Public support for hunting continues to decline, and public perception often misunderstands the motivations behind it. Fortunately, research—including the 2025 Americans’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting survey—shows that most Americans strongly approve of hunting when it is done to procure food. At the same time, they disapprove of trophy hunting or hunting they perceive … Read more
The 1999 publication “Bowhunting in the United States: A Market Study” was based on national research by the Archery Trade Association and Responsive Management and remains one of the most requested reports by industry groups agency partners and other bowhunting stakeholders. To remain a useful resource for agency and organizational planning and recruitment, retention and … Read more
This project is a partnership between the National Archery in the Schools Program®, Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, International Hunter Education Association, National Bowhunter Education Foundation, eResources LLC Via Studio division, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. This initiative aims to increase long-term participation and retention … Read more
Past research from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (funded by Federal grant F20AP00134), the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Special Report on Fishing, (funded by Federal grant F23AC00806), and Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation’s Honing Youth Fishing Programs to Create Avid Anglers (funded by Federal … Read more
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) is operating in all 50 states, with the majority of states hosting the program through their state fish and wildlife agency. The program continues to expand and is currently being taught in over 10,000 schools. According to the 2024 NASP® Student Survey, well over 20% of the … Read more
In North America, the number of people who hunt and purchase hunting licenses has been declining over the past few decades. There is also less public support overall for hunting, especially if it is considered “trophy” hunting. Yet, long-term survey data (Responsive Management et al., 2025) shows that public approval of hunting for meat (81%) … Read more
The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is partnering with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council) and the National Wild Turkey Federation to launch a regional Hunt for Good campaign aimed at increasing support of legal, regulated hunting among non-hunters. Responsive Management’s Americans’ Attitudes Towards Hunting and Shooting Sports 2025 … Read more
The purpose of this project is to increase entry-level shooting sports participation nationwide. There is significant untapped demand for recreational shooting as recent research indicates up to 70 million Americans have strong interest in recreational shooting but have never tried it [Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation (OSCF) 2024]. The need is to help those interested … Read more
The upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to substantially increase interest and participation in target archery. Archery will receive unparalleled global visibility thanks to the spotlight of the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, presenting a major recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) opportunity to bring new and … Read more
In-person recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) programs for hunting and shooting sports are important to help many participants build skills to feel confident enough to participate in the activity on their own. Other Multistate Conservation Grant research has shown that the lack of additional skills training is a significant barrier to participation. Most states offer … Read more
This project, led by the MidwayUSA Foundation with DJ Case and Associates as a subrecipient, is designed to increase participation in rifle, pistol, and shotgun youth shooting sports in all 50 states by creating and implementing a nationwide promotional campaign that raises awareness among students and families who may not currently be engaged. The campaign … Read more
In-person R3 programs for hunting and shooting sports are important to help many participants build skills to feel confident enough to participate in the activity on their own. Most states offer R3 programing, however a common barrier is not having enough volunteers and mentors to meet program demand. In addition to needing volunteer instructors and … Read more
