A continued effort needed to introduce youth to hunting

I need to get organized! I’ve just spent some time looking for a column I wrote a few years ago which talked about trying to recruit new hunters into the ranks. I didn’t find it.

As I recall, I discussed a study that looked at the declining numbers, nationally, of young folks who are coming into the hunting fold. The average age of America’s hunting population has been steadily increasing over the past several years. People who began hunting as kids make up the overwhelming majority of active hunters, but we’re getting older. New recruits are needed in the ranks to assure the continuation of this tradition.

One of the reasons given in the report for this decline initially suggested that hunter education requirements were the impediment. After further investigation, however, the facts ruled out that assumption. Of the 49 states with universal, mandatory hunter education (Alaska is the lone exception), 29 of those states were status quo or better on new hunter recruitment (at least as many new hunters coming in as old hunters leaving).

Of the 20 other states with significant declines in new hunter recruitment, it was noted that they all had a higher age limit requirement before the new hunter could participate – some being as high as 16-years-old. By that age, computers, video games, the opposite sex, soccer and other organized sports, jobs, cars, and all those things teenagers find so attractive were interfering with that first hunting opportunity. Several states have since begun legislative action to lower the age requirements and remove that barrier.

Alaska is not one of the states with an age barrier to hunting. By regulation, an Alaskan youth can apply for their own big game tags beginning as 10-years-olds. The age at which the child begins hunting small game depends on when the parents will allow the activity. I know some parents who have taken their kids spruce grouse hunting at age 5-6 and the child has had success. The Basic Hunter Education program in Alaska is geared toward your average 10-year-old, and with the number of classes available each year, getting that certification can hardly be considered an impediment.

Another negative to new hunter recruitment, and current hunter retention for that matter, is the loss of access to lands open to hunting. This is especially noticeable in the eastern half of the country. Many states have large blocks of federal land which, for one reason or another, have not been opened to hunting. During 2007, President Bush issued an Executive Order, titled Facilitation of Hunting Heritage and Wildlife Conservation, to address that issue.

The president directed federal agencies to coordinate with each other, the states where the federally managed lands are located and with hunters around the country to increase hunting opportunities and habitat management. In a press release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) regarding that executive order, then-Commissioner Denby Lloyd stated, “More than 60 percent of Alaska is federal land, and we manage all wildlife here on state and federal land for sustainability and abundance. I am glad that the President acknowledges the important role that states play in wildlife management.”

The news release continues, “Lloyd applauded the President’s direct encouragement of opportunities for conservation and management of land and wildlife, and his recognition that outdoor activities like hunting can provide tremendous benefits to individuals and to wildlife conservation. ‘Hunters have always been pillars of wildlife conservation in this country, and have done more than anyone else to conserve wild creatures and their habitat, ‘ he (Lloyd) said. ‘We have numerous successful programs at ADF&G to educate new hunters and anglers and increase the ranks of advocates for responsible outdoor activities’.”

Lloyd further stated, “I am hopeful that the President’s Order will help encourage federal land managers in Alaska to work with our staff at the Department of Fish and Game to improve access to federal lands here for hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts. At a time when fewer and fewer Americans are engaging in hunting, this is a great opportunity for us to work together to turn that trend around.”

I haven’t heard that much improvement in federal-state land management for hunting has occurred in the nine years since these changes were mandated. In fact, reports in the media would suggest otherwise. Both the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have recently clashed with either individual Alaskan hunters or ADF&G over hunting activities. Things need to improve.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications. You can leave Delo a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.