By Jason Houser Imagine if just one out of three hunters made the pledge to introduce a new person to our sport. The difference would be felt for generations to come. That is exactly what NSSF is working to accomplish with the +ONE^SM Movement. Letsgohunting.org makes it easy for you to get involved. Start by taking the +ONE Pledge and inviting someone to join you for your next hunt. Of course, that doesn’t automatically make your mentee a hunter, so let’s talk about what it takes to make that happen.

After the Invitation

Continuing the tradition of hunting depends on the recruitment of new hunters, but recruitment is just half the battle. Once you’ve extended the invitation and it’s accepted, now the real work begins. If it were not for my dad who passed down his love for hunting to me, I would have missed out on some very special times between a father and his young son. We started with squirrels, then upland birds and then eventually big game such as my favorite, white-tailed deer. I consider myself a fortunate man to have had my dad teach me about hunting when other kids my age were off playing in the backyard. [caption id="attachment_3097" align="aligncenter" width="650"] There is no age limit on introducing someone to the outdoors.[/caption] Certainly, the actual hunting was a big part of the whole experience, but Dad took care of the details, and that’s critical to successful mentoring. When mentoring, there is much a mentor needs to instill in a future hunter before that person ever picks up a firearm or bow and heads off to the woods. Things like gun safety, hunting ethics and dealing with the death of an animal are all things we as mentors and experienced hunters need to help new sportsmen and -women understand, especially if those new hunters are youths. Covering these details — presenting the wider picture of hunting — is even more critical when you consider that many people who want to get involved in hunting don’t have a father, grandfather, mother or aunt to teach them what they need to know. They don’t know anyone who hunts — and that’s where you come in.

Talking Truth

None of us mentor someone so that person can have a one-time experience. We mentor because we want them to become a hunter for life. Getting to that requires imparting an understanding of the role hunters play in wildlife conservation. Explain where your license fees go, talk about why tags and bag limits are necessary, show them public hunting lands and non-hunting habitat that benefit from hunters. There are many anti-hunting groups that are all too happy to tell your child how hunting is cruel to the “poor” animals. When you demonstrate the opposite, you help your mentee understand why hunting is not just a pastime but critical to healthy wildlife populations and habitats.

Hunter Education

I firmly believe that every hunter just starting out, young or old, should successfully complete a hunter education course offered by their state’s wildlife agency. Not only is it required in most states to purchase a hunting license, those taking the courses learn valuable lessons that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. [caption id="attachment_3096" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Time on the range is vital to learn proper gun handling and safety.[/caption] Of course, not everyone who wants to try hunting is sure they’re going to stick with it. Thankfully, there are many states that have apprentice hunting license programs. These programs match mentors with those interested in hunting, but because the mentor stays with their charge throughout the entirety of their first experiences in the field, it is not required that the person being mentored first complete a hunter ed course. The approach is “try before you buy,” and it’s one many states are finding to be a success at improving hunter numbers. If you’re reading this, you’re already interested in being a mentor, and if your state offers an apprentice license program, you’ll have a natural entry point to introducing someone new to hunting.

Before the Firearm

Getting a person involved in a hunt before he or she carries a firearm afield is essential. I prefer to start off someone new with a hunt for small game — squirrels, rabbits, etc. — but waterfowl and upland bird hunts, especially those that involve dogs, can really spark excitement in someone new to hunting. The emphasis on this pre-gun phase should be fun. Fun-fun-fun-fun-fun. Do not plan an all-day hunt, especially for children. Many children simply do not have the patience for an all-day hunt, and an all-day hunt where there’s little action quickly becomes tedious whether youth or adult. When you notice your mentee losing interest, call it a day. [caption id="attachment_3094" align="aligncenter" width="650"] A great way to get someone interested in hunting is to have them help you track a downed animal and help you pack it out.[/caption] I’ve found a great way to get kids interested in hunting, even if they don’t want to sit through a hunt with you, is to allow them to help in the recovery process of big-game animals. Once I have an animal down and located, for instance, I’ll go back to the house for the young one. Point out to them the blood trail and hair that was left on the ground. Explain to them which way the deer went after the shot and let them follow the blood trail. Allow the child to find the deer as if you had not already found it — it will bring their enthusiasm to a whole new level, promise. Downed animals bring us to the next step, processing. You will know better than anyone if a child is ready for that part of the hunt. Regardless, and with both youths and adults, you want to have the conversation about not wasting the animal and demonstrate the pride you have in putting meat on the table that you harvested yourself.

Why We Hunt

With any new hunter you’re mentoring, the question about why we hunt is bound to come up at some point. it’s good to explain that not that long ago, people had to hunt to survive. Indeed, you can add that there are still pockets of America where hunting is essential to keeping food on the table. If that’s not the case for you, now’s the time to explain that while it is not a matter of life and death if you kill a deer this season, the act of hunting is a spiritual thing to the mind and body, and that’s something you want your new hunter to feel and understand. [caption id="attachment_3092" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Educating a new hunter properly includes discussions and demonstrations of field dressing, butchering and dinner prep.[/caption] This is also the perfect time to talk about charities such as Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry that accept venison donations. Explain to your new hunter that there are millions of hungry people who would love to have deer meat in their freezer and on their dinner table. If donating the meat will not put your family in a bind, ask your new hunter if they would like to share some of their harvest with others. Any person new to hunting who knows they can help the less fortunate is guaranteed to put a smile on their face — and go a long way toward making them a hunter for life.

Continue reading: Introducing the Next Generation of Hunters — Part 2

It's Autumn and Upland hunting season is in full swing in most states across the U.S. That got me thinking. Have you gone out this year? Have you taken someone new? Think of a family member or a friend who has expressed an interested in hunting but has yet to go afield. Well, hunting upland game birds is great place for a newcomer to get started and right now is the perfect time to introduce them. There are a few things to consider when bringing out someone new, such as ensuring they understand safety procedures, that they are outfitted with the proper gear and helping them turn their potential harvest into a mindful and memorable meal. While going afield may be an exciting endeavor for an experienced hunter, it can be easy to forget what it felt like before your first hunt, such as the nerves, the excitement and the questions. It’s important to cover the basics. Here’s a good place to start, what is Upland hunting?

The Basics: What is Upland Hunting

The term Upland isn't as easily understood as say waterfowl hunting or deer hunting. Upland refers to non-water fowl game birds such as Doves, pheasant, grouse, quail and others. Upland hunting can be done in a variety of locations but is most often depicted and done in open fields. This environment provides thick ground cover for the birds which is why many upland hunters bring along trained bird dogs. Hunting dogs help flush the game out of the brush and into the air, many dogs will also retrieve the downed birds.

Safety First when Upland Hunting

Before you can take your friend or family member out into the field it's important they understand safe and lawful hunting procedures. They will need to take a hunter's education course where they will learn all about firearm safety, hunting fundamentals, conservation, as well as hunting laws and regulations. Start an online hunter safety education course for your state at Hunter-ed.com. This course will teach them all they need to know, but it's always good to go over safe firearms handling and hunting procedures with your buddy before and while afield.

https://youtu.be/1I1o4t0xUA0

In this video, NSSF offers a few upland hunting safety reminders that will help ensure your next day in the field is a safe and enjoyable experience. The video offers experienced hunters a quick review and is the perfect tool for introducing newcomers to the rules of the field.

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Upland Hunting Gear

Along with safe firearm and hunting practices, the proper gear is also important to ensure a safe hunt. If this is your friend or family member's first-time upland hunting they will likely need to borrow some gear or at least need some direction on what to buy before going out. While upland field clothes aren't essential, brush pants, quality outerwear and a good vest can go a long way. Clothing that is essential however is items that are Blaze Orange, whether that's a hat, vest, jacket or all three blaze orange plays a large role in each hunters' safety. Blaze orange allows hunters to see one another and safely be afield. Read more about the gear that will help make your upland hunt more successful. Also, check out some of the latest women's upland apparel that is practical and stylish.

Upland Game Recipes

If you decide to take someone hunting it's also nice to help them see their game from field to table. Hunting provides an ethical source of local and natural meat. Try out some of our favorite upland game recipes like grilled Dove poppers, quail and wild rice casserole and wild goose and pineapple stir fry. Ask your friends and family members to come afield with you and share all the joys that hunting has brought you. Make sure they are prepared for a safe and ethical hunt with the proper hunters' education, licenses and gear. If just one in three hunters adds one new person to our sport, we’ll secure a strong future for generations to come. So be the one. Ignite the passion that can change the course of someone’s life forever.

Enter the Wingshooting USA^® +ONE^SM Sweepstakes

  Thank you for entering the Wingshooting USA^® +ONE^SM Sweepstakes and joining the +ONE^SM Movement. Now it's time to invite someone hunting and make good on your +ONE^SM Pledge. #LetsGoHunting!

Watch Wingshooting USA

Wingshooting USA focuses on the FUN of this great sport and honors the dogs that make it all possible. This dog-centric series follows Scott Linden as he travels across the Upland Nation, hunting with pro dog trainers, hunting guides and lodge owners and is loaded with tips, advice, fun and plenty of dogs! Watch it on NBC Sports, AMG-TV, TUFF-TV, Legacy TV and Pursuit Channel.

Join the +ONE^SM Movement as a Supporter

One way Scott Linden Outdoors and CZ-USA are helping to support the mission of NSSF is by getting behind the +ONE^SM Movement that encourages people to introduce someone new to hunting. Join the +ONE^SM Movement!

By Michael Pendley Most wildlife conservations organizations were started to do just that, conserve and increase wildlife populations. They did a good job. Hunting opportunities abound nationwide and most of our huntable species are thriving. Based on those strong population numbers alone, one might think hunter numbers would also be on the rise. More animals to hunt should equal more hunters afield going after them. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. The average hunter in the U.S. right now is a white male between the ages of 55 and 64. New hunters aren’t being recruited fast enough to replace those that are aging out of the sport. Less than 5 percent of the total population actively hunts, and that number continues to fall. Luckily, large wildlife conservation organizations are taking note and working on stemming the decline. While different organizations go about recruiting new hunters in various ways, all are working some aspect of the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF^®) +ONE^SM Movement into their platform.

QDMA Goes One-On-One

Hank Forester, the Quality Deer Management Association’s (QDMA) Hunting Heritage Program Manager, says it’s imperative hunters reach out to non-hunting communities for recruits. “For years we tried the shotgun approach, with large group outings for both adults and young hunters. That style is hard to sustain and track. New adult hunters sometimes felt uncomfortable or lost in the large group setting, and youth hunters from non-hunting families didn’t always have the resources they needed to continue hunting,” said Forester. While QDMA still holds several large-scale youth hunts across the nation each year, it is placing more emphasis on a one-on-one style of hunter recruitment. “We’ve had tremendous success with our Field to Fork Program,” said Forester. “What we’re finding is that we need to go places where non-hunters are, like farmer’s markets and universities. We set up at these locations with cooked venison and invite people over to give it a try. Studies show that over 70 percent of the population approves of hunting for food, and the venison samples the perfect way to break the ice get a conversation about hunting started.” The approach is working. Hank reports that participation slots in the college clubs and farmer’s market programs fill quickly. Once participants sign up, they meet over several nights to learn about hunting techniques, safety, processing and wild game cooking. From there, they attend a range day where to gain hands-on experience with either the crossbows or firearms they’ll use to hunt. The programs culminate in a hunt weekend, where participants go on mentored hunts with QDMA members and local volunteers. After the hunt, everyone reconvenes to get a hands-on lesson in game processing, and the weekend ends as a social event with wild game as the menu centerpiece. The program makes waves. “We’ve found that adults who attend these programs together form their own hunting communities. We try to encourage that by offering follow-up events and hunts to the entire group even after the program is completed. What we are seeing is that the members of these groups form bonds that extend well past the program itself, and they come to rely on each other when they have questions or need a hand in the field,” Hank said. Not only do the participants in the QDMA programs learn to hunt, they pay it forward by introducing others to the sport. “This is where we see the NSSF +ONE in action. We have one graduate of the program who has now taken several new hunters out on his own. He also butchers his extra venison and donates it to those interested in trying venison for the first time at the university where he works. We have started calling it ‘Venison Diplomacy,’ and it is working to attract new hunters,” says Forester.

NWTF Takes a Multi-Pronged Approach

Another conservation group active in the recruitment of new hunters is the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF). It is so active, in fact, it purchased a large tract of land next to its Edgefield, South Carolina headquarters for the sole purpose of hosting first-time hunters and testing new recruitment programs before implementing them across its vast network of state and local chapters. Like QDMA, NWTF is targeting young adults, college students and families with an extended-learning program designed to not only teach newcomers how to hunt but to form a hunting community and social network that, hopefully, will last for years to come. Pete Muller, Public Relations Manager for NWTF, says they are doing that by hosting several events for each group over a year’s time. “We start with classroom sessions, but also get the participants out in the field for range time and hunts for a variety of species like turkey, dove and deer,” said Muller. “With help from industry partners like Yeti and TriStar Arms, we are able to host and outfit group hunts on both our property and that of local landowners who volunteer their time and lands to our programs. Many of the college students have come from the nearby Clemson University Ag Department, where programs from South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources have allowed us to offer opportunities to these students,” Pete said. Once a new program has been refined, it is then distributed to local and state chapters, as well as R3 (recruitment, reactivation, retainment) coordinators, for implementation. This past season, for example NWTF chapters in Arizona held three turkey camps that welcomed more than 500 people, many from the metro-Phoenix area who had no past hunting experience at all. Volunteers like Tim Denny of the Mingus Mountain NWTF Chapter — NWTF encourages its chapter members to volunteer through its Mentored Hunt Challenge, in which every member who mentors a new hunter is entered into a drawing for a new Yeti 65-quart cooler — organize the hunts and work to pair new hunters with more experienced mentors so that everyone has an enjoyable time at camp. On still another front, NWTF’s Hunting Heritage program partners new hunters with outfitters who volunteer to take them on high success-rate guided hunts. The hope for this program is that new hunters learn tips and techniques from professional guides, eliminating a lot of the frustrating trial and error they would go through if learning to hunt on their own — trial and error that can leave one looking for a different pastime.

Delta Waterfowl — Partnering Among the Cattails

The decrease in hunter numbers is also a concern to Joel Brice, Vice President of Waterfowl and Hunter Recruitment for Delta Waterfowl. “We encourage our members through our First Hunt Program to mentor new hunters, not just for one hunt, but over an entire season to teach them all aspects of waterfowl hunting, including boating safety. Since 2003, Delta Waterfowl has introduced over 68,000 people to hunting. Last year alone featured 260 mentored hunt events with over 12,000 participants. Both members and new hunters who participate in the First Hunt Program get recognized with certificates and collectible pins,” says Brice. Like QDMA and NWTF, Delta Waterfowl has found great success in targeting young adults around universities in their search for interested new hunters, something that Brice says there’s a real need for. “In working with various universities, we’ve discovered a troubling trend,” says Brice. “Over half the current wildlife degree majors at many schools not only don’t hunt actively, they’ve never hunted at all! These are the students who, upon completion of their degree, will be helping to craft wildlife laws for years to come.” “We’ve targeted these non-hunting wildlife majors to not only teach them to hunt but to show them the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation in action. That way, even if they don’t continue hunting in the future, they will have a much better understanding of it in their future careers.” Participants are teamed with professors and volunteers and meet several times over a semester to discuss varying aspects of waterfowl hunting and get hands-on experience in the field. The program concludes in an end-of-semester hunt where they get to put their new skills to work in real-world conditions. *** These groups and others like them are working hard to ensure that not only will future generations have game to hunt, there will be hunters to pursue that game. As hard as these groups are working, their efforts will only be effective if their rank-and-file memberships embrace NSSF’s +ONE Movement and introduce someone new to the sport of hunting. If you are a member of a wildlife conservation group, get involved by working with your local and state chapters to find and mentor people in your area who might be interested in learning to hunt. The future of our sport depends on it.

By Michael Pendley According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hunting license sales in the United States peaked in 1982, with around 17 million hunters purchasing a little over 28 million hunting licenses. Data from 2016, the most recent available, shows that number closer to 11 million. Since most state DNR and game and fish departments depend on hunting license sales for their day-to-day operating budget, that downward trend has their attention. Not only do these agencies need the income from license sales, but the amount of money they receive in federal grants through the Pittman-Robertson Act is based directly on the amount of taxes taken in on firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment sold to American consumers. The more hunters out there buying gear, the more money available from the fund. The answer, obviously, is to get more folks afield. But how? For many departments, that answer lies in a game animal that doesn’t get a lot of publicity.

https://youtu.be/bRrcEpd100Y

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Little Bird, Big Results

Mentored dove hunts are springing up around the country as a way to introduce new people to the sport, and state agencies are going out of their way to make them possible. Why dove hunting? For starters, unlike turkey and big-game hunting, doves don’t require a lot of specialized gear. Just about any shotgun style, a few inexpensive boxes of shells, a jug of cold water to drink and something to sit on is about all it takes for a successful day in the dove field. Too, for most states, dove hunting takes place in late summer or early fall, making the weather inviting for someone not used to spending hours in the cold. The fact that dove hunting is more of a social event than the solitary waiting for other game animals helps as well. Then there’s the shooting itself. The fast-paced action and frequent shot opportunities of a good dove field keep newcomers interested and tuned in to the hunt. A miss is quickly forgotten as the next bird flies by in range. Doves also make great table fare, appealing to those new hunters who have taken up the sport in search of clean, organic meat for the family table. To make the hunts attractive to new hunters and mentors alike, state agencies are doing things like planting fields of sunflower, millet or other grain on public lands to attract doves. Often, these fields are limited to mentor hunts for the first several days of the season. That’s important because knowing they are afield with other new hunters helps ease the worry of newcomers to the sport who might otherwise feel intimidated in a field full of seasoned veterans.

Adjusting to a Changing Hunter

One agency that has embraced the mentored dove hunt idea is the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Its program offers special hunting areas to mentor/mentee pairs. The mentor must be at least 21 years old and hold a valid Ohio hunting license. The new hunters can be any age, as long as they have either never possessed an Ohio hunting license or had previously held an Ohio hunting license or apprentice hunting license but not completed Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification — something necessary for hunting — in the last five years. Eric Postell, program manager over outdoor education for the ODNR, says the way the department is going about hunter recruitment has changed over the years. “We aren’t doing the approach to getting as many people as possible together for a large event that used to be so common. Instead, we have implemented the R3 — recruit, retain and reactivate — approach, focusing on more detailed events for smaller groups, say 20 to 30 new hunters. Our hunt clinics now are a complete training course. The participants might spend a day learning about the type of game they are hunting and how to hunt it, get paired with a mentor, then go straight to the field to hunt. After, we help them process their game and show them how to prepare it for a meal,” says Postell. Postell reports that newcomers to the sport aren’t interested in the same aspects that traditionally attracted new hunters. “Today, with new hunters, it’s all about being a part of the natural cycle, about acquiring food for the table. “We know Millennials are interested in our programs,” he added. “Our events fill up as soon as we post an opening. What we don’t know is if the new hunters from the clinics are remaining active in the sport.” To that end, the ODNR has recently hired a customer engagement coordinator whose job will be to mine data from the Ohio hunter recruitment programs to see if participants purchase Ohio hunting licenses down the road. “We hope the information gained from this position will help us tailor our recruitment initiatives to fit the most successful examples from our clinics,” says Postell. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) takes a similar approach. It’s teamed up with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Quail Forever (QF), the Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF), the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) and private landowners to provide mentored dove hunts for first-time hunters on fields across the state. New Missouri hunters can apply for the hunt individually and be paired with a mentor at the field. Each field is limited to two first-time hunters and their mentors per acre to maximize safety and provide a quality experience. Like the ODNR, the MDC has shifted from concentrating on recruiting youth hunters to providing opportunities that appeal to those of all ages. Justin McGuire, Hunter Education Coordinator for the MDC, says,” We have adjusted existing programs and created new programs to include adult first-time hunters. The Department has worked hard to find a balance between youth- and adult-centered programs, and we’ve put a lot of effort into engaging partner organizations. We hold hunts in conjunction with NGOs and other government agencies such as the Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife. This allows all involved entities to share in the cost, labor and positive exposure. Everyone in the industry has a vested interest in recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters and shooters, and partnerships allow everyone to provide more efficient, effective programs for participants without unnecessarily duplicating efforts. “Many of our programs, dove hunts included, focus on recruiting first-time hunters,” McGuire continued. “For those programs, we focus our marketing and restrict our registrations to participants who have never hunted or, at a minimum, have never hunted that particular species. In that way, we’ve been very successful in using our programs to introduce new hunters.” The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife (KDFWR) is another state agency using mentored dove hunts to attract new hunters. For several years now, the KDFWR has offered these hunts to youths under 16. Adult mentors can take up to two youth hunters afield at a time. Wes Little, a migratory game bird biologist with the agency, says, “We’ve been partnering with private landowners for years now to plant and maintain dove fields for use by Kentucky’s hunters. We have traditionally reserved several of these fields for mentored youth hunts on the opening weekend of the season. “The department feels these mentored hunts offer young hunters a safe and low-pressure hunt they wouldn’t get in an open public field. We run the hunts from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day and place the hunters in the field when the doves are most active. After the hunt, many of the landowners offer a picnic for the participants to make it an all-around fun-filled day afield.” While these youth hunts will continue, Little went on to add that the KDFWR was moving toward attracting young adults to the sport with a new program of mentored hunts. “New data is pointing to young adult non-hunters as a demographic that responds well to new hunter programs, and so we have started working with our R3 coordinator to offer more mentored hunts for young adults,” he said. “Like the youth hunters, we pair the participants with mentors who can help them with the entire process, from gear selection and the hunt itself to cleaning and preparing their game afterward.”

One Step for New Hunters, One Step for +ONE

For many agencies, these mentored hunts are proving to be a useful tool in the fight to stabilize hunter numbers, and this model is being implemented by these agencies and others to cover additional game species. Best of all these efforts support, both directly and indirectly, the +ONE^SM Movement. This nationwide NSSF initiative works to encourage experienced target shooters and hunters to take someone new to the range or field and introduce them to the sports they are passionate about, just as someone once introduced them. For more information about the +ONE Movement and to take the +ONE Pledge, visit LetsGoShooting.org and LetsGoHunting.org. You may also be interested in: https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/grilled-dove-poppers/ https://www.letsgohunting.org/articles/doves-the-perfect-youth-hunt/

An article written by Steve Sorensen published in September 2018 on DeerandDeerHunting.com

A Model for Mentoring New Deer Hunters

Some passionate deer hunters are so commit­ted that they can't see it. but hunting is losing steam. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that from 2011 to 2016 we lost 2 million participants, declining to 11.5 million nationwide. This means we have fewer people competing during deer season, but it also means fewer dollars are being spent to sustain hunting. In the same period, total hunting expenditures declined 29 percent, from $36.3 billion to $25.6 billion. White-tailed deer are the keystone of North America's hunting heritage. If we're going to talk about preserving hunting, we must talk about whitetails, and we need to make a more deliberate effort than ever to get kids hunting them. The future of hunting is at stake. Deer hunting will not survive the way it did 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Hunting was widely accepted with little controversy. We had more kids, who had fewer competing interests, and a hunting family naturally transmitted traditional hunting values to sons and daughters. Fathers, grandfathers and uncles all led the way. A few days before the season opened, we'd go to an uncle's or grandfather's house to sight-in our rifles. Any casual observer might think sighting-in was the main preparation for the big day. Even though we took it seriously, that wasn't our main preparation - not even close. We were preparing when we talked about what boots were suited for hunting, the finer points of traction, warmth and support. We talked about clothing, how to make our gear last and debated preferences for rifle calibers. Hunting stories permeated our conversations, which ranged from what we ate while in the woods, to how the big bucks knew what was going on when the shooting started. A single trip to the deer woods was never enough to transmit hunting heritage, but everyday life held countless mentoring opportunities. Even small game hunting, the appetizer for deer season, wasn't our main preparation. It helped get our eyes, ears and legs in hunting shape, but throughout the year, nearly every day, we learned hunting lessons by example and by osmosis because we lived with hunters. Hunting was for the generations, and it would continue for as long as dads in deer country had children. In many ways, those days are gone.

Learn more about hunting Apprenticeship programs in your state

Changing Family Dynamics

Although most people in the world of deer hunting care deeply about our heritage, we aren't seeing hunting taught the way it once was. A whole range of things are happening in our society that prevent it. Without getting into moralizing over children born to single mothers, dads who don't stick around long enough to raise their families, or political opposition to guns, it's clear these and other social issues have had a negative effect on transmitting hunting values. More and more, increasing urbanization plays a role. Cultural media is produced in urban areas. Political money goes where people are, and that money draws more people to the urban centers. Cities are where the jobs are, but the hunting opportunities are scarce. Where traditional families once had four, five or even six kids, most are now having one or two. Competing interests are giving those one or two kids many choices, and hunting is often excluded from their array of activities. Messages about hunting and guns are almost certain to be negative. Today, a decades-old photograph of a 12-year-old girl with a gun and a deer can antagonize someone who, astonishingly, believes hunters are responsible for school shootings.

What Can Be Done?

So how do we get kids involved in hunting? We're in a desperate situation for two reasons: First, hunting is conservation, and if hunting ends, we have no model for wildlife conservation that can replace it. Second, it will take a concerted, heroic effort from all of us to preserve hunting by bringing more people into the ranks. For all hunting has done to enrich your life, join the +ONE^SM movement and invite someone hunting. John Annoni is on the front line of what actually can be done, and he knows transmitting our heritage will never again be done the way it was a generation ago. He is bringing the values of hunting into the public schools of Allentown, Pennsylvania, through a program that he founded 20 years ago called Camp Compass Academy. Camp Compass introduces kids from the inner city to hunting. With good grades, good behavior and open minds, kids in Annoni's program, who would never have another chance to learn about hunting, get to see the positive benefits it offers. "Kids have to earn the privilege to participate in our program, but it's not just for honor students, or the 20 percent who can find a way to get it done on their own," he said. "We want to reach the 80 percent." It's easy to see why some of his ideas challenge the conventional wisdom in public schools, but he also offers some challenges to the hunting community. We talk a lot about "mentoring," but what is mentoring? Annoni recognizes a clear difference between mentoring and parenting. Parenting introduces our own small families to hunting, but that's not enough. Mentoring those outside of the family must take center stage for hunting to survive. [caption id="attachment_2369" align="aligncenter" width="650"] This is the direction hunting needs to go to survive - experienced hunters mentoring those new to the sport.[/caption]

Mentoring is Time Consuming

Mentoring takes time, and we need to stop looking at that as a negative. Annoni says, "Any time you can consume a child's idle time with something proactive, you're winning." He reminds us that we're not just building hunters, we're building people. “We shouldn't think we're using a kid's time to hunting's advantage," he said. "We should be using it to their advantage. That means, in some mentoring time, we won't be talking about hunting." Our deer hunting heritage takes mentoring for granted because a traditional hunter saw dad, grandpa and uncles get dressed, choose a gun, sight-in, scout - it all came naturally. But if hunting is going to last, we must recruit more and more nontraditional hunters who will never come into hunting that way. Annoni also believes that we need to redefine excellence away from the size of the bucks we're after and toward the experience itself. [caption id="attachment_2371" align="aligncenter" width="650"] If Camp Compass Academy were to be reproduced across the coun­try, it would go a long way toward helping hunting survive well into the future.[/caption] "Instead of a 140-class deer, I'd rather have 140 words come out of someone's mouth that honors our craft. Some outdoor TV needs a wake­up call," he said. "The reality is that when we talk about that buck we've been scouting, hunting, watching, our bubble of selfishness gets so large that there's no room for giving. So, nothing would give me more satisfaction than watching a whole season of deer hunting TV where the stars are not doing the killing, but ordinary people are." If we're going to save hunting, we have to save deer hunting. And if we're going to save deer hunting we have to do at least three things, and probably more.

Bring Diverse Families Together

The world of hunting is a surprisingly diverse family, and we hunters need to think about our family dynamics. As much as families tend to bicker with each other, when their backs are to the wall they support each other with all their might. Demographics and a negative social attitude toward guns and hunting tell us our backs are to the wall now, but we haven't yet unified. We can look at social media to witness how divided we are. Sites such as Facebook can be used for good, but they can also hurt people we don't intend to hurt. When one of us criticizes another hunter's choice in taking a legal deer, or we unnecessarily accuse someone of being unethical because we disapprove of the equipment they use, many young people subject to peer pressure will see these arguments and will fear similar criticism. Annoni reminds us, “We must realize that new hunters [who are] one step into hunting are also one step from quitting hunting." Will we look past our petty family squabbles? Or will we continue doing the dirty work of our enemies for them? We need to choose.

Understanding What Mentoring Is

When we mentor a kid in hunting, we're not just creating a hunter - we're building character and positive values into the child. "Success should not be measured by whether we tie a tag onto a deer's ear," Annoni warns, "because if we focus too much on the tag, we focus too little on the time. The tag will be gone. The memories and lessons will last forever. Make mentoring about time, and we will change hearts. We will build people." We also need to look at mentoring as a year-round process, not just an October lead-up to deer season. Hunting season comes and goes, but mentoring season is 365 days a year. It includes passing along a good magazine article, preparing and eating venison, talking about meaningful memories, showing old and new photos all year long, and much more. Mentoring is a relationship with no substitute. The fact that kids today have few deep adult relationships means that if we create one, we can use that relationship to build up a kid through hunting. Many people don't get the difference between parenting and mentoring. Parenting has mentoring built in. Mentoring without being a parent is a big, voluntary, valuable commitment.

A New Hunter is the Goal

Annoni also said, "Whoever you mentor does not need to know that you're the best hunter on the planet. They need to know you care about them." We set antler standards, but we must also set standards about keeping commitments, punctuality, ethics and all of the other everyday values that we hold as right and good. Deer hunting should be a way to teach normal, natural values. The deer is not the trophy. A newcomer transformed into a responsible hunter is the trophy of a lifetime. We need to care by getting as excited about any deer that a kid kills, as he gets about any deer that we kill ourselves because the newcomer is more important than any deer. If we want to give our deer hunting heritage a future - this is how. Join the +ONE Movement and invite a friend on your next hunt. Special thanks to DeerandDeerHunting.com for providing this insightful content.  About the Author Steve Sorensen, known as The Everyday Hunter, is an avid deer hunter from Pennsylvania.

 

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