Why It Matters: With fall hunting seasons in full swing, many state youth seasons are on the calendar with young hunters giddy with excitement. While many children who were born into generational traditions of hunting have quick access to exciting experiences in the field, there are others with a hunger and a passionate interest in hunting who lack such familial support. It is no secret hunting participation numbers are down. If our hunting heritage and our participation in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation as well as the American System of Conservation Funding are going to survive, as the song goes, “I believe the children are our future.”
Highlights
- The percentage of U.S. citizens who hunt has been generally declining since 1982. In 2023, there were 15.92 million certified paid hunting license holders, resulting in an effective participation rate of 4.7% (down from 16.75 million hunters at 7.2% in 1982).
- In response to the declining number of sportsmen and women, state fish and wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, shooting sports organizations, and the hunting/shooting sports industry have invested heavily in recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) initiatives.
- Over 450 individual R3 programs nationwide have had limited regional success but haven’t sufficiently addressed the overall decline in hunter numbers.
The first R in R3 , recruitment, is the most basic idea and step the sporting community must take to ensure our traditions, management, and funding models continue to exist long after we have departed our Earthly constraints. While the R3 movement is not focused solely on youth hunters, it is our youth hunters who will carry on our traditions as they mature into contributing members and leaders in the sporting community. Youth hunting seasons present a great opportunity to bring young folks afield without the normal hunting pressure and presence of regularly licensed hunters. It creates more of a controlled environment for the budding sports-boys or girls to focus on developing their skillsets with a family member or mentor. If you find yourself in an empty nest situation or haven’t started a family of your own, if you can lend your years of experience to a young person, do it! Learn to hunt programs put on by state fish and wildlife agencies are a great place to start and volunteer.
If we are going to stem the tide of falling numbers in hunting participation, those of us with the means to mentor should be an active participant in the solution and not a passive onlooker. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) will continue to inform lawmakers about the importance of promoting hunting participation to ensure policies are in place to promote our traditions to future generations.
