General Outdoors
Young people are safe hunters!
By U.S. Sportsmans Alliance
Feb 15, 2005, 01:28

(Columbus) - A new report shows that young hunters supervised by an adult mentor have one of the lowest injury rates of all hunters.

“The most important factor affecting youth hunting safety is the presence of a responsible, attentive adult hunter, which is often a parent,” said Jim Wentz of Silvertip Productions who compiled the report along with the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA). “The research shows that supervised young hunters are the safest even in states that don’t restrict hunting based on age.”

The Youth Hunting Report was funded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).  The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has led the charge in promoting youth hunting opportunities and has teamed up with the USSA and NSSF to do just that.

“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?”

According to the research, 20 states restrict youth participation in hunting. These restrictions include minimum ages for young people under 13 and rigid hunter education requirements before most participation is permitted.

“By making the opportunity to hunt so difficult, we’re taking potential hunters out of the game and by the time they can legally hunt, they’re interested in other activities,” said Doug Painter, NSSF president.

The data also shows that youngsters are less likely to take up hunting in states that have the most restrictive requirements for youth participation. However, states that removed barriers to youth hunting have a much higher youth recruitment rate.

“This research proves what we have been saying for years,” said Bud Pidgeon, president and CEO of USSA. “States with strict age limits produce fewer young hunters and that means fewer adult hunters for the future. If we don’t start replenishing hunters now, we could let our heritage slip away. Then, who will shoulder the responsibility of conservation in the future?”

The time to recruit young hunters is now so we can take advantage of the large number of mentors available to introduce youth to hunting. The report shows that more than 45 percent of American hunters are between the ages of 35 and 54, an age group likely to have children old enough to mentor. However, there are considerably fewer hunters between the ages of 25 and 34, meaning in the future, there will be fewer people to pass on our hunting heritage.

States that have opened the door to young hunters are finding it’s a positive and safe experience. The Missouri Department of Conservation initiated a special youth turkey hunt in spring 2001 and then started a youth firearms deer hunt in the fall of the same year. These special seasons allow youth age 6 to 15 to purchase a permit where they can hunt with an adult who has passed a hunter safety course.

For more information about the Youth Hunting Report, call Steve Wagner of the National Shooting Sports Foundation at (203) 426-1320; Jonathan Harling of the NWTF at 1 (800) THE-NWTF or Doug Jeanneret of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance at (614) 888-4868.

About NSSF:  NSSF, formed in 1961, is the non-profit trade association for the firearms industry. It directs a variety of outreach programs to promote greater participation and a better understanding of shooting sports, emphasizing safe and responsible ownership of firearms. For further information, visit www.nssf.org.

About the NWTF: In 1973, when the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded, there were an estimated 1.3 million wild turkeys and 1.5 million turkey hunters. Thanks to the work of wildlife agencies and the NWTF’s many volunteers and partners, today there are 6.5 million wild turkeys and approximately 2.6 million turkey hunters. Since 1985, more than 193 million NWTF and cooperator dollars have been spent on over 29,000 projects benefiting wild turkeys throughout North America.

The NWTF is a nonprofit organization with nearly 525,000 members in 50 states and 12 foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.

For more information about the National Wild Turkey Federation, call (803) 637-3106, visit www.nwtf.org or e-mail questions to nwtf@nwtf.net.

About the USSA: The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs.  For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.