Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing Recruitment and Retention Programs Presented to the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors Thursday, August 25, 2011 Robert Abernathy, National Wild Turkey Federation Mark Damian Duda, Responsive Management Photo: First Shots, National Shooting Sports Foundation
17,000,000 Certified Paid Hunting License Holders in the United States (Source: Federal Assistance License Data) 16,500,000 Number of License Holders 16,000,000 15,500,000 15,000,000 14,500,000 14,000,000 13,500,000 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Year
7,000,000 AZ Population Estimates 6,000,000 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000 0 1960 1967 1974 1981 1988 1995 2002 2009
*Does not include Family, Youth or Super Combination Increased from prior year Decreased from prior year
*Does not include Family or Super Combination Increased from prior year Decreased from prior year
Resident Hunting Licenses as % of AZ s Population (includes General Hunt, Family and Super Conservation)
Fishing License Holders for Nation 31,000,000 30,500,000 30,000,000 29,500,000 License Holders 29,000,000 28,500,000 28,000,000 27,500,000 27,000,000 26,500,000 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Year * *Data incomplete. People with Fishing Licenses in U.S. (Federal Aid Data)
*Includes only full-price Class A Fishing Licenses. Does not include Family, Super or ½ Price Class A. Increased from prior year Decreased from prior year
Resident Fishing Licenses as % of AZ s Population (includes General, Super Conservation, Family and ½ Price)
16 Mean age of initiation to hunting. HUNTER SURVEY 15.10 15.65 14 12.67 12 Mean age 10 8 6 4 Active hunter Intermittent hunter Ex-hunter
45 Mean number of minutes it takes shooters to get to where they typically go shooting. SHOOTER SURVEY 43.17 40 Mean number of minutes 35 30 25 20 28.93 34.14 15 10 Active shooter Intermittent shooter Ex-shooter
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing Recruitment and Retention Programs Photo: VDGIF/Dwight Dyke Photo: First Shots, National Shooting Sports Foundation Responsive Management National Wild Turkey Federation Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies USFWS Multi-State Conservation Grant #SC M-4-R
More Than 400 R&R Programs Nationwide
What Works and What Doesn t? Photos: ODFW
Methodology Conducted in cooperation with the National Wild Turkey Federation under USFWS Multi-State Conservation Grant CT-M8-R administered by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Conducted nationwide survey of recruitment and retention program participants (adults and youth) pre- and post-program participation surveys n 5,000 Final report with research-based recommendations and strategies
Survey Topic Areas Participation in Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing Activities Likelihood of Future Participation Participation in Other Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing Programs Attitudes Toward Hunting, Shooting, and Fishing in General Ratings of Knowledge About Hunting, Shooting, Fishing, Their State Agency, and Related Issues Equipment Purchasing Behavior License Purchasing Behavior Membership in Sportsmen s and Conservation Organizations Opinions on the Importance of Stewardship and Conservation Sources of Information About the Program (pre-program only) Program Ratings, Characteristics, and Preferences (post-program only)
Programs Evaluated International Game Fish Association s Education Outreach Fishing Clinics Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation s Take Me Fishing Initiative, implemented by the National Recreation & Park Association Arizona Game and Fish Department and Arizona Elk Society s Wapiti Weekend Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona Elk Society s Youth Turkey Hunt Mentored Camps Boone and Crockett Club s Outdoor Adventure Camps Boone and Crockett Club s Women Hunter Education Course Becoming an Outdoors Woman Maryland Department of Natural Resources Beyond BOW Program National Wild Turkey Federation s Women in the Outdoors, JAKES, Xtreme JAKES, Wheelin Sportsmen Nebraska Game and Parks Commission s Outdoor Adventure Family Camps Pass It On Outdoors Mentors, Inc. s Hunter Mentoring Program South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Take One Make One Mentoring Program Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department s Green Mountain Conservation Camps Arizona Game and Fish Department s Sport Fish Education Clinics Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection s Aquatic Resources Education Program Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission s Ladies Let s Go Fishing Program
Programs Evaluated Georgia Department of Natural Resources Kids Fishing Events Allamakee Community School District s Conservation Club Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission s Family Fishing Program North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission s Week in the Water Day Camps South Carolina Department of Natural Resources SC REEL Kids Program Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Wish-to-Fish Program Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Youth Dove Hunt Program Georgia, Arizona, Texas, and Iowa state hunter education programs Idaho Department of Fish and Game s Youth Waterfowl Hunts Michigan Department of Natural Resources Managed Waterfowl Hunts and Shiawassee River State Game Area Managed Hunts Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Youth Mentored Turkey Hunt Program Iowa Department of Natural Resources Hunting and Conservation Camp Program Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife s Mentored Youth Hunter Program Texas Parks and Wildlife Department s Youth Hunting Program Maryland Department of Natural Resources Junior Hunter Field Days and Mentored Youth Hunts Arkansas Game and Fish Commission s Youth Shooting Sports Program National Shooting Sports Foundation s First Shots Program Colorado Division of Wildlife s Gone Fishing Program
Hunting/Shooting/Fishing Program
Q39/Q30. Which do you consider yourself? 100 80 72 75 75 71 Percent 60 40 59 55 20 0 An angler or fisherman 6 5 A shooter A hunter None of these Multiple Responses Allowed Pre-program survey Post-program survey
Percent who indicated that the following are extremely important to them. Percent 100 80 60 40 68 81 70 59 69 55 54 69 63 44 44 59 55 57 55 46 42 42 36 49 20 0 Being responsible when you are huntin.. Fish and wild animals are taken care of... Fish and wild animals are taken care of... Fish and wild animals are taken care of.. Thinking about how your activities and t.. Doing things to help take care of fish a.. They personally get the chance to visit... Telling other people what you think cou.. There are natural areas, like woods, for... Doing something that helps take care of... Pre-program survey Post-program survey
What Will the Results Tell Us?
Determining Program Effectiveness This study compares the following factors to show changes before and after program participation, thereby determining program effectiveness in each area: Interest in hunting, shooting, and fishing Likelihood of participation Purchasing behaviors Knowledge regarding hunting, shooting, and fishing Knowledge of state fish and wildlife agency Self-reported skills in hunting, shooting, and fishing
Percent of participants who indicate being very interested in participating in hunting activities. 100 Pre-program survey 80 Post-program survey Percent 60 40 65 +13 63 +19 52 +11 53 52 +8 46 47 44 42 +21 +29 38 20 26 23 0 Program A Program B Program C Program D Program E Program F
Program that most increases participants' interest in participating in hunting activities. Program F +29 Program E +21 Program B +19 Program A +13 Program C +11 Program D +8 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Percent Increase
Top Programs
Rank Top Five Youth Programs for Increasing Self-Identification as a Hunter Percent who consider themselves to be a hunter (youth programs) Program name Pre- Program Post- Program Percent change 1 Iowa Hunter Education 59 87 28 2 SC Reel Kids 33 58 25 3 Connecticut Aquatic Resources Education Program 0 20 20 4 Arizona Youth Turkey Hunt Mentored Camps 83 100 17 5 Vermont Green Mountain Conservation Camp 55 71 16 Rounding may cause apparent discrepancies in sums.
Rank 1 Top Five Youth Programs for Increasing Interest in Hunting Percent who indicated being interested in hunting a lot (youth programs) Program name Pre- Program Post- Program Percent change Allamakee Community School District s Conservation Club 56 75 19 2 SC Reel Kids 50 67 17 3 Iowa Hunter Education 70 85 16 4 Arizona Wapiti Weekend 74 84 11 5 Arizona Youth Turkey Hunt Mentored Camps 87 97 10 Rounding may cause apparent discrepancies in sums.
Top Five Youth Programs for Increasing Knowledge of the Agency Responsible for Managing Hunting and Fishing in the State Rank Percent who correctly named the government agency responsible for managing hunting and fishing in the state (youth programs) Program name Pre- Program Post- Program Percent change 1 Arizona Hunter Education 24 65 41 2 Allamakee Community School District s Conservation Club 38 75 38 3 Arizona Wapiti Weekend 26 63 37 4 Iowa Hunting and Conservation Camp Program 28 64 36 5 Maryland Junior Hunter Field Days 20 50 30 Rounding may cause apparent discrepancies in sums.
Top Five Adult Programs for Median Dollar Amounts Spent on Hunting Equipment as a Result of the Program Rank Median dollar amount spent on hunting equipment post-program that they would not have otherwise purchased (adult programs) Program name Median Amount 1 Texas Hunter Education $600 2 Wheelin Sportsmen $500 3 Alabama Youth Dove Hunt Program $350 4 Georgia Hunter Education $300 5 Arizona Hunter Education $275
Top Six Adult Programs for Increasing Knowledge About Hunting/Shooting/ Fishing In General a Great Deal Percent who indicated that the program increased their knowledge about hunting/shooting/fishing in general a great deal (adult programs) Rank Program name Percent 1 Arizona Hunter Education 91 2 Becoming an Outdoors Woman 62 3 Ladies Let's Go Fishing 54 4 Texas Hunter Education 44 5 Women in the Outdoors 43 6 Georgia Hunter Education 43
AZ Rankings (based on percentage change in opinion) Increase in interest in fishing: Wapiti Weekend (2) (37-53%) Likely to go hunting next year: Wapiti Weekend (1) (74-95%) Likely to go fishing next year: Wapiti Weekend (1) (74-84%)
Rankings Continued Percent who went target shooting with a rifle after the program: Wapiti Weekend (4) (68%) Percent who went target shooting with a handgun after the program: Youth turkey Hunt (3) (33%), Wapiti Weekend (4) (32%) Percent who went target archery shooting after the event: Wapiti Weekend (1) (58%)
AZ Rankings Continued Percent who indicated the program taught alot about hunting: Youth turkey hunt (4) (80%) Percent who indicated the program taught a lot about ethics: Wapiti Weekend (2) (89%) Percent who indicated the program taught a lot about conservation: Youth turkey hunt (4) (83%)
Rankings Continued Overall highest satisfaction averages: Wapiti Weekend (1) (90%) Percent who liked the instructors a lot: Youth Turkey Hunts (3) (97%), Wapiti Weekend (5) (95%) Take Home: 2 AZ programs ranked top 5 nationally in satisfaction.
Major Findings 1. The majority of participants come from a hunting, fishing, and shooting family (89% came from hunt/fish/shoot family). 2. The majority of participants have participated in hunting and/or shooting activities before (80% had hunted; 99% had shot; 98% had fished). 3. The programs are increasing overall factual knowledge of hunting, fishing, and shooting. 4. The programs are increasing factual knowledge about fish and wildlife agencies. 5. Successful programs encourage the natural path of recruitment and retention. 6. Successful programs use family programs to recruit adults through youth. 7. Successful programs provide a safe and controlled environment. 8. Successful programs provide a positive social atmosphere. 9. Successful programs provide age- and audience-appropriate activities.
Major Findings (continued) 10. Successful programs train instructors. 11. Successful programs consider the skill levels of participants. 12. Successful programs match instructor-participant backgrounds and demographics. 13. Successful programs contextualize activities as a way of encouraging crossover appeal. 14. Market hunting to other outdoor recreation program participants. 15. Successful programs encourage social interactions among participants after the event. 16. Successful programs provide the next step. 17. Successful programs identify program markets and disseminate information effectively (markets first; programs second). 18. Successful programs are committed to periodic evaluation. 19. There is a need for developing a consistent assessment system that will help categorize programs (a training wheels to Tour de France progression).
What Works and What Doesn t? Photos: ODFW
Experiential Annual event Community event (enforces the hunting culture) Occurs in the open Starts with small game Can observe without participating or for several years before participating
Percent that had participated in hunting or shooting prior to the program. 100 93 80 Percent 60 40 20 0 Had participated 7 Had not participated
What Works and What Doesn t? Photos: ODFW
Programmatic Pen-Raised Turkeys Percent who indicated being interested a lot in the following activities. 100 91 89 80 Percent 60 40 20 0 Q35/Q26. Target shooting Pre-program survey Post-program survey