Developing Best Practices to Engage People of Color in Fishing, Hunting, Sport Shooting, and Archery

Fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery should be accessible to all Americans, regardless of race. While the latest National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation shows that the vast majority of current hunters and anglers in the United States continue to be white and non-Hispanic, recent relevancy and participation studies provide evidence of the substantial interest in hunting and fishing, as well as sport shooting and archery, among people of color (i.e., Black people, Hispanic/Latino people, Asian people, and Indigenous people). For example, a recent relevancy survey conducted by Responsive Management for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation found that fishing is one of the top activities in which Black people and Native Americans are most interested. A similar survey for the Ohio Division of Wildlife found that Black residents, compared to state residents as a whole, were more likely to be very interested in learning more about fish and wildlife (as opposed to somewhat or not at all interested). Additionally, the latest sport shooting participation trend survey from the National Shooting Sports Foundation indicates that Black Americans are the fastest growing segment of new sport shooters (meaning those who took up the activity for the first time within the past 5 years). Yet major obstacles remain: the same relevancy studies show that people of color are often more likely to report feeling unsafe in the outdoors, more likely to be unfamiliar with their state fish and wildlife agency, and more likely to feel that their fish and wildlife agency does not share the same values as them. People who live in urban centers, in particular, may feel the least welcome at lakes and rivers, in the woods, and in other natural settings simply because they are generally removed from such places in their day-to-day lives. In recent years, fish and wildlife agencies have made great strides in relevancy and engagement efforts to make fishing, hunting, and sport shooting accessible and welcoming to Americans of all races. However, more can and should be done to encourage diversity in participation. There is a strong need for a coordinated research and engagement effort to produce both reliable data from communities of color on the national level and training strategies for program coordinators, R3 experts, and others who can help to engage these prospective new anglers, hunters, and sport shooters/archers. The purpose of this project is to conduct new research with people of color throughout the United States to determine how to most effectively engage them and facilitate their participation in fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery; and to provide “training the trainers” guidance through on-site events and a webinar to help agency staff and members of the R3 community engage communities of color. This project will benefit all 50 states by providing new communications strategies and training materials to bolster participation from and engagement with people of color in fishing, hunting, sport shooting, and archery.

Fiscal Year
2025
Organization
Together We Can
Grant Number
F25AP00121
Categories
Human Dimensions, Research, Training
R3
Yes