By Dan Forster, Archery Trade Association
Out of sight generally means out of mind and, while most hunters prefer practicing their sport solo or in small groups, concealed far away from crowds and communities, we cannot afford to be isolated and silent while societal and political debates determine our future. In addition to being actively engaged in the political process, part of the formula for ensuring a bright future for the hunting and shooting fraternity is to remain relevant to the masses.
Merriam-Webster.com defines relevance as “practical and especially social applicability”. Common sense tells us that people protect things that they value. Things have greater value if they are relevant to one’s life or community. Positioning our vocations as something that is relevant to the masses, in so far that it is socially acceptable, practical, and provides value to society, is a formula for long-term protection and viability. It is equally important that hunters and shooters stay attuned to local, state, and national political issues to ensure that our voice is consistently and effectively heard. Because politics across the United States is a contact sport, we must also remain vigilant about engagement if we are to be successful.
If societal relevance is key to survival, we should ask ourselves, “Is our collective hunting and shooting community still relevant in today’s society?” Have we lost relevance because hunting participation, as a percent of total US population, has declined significantly over the past several decades? And while participation in organized shooting sports has grown recently, do we have a large enough presence, impact, and political clout to remain viable long-term? Or, “Is our fraternity, our vocation, and privilege at risk?”
The good news for hunters and shooters is that social relevance and acceptance is determined by a number of factors far beyond simply the number of active participants. These factors include a complex and dynamic combination of economic, social, and political factors, most of which play well in our favor.
According to the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 14 million people (16 years and older) participated in hunting, 47+ million people participated in target shooting, and 19+ million people participated in archery. These numbers are powerful and highly significant with participating individuals found scattered across states, territories, cities, and communities throughout the United States. Combine these numbers with the influence of 39 million closely aligned outdoor enthusiasts (15% of the U.S. population 16 years and older) who participated in recreational fishing and another 148+ million people participated in wildlife watching, and we gain even more relevance!
While direct participation in hunting and shooting sports is highly significant, relevance remains a concern when underscored by the fact that a whopping 94.5% of the U.S. population did not hunt in 2022. And since hunters and shooters combined still represent a minority of the United States population, it is imperative that we stay aligned with other like-minded constituent groups and in good standing with non-participants. In spite of a minority status, however, support for hunting and shooting participation across the United States remains exceptionally strong, thus boosting our relevance. According to a recent survey conducted for Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation by Responsive Management, 77 percent of Americans approve of legal hunting. Approval of recreational shooting was reported at 78 percent favorable.
Another key barometer of societal “relevance” is measured through economic strength and impact. Hunters and shooters have a tremendous story to tell regarding their long-term contributions to conservation, outdoor recreation, and the economy. Unfortunately, precious few are aware of the degree and magnitude of these contributions, and even fewer can articulate a reasonable summation. We should all commit to learning more and doing better!
From a broader recreational perspective, however, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and its members, including the Archery Trade Association, have fought hard for many years to ensure that the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) include data on the outdoor recreation economy as part of its statistical analysis of national and state-level data of importance to the US. For too long, the outdoor recreation economy that includes such things as hunting, shooting, fishing, boating, trapping, RVing, ATVing, snow activities, and others have not been tallied or given due credit for its contributions to the U.S. Economy or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Historically, most state and federal budget requests that seek to maintain or enhance outdoor recreation facilities or activities were seen merely as expense items rather than investments. Investments that have been documented to show even higher rates of return than most other expenditures in the budget! But this is changing.
Since 2017, the BEA has reported on the relative value that outdoor recreation plays in the United States. In BEA’s most recent report (November 17, 2023), they reported that the outdoor recreation economy grew 2.5 times faster than the national economy in 2021-2022. The BEA “calculates the economic output of outdoor recreation to be $1.1 trillion, surpassing industries such as mining, utilities, farming and ranching, and chemical products manufacturing”.
Additionally, the BEA reports that the recreation industry supports 5 million jobs representing 3.2% of the United States employment and represents 2.2% of the GDP. Hunting, Shooting, and trapping’s contribution to these figures is among the leading sectors of outdoor recreation. Collectively, these economic contributions and trends suggest that outdoor recreation is strong, impactful, growing, and a significant contributor to the economy of the United States! In addition, the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Watching also estimated contributions to the United States economy and reported a $45.2 billion positive impact attributed to hunting alone.
At the state level, federal excise taxes have provided a critical source of funding for state fish and wildlife agencies since 1937, but far too many Americans are blissfully ignorant of these contributions. License fees and federal excise taxes collected from manufacturers of ammunition, firearms, and archery equipment fund a plethora of projects that restore, conserve, manage and enhance wild birds and mammals and their habitats. These funds can also be used to support access for wildlife-related recreation, hunter education, and the construction and operations of target ranges. The total unadjusted wildlife restoration and hunter education apportionments have totaled more than $15.8 Billion since its inception in 1939 and is a major reason why we enjoy the bounty of wildlife in the United States today! Without a doubt, the magnitude of economic benefit derived from the hunting and shooting community has relevance across the United States.
In spite of robust participation figures and significant economic impacts, the ultimate test of one’s relevance is often conveyed by the protections, or assaults, afforded through the legislative process. When President Biden signed H.R. 5110 on October 6th, the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act, the archery and hunting community not only sighed in relief, but had reason to celebrate. The political victory that unfolded over the summer was nothing short of miraculous. In an era of congressional stalemates where very few issues gain bipartisan support, H.R. 5110 was introduced and passed by both the Senate and House Chambers in record time and with only one dissenting vote.
Just a few months earlier, the archery and hunting communities were delivered a blow when first learning that the U.S. Department of Education had issued guidance to with-hold all “Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)” funds if any of these monies were used for archery instruction, hunter education, or any other similar training involving the use of “deadly weapons''. These long standing and successful enrichment programs, like National Archery in the Schools Program and in-school Hunter Education Programs, were cut-off cold turkey! But why?
The culprit was the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and its unintended consequences. The conservation and shooting communities had remained hopeful that after aggressive engagement by negotiating legislators, the Department of Education (DOE) would honor the spirit and intent of the BSCA passed earlier in 2022 and reconsider its decision to withhold funding for archery and hunter education programs. They did not. Rather, DOE held steadfast on the need for a legislative fix to reverse the negative funding impacts of the BSCA.
This now “final answer” came in late August and meant that a legislative fix was the only remaining solution. Changing even the simplest of laws usually requires a long, arduous, and time-consuming process, often taking years before achieving success. However, this now overt assault on the archery and hunting community was made public largely due to a FOX News report and launched a firestorm response. The next few weeks resulted in a host of swift and aggressive engagements with congressional members, not only from trade organizations, conservation groups, and state fish & wildlife agencies, but also from untold numbers of individual practitioners, concerned citizens, and supporters from all corners of the US. The response was overwhelming!
I believe National Archery in the Schools President, Tommy Floyd Ed. D. described the situation best in his congratulatory paper entitled “The Unity Quiver: Youth Archery's Role in Brief National Political Harmony”. Dr. Floyd says, “From our perspective, this situation embodies what may still be the best of America; it demonstrates how people of different perspectives can unite to eliminate barriers for students. We believe that this situation illustrates just how deeply Americans care about the future of conservation and the preservation of the youth shooting sports”.
We can all be very proud of our entire community of hunters and shooters for rallying swiftly and aggressively to fix this unfortunate shortcoming and gain quick passage of H.R. 5110. This victory, and strong support for archery and hunter education from all corners of the US is an undeniable and unprecedented show of ultimate “relevance” and certainly reason to celebrate.
If you are one of the millions of current hunters and target shooters and want to make sure that the activities you so enjoy remain relevant, get involved. Stay abreast of the current conversation and spread the word on the positive contributions of hunters and target shooters.
2023-2024 Voice of Leadership Panelists
Jon Zinnel, Federal Ammunition
Dan Forster, Archery Trade Association
Brent Miller, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
Rick Brazell, First Hunt Foundation
Mark Peterson, Worldwide Trophy Adventure
Michelle Scheuermann, Bullet Proof Communications
Facilitators
The Voice of Leadership Panel is an appointed group of outdoor industry leaders who have volunteered to contribute their voices on crucial hunting and outdoor recreation issues to inform, inspire, and educate participants within our community.