S2 E17 – NSSF and CAHSS with Bill Dunne and Samantha Pedder

S2 E17 – R3 Efforts with NSSF’s Bill Dunn and Samantha Pedder with CAHSS

This week we are talking about Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) efforts being coordinated through the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports (CAHSS) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF). Samantha Pedder with CAHSS and Bill Dunn with NSSF are talking with Steve and Jodi about what hunting organizations are doing to get more people outdoors. We hear about how traditional recruitment of hunters and shooters through family connections isn’t enough to help rebuild the participation rate in these pursuits. New programs that are focusing on connecting with the public through individual events, like M.U.L.E.Y. programs, and then developing mentorship opportunities to ensure that people who are interested in learning to hunt have safe, mentored experiences in the field as they learn more skills. We also learn about what state agencies and partners are doing to retain current active hunters, and also to reactivate people who used to hunt but may have stopped due to lack of opportunities. Bill and Samantha let us know about resources, such as LetsGoHunting.org and LetsGoShooting.org, that can support individuals who want to become mentors and help with R3 efforts in their areas. We talk about looking to different communities in urban areas and to people who are interested in being more connected to where their food comes from.