06/21/2007
Youth Hunter Mentoring Program Created in Oregon
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski recently removed a barrier for young hunters in his state by signing legislation into law that creates a youth hunter mentoring program.
Under the program, young hunters between the ages of nine and 14 can hunt while in the presence of a supervisory hunter who is at least 21 years of age and who holds the appropriate license, tag and permit. Only one lawful firearm is allowed to be carried.
"Over the last two decades, participation rates of Oregon residents in hunting have declined significantly," said Roger Fuhrman, Information and Education Administrator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "The department strongly supports encouraging youth to participate in hunting and fishing. The mentored youth hunting program should make it easier to safely introduce youth to hunting while ensuring that an adult licensed hunter is close at hand."
The National Wild Turkey Federation worked with the National Rifle Association, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Hunters Association to promote passage of the legislation.
Mentored hunting and eliminating age barriers that prevent people from hunting are key components of the Families Afield program. A partnership of the NWTF, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Families Afield uses data from the Youth Hunting Report to help remove youth hunting barriers across the nation.
"Allowing young people to safely experience hunting with a mentor is the best way to make them appreciative of the hunting tradition," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO. "Getting them interested in hunting at an early age will not only prepare them for hunter education courses, but lays the foundation for being good conservationists."
The Youth Hunting Report, written by Silvertip Productions, USSA and Southwick Associates Inc., found that some states experience better recruitment and retention of new hunters than others. They do so by permitting parents to decide when their sons and daughters are ready to hunt, and allow potential hunters to try hunting under the watchful eye of a mentor before completing a hunter education course.
The Youth Hunting Report also 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. For more information on hunting safety data and the Youth Hunting Report, log on to www.familiesafield.org.
To date, 18 states have approved Families Afield legislation and regulations and six of those states have already measured the program's performance and report a significant climb in new hunters. Data available from Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Ohio reveals that apprentice hunting license programs brought nearly 34,000 new hunters to the field without a single hunting-related shooting incident.
The 18 states that have changed laws and regulations to create additional hunting opportunities for youth and novice hunters are:
Florida
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Utah
Washington
