Written by Walter “Deet” James

When I began hunting almost four decades ago at age 12, computers were the purview only oforganizations such as IBM and NASA, not a readily accessible tool and entertainment sourcefor people of all ages. When we played, we played outside. Telephone conversations occurredin the home, not in the car, because “roaming” was limited by the length of the coiled wires that attachedphones to the wall.

Hunting was a natural pastime appreciated by most, if not all, the residents of my Pennsylvania home-town. Schools and business were closed on the Monday opener of the two-week buck season, and very fewhunters planned on returning to either the following Tuesday morning. Seeing dead deer on vehicle hoodswas accepted, expected and provided the motivation for those who didn’t get a deer to hunt at least onemore day.

Back then, hunting and the outdoors were a big part of the culture. Now, research indicates that adultsand children alike are becoming increasingly disconnected from our natural world. Many of today’s youthare not experiencing nature naturally. Instead, much of what they learn about the outdoors comes fromschool or television. Richard Louv, in his book “Last Child in the Woods,” fluently exposes the disconnec-tion between young people and nature, coining the phrase “Nature-Deficit Disorder.” Some things need tobe felt, touched and experienced firsthand.

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We shared a greeting and he asked whereI was headed. I pointed straight up the ridgeand he smiled, saying, “I remember thosedays.” He began to tell me of past hunts, andwent on naming places and wildlife he sawduring those long-ago hunts. I was so mesmer -ized by his tales that my rush to get on mystand was over. We chatted for some time andI walked away much better for the experience.

Hoarding Alone or Sustaining Together?As we grew into adulthood, my brothercontin ued to hunt in the company of others,enjoying the camaraderie of the hunt.Camaraderie is a much-cherished aspect ofthe hunting culture for many. It can be the gluethat keeps hunters engaged in the activity.

I tended to be a loner, intentionally seekingseclusion in the woods. I’m not alone in myquest for tranquility. Hunting can provide anincredible experience for anyone seeking soli -tude from a world of crowds and technology.On many forays, I have thought that if only Icould erase the distant traffic sound or theoccasional overhead plane, then I would trulyhave a little bit of heaven on earth to myself.

Although the allure of solitude is great, sois the desire to leave an inheritance of somekind to future generations. I remember many

hunts where I watched a spectacular sunriseor sunset, or took a fine turkey, deer, rabbit orsquirrel. I also remember embracing snow,sleet or rain and thinking, I hope there nevercomes a day when someone cannot enjoy whatI’m enjoying right at this moment. That contem -plation alone is reason enough to not selfishlyhoard my passion into oblivion. No matterhow overwhelming the quest for solitude innature, it is not worth the price of losing thehunting tradition.

I have come to realize that my desire forwoodland tranquility is not going to con -tribute to hunting’s future. Nor will it con -tribute to my giving back to hunting and the

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Although fewer hunters are actually spending more money as compared to those in past years,the continual downward trend of hunters could impact future conservation and wildlife man -agement initiatives. In fact, the value of the contributions that North Carolina hunters maketowards wildlife management and conservation cannot be overlooked. Recent surveys indicatethat North Carolina hunters contributed $431 million to the state's economy in 2006 in theform of hunting-related expenditures. Nationally, hunter expenditures are nearly $23 billion.

The funding provided by hunters represents the backbone of science-based wildlife manage -ment and conservation as we know it. Therefore, if the number of hunters continues to decline,so will funding for conservation.

RUSSELL GRAVESF. EUGENE HESTER

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION

Hunting provides the unique opportunityto interact with nature in a way that cannot beoffered elsewhere in modern society. It linksus to nature in a way that helps us realize thatwe are part of something much greater thanourselves. This knowledge of and connectionto our natural world cannot be gained throughadvanced technology, concrete or steel. It canbe gained only through direct interaction withnature. Hunting provides that exceptionalinteractive experience.

Recruitment and RetentionFor many years, I had no idea that there wasa problem with the recruitment and retentionof hunters. Perhaps my obliviousness towardthe national decline of hunters had somethingto do with the full parking lots I encounteredover the years at state game lands near myhometown. A short gun season for deer tendsto promote that illusion. Despite being anactive hunter education instructor and assist-ing in various youth field days, I still refusedto acknowledge that partic ipation in hunt -ing was declining.

But it most certainly is. ResponsiveManagement is a public opinion and attitudesurvey research firm specializing in naturalresource and outdoor recreation issues. Itrecently reported that roughly 5 percent ofU.S. citizens, representing some 14–18 millionpeople, hunt on an annual basis. But as theU.S. population continues to increase, huntersrepresent a lower percentage of the popula -tion. According to the 2006 U.S. Fish andWildlife Service National Survey of Fishing,Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation,

hunters age 16 and older declined roughly10 percent from 1996 to 2006. Unless thosewho love and value hunting take action toreverse this trend, it is likely to continue.

Over the last decade, a great deal ofresearch has been dedicated to the nationaldecline of hunting. The research indicatesthat three factors are the main barriers tohunting participation—the top factor beingan aging hunter population. Baby Boomers,those people born in the period after WorldWar II, represented the largest growth inhunter numbers up to and during the 1980sand still represent 44 percent of the huntingpopulation in the U.S. Another factor is lackof time. Family obli gations and demandingschedules often allow little flexibility. Thethird major factor is lack of access. Many of the weedy fields and woodlots hun tersenjoyed over the years have now been devel -oped into dwellings, strip malls, parkinglots and roads.

We have become disconnected from hunt-ing by finding ourselves too old, too busy andtoo far from hunting lands. I would bet thatif every hunter were polled, many more rea -sons would float to the surface. Except for one,that is: the individual hunter.

The MentorCurrent hunter recruitment and retentionresearch tends to reach for anything that hasnot been tried before —the “silver bullet,” ifyou will. However, there is little need for a newsolution. We already have a tried-and-truemethod to reverse the trend of declining hun-ter numbers —mentoring.

A lot of focus is placed on youth hunts,conservation field days and related outdoorfamily events designed to introduce childrento hunting. These events are excellent startersfor developing interest in the outdoors, butonly mentoring can provide the long-termcommitment and support needed to developpassionate, lifelong hunters.

My uncle Bill introduced me and mybrother to hunting and fishing. I didn’t real izeit back then, but Uncle Bill was slowly build -ing an outdoor foundation in his nephewsthat would last a lifetime. My brother and Iwere seeing all kinds of wildlife and every -thing nature had to offer. It was not a movieor a video game that provided the back -ground, it was Uncle Bill and the outdoors.

Uncle Bill was married and had three chil -dren of his own who were too young to huntat the time. He had a job and family respon si -bilities, yet still he made time to take mybrother and me hunting. Several years later,my uncle changed jobs and had to move away.However, the hunting seed was planted, nour-ished well, and left to grow in my brotherand me. And that it did. We developed ahunting identity and became part of thehunting culture.

Those early hunts were some of the great-est experiences of my life — hunts that weresuccessful whether the game bag was filled ornot. Stories of the day’s events filled the air onthe journeys home and continued long intothe night. The post-hunt evening was spentcontemplating future hunts as the wonderfulsmell of Hoppes’ No. 9 cleaning solvent waftedthrough our home.

Even if we are unable to go hunting our -selves at times, we can share the great storieswe’ve accumulated over the years with anyonewilling to listen. Sharing our hunting storieswith others can also be a mentoring experi -ence that could inspire someone to go hunt -ing themselves or at least to develop a deeperrespect for those who do hunt.

I particularly remember one bear huntduring the mid-1990s. It was a cold, overcastNovember morning with 6 inches of snow onthe ground. As usual, I was anxious to get onmy stand as fast as possible. En route, I cameacross an aging hunter stopped along a traildeep in the hollow I was traversing. Thegen tleman carried a well-worn lever actionrifle that had obviously seen many ahunting season.

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significant difference by sharing the heritagethey love. In fact, if every hunter in NorthCarolina were to take at least one person hunt-ing who has not hunted before, they wouldcontribute greatly to the hunting culture.

I have always been a hunter, and I’ve cometo learn that I can be a mentor too. I owe it tothe culture of hunting for all that it has givenme over the many years. More important ly, Ialso owe it to Uncle Bill. Despite all thedemands of life, he took the time to share hispassion of hunting with my brother and me.

Reflect back on the person who introducedyou to hunting. If hunting really matters toyou, become a hunting mentor and share thetradition in the coming seasons. There is nobetter way to say thanks.

Walter “Deet” James is the Hunting HeritageBiologist for the N.C. Wildlife ResourcesCommission’s Hunting Heritage Program.

Additional 50,000 injuries annually fromwildlife-auto collisions

$1.45 billion in health care and diseasecontrol costs for rabies alone

Up to $9.3 billion in taxpayer money tocontrol deer

Up to $265 million in taxpayer money tocontrol furbearers ($32 million forbeavers alone)

Over $3 billion annually in damages tocrops and livestock

$972 million annually in damages to homes

Source: “Potential Costs of Losing Huntingand Trapping as Wildlife ManagementMethods,” International Association ofFish and Wildlife Agencies, 2005.

F. EUGENE HESTER

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1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

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National Survey DataFederal Assistance License Data

Sources: USFWS /US Census 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007; USFWS 2007

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

precious memories it provided me. Moreover,what legacy can be passed on unless througha gift to someone else? What if my Uncle Billhad enjoyed the same pursuit of solitude inthe woods as I did for so many years and hadnot shared it with his young nephews?

Hunter education teaches us, along withmany other important things, that huntersevolve. Bob Norton’s book “The Hunter:Developmental Stages and Ethics” details fivedistinct developmental stages of hunters. Thestages, from novice hunter to veteran out -doors man, include 1) shooter, 2) limiting out,3) trophy hunting, 4) method hunting and5) sportsman. Not all hunters pass throughall of the stages, nor do they all reach thefinal stage.

In the sportsman stage, hunters reach apoint where there is a heightened appreciationfor nature and wildlife. In the sportsman stagethe experience and process, rather than justthe taking of game animals, becomes theessence. More importantly, the need to shareand pass down the experience and traditionwith other hunting companions is sought afterand therefore becomes the ultimate goal.Similarly, hunters who reach the sportsmanstage usually do so because the understandinggained in nature through the hunting experi -ence is so powerful and valued, that not shar-ing it seems almost selfish by comparison. Ifhunting is to survive into the future in ourmodern world of disconnection, dedicatedhunters cannot afford to isolate themselvesinto oblivion.

For families that continue to be passionateabout hunting, none of the commitment andsacrifice of educating young hunters haschanged. Young hunters are still recruited,firearms passed down and memories of times

in the outdoors still cherished. Overall, how-ever, hunter recruitment and retention is dif-ferent today, and the need for hunting mentorsis even more crucial than ever.

Food and LandAs our society becomes increasingly high-tech, we continue to become ever more dis -connected from the natural world, down towhat we eat. Food is something that comesin advertise ment-laden packages. In someminds, Chicken McNuggets are barely meatat all. They are simply very tasty morsels ofunknown origin with little con nec tion to anactual chicken—or perhaps our society pre -fers to see it that way some times. Ham bur -gers come from Burger King and milk comesfrom a bottle. The cow is rarely thought ofas being part of the transaction.

Food purchased with a dollar can often bevalued as the same. It is much easier to dis -pose of or waste food connected to currencythan food that must be first killed by the indi -vidual before consumption. Wildlife taken asfood through the tradition of hunting becomesalmost sacred. The American Indians honoredwild game because it provided them the sus -tenance that was necessary to their survival.Fresh meat was greatly appreciated, and thecreator was honored in a spiritual ceremony.Even today, many hunters believe that wastinggame is not an option, living by the mantra,“If you kill it, you eat it or you don’t hunt it.”

Just as we are increasingly distant from ourfood sources, we are continually restricted tosmaller and smaller blocks of land. Despitethat, hunters still find places to hunt each andevery season, whether on public or privateland. There are more than 2 million acres ofpublicly accessible hunting property in theGame Lands Program in North Carolina, andnot all are being utilized fully. In short, hunt-ing opportunities abound here. All one needsto do is a little preseason scouting and map -ping to see what is there.

Time to Take ActionThe legitimate excuses are real; research con-tinues to tell us that. Old age, lack of time andlack of access are hunting impediments thatwill not change or go away. They are simplyfacts in the continually changing world inwhich we live. However, a simple fact alsoremains that there are enough passionatehunters today who have the ability to make a

Visit www.ncwildlife.org to purchasehunting licenses, schedule a huntereducation course, view maps of gamelands, read hunting regulations, findspecies information and much more.

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RUSSELL GRAVES

RUSSELL GRAVES