On September 1, members of the North Dakota Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus gathered at Capital City Sporting Clays outside Bismarck, North Dakota for the 2nd Annual Legislative Shoot with members of the North Dakota sportsmen’s community.
Participants worked through a 10 station sporting clay course and finished with a five-person flurry shoot. The flurry shoot was followed by a reception and a policy discussion regarding the importance and success of North Dakota’s Outdoor Heritage Fund which provides money collected from taxes on oil and gas revenue in the state for conservation grants.
Caucus Co-Chair Senator Philip Murphy remarked, “North Dakota is lucky to have a strong sporting heritage. Not every state is as lucky though, and you can find multiple examples of anti-sportsmen efforts across the country. Events like this are important to emphasize that we must continue to work to protect and enhance opportunities to enjoy our outdoor traditions.”
The night was capped off with dinner and an awards ceremony, where Senator Murphy and Representative Karen Karls both defended their titles as top male and top female legislator honors from last year’s event.
Sponsors for the event included: Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, Mule Deer Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society, North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, North Dakota Wildlife Federation, Pheasants Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Scheels.
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?
