This project will provide state fish and wildlife agencies (SFWAs) with a reliable, replicable, and field-tested methodology for initiating new partnerships that increase their capacity to effectively deliver hunting, angling, and shooting sports recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts. The need for effective methods of finding and partnering with new, R3-vested groups and organizations has … Read more
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
This project aims to provide key insights to help practitioners of recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) and the recreational fishing industry bolster fishing participation by exploring the underexamined role that fishing guides play in recruiting, retaining and reactivating anglers. Fishing participation counts and rates are at or near their highest levels in recent years; however, … 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
Recreational target shooting is a fun and safe activity enjoyed by millions of Americans each year. It is also an extremely important funding source for wildlife conservation. Recent research on recreational target shooting participation shows some good news and some bad news. Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundations’ Welcome New Shooters research, funded by Multistate Conservation … 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
Reliable research supporting the evaluation of Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) efforts have progressed significantly in recent decades with methodologies and tools being developed and increasingly adopted by R3 practitioners. Central to the structuring of these numerous evaluation techniques is the Outdoor Recreation Adoption Model (ORAM), a foundational theoretical framework that has been instrumental in … 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 boost hunting participation by reducing no-show and dropout rates among hunter education registrants. Anecdotal feedback indicates about 40% of registrants do not show up for their in-person course, and we have no current understanding of online dropouts. With over 275,000 in-person graduates annually, as many as 110,000 potential … Read more
