On January 23, the Utah Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus held its inaugural Breakfast Briefing of the 2018 legislative session. In addition to over 20 members of the Utah Legislature, representatives from Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, local sportsmen’s groups, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) were also in attendance.
The breakfast provided an opportunity for Utah’s sportsman-legislators to exchange ideas and discuss priorities for the upcoming session with leaders of the Beehive state’s sportsmen’s community. DWR Director Mike Fowlks also gave a brief presentation on the Division’s recent activities.
“This Caucus is committed to ensuring that every Utahan has the same access to hunting, fishing, trapping and recreational shooting that we did as kids,” said Caucus Co-Chair Representative Tim Hawkes. “Our outdoor traditions are an integral part of Utah’s history and economy, and I’m excited to see what we accomplish this session.”
Each year, Utah’s 493,000 hunters and anglers spend upwards of $1.04 billion, supporting nearly 20,000 and generating $112 million in state and local taxes.
Supporters of the event included the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sutherlin Institute, Trout Unlimited, and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
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?
