Protecting Cultural Acceptance

There are two ways to promote and defend hunting in the United States. The first is to foster active participation in hunting. The second is to maintain, protect and enhance the cultural acceptance of hunting. The first cannot exist without the second. Today numerous organizations across the country work to increase hunting participation and to develop programs to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters, otherwise known as R3. These organizations include state fish and wildlife agencies, sportsmen and conservation non-governmental organization (NGO’s), and the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports (CAHSS). In fact, CAHSS developed a plan to promote participation in hunting that has gained traction and is helping hold the line on the loss of hunters. However, almost no effort is directed at the protection and maintenance of the cultural acceptance of hunting in American. Without these, efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters is wasted. Hunters in the United States represent less then 5 percent of the country’s population. Without excellent representation of who we are and the great things we do for conservation and the economy, our future lays in the hands of people who don’t hunt or understand our positive contributions.

The reputation of hunting remains vulnerable to setbacks in the court of public opinion. Social media missteps, high profile hunting incidents covered exhaustively in the media and outright falsehoods perpetuated by animal-rights interests continue to jeopardize the future of hunting in the United States. There is a pressing need for action, based on a solid foundation of research, with effective pro-hunting messaging appealing to shared values, common sense and scientific wildlife management principles. Unfortunately, too much of the little work being done by sportsmen’s and conservation NGO’s to defend hunting and communicate its benefits is not based on research, further, it tends to lack coordination. What is needed is action, based on research, with strategic direction on how to communicate with the public about hunting.

Fear not – There is action on this front in the hunting community to help put a strategic direction on disseminating the right information and messaging. Over the last five years the NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum (HLF) has collaborated with the leading outdoor industry research company, Responsive Management, on groundbreaking new studies examining Americans’ attitudes towards hunting and hunters. With additional consultation from some of the country’s top debate strategists and communications specialists, the partners have distilled the findings and recommendations into a convenient, accessible, easy to digest book explaining how to communicate with the American public about hunting. Developed specifically for wildlife and conservation professionals, the book details how to build support for hunting in the most persuasive and compelling ways possible. Soon HLF will be providing virtual seminars to hunting industry professionals so that they can get the most out of the research in hopes that the information will make its way into future communication and marketing strategies. Plans are also in place to educate hunters directly and arm them with the information so they can work to protect their future rights themselves as they engage nonhunters in their lives. After all, we are our own best advocates when we are confident and comfortable talking about our passion.

Peter Churchbourne is an avid outdoorsman, conservationist and steadfast advocate for all hunters. His passion is anything to do with the outdoors, but most important to him is hunting waterfowl with his labs, chasing turkeys, bowhunting and introducing new people to the life outside. Peter is currently a director with the NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum where he is engaged in building new NRA hunting programs and fighting for hunters' rights.