage Award. I truly appreciate the recognition from CSF and am also thankful for the work of my colleagues in the North Carolina Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus as we work together to protect and advance the interests of sportsmen and women in North Carolina.”
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?
