09/28/2005
Wisconsin Bill Will Put More Sportsmen in the Field
As part of a nationwide Families Afield campaign sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Assembly Bill 677 will aid in recruitment of new hunters in hopes of stopping an alarming downward trend in hunter numbers in Wisconsin and nationwide.
"The bottom line is parents should have the right to decide when their children will be introduced to hunting and shooting," commented Wisconsin Rep. Scott Suder (R- Abbotsford) who sponsored the bill along with Wisconsin Assembly Speaker John Gard (R- Peshtigo). "Our bill will give parents more choices in this matter and allow our youth the opportunity to be introduced to hunting before they become interested in other things."
The Bill is established to allow qualified, licensed adult hunters to introduce others to the sport prior to completing a hunter education course. The apprentice hunter would have to be within arm's reach of the adult mentor while in the field and would be required to attend hunter education courses and become fully licensed should they elect to pursue hunting on their own.
"Introducing our children to hunting is important for several reasons," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO. "First, hunting allows families to spend time outdoors and share quality time together. Second, research shows those who start hunting early in life are more likely to hunt as adults. With those positive outcomes and the proven safety record of young hunters, why would we prevent young people from hunting?"
Current Wisconsin law prevents parents from taking their kids hunting before age 12. In fact, 20 states have laws preventing youth from hunting with their fathers and mothers. These states prohibit introducing youth to all or most hunting-particularly for big game.
The Families Afield initiative argues that parents, not politics, should decide when youth are mature enough to join their families for a hunt. Putting this decision in the hands of parents may improve hunter replacement ratios. Today, for every 100 hunters that Wisconsin loses, only 53 hunters take their place.
"Hunting is revered in our country's character and economy," said Doug Painter, president of NSSF. "It's indelibly tied to conservation and is statistically safe. It adds richness to the lives of participants. We shouldn't allow age restrictions to compromise its future."
Families Afield was developed after results of a study, the Youth Hunting Report, showed that youth are less likely to take up hunting in states restricting youth participation. However, states that permit parents to decide when their kids will begin to hunt have a much higher youth recruitment rate.
The Youth Hunting Report, funded by the NWTF and NSSF, clearly showed that hunters in states without these restrictions are as safe as Wisconsin hunters. It also showed that the most important factor affecting youth hunting safety is the presence of a responsible, attentive adult hunter. When supervised, youth hunters are the safest in the field.
As an education and outreach program, the initiative will work with elected representatives, agency officials, hunters and the general public to help states eliminate unnecessary barriers to youth hunting.
"There are so many activities available to our youth today, by the time they can legally hunt, they're interested in other things and we've lost them," said Bud Pidgeon, USSA president.
Contact your Wisconsin representative today, and ask them to support AB 677. Let them know that unnecessary barriers to youth hunting should be removed. Educate them that the safest hunter is a mentored youth hunter. To find your representative, call (608) 226-9960 or use the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org.
For more information about the Youth Hunting Report or Families Afield, call Steve Wagner of the National Shooting Sports Foundation at (203) 426-1320; Jonathan Harling of the NWTF at (800) THE-NWTF or Beth Ruth of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance at (614) 888-4868.
