05/25/2006
Michigan Senate Passes Families Afield Legislation
LANSING, Mich. — After gaining approval from the Michigan Senate, legislation that reduces youth hunting barriers in the Wolverine State is one step closer to becoming law.
House Bill 5192 and Senate Bill 1105 were both approved by the Senate on May 24 and now head to the House of Representatives.
SB 1105, sponsored by Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Leelanau, and co-chair of the Michigan State Sportsmen's Caucus, was approved by the Senate 32-6, and will establish an apprentice license to allow new hunters to experience the sport under restricted circumstances before requiring the completion of hunter education. In order to become licensed hunters, young hunters must complete a hunter education course.
"I truly appreciate the help we got from the leaders of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation," Sen. McManus said. "They provided the research that showed how safe mentored hunters are, and then sent staff and volunteers to the capitol to explain the data so that legislators would be more comfortable with the bill."
Sponsored by Rep. Scott Hummel, R-DeWitt, HB 5192 passed through the Senate by a vote of 29-9. The bill will lower age requirements for small game hunters from 12 to 10 years old, and big game hunters from 14 to 12 years old. It passed the House on March 21 by a vote of 86 to 17. The bill now heads back to the House for concurrence on changes made by the Senate.
"We appreciate Senator McManus' and Representative Hummel's willingness to tackle this issue," said Rob Keck, CEO of the NWTF. "We look forward to working with them to completely eliminate the barriers that are hurting our ability to pass on our hunting heritage to the next generation."
Mentored youth hunting is a key component of the Families Afield initiative. Started by the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the NWTF, Families Afield aims to remove youth hunting barriers throughout the country.
A report written by Silvertip Productions, USSA and Southwick Associates Inc., shows youth hunters are the safest hunters in the woods when accompanied by an adult. The findings were peer reviewed for statistical validity by the Triad Research Group. The NWTF has led the charge in promoting youth hunting opportunities and has teamed up with USSA and NSSF to remove barriers to youth hunting across the nation.
While the Youth Hunting Report showed mentored hunters are safe hunters, it showed hunter retention is on the decline. It also clearly shows regulations that limit youth participation have a negative influence on a state's ability to attract future hunters.
Missouri, for example, is listed in the Youth Hunting Report in the least restrictive category when it comes to youth hunting restrictions. The state has a hunter retention rate of 1.16, meaning for every 100 hunters who leave the sport, 116 take their place.
Michigan, listed in the report as very restrictive, has the lowest hunter retention rate in the country at 0.26, meaning for every 100 hunters who leave the sport, only 26 take their place. The state's hunting age barriers are among the most restrictive in the nation, second only to New York.
For more information about Families Afield or the NWTF, call (800) THE-NWTF.
