Families Afield Youth Hunting Report - 2005
Families Afield Youth Hunting Report - 2005
Families Afield Youth Hunting Report - 2005
The Success of Youth Recruitment The Impact of Youth Hunting Restrictions The Future of Hunting, Conservation and the Shooting Sports Industry The Safety Record of Youth Hunters Legislative and Regulatory Changes to Youth Hunting Laws
Introduction
There is a growing concern about the ability to increase youth participation in hunting. These concerns are shared by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the U.S. Sportsmen s Alliance (USSA). It is the position of the three organizations that recruitment efforts are hampered by state laws and regulations that restrict youth hunting. This position is reinforced by the findings reported in this paper. In 2005, the three organizations launched a bold new program called Families Afield to address these issues. The mission of Families Afield is to educate the general public, elected officials, wildlife personnel and sportsmen about the need to lower barriers to youth hunting. Further, the organizations help local sportsmen enact legislation or regulations to achieve that goal. The Youth Hunting Report started a conversation about barriers to youth hunting, and the Families Afield coalition and many other partners have worked to change laws and regulations across the United States.
45-54 21%
25-34 19%
35-44 24%
Source: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. (2001)
Youth must continue to be the primary focus of hunter recruitment efforts. This is the age group when the overwhelming majority of first time hunting experiences take place. Research has shown that age is ten is the average age at which youth begin hunting. RATE OF FIRST HUNTING EXPERIENCE Sorted by age group
80% 70% 60% 50% % First Hunting 40% Experience 30% 20% 10% 0% 6-15 16-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Age Groups
Source: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. (2001)
79.60%
13.20% 9.60%
Growth Rates by Age Groups Hunter numbers in general have fallen over the past 15 years in every age category except 65+. Participation rates are declining the fastest in the youngest age groups.
AGE 16-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 Plus TOTAL ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, 1985-2001 -2.77% -3.50% -2.60% -1.89% -1.31% -0.42% 0.18% -2.27%
Source: Southwick Associates, Inc. (2005)
While current data is insufficient to pinpoint a ratio that will sustain the current numbers of hunters into the future, we believe that a ratio higher than 1.0 is needed for the following reasons:
Demographics point to an aging population: populations of younger Americans are smaller, so even if we maintain the same percentage of youth compared to adults, total numbers of hunters will likely drop.
Some youth become temporary or permanent dropouts when they go to college, join the armed services, or move away from home. The national hunter replacement ratio for 2000 was .69.
State by State
We sorted the results by state. State ratios ranged from .26 1.16.
Seven states performed at a level above one. Eleven states were at a level of .9 or above.
Source: National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. (2001)
Finding #3: Youth Recruitment Is Less Successful In States With Higher Youth Hunting Restrictions
States were classified according to the level of restrictions on youth hunting opportunities. Criteria included the age youth may hunt and hunter education requirements. Due to the shift over the years from small game hunting to big game hunting, we weighed heavily whether or not youth are permitted to hunt big game. Because of the population shift from rural to urban areas, access to public land was also weighed heavily. The states were placed in three categories: very restrictive states, somewhat restrictive states and least restrictive states. The states were then sorted into the three categories. Least Restrictive States Seventeen states had regulations or laws that 1) permit youth hunting largely at the parents discretion and 2) hunter education requirements that largely permit youth participation before passing hunter education tests. None of these states have a minimum hunting age. Only four of the 17 (24%) states performed at a lower rate than the national average. Somewhat Restrictive States Thirteen states had some restrictive regulations or laws. While none of these states have a minimum hunting age, these states require hunter education certification prior to permitting most youth hunting opportunities. If a state requires hunter certification before even hunting can be introduced with on public land, the state was classified as somewhat restrictive. Five of the 13 (38%) states performed at a rate lower than the national average. Very Restrictive States Twenty states had very restrictive regulations or laws. These states all have a minimum hunting age for big game. Many of them also have age restrictions for small game. Sixteen of the 20 (80%) states performed at a level lower than the .69 national average.
Summary The average hunter replacement ratios for least restrictive states and somewhat restrictive states were .80 and .74. The ratio for restrictive states was .53. Four of the seven states that performed at a ratio above 1.0 are least restrictive states. Two of the seven are somewhat restrictive states. Twelve of the 15 worst performing states are classified as very restrictive. Regulations that limit youth participation hurt a state s ability to attract new hunters. Least restrictive states have two key elements to their hunting laws that stimulate better recruitment. First, parents decide when youth are ready to hunt. There are no arbitrary age barriers in these states. Second, all of the least restrictive states permit parents to introduce youth to hunting before the completion of hunter education. We call this concept, Try Before You Buy. Restrictions on youth hunting are not the only variable that may affect a state s hunter replacement ratio. Urbanization and access to public land are also barriers among others. However, age barriers are a significant factor and must be lowered to allow youth participation.
Unless changes are made to address poor hunting replacement numbers, the future of hunting, conservation and the shooting sports industry is in jeopardy.
In Millions
Hunter Numbers The overall hunter population peaked in the mid 1980s with 16.8 million in 1985. By 2001, hunter populations had dropped 23 percent. By 2025 numbers are expected to drop another 24 percent to 9.9 million.
Hunters as a Percentage of U.S. Population This chart shows the percent of the U.S. population that is projected to hunt. In 1985 9.23 percent of Americans hunted. By 2001 it had dropped to 5.85 percent. Projections indicate that it will drop to 3.78 percent by 2025. The decrease of hunters as a percentage of the population bodes ill for the future of hunting. Politically, numbers make the difference. Elected officials, the large majority of whom do not hunt, have been reluctant to challenge hunting in many instances for fear of alienating such a large potential voting bloc. As the hunting demographic decreases as a percentage of U.S. population, so does the political strength that has been key to its defense.
% of U.S. Population That Hunts
10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 Year
If state wildlife management agencies are unable to implement additional means of collecting increased revenues from hunters, their long term funding is expected to decrease as hunter numbers decrease. A trend towards increased prices and specialty licenses from 1985 to 2001 were the suspected driving force behind revenue increases during that time frame. By 2025, revenues are expected to drop 25 percent compared to 2001 levels, thus impairing wildlife management efforts. The effects will be magnified beyond the simple percentage change in revenues because of increased workload demands on state wildlife agencies, and increased personnel, land and regulatory costs.
Millions
$700 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 $0 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 Year
The Impact on the Hunting Economy Basically, any given industry can only squeeze a limited amount of revenues per customer. This chart represents past, current and expected future trends regarding hunter expenditures. From 1991 through 2001, an expanding economy and a trend towards increased purchases of specialized, higher-priced items actually increased hunters dollars while the number of hunters decreased. This trend is not expected to continue. By 2025 expenditures are expected to decrease 24 percent from 2001 levels, reducing sales and earnings for nearly all companies in the hunting industry.
Hunters' Expenditures (adjusted for inflation) $28 $26 $24 $22 $20 $18 $16 $14 $12 $10 $8 $6 $4 $2 $1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 Year
Source: Southwick Associates, Inc. (2005)
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Billions
The relative risks of all sports injuries compared to hunting is illustrated in A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SPORTS INJURIES IN THE U.S. published by American Sports Data, Inc. This extensive study examined more than 100 sports and activities. Hunting ranked 29 on the list in terms of injuries per 100 participants.
Rank
1 2 3 5 6 7 10 14 16 21 24 25 28 29 30
Sport/Activity
Football (Tackle) Ice Hockey Boxing Soccer Cheerleading Basketball Baseball Football (Touch) Volleyball Tennis Horseback Riding Aerobics Roller Hockey Hunting Mountain/Rock Climbing
Even when factoring in all injuries that occur during hunting such as twisted ankles, cuts, broken bones etc., hunting is remarkably safe. In 2002, the researchers reported 207,000 injuries during 250 million days of hunting (a rate of one injury for every 1,207 days of hunting).
Conclusion:
As a result of this research NWTF, NSSF and USSA concluded that barriers must be lowered to allow more youth participation. The three organizations recommend that all states examine the legislative and regulatory impediments that prevent increases in youth participation. In the short term, the Families Afield partners will seek to help the states in which the hunter replacement ratio is alarmingly low. It is our strong conviction that permitting parents to decide at what age their children can hunt, and permitting youth to hunt under supervision before obtaining a hunter education certificate will result in increased participation, without sacrificing safety. Families Afield partners have generally used two strategies. The first is to eliminate or reduce age minimums. A comprehensive compilation of incident statistics from 2002 shows that hunting was actually marginally safer in states where parents decide when youth are ready to hunt.
12
426
8,813,456
0.0483
5,926,732 14,740,188
Source:
0.0535 0.0504
Total Incidents: The Hunter Incident Clearinghouse (data from 2002). Classification "A" incidents: a hunting incident involving a shooting by gun or bow. Paid License Holder: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2003 National Hunting License Report 2002 Data.
The second strategy is to create the try before you buy experience through an apprentice license program that permits licensed sportsmen and women to take new hunters in the field under close supervision before the completion of hunter education. Once again, incident data demonstrates that hunting in safer in states where try before you buy is permitted.
Hunting Incident Comparison Between Least Restrictive and Somewhat Restrictive States
Least Restrictive States
State
Alabama Alaska Arkansas Florida Georgia Iowa Louisiana Minnesota Mississippi Missouri New Hampshire North Carolina Oklahoma Tennessee Texas Vermont Washington West Virginia
Source:
Total Incidents: The Hunter Incident Clearinghouse (data from 2002). Classification "A" incidents: a hunting incident involving a shooting by gun or bow. Paid License Holder: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2003 National Hunting License Report 2002 Data.
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NSSA, NWTF and USSA have aggressively pursued partnerships with state wildlife agencies, local sportsmen organizations, hunter education volunteers and other conservation organizations since the launch of Families Afield. The collaboration has opened new doors for a potential five million new hunters across the country. Our goal is to have all fifty states in the least restrictive category. To date eleven states have passed legislation or passed regulations lowering barriers.
Florida - Created a supervised hunting program that permits a newcomer to hunt with a mentor for one year before completion of a hunter education course. Florida is a least restrictive state. Illinois - Created an apprentice hunting license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers ages 10 and higher hunting for one year before completion of a hunter education course. Illinois remains a somewhat restrictive state. Kansas Permits newcomers under 16 to hunt with a mentor before completion of a hunter education course. Kansas is now a least restrictive state. Louisiana - Created an apprentice hunting license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers ages 16 and higher hunting for one year before completion of a hunter education course. Louisiana is a least restrictive state. Michigan Lowered the minimum hunting age for small game from 12 to 10, and for big game from 14 to 12. Also created an apprentice hunting license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers ages 10 and higher hunting before completion of a hunter education course. Michigan remains a very restrictive state. Minnesota Permits new turkey hunters to hunt with a mentor before completing a hunter education course. Minnesota remains a very restrictive state. Mississippi - Created an apprentice hunting license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers hunting at any age for one year before completion of a hunter education course. Mississippi is a least restrictive state. Ohio Created an apprentice hunting license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers hunting for no more than three years at any age before completion of a hunter education course. Ohio is now a least restrictive state.
Pennsylvania Created a mentoring license that permits experienced hunters to take newcomers hunting at any age for deer, turkey and ground hogs before completion of a hunter education course. Pennsylvania will be a least restrictive state in 2007. Tennessee Created a program that exempts a newcomer age 10 and higher from hunter education requirements for one year. Tennessee is a least restrictive state. Utah Eliminated the age minimum for small game hunting. Utah remains a very restrictive state.
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Sources:
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. (2001) - U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. Youth data collected via screening survey. Adult data based on full survey. Compilation of State Youth Hunting Laws and Regulations. (2004) - Specifically youth hunting ages and hunter education requirements. U.S. Sportsmen s Alliance and Silvertip Productions, Ltd. A Comprehensive Study Of Sports Injuries in the U.S. (2002) - Published by American Sports Data, Inc. American Sports Data, Inc. (ASD) is a specialist in consumer survey research for the sporting goods, fitness and health club industries. The Hunter Incident Clearinghouse (data from 2002) - A project of the International Hunter Education Association in association with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Wildlife Restoration Act, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Wild Turkey Federation, Silvertip Productions, Ltd. The Future of Hunting [projections on hunting numbers and the hunting economy.] (2005) - Southwick Associates for U.S. Sportsmen s Alliance.
Research Participants:
National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 (203) 426-1320 Providing trusted leadership in addressing industry challenges and delivering programs and services to meet the identified needs of our members by measurably advancing participation in and understanding of the hunting and shooting sports. National Wild Turkey Federation 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield, SC 29824-0530 (800) THE-NWTF Conserving the wild turkey and protecting our hunting heritage. Southwick Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 6435 Fernandina Beach, FL 32035 (904) 277-9765 Specializes in economic and statistical research of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. U.S. Sportsmen s Alliance 801 Kingsmill Parkway Columbus, Ohio 43229 (614) 888-4868 Defending and promoting the rights of the American sportsmen to hunt, fish and trap. Silvertip Productions, Ltd. 3050 Delta Marine Drive Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 (614) 322-9825 Providing communication and consulting services for resource agencies and organizations throughout North America. Triad Research Group 20325 Center Ridge Rd., Suite 450 Rocky River, Ohio 44116 (440) 895-5353 A full service market research firm specializing in public sector research.
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