By Greg R. Lawson, Director of Communications
Sometimes when surfing the web you manage to stumble across some unexpected news and blogs that just make you stop and think. That happened to me last week with a blog by Tammy Sapp on how hunting and conservation go hand in hand and prompted me to write a blog. This week, I found another one, this time by commentator Debbie Schlussell.
In this blog, she expresses sadness at how few youth are taking up hunting today. She also notes how this is not only a bad trend for hunters, but is a bad trend that raises questions about the general future of America. A couple of quotes from her piece express exactly why this trend is one that needs to be stopped.
“Over a year ago, Sports Illustrated did an extensive article on “How the Decline of Hunting is Changing the Natural Order of Predator and Prey,” detailing the dangers this causes us all, with animals getting more and more brave in approaching human habitats as they search for food. States have to pay men to come in and hunt, in addition to extending hunting season.
This week, the Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece by Chicago writer Mark Yost, “The Outfitters’ Lament: Too Few Kids with Guns,” on the decline in kids who are hunters. It’s not a good thing, and he blames it not just on economics, but also the break up of the nuclear family. Single mothers aren’t exactly big on taking their sons hunting. That’s generally a father’s domain. The whole situation is sad, and not good for a civilized society. Part of being a civilization is eliminating the threat of the not so civilized…”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) has been doing its part to prevent this trend from becoming irreversible. Through our work with the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, the USSA has passed Families Afield laws in 29 states which reduce legal barriers for new hunters, especially younger ones, to enter the field.
Additionally, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation has spent the last nine years advancing the Trailblazer Adventure Program nationwide in order to introduce youths and their families to the thrill of outdoor sports and the importance of conservation. This program has been amazingly successful. In fact, this year we will see the one millionth participant go through the program!
We urge all sportsmen to help us fight this trend of less youth in the field. Click on the link to our Trailblazer program or contact our director of education Derrek Shively at dshively@ussportsmen.org for more info on how you can help us at these events and do just a little to make sure that hunting and outdoor sports remain part of America’s heritage.