Shooting Sports Summit Mark Damian Duda & Frank Briganti Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Produced under a grant for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,

Shooting Sports Summit

Mark Damian Duda & Frank Briganti

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Produced under a grant for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Grant Agreement CT-M-6-0

The Future of Hunting and the Shooting The Future of Hunting and the Shooting Sports: Research-Based Recruitment Sports: Research-Based Recruitment

and Retention Strategiesand Retention Strategies

Responsive Management & NSSF

Charting the course for the industry’s future….


Fish and Wildlife Populations

Focus of Fish and Wildlife Management

Fish and Wildlife Professionals

Fish and Wildlife Habitats Human Populations


650,000 5.4 million


40,000 1 million


rarely seen 5.5 million


Hunting Participation 1991-2006

12,000

12,500

13,000

13,500

14,000

14,500

15,000

15,500

16,000

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Hu

nte

rs (

in t

ho

us

an

ds

)

National SurveyData

Federal AssistanceLicense Data

Fish and Wildlife Populations

Focus of Fish and Wildlife Management

Fish and Wildlife Professionals

Fish and Wildlife Habitats Human Populations


Methodology

Literature Review

Focus Groups

Surveys• General Population• Active Hunters• Ex-Hunters• Active Shooters• Ex-Shooters

Focus Groups




n = 5,040 general population (includes hunters and shooters)

n = 1,053 hunters and shooters



Alabama Youth Dove Hunt


First Shots



261 pages 196 action items Focus on Problem Solution Action items range from:

• What to understand: changing demographics and time issues

• How to communicate: legal, regulated hunting; safe and controlled

• How to conduct R & R programs: non-lethal firearms at first (“training wheels”)

• What not to do: single-parent households

No silver bullet, but lots of shot

Participation in Hunting and the Shooting Sports



Hunting Participation


Between 14 million and 18 million U.S. residents participate in hunting in any given year.


Composition of Hunters

43%

14%

43%

Active hunter (hashunted in the past 2years)

Recently lapsed hunter(has hunted in the past 5years, but not in the past2 years)

Long-ago lapsed hunter(has hunted, but not inthe past 5 years)

Active hunters are more likely than are inactive hunters to have the following

characteristics: Currently has family members who hunt. Has fished in the past 5 years. Has camped in the past 5 years. Has friends who hunt. Is between 18 and 34 years old. Has gone boating in the past 5 years. Has been invited to go hunting with a friend. Has gone hiking in the past 5 years. Rates access for hunting in state of residence as excellent or good. Has viewed wildlife in the past 5 years. Is male. Was first taken hunting by his or her father. Lives in a small city or town or a rural area. Grew up in a household with firearms. Was younger than the median age when first went hunting.


social support

younger

initiated by father

initiated at ayoung age

Inactive hunters are more likely than are active hunters to have the following

characteristics: Does not currently have family members who hunt. Does not have friends who hunt. Has not been invited to go hunting with a friend. Is 35 years old or older. Is female. Was not first taken hunting by his or her father. Lives in a large city/urban area or a suburban area. Did not grow up in a household with firearms. Rates access for hunting in state of residence as

fair or poor. Started hunting when older than the median

initiation age of hunters.


no social support

older

urban

initiated at an older age

not initiatedby father


Trends in Hunting Participation


Hunting License Holders for Nation

13,500,000

14,000,000

14,500,000

15,000,000

15,500,000

16,000,000

16,500,000

17,000,000

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

Nu

mb

er o

f L

icen

se H

old

ers

People with Hunting Licenses in U.S. (Federal Aid Data)

Hunting License Holders for Nation

13,500,000

14,000,000

14,500,000

15,000,000

15,500,000

16,000,000

16,500,000

17,000,000

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

Nu

mb

er o

f L

icen

se H

old

ers

People with Hunting Licenses in U.S. (Federal Aid Data)


Urbanization

Aging Society

Fewer Whites

Less Access

Less Opportunity


Loss of land

Loss of rural people

Dilution of the hunting and shooting culture

Less free time and more time to travel

More structured time

Urbanization


Hunting and shooting are often “unstructured” activities that exist

in a structured 21st Century.

Action Item 48. Make efforts to get hunters and shooters to schedule their activities…. People make time for scheduled activities. A campaign to “put it on the calendar” should be considered, targeted at active hunters and shooters.


Where Did the Hunters Go?


Action Item 34. Do not spend limited agency resources targeting single-parent households for recruitment and retention efforts.

Trends in hunting participation Trends in hunting participation need to be put into context of trends need to be put into context of trends regarding participation in outdoor regarding participation in outdoor recreation as a whole. Research recreation as a whole. Research suggests declining trends in most suggests declining trends in most outdoor recreation. outdoor recreation. (Pergams and Zaradic, 2008)(Pergams and Zaradic, 2008)



Shooting Participation


Almost 19 million U.S. residents participate in shooting sports in any given year, excluding hunting, bowhunting, and archery.


How many of the past 5 years have you gone target or sport shooting? (Asked of shooters who

shot in the past 5 years.)

56

7

11

14

11

3

0 20 40 60 80 100

5 years

4 years

3 years

2 years

1 year

Don't know / could not say

Percent

All shooters who shot in past 5 years

Composition of Shooters

50%

14%

36%

Active shooter (has shot in thepast 2 years)

Recently lapsed shooter (hasshot in the past 5 years, but notin the past 2 years)

Long-ago lapsed shooter (hasshot, but not in the past 5 years)



Trends in Shooting Participation


Target Shooting Participation

0

5

10

15

20

25

1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

Mill

ion

s of

tar

get

shoo

ters Net Target

Shooting

Target Shooting(Rifle)

Target Shooting(Handgun)


Hunting Initiation


Who first took you hunting?(Among all hunters.)

1

0

2

68

8

7

6

6

2

1

12

1

2

3

5

7

6

6

49

15

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Father

Friends

Grandfather

Spouse

Uncle

Brother

No one / went alone

Boyfriend / girlfriend

Cousins

Mother

In-laws

Mu

ltip

le R

esp

on

ses

Allo

wed

Percent

Active hunterInactive hunter


Youth Who Hunted in the Past Year by Hunting/Non-Hunting Families

(Pie Represents All Youth Who Hunted in Previous Year)

Youth who went hunting in the past year from hunting

families92%

Youth who went hunting in the past

year from non-hunting families

8%


Percent of various groups with no family members who participate in hunting.

(Among the general population.)

13

44

65

0 20 40 60 80 100

Non-hunter

Inactive hunter

Active hunter

Mu

ltip

le R

esp

on

ses

Allo

wed

Percent


What type of species did you first hunt? (Among all hunters.)

1

3

3

30

22

20

13

3

3

2

1

0 20 40 60 80 100

Rabbit / hare / snowshoe / cottontail

Squirrel

White-tailed deer

Pheasant, quail, chukar, upland game birds

Mule deer / black-tailed deer

Waterfowl

FurbearersRuffed grouse, partridge, woodcock, forest

game birdsWild turkey

Other

Don't know

Percent

All hunters


Hunting Motivations


Trends in motivations for hunting.

9 10

3743

20 21

39

16

0

20

40

60

80

100

To be with familyand friends

To be close tonature

For the sport orrecreation

For the meat

Pe

rce

nt

1980

2006


Do you or your family eat the animals you kill? (Among all hunters.)

0

3

97

0 20 40 60 80 100

Yes

No

Don't know

Percent

Active hunter


Dissatisfactions Among Active Hunters


9

10

11

26

23

21

17

15

14

8

8

8

7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Not enough places to hunt

Not enough access

Work obligations

Amount of free time

Pollution or litter

Poor behavior of hunters

Family obligations

Costs of licenses

No one to go with

Having to travel to hunt

Not enough game

Personal health

Too many hunters in the field

Percent

Active hunter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly took away from his/her enjoyment of hunting or strongly influenced his/her decline in

participation. (Among active hunters.) (Part 1.)


3

4

4

7

6

5

4

4

4

3

2

2

0 20 40 60 80 100

Cost of hunting equipment

Mandatory hunter education

Complex regulations

Not enough law enforcement officers

Fear of injury by another hunter

Feeling of causing pain to animals

Other people's negative opinions

Not enough trophy game

Bag limits/season lengths

Harassment by anti-hunters

Loss of interestFeeling that hunting endangers animal

populations

Percent

Active hunter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly took away from his/her enjoyment of hunting or strongly influenced his/her decline in

participation. (Among active hunters.) (Part 2.)


Reasons for Hunting Desertion


1233355666

111416

40353433

1716

10109987

0 20 40 60 80 100

Amount of free timeFamily obligations

Work obligationsLoss of interest

Not enough accessFeeling of causing pain to animals

Not enough places to huntPersonal health

Poor behavior of huntersNo one to go with

Having to travel to huntToo many hunters in the field

Cost of hunting equipmentFeeling that hunting endangersFear of injury by another hunter

Costs of licensesNot enough law enforcement officers

Not enough gameMandatory hunter education

Pollution or litterComplex regulations

Not enough trophy gameBag limits/season lengths

Other people's negative opinionsHarassment by anti-hunters

Percent

Inactive hunter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly influenced him/her to not hunt in recent years. (Among inactive hunters.)


Trends in Reasons Hunters Quit


1222354108 5 3 1

8 7 6 6 6 5 5 3 3 3 2 10

20

40

60

80

100

Hunting e

ndanger

s an

imal

popula

tions

Fear o

f inju

ry b

y an

other

hunte

r

Costs

of lic

ense

s

Not enough la

w enfo

rcem

ent o

ffice

rs

Not enough g

ame

Man

datory

hunte

r educa

tion

Pollutio

n or l

itter

Comple

x re

gulatio

ns

Not enough tr

ophy gam

e

Bag li

mits

/sea

son le

ngths

Other

peo

ple's

negat

ive

opinio

ns

Haras

smen

t by

anti-

hunters

1995 Inactive hunter2007 Inactive hunter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly influence their decision to not go hunting in recent years. (Part 2.)


413

813

1814

25221826

14 16 15

4035 34 33

17 16 16 14 11 10 10 9 9

0

20

40

60

80

100

Amount o

f fre

e tim

e

Family

oblig

atio

ns

Work

oblig

atio

ns

Loss o

f inte

rest

Not enough a

cces

s

Causi

ng pai

n to a

nimal

s

Not enough p

lace

s to

hunt

Perso

nal h

ealth

Poor beh

avio

r of h

unters

No one

to g

o with

Havin

g to tr

avel

to h

unt

Too m

any

hunters

in th

e fie

ld

Cost o

f huntin

g equip

men

t

1995 Inactive hunter2007 Inactive hunter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly influence their decision to not go hunting in recent years. (Part 1.)


Shooting Initiation


Who first took you shooting?(Among all shooters.)

1

1

4

57

12

7

5

4

4

1

1

0

22

3

0

1

1

2

3

12

8

6

40

18

4

0 20 40 60 80 100

Father

Friends

Grandfather

Brother

Organized group

Spouse

Uncle

Cousins

Mother

In-laws

Nephew

Boyfriend / girlfriend

No one / went alone

Mu

ltip

le R

esp

on

ses

Allo

wed

Percent

Active shooterInactive shooter


Shooting Retention


Do you have any family members who target or sport shoot? (Among all shooters.)

0

8

10

12

46

23

18

18

12

12

7

6

2

2

1

1

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

11

0

11

11

11

67

0

0 20 40 60 80 100

Son (or step)No / Nobody

BrotherSpouse / boyfriend / girlfriend

Daughter (or step)NephewIn-laws

Father (or step father)Grandson (or step)

CousinsUncleSister

Granddaughter (or step)Grandfather

AuntDon't know

Mu

ltip

le R

esp

on

ses

Allo

wed

Percent

Active shooter

Inactive shooter


Shooting Mentorship

Why did you take somebody shooting? (Asked of shooters who have taken someone with them who was new to the

sport of shooting.)

3

6

12

14

19

36

1

0 20 40 60 80 100

Showed interest in learning the sport / askedme to take him or her

It is important to learn gun safety, selfdefense, and/or how to shoot

For fun, enjoyment, and/or recreation

To introduce the sport / to encourageinterest in the sport

Wanted to share my experience and/orenjoyment of the sport

Family tradition / want to continue heritage

Companionship

Mu

ltip

le R

esp

on

ses

Allo

wed

Percent

All shooters whomentored somebody



Percent of active shooters who were involved in the following shooting-related activities or scenarios and the percent who

increased their participation afterwards. (Among active shooters.)

4

6

8

13

16

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Been invited to go target or sportshooting by a friend

A child he/she cared about asked to gotarget or sport shooting

Read about target or sport shooting ina magazine

Went shooting as part of a churchgroup or a group of coworkers

Watched a shooting program ontelevision

Were involved in activity orscenario, and increasedparticipation afterwards

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent


Mentorship

Action Item 24. When encouraging mentoring, use the term, “experience,” such as “sharing the experience,” because that word resonates well as a motivation for mentors.

Action Item 27. In a corollary to Step Outside, support efforts to prompt children to ask adults to take them hunting or shooting…


Dissatisfactions Among Active Shooters


20

56

10

2822

1919

1613

543333

0 20 40 60 80 100

Amount of free time

Work obligations

Not enough places to shoot

Not enough access

Family obligations

Have other interests that are more important

Having to travel to shoot

Cost of shooting equipment

No one to go with

Personal health

Harassment by anti-shooters

Fear of injury by another shooter

Poor behavior of shooters

Loss of interest

Other people's negative opinions of shooting

Lack skills

Thinks shooting might be wrong

Percent

Active shooter

Percent who indicated that the following things strongly took away from his/her enjoyment of target or sport shooting or strongly

influenced his/her decline in participation. (Among active shooters.)


Reasons Non-Shooters Don’t Shoot


8

9

11

68

23

17

15

15

14

7

6

6

5

4

4

0 20 40 60 80 100

Lack of interest

Uncomfortable around firearms

Family obligations

Amount of free time

Work obligations

Fear of injury by another shooter

Poor behavior of other shooters

Not enough places to shoot

Cost of shooting equipment

Not having anyone to go with

Personal health

Costs of ranges

Other people's negative opinions of shooting

Too many shooters at the ranges

Harassment by anti-shooters

Non-shooter

Percent who that indicated that the following things strongly influenced his/her decision to never go target or sport shooting.

(Among non-shooters.)


Crossover Participation Between Hunting and

Shooting


Did you start out primarily as a shooter and then later get into hunting, or did you start out primarily as hunter and then later

get into shooting? (Asked of those who have both target/sport shot and hunted.)

7

40

53

0 20 40 60 80 100

Started out as ahunter

Started out as asport shooter

Cannot say /don't know

Percent


Crossover of Hunting and Shooting

Action Item 100. Realize that recruiting shooters from the ranks of hunters will be easier than recruiting hunters from the ranks of shooters.

Action Item 101. Move quickly in recruiting crossover participation, as data show that this crossover, when successful, typically occurs within 3 years of first participation in the other activity.


Target Markets


1 Active hunters who are likely to continue hunting

2 Active hunters who are hunting less frequently

3Active hunters who are at high risk of deserting

the sport

4Inactive hunters who may be easily persuaded to

start hunting again

5Inactive hunters who are less likely to be

persuaded to start hunting again

6 Non-hunters who are very interested in hunting

Identified Hunting Markets

Responsive Management & NSSF Responsive Management & NSSF

1Active shooters who are likely to continue

shooting

2Active shooters who are at high risk of deserting

the sport

3Inactive shooters who may be easily persuaded to

start shooting again

4Inactive shooters who are less likely to be

persuaded to start shooting again

5 Non-shooters who are very interested in shooting

Identified Shooting Markets


Action Item 62. Target young adults, especially males, who are outdoor enthusiasts with hunting and shooting recruitment efforts and promote hunting and shooting as part of an overall outdoor lifestyle.


Action Item 64. Do not assume that all inactive hunters and inactive shooters are “low hanging fruit.”• those who went only once or twice• aging hunters and shooters• those with similar demographics to active

hunters and shooters


Hunting and Shooting Recruitment and Retention

Programs


Awareness of Recruitment and Retention Programs

What programs are you aware of that encourage hunting or shooting? (Among all hunters.)

0.4

1.0

1.2

11.4

9.1

6.0

3.7

2.5

2.4

0.9

3.8

11.4

1.4

0.7

0.8

1.0

1.1

0.0

0 20 40 60 80 100

National Rifle Association

Hunting or gun club / shooting ranges and/orcompetitions

Wildlife and/or conservation organizations

Ducks Unlimited

Women's programs

Youth hunts / youth shooting programs

Hunting and/or shooting programs toimprove skills

Hunting and/or firearms safety program

Boy or Girl Scout

Percent

Active hunter

Inactive hunter


What programs are you aware of that encourage hunting or shooting? (Among all shooters.)

1.0

1.0

1.8

4.6

7.4

8.6

0.8

0.6

0.50.3

1.7

0.2

0.3

0.2

0.9

3.9

9.7

0.4

0 20 40 60 80 100

Hunting or gun club / shooting ranges and/orcompetitions


Wildlife and/or conservation organizations

Ducks Unlimited

Youth hunts / youth shooting programs

Hunting and/or shooting programs toimprove skills

Women's programs

Hunting and/or firearms safety program

Boy or Girl Scout

Percent

Active shooter

Inactive shooter



Participation in Recruitment and Retention Programs

Which programs have you participated in? (Among all hunters.)

0.0

0.9

1.3

2.1

2.7

0.2

0.3

0.0

0.5

0.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Wildlife and/or conservationorganization


Hunting or shooting program

Hunting or gun club / shootingrange

Job training / military / lawenforcement

Active hunter

Inactive hunter


Which programs have you participated in? (Among all shooters.)

0.3

0.4

0.5

4.0

2.0

1.6

1.0

0.9

0.7

0.7

0.0

0.0

0.6

0.8

0.0

0.5

0.3

0.5

0 20 40 60 80 100

Hunting or gun club / shooting range

Wildlife and/or conservation organization

Competitions

Hunting or shooting program

Job Training / military / law enforcement


Hunting and/or firearms safety course

Women's program

Boys or Girls Scout

Active shooter

Inactive shooter



Interest in Programs and Opportunities Among

Shooters


21

21

21

24

26

29

0 20 40 60 80 100

Program he/she knows is conducted in safeand controlled manner

Being invited to go by a friend

The opportunity to shoot a bow at a range

The opportunity to shoot a handgun at a range

Being able to learn to target or sport shoot fromshooting expert

A free skills seminar

Non-shooter

Percent of non-shooters who indicated that the following programs or opportunities would increase his/her interest in

shooting. (Among non-shooters.)

Alabama Youth Dove Hunt


Follows the natural path of recruitment and retention Experiential Annual event Community event (enforces the hunting culture) Occurs in the open Starts with small game Can observe without participating


Communicating to the Public About Hunting and

Shooting


Public Opinion on Hunting


Do you approve or disapprove of legal hunting? (Adult Americans nationwide.)

1

8

8

5

32

45

0 20 40 60 80 100

Strongly approve

Moderately approve

Neither approve nor disapprove

Moderately disapprove

Strongly disapprove

Don't know

Percent

78%*

* Note: Rounding causes apparent discrepancy in sum of those who approve.

Trends in Approval and Disapproval of Hunting (Adult Americans nationwide.)

73 75 78

2217 16

0

20

40

60

80

100

1995 2003 2006

Pe

rce

nt

Overall approval

Overall disapproval


“Hunting” versus “legal hunting” or “regulated hunting.”


Percent who strongly or moderately approve of various motivations for hunting. (Adult Americans nationwide.)

28

85

85

83

81

71

53

44

40

0 20 40 60 80 100

For the meat

To protect humans from harm

For animal population control

For wildlife management

To protect property

For the sport

To supplement income

For the challenge

For a trophy


78

75

71

69

60

47

42

40

0 20 40 60 80 100

Deer

Wild turkey

Small game

Waterfowl

Elk

Black bear

Mountain lion

Mourning dove

Percent of Americans who moderately or strongly approve of hunting various species.


20

27

36

41

48

57

20

0 20 40 60 80 100

Hunting with dogs

High-fence preserves for handicapped hunterswith limited mobility

Hunting on Sundays

Hunting using special scents that attract game

Hunting over bait

Hunting using high tech gear

Hunting in a high-fence preserve

Percent who indicated strongly or moderately supporting the following types of hunting. (Adult Americans nationwide.)


Would you say you are very familiar, somewhat familiar, or not at all familiar with the "North American Model of Wildlife Conservation"?

(Adult Arizona residents.)

1

72

24

3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Very familiar

Somewhatfamiliar

Not at allfamiliar

Don't know

Percent



Public Opinion on the Shooting Sports

In general, do you approve or disapprove of legal recreational shooting?

(Adult Americans nationwide.)

1

10

3

6

26

53

0 20 40 60 80 100

Strongly approve

Moderately approve

Neither approve nor disapprove

Moderately disapprove

Strongly disapprove

Don't know

Percent


Which of the following statements best describes your opinion of recreational shooting sports?

(Adult Americans nationwide.)

59

28

112

63

23

113

0

20

40

60

80

100

Shooting sportsare perfectlyacceptable

Shooting sportsare OK, but

maybe a littleinappropriate

now

Shooting sportsare inappropriate

nowadays

None of thesedescribes my

opinion / Don'tknow

2001 (NSSF) 2006 (RM)



Communicating to the Public About Hunting and Shooting

Action Item 168. Clearly communicate to hunters and shooters that their future is in their own hands regarding the image of these sports.


General Action Items for Agencies and Organizations



Action Item 171. Develop a national strategic plan for hunting and shooting recruitment and retention.

Action Item 172. Encourage states to develop their own strategic plans that fall under the national strategic plan. If funding becomes available, a strategic plan based on the national goals and national strategic plan could be a prerequisite to receive funding.

Action Item 84. Fully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.


Action Item 175. Consider developing an annual National Hunting and Sport Shooting Recruitment and Retention Conference.

Action Item 176. Consider developing a National Conservation Training Center course for hunting and shooting professionals to teach them the human dimensions aspects of hunting and the shooting sports.


Action Item 179. Support classes that teach students about hunting, such as the course on hunting at West Virginia University.

Action Item 180. Note that insufficient funds or resources can doom agency and organization efforts.

Action Item 181. Assign full-time personnel, or even a unit within an agency, to recruitment and retention, as part-time attention is simply not enough.


A Final Action Item

Action Item 196. Put these actions into place as soon as possible. While proper planning is essential, plans cannot be left in the planning stage without follow-through.


Shooting Sports Summit Mark Damian Duda & Frank Briganti Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Produced under a grant for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,

Documents

wildlife management

hunting participation

young age slide

retention strategies

wildlife professionals

wildlife populations

future of hunting

alabama youth dove hunt