Outdoors 05/08/2008

NATIONWIDE — With the annual spring wild turkey hunting season open through the end of May, new generations are being introduced to the time-honored tradition. Some are old enough to hunt themselves, while parents or older brothers and sisters are mentoring others. The good news is that many apprentice programs and new legislation is giving hunters and their families a new appreciation for the bird.
The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, is fueling a significant climb in youth license sales and hunting opportunities through the Families Afield initiative.
Mentored hunting and eliminating age barriers that prevent parents from taking their sons and daughters hunting are key components of the Families Afield program. To date, 21 states have approved Families Afield legislation and regulations. Six of those states have already measured the program’s performance and report a significant climb in new hunters. Data available from Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Ohio reveal that apprentice hunting programs brought nearly 34,000 new hunters to the field.
In Michigan, the apprentice hunting license program allows new hunters to experience hunting with a mentor before requiring the completion of hunter education. To become fully licensed, young hunters must complete a hunter education course, which are offered throughout the year. In addition to the apprentice hunting license program, Michigan also lowered age requirements for small game hunters from 12 to 10 years old and big game hunters from 14 to 12 years old in 2007. An adult mentor must accompany the new hunters.
Research presented in the Youth Hunting Report shows that some states experience better recruitment and retention of new hunters than others. They do so by permitting parents to decide when their sons and daughters are ready to hunt, and allow potential hunters to try hunting under the watchful eye of a mentor before completing a hunter education course.
The report’s findings showed that for every 100 hunters who left the sport, 69 new ones took their place. However, programs such as Families Afield are introducing more youth to the outdoors and preserving America’s hunting legacy for generations to come. A recent report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows that the ratio of hunters age 6-15 has grown nearly 4 percent since 2001. During the past four years, Families Afield legislation enacted across America should boost these numbers even more.
But there is still work to be done. In 21 states, it is illegal for parents to hunt at all with their son or daughter until they are 12 years of age or older.
“Allowing mentors to get young people interested in hunting at an early age not only prepares them for hunter education courses, but also lays the foundation for being good conservationists,” notes NWTF CEO Rob Keck. “By removing barriers at the state level, we’re ensuring our hunting heritage remains strong.”
One of the pieces of Families Afield legislation being implemented in states around the country allows new hunters to “try before they buy” and defer taking a hunter safety course until after introduction by an adult mentor. Hunter safety education is required to become a fully licensed hunter. The result is young hunters who are more engaged in the hunter safety course material due to hands-on experience in the field.
Also, budding outdoorsmen and women have responded to these new opportunities by the tens of thousands—and they’re doing so safely.
“Allowing young people to safely experience hunting with a mentor is the best way to help them appreciate the hunting tradition,” says Keck. He added that the earlier youth start hunting, the more likely they will be to continue hunting throughout their life, which ensures the future of conservation remains strong.
Editor’s note: Anyone who has hunted with youth knows firsthand that hunting ethics, animal behavior and safe techniques just cannot be fully understood in a classroom setting. Mentoring our youth in the field is perhaps the most important thing we as hunters can do with not only youth, but also women, the fastest growing hunting segment nationwide because of mentoring and apprentice programs.

Courtesy National Wild Turkey Federation