The River of Hunting is Drying Up…

Hunter recruitment was the most talked about item at the 2015 Deer Summit hosted by the National Deer Alliance, The Quality Deer Management Association, & other deer partners. And, although improving recruitment numbers focused on the meat that wild game provides and what quantifying that natural, organic relationship between hunter and beast may do to increase our ranks – do we really want more hunters in the woods?

Hunter recruitment is much like a branch of tributaries feeding the river called hunting. Since the day our ancestors put down their bows and guns and picked up the hoe and mattock; since camp fires where extended families of hunters would gather to share their stories from the field and cook the day’s wild bounty were traded for ovens and domesticated meat; and, since check in stations where fortunate hunters would go to document their harvest and fellowship with other hunters have been replaced by 1-800 – I GOT ONE – Hunter numbers have fallen, various tributaries that once helped to keep hunter levels on the rise, having since been diverted to feed other pursuits. We all know that technological advance comes with its advantages. Like most of you, I like coming home to a hot shower and a bed with a mattress; I like riding in my truck rather than riding a horse to work everyday; I most certainly like being able to hop on my tractor to plow a field; and even though I hate to admit it, that automated lady on the other end of that 1-800 number is quite convenient at times.

What’s disconcerting is the thought that our hunting way of life has suffered in the wake of this industrial revolution, and is continuing to suffer because our original form of recruitment, word-of-mouth and the need to hunt for food isn’t exactly how it flows anymore – at least not on the same scale as once before. How do we combat this? And, if every American were to pick up a gun or bow and head off to what was once “your” favorite hunting ground, is that something that you’d be ok with? Would it be good for hunting in general and, more importantly for the game we chase or the landscape we chase them on? Those are questions we must ask ourselves when probing if, when, and how to recruit more hunters. Let’s face it –we don’t like encroachment; it’s in our nature. In generations past, when a hunting ground would prove less fertile because of intrusion by others, we picked up our belongings and moved westward until finally the day came where we couldn’t move anymore.

Regardless of your personal take on this issue, recruiting new hunters is, and always will be, essential to preserving our hunting heritage. Back then we hunted and shared hunting to stay alive. Today, things are different. We hunt and share hunting not because we have to, but because we want to, because we need to. Need to, you ask? Ethical hunters are the conservationists of this world. The money we spend on licensing, tags, guns, bows, and other hunting items plays an epic role in the continuance and progression of vital conservation programs. Our participation and volunteer roles with conservation organizations, such as The Quality Deer Management Association & the National Wild Turkey Federation, is essential to their very being. Our role as hunters, as the stewards of the 2^nd Amendment is perhaps more important today than ever before.

The tributary to recruiting new hunters is fed by many branches itself, the story of putting meat on the table and how good that wild, organic meal may be for you being just one of them, albeit an important one. The main tributary keeping the river of hunting flowing has and always will be – The sharing of your hunting story and all that comes with it, even the meat. Hunting is important to a hunter, not so much to a non-hunter. In sharing our story, perhaps we can inflame the curiosity of the non-hunter to the point that they seek to experience what we as hunters experience, whether in the hunt itself, the kill, or in the eating of that wild, healthy, all-organic meal. When a river dries up for reasons within our control we find ways to re-divert the flow of water back into it, breaking down any dams or barriers standing in the way of the flow. It’s time for us to break down the barriers that exist between hunters and non-hunters whatever they may be. Share your story, keep the river flowing.