NSSF - Understanding Activities that Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting - 2012

7/31/2019 NSSF - Understanding Activities that Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting - 2012

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National ShootingSports Foundation

NSSF® Report

Understanding Activities thatCompete with Hunting and

Target Shooting

2011 Comprehensive Consumer Study

Fun

Social

Outdoors

Responsive Management

Executive Summary





Understanding Activities That Compete With Hunting and Target Shooting 1

BACKGROUND

This study was sponsored and funded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) toexamine and understand the activities that compete with hunting and target shooting and to learnhow people spend their time when they are not hunting or target shooting. This phone survey

asked hunters and target shoot ers to name the activities that are drawing them away fromhunting and target shoot ing, and it asked them about what attracts them to these alternatives.In short, this study will help the hunting and recreational shooting community know itscompetition and better answer the question, “ How can we better compete for hunters’ andtarget shooters’ time?”

The study focused on six states, chosen to include a broad geographic spread, as well as toinclude a range of states from those with increasing trends of hunting license holders to thosewith decreasing trends of hunting license holders since 1990. The states included in the studyare Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Washington. NSSF thankseach participating state for their help with this study.

In addition to the geographic spread, the study also examined both hunters and target shootersindividually as well as in three participation levels: active participants, intermittent (oroccasional) participants and ex-participants. For hunters, two approaches were used to determineparticipation level: self-reported participation in hunting, and license purchasing history withintheir state of residence as determined through state license records. Both approaches providedcongruent conclusions, lending validity to the overall findings.

Maintaining America’s hunting and recreational shooting traditions is important for manyreasons, chief among them being that the hunting and sport shooting industries providethousands of jobs annually. Also, hunters and target shooters are essential to species

management and habitat conservation through the funds they donate to conservation, as well asthe excise taxes they pay on hunting and shooting equipment. For this reason, it is essential thatthe American traditions of hunting and target shooting be continued.

Each year millions of Americans take to the nation’s forests, fields and ranges to hunt and targetshoot. The number is larger when a longer time frame is considered because many sportsmen donot hunt or target shoot every year. While the actual “churn” rate is hard to exactly quantify, it ismanifested in the difference in number of hunters in the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting,and Wildlife-Associated Recreation in two time frames. The last such survey in 2007 found thatabout a third of those who had hunted in the previous 5 years had not hunted in the most recentyear: 18.6 million had hunted in the previous 5 years, while 12.5 million had hunted in the single

previous year. In addition, NSSF research found that while there were approximately 21.8million people that purchased a hunting license at least once in the five year period 2005-2009,only an estimated 35% of hunters bought a license in the same state in 5 consecutive years (see APortrait of Hunters and Hunting License Trends: National Report , published by Southwick Associates and NSSF). This study builds upon previous findings.

(The full methodology is explained in the full companion report to this executive summary.)




The following summary report has 11 main points to consider:

1) Other nature-based outdoor activities are competing with hunting and target shooting.2) Electronic and indoor recreation are a threat to recruiting new hunters and target shooters.

3) Less time is not always the reason for losing hunters and target shooters.4) Hunting and target shooting are social activities; conversely, social issues can take away

from hunting and shooting participation.5) Don’t forget the real reason people hunt and target shoot: fun 6) Think convenience and perception.7) Diversify: Multiple satisfactions are important.8) Start them young.9) Access remains a major issue.10) Losing hunters and target shooters to competing activities is a subtle process.11) Cost is generally a minor issue.

Fun Social Outdoors




1. OTHER NATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES ARE COMPETINGWITH HUNTING AND TARGET SHOOTING

The most basic open-ended question simply asked hunters and target shooters to name thetop three outdoor activities in which they participate. Nature-based outdoor recreation is of great importance to hunters and target shooters. For both groups, the top four activities arenature-based: fishing, hunting, hiking, and camping.* Fishing was named by a majority of hunters and target shooters, and hunting was named by

a near-majority of hunters and a majority of target shooters.* A second tier of activities consists of hiking and camping. In both the hunter and target

shooter survey results, hiking and camping were named by substantially more respondentsthan the next activity in the ranking.

* Furthermore, many of the lesser activities are nature-based:o Activities named by respondents include gardening/landscaping, visiting a state or

national park, wildlife viewing/wildlife photography, cutting/splitting firewood andforestry work, SCUBA diving, rock/mountain climbing, trapping, crabbing/clamdigging, and wild harvesting (e.g., mushrooms).

Additionally, hunters and target shooters were asked about the activities in which theyengage that take time that they formerly used for hunting and target shooting. Again, nature-based outdoor recreation is of utmost importance, taking the top three responses in both thegraphs on the following pages (the first among hunters, the second among target shooters).




In recreation that took time away from hunting, notice the prominence of nature-based activities,particularly fishing.

Q100. What were the activities that took time that

you previously used for hunting? (Asked of thosewho participated in activities that took time awaythat they previously used for hunting.)

(Open-ended.) (Shows top 10 responses.)

8

6

8

25

14

7

8

7

5

1 9

5

6

4

8

8

7

32

9

10

3

1

2

4

5

7

12

13

46

8

0 20 40 60 80 100

Fishing

Camping

Hiking

Golfing

Boating or water skiing or water tubing

Bicycling or mountain biking

Snow sports

Anything with his/her children / family- oriented activities

Field sports, such as football, soccer, or

lacrosse

Fitness exercises, such as jogging, trail walking, etc.

Percent

Active (n=181)Intermittent (n=168)Ex (n=205)

HUNTERSURVEY

Multiple

Responses

Allowed




In recreation that took time away from target shooting, again notice the prominence of fishing andother nature-based activities.

Q100. What were the activities that took time that

you previously used for shooting? (Asked of thosewho participated in activities that took time awaythat they previously used for shooting.)

(Open-ended.) (Shows top 10 responses.)

5

5

5

42

17

15

7

13

7

1 6

1

3

6

5

5

12

43

15

14

3

4

4

2

6

4

10

14

47

15

0 20 40 60 80 100

Fishing

Camping

Hiking

Golfing

Boating or water skiing or water tubing

Family-oriented activities

Baseball or softball

Off-highway driving / riding an ATV

Hunting

Fitness exercises, such as jogging,trail walking, etc.

MultipleResponses

Allowed

Percent


SHOOTERSURVEY




Social obligations and other constraints are also in “competition” with hunting and targetshooting. It is not solely other recreational activities that compete with hunting and targetshooting, but other non-recreational activities do so as well. Lack of time because of family or work obligations is a major constraint to participation.

Q24. Is there a specific reason why you hunt insome years but not others? (Asked of those who

did not hunt all 5 of the past 5 years.)(Open-ended.) (Shows only responses given by at

least 5% of all respondents to the question.)

51

16

1

3

3

4

5

6

8

40

20

4

5

6

14

27

32

7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Lack of time / work,family, and/or

school obligations

Age / health

No longer enjoyhunting as much /

losing interest

Access problems

Cost / can't afford it

Don't have anybodyto hunt with

M u

l t i p l e R e s p o n s e s

A l l o w e

d

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY

There are several tactical strategies to address the above issues. These include:

Identifying and stressing hunting and target shooting’s Unique Selling Points over otheroutdoor activities will be an effective marketing strategy. It is important to stress thebenefits that hunting and target shooting provide to recreationists that are not offeredthrough other outdoor recreation.

A potential campaign theme (or part of an overall campaign theme) that would beeffective in this regard is to promote hunting and target shooting as part of a “totaloutdoor experience.”

Other outdoor recreationists constitute a prime target market for hunting and target

shooting participation. Such an effort would include marketing hunting to target shootersand target shooting to hunters, as well as marketing to those who engage in outdoorrecreation other than hunting and target shooting.

Evidence suggests that it would be easier to get a firearm in the hands of other outdoorrecreationists (e.g., anglers, campers, hikers) than it would be for a person who does notengage in outdoor recreation (the proverbial “couch potato”).

Alternative forms of participation for older hunters and target shooters, such asmentoring, should be considered.




2. ELECTRONIC AND INDOOR RECREATION ARE A THREATTO RECRUITING NEW HUNTERS AND TARGET SHOOTERS

The focus of this study is in keeping current hunters and target shooters active . This studydoes not directly examine youth recruitment; nonetheless, a few facts from a 2010 study bythe Kaiser Family Foundation are worth noting. Today’s youth are “plugged in”:

o It is estimated that today’s youth 8 to 18 years old spend an average of 53 hours aweek on electronic media entertainment.

o Nearly three-quarters (71%) of youth have a television in their bedroom.

The tactical strategies to address this issue are detailed below. Rather than trying to stop youth from using electronic media, the hunting and target

shooting industry should use those media to its advantage. For instance:o The industry should use social media and web sites to raise interest and help youth

find ways to hunt and target shoot.o The industry should team with current online media firms to take advantage of their

reach and their abilities to communicate with youth.o Because youth are online to be entertained, messages that emphasize fun should be

used in this setting.




3. LESS TIME IS NOT ALWAYS THE REASON FOR LOSINGHUNTERS AND TARGET SHOOTERS

Time is a relative issue. People who do not have time for one activity will find time foranother activity, despite being confronted by the same time constraints for either activity. Inother words, “time” is an issue of priorities: people will find time for higher-priorityactivities. Having less time is not always the primary cause of desertion from hunting andtarget shooting; rather, it may be a manifestation of other issues, including but not limited tothe following: Shifting interests: People’s interests and preferences change, causing activities to

become higher or lower priorities. These shifts can decrease or increase the “time”someone has available for hunting and target shooting.

Increasing costs and hassles: Related to shifting interests, when the costs and hasslesassociated with shooting sports increase or decrease, people’s priorities change alongwith the time allocated for these activities.

Limited marketing and promotions: Hunting and target shooting may be desirableactivities; however, when people commit to other activities and events, the time theyhave available for hunting and target shooting diminishes. Efforts are needed to helppeople commit to a weekend or afternoon of hunting or target shooting before otheractivities snare their time.

Many hunters and target shooters, even active ones, report that the shooting sports are nolonger among their top three preferred activities. Many of the reasons for this in thetabulations that follow relate to the lower priority given to the shooting sports wherein time isshifted to other activities.

Reason That Hunting Is Not a Top Activity(Percent of Hunters Who Gave Reason)(Ranked by Ex-Hunters)

ActiveHunters

IntermittentHunters Ex-Hunters

Age / health 28 21 29Lack of time / other obligations 4 24 22Lack of interest 6 11 14Other activities 15 10 11Access issues 12 3 6Nobody to go with 2 7 4Cost 0 3 4

Can only hunt part of the year 8 2 3Dislike some aspect of regulations 3 1 2Lack of game 6 3 1Poor behavior of other hunters 4 0 1Don’t get draw 3 0 0Don’t know / no answer 10 12 10




Reason That Target Shooting Is Not a TopActivity (Percent of Target Shooters WhoGave Reason) (Ranked by Ex-TargetShooters)

ActiveTarget

Shooters

IntermittentTarget

Shooters

Ex-TargetShooters

Time constraints 16 22 19Other activities are of greater interest 20 24 18Age / health 4 8 16Not interested in doing it more 6 10 16Cost 11 13 11Do it in conjunction with hunting 21 11 9Access issues 6 5 7Nobody to go with 0 1 2Requires too much planning / difficult ingeneral / hassles 1 1 2

Just do it to sight in the gun or when get new

gun1 1 1

Weather-related answer / seasonal (includingwinter being too cold) 1 1 1

Don’t know / no answer 22 17 11

There are several tactical strategies to address this issue. These include: It is important that promotions reach customers at least one month in advance of hunting

seasons, before other activities are chosen ahead of hunting and target shooting. The promotion of under-utilized hunts and hunting activities that provide new

experiences, such as hog hunting, predator calling and so forth, may increase interest andmay lessen “excuses” for not hunting.

Likewise, the introduction of new forms of shooting to shooters may increase interest. Promote scheduling time to go hunting or target shooting in advance on calendars, similar

to how people schedule other activities such as golf or youth baseball and soccer gamesin advance.

Finally, encouraging older hunters to take up target shooting is important.




4. HUNTING AND TARGET SHOOTING ARE SOCIALACTIVITIES; CONVERSELY, SOCIAL ISSUES CAN TAKEAWAY FROM HUNTING AND SHOOTING PARTICIPATION

Evidence abounds that hunting and target shooting, particularly the former, are socialactivities. The surveys found that people rarely hunt alone and, for the most part, rarely target shoot

alone. For example, a majority of hunters and a majority of target shooters always gohunting/target shooting with a companion .

This camaraderie is a very important motivation for and a benefit of hunting and targetshooting, as shown in the graphs that follow. Indeed, in both the hunter and shootersurveys, when those who participated in hunting or target shooting with others wereasked to name the advantages of hunting/target shooting with somebody else, they mostcommonly gave an answer (in open-ended questioning) related to camaraderie/being withfamily or friends.

Q47. What are the advantages of going huntingwith somebody else? (Asked of those who go

hunting with somebody else at least part of thetime.) (Open-ended.)

3

1

2

54

47

7

5

4

3

5

1

1

3

4

4

54

45

6

5

1

2

3

4

6

41

51

4

0 20 40 60 80 100

Simple camaraderie

In case of accidents / have backup / safer with others

Can cover a larger area / track moregame / flush game

Help retrieving game / dressinggame

Help in general (did not specify eitherflushing or retrieving game)

Can mentor another or learn fromanother

Able to pool resources / access tomore land

Other

No answer / don't know

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY




Q56. What are the advantages of going shootingwith somebody else? (Asked of those who go

shooting with somebody else at leastpart of the time.) (Open-ended.)

4

1

2

60

20

16

13

4

4

5

2

2

2

2

5

63

21

15

4

0

1

2

2

13

25

61

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Simple camaraderie

In case of accidents / have backup / safer with others

More competition / more of achallenge

Can mentor another or learn fromanother

Need more than one person forparticular activity

Help each other (outside of safetyissues)

Able to pool resources / access tomore places to shoot

Other

No answer / don't know

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent

Active (n=476)

Intermittent (n=476)Ex (n=513)

SHOOTERSURVEY

Related to camaraderie is the fact that being asked to go hunting or target shooting canincrease one’s interest in the activities, as well as increase the likelihood that he/she will go. An overwhelming majority of hunters are invited to go hunting at some time, as shown in

the graph Q49 on the following page. Very low percentages of hunters are never invitedto go hunting.o Among hunters who were invited, a follow-up question asked how often they took the

person up on the invitation(s): the proportion of the time that they accept theinvitation is three-quarters of the time among active hunters, just more than half of the time among intermittent hunters and about a third of the time among ex-hunters.




Q49. In the past 5 years, how oftenwould you say you were invited to gohunting by a friend or family member?

56

22

13

2

6

11

8

3

43

27

17

1

22

22

21

28

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Frequently

A few times

A couple oftimes

Once

Never / Notinvited

Don't know

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY

The converse of the fact that hunting and target shooting are social activities is that social

issues may also often interfere with hunting and target shooting—such as family obligationsor work obligations. For more information, see The Future of Hunting and the ShootingSports: Research-Based Recruitment and Retention Strategies , published by ResponsiveManagement and the NSSF.

The tactical strategies to address these issues are discussed below. They include: The social aspects of hunting and shooting in marketing and advertising are of utmost

importance—more important than the utilitarian aspects (e.g., meat for the freezer). As part of addressing the social aspects, efforts to encourage hunters and target

shooters to invite friends and family are highly important and effective inrecruitment . Programs such as Step Outside emphasize this social aspect.

More than a third of hunters who do not hunt every year cite time constraints/otherobligations as a reason for not hunting in some years. More than a quarter of targetshooters who do not shoot every year cite time constraints/other obligations as a reasonfor not shooting in some years. One strategy aimed at time constraints is to encouragehunters and target shooters to put their plans to hunt or target shoot on the calendar. Inother words, encourage them to make hunting and target shooting structuredactivities —particularly before another activity claims their attention and time. In a busyperson’s life, things that are on the calendar are more likely to be done; things not on acalendar easily fall by the wayside. “Put it on the calendar” could be a potentialcampaign theme.

Aldo Leopold, considered the father of wildlife management in the United States,recognized the importance of the social aspects of wildlife management when he wrote in

A Sand County Almanac , “Recreational development is a job not of building roads intolovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind.”




5. DON’T FORGET REASONS MANY PEOPLE HUNT ANDTARGET SHOOT. INCLUDE “FUN”, “SOCIAL” AND“OUTDOORS” ASPECTS IN MESSAGING

It is important to remember the “fun” part of hunting and target shooting. Not surprisingly,“having fun” is a top motivation, so it should be used as a draw. Spending time in an outdoorsetting is also a top benefit derived from hunting. For both hunters and target shooters, the top answers regarding reasons for hunting and

target shooting relate to having fun and, for hunting, being outdoors as well. Being with family and/or friends also was said by substantial percentages of respondents.

Hunting and target shooting’s top competition, discussed earlier, offer the same benefits.It is important to ensure that hunting and target shooting are regularly seen as the bestway to have fun outdoors with family and friends.

When promoting hunting and shooting sports, diversify images. Photos of a singleindividual with a trophy kill or one person showing a stern face in the middle of the

woods may be fine for core customers but may not be the best way to attract newcomers.Such messages and imagery do not communicate why many people hunt and target shoot. Following two graphs are presented for hunters and target shooters; note the same top

item.

Q25. What would you say are your most importantreasons for participating in hunting? In other

words, what are your motivations?(Open-ended.) (Shows responses given by at least

5% of all respondents.)

41

29

22

13

8

55

6

14

33

32

24

4

8

25

26

35

11

0 20 40 60 80 100

For fun, relaxation, sport / enjoy it(without giving a nature or wildlife-

related answer)

Gave an answer related to beingclose to nature or being outdoors

For the meat

To be with family

To be with friends

Tradition

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY




Like the previous graph regarding hunting, the “fun” aspects of target shooting are important.

Q39. What would you say are your most importantreasons for participating in shooting? In other

words, what are your motivations?(Open-ended.) (Shows those responses given by at

least 3% of respondents.)

4

4

61

26

15

5

3

3

3

3

5

7

10

52

26

13

3

3

3

7

15

22

51

9

0 20 40 60 80 100

To have fun / for enjoyment

To increase skill

Mentioned hunting in response

To be with family or friends

Sighting gun or patterning shotgun / checking out gun or loads

To get outside

Tradition / have always done it

Mentioned self-defense inresponse

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent


SHOOTERSURVEY

Another analysis, as shown in the tabulations that follow, examines hunters’ motivations

from a different view. The reasons in the tabulations were presented to each surveyrespondent. The percentages of active, intermittent and ex-hunters responding to eachreason, or motivation, were averaged. This mean percent was then multiplied by ten toprovide data demonstrating the relative importance of one reason over others as a motivationfor hunting. For example, hunters were much more likely to state “being outdoors” was amost important reason for hunting compared to “for meat.”




Reasons or Motivations for Hunting(multiple responses allowed)

Relative Importance of OneReason Compared to Others

For fun or relaxation/ for sport / like it / enjoy it(without giving a nature or wildlife-related answer) 3.8

To be with friends / to be with family 3.7Gave an answer related to being close to nature orbeing outdoors 2.9

For the meat 0.7Tradition 0.4Thrill / excitement of hunting / adventure 0.2Exercise 0.2Challenge 0.1Conservation / help with game management 0.1Trophy / for antlers / to hang on wall / to get a bigbuck 0.1

Like to work dogs / other dog-related answer 0.2Other 0.1

Reasons or Motivations for Target Shooting(multiple responses allowed)

Relative Importance of OneReason Compared to Others

To have fun / for enjoyment 5.5To increase skill 2.5Mentioned firearm rights in response 0.6To get outside 0.3Sighting gun or patterning shotgun / checking outgun or loads / related to hunting 0.8

To be with family or friends 0.3Tradition / have always done it 0.1No answer / don't know 0.1For the challenge 1.4Other 0.1Competition 0.2Mentioned self-defense in response 0.3Mentoring 0.1

This issue of putting fun and camaraderie back into hunting and target shooting can beaddressed by the tactical strategies listed below. All promotions must emphasize having fun, including hunting and shooting promotions

in general, product advertisements or news releases for media. Promotions will be effective that show photographs of people smiling with friends (not

alone) in the outdoors. It is important to make hunting and target shooting accessible and fun; it should not be

made to look complicated or extreme.




6. THINK CONVENIENCE AND PERCEPTION

One way to consider convenience is that convenience = time + ease. Quite simply,convenience includes both time as well as the effort required. People will not always chooseto participate in their favorite activity. Often, activities that offer greater convenience will be

chosen over favored pastimes. An illustration of this is that many hunters today still considerthemselves hunters despite not having hunted in years. Think why people pay more for a gallon of milk at a convenience store, or about the

popularity of drive-through windows at fast food restaurants and banks. Activities thattake less time and have fewer hassles are often chosen over other activities. Many of hunting and target shooting’s top competitors may not offer as many benefits, but theytake less time and have fewer hassles.

The tabulations below show the results of questions that asked respondents to name theadvantages that other activities in which they participate have over hunting and targetshooting. Of the top advantages that activities have over hunting, the most commonlynamed item by ex-hunters directly relates to convenience: that the other activity is easierto do. Also related to convenience are having no seasonal or daily time restrictions, nothaving as far to travel, not having access problems, not needing as much planning, nottaking as much time: all of these were named as advantages that other activities haveover hunting.

Though not as critical with target shooting, convenience-related issues are named asadvantages that other activities have over target shooting by substantial percentages of target shooters: better access, more convenient and not seasonally restricted.

Advantages Other Activities Have OverHunting (Percent of Hunters Who GaveReason) (Ranked by Ex-Hunters)

Active

Hunters

Lapsed

HuntersEx-Hunters

Easier to do 13 17 17No seasonal / time-of-day restrictions 18 13 16More fun / more relaxing 18 10 15Can include more family time 13 17 13Offer more exercise 5 6 8More friends do other activities 2 3 6Cheaper 4 6 6Don’t have to travel as far 3 4 5Don’t have any access problems / are moreaccessible 10 5 4

Don’t entail being in bad weather 4 2 3Don’t require as much planning 5 8 2Take less time 5 4 2More peaceful 2 1 0Perceived to be safer 1 1 0






7. DIVERSIFY: MULTIPLE SATISFACTIONS ARE IMPORTANT

Hunters and target shooters who are more active in multiple hunting/target shooting-relatedactivities are more avid overall and less likely to become ex-hunters or ex-shooters. In short,diversified hunters and target shooters (by both species and equipment) are less likely to

lapse or quit. Major findings include: Active hunters and target shooters participated in more different types of activities (by

species and by equipment) than did intermittent or ex-hunters/shooters. Active hunters and target shooters are more likely to have crossover participation—in

other words, active hunters are more likely than intermittent or ex-hunters to have gonetarget shooting, and active target shooters are more likely than intermittent or ex-shootersto have gone hunting.

Q57. Have you done any target or sportshooting in the past 2 years, includingjust plinking or sighting firearms, but

excluding hunting? In the past 5 years?Ever? (Asked of hunters.)

72

8

9

1012

59

16

1329

18

37

16

0 20 40 60 80 100

In the past 2years

In the past 5years, butnot past 2

Ever (but notin past 5

years)

No, never

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY

Intermittent and ex-hunters and target shooters express interest in other types of hunting andtarget shooting.

While active hunters express more interest in other types of hunting than do intermittentor ex-hunters, a substantial percentage of the latter groups, nonetheless, express interestin other types of hunting: 38% of intermittent hunters and 33% of ex-hunters. Amongtarget shooters, 32% of intermittent participants and 19% of ex-participants expressinterest in other types of shooting.

Q65. Have you done any hunting in thepast 2 years? In the past 5 years?Ever? (Asked of target shooters.)

89

5

5

12

71

15

11

21

19

56

5

0 20 40 60 80 100

In the past 2years

In the past 5years, butnot past 2

Ever (not notin past 5

years)

No, never

Percent


SHOOTERSURVEY




There are several tactical strategies to address the above issues. These include: T.A. Heberlein, who conducted research on satisfactions derived from hunting, noted that

the quality of a hunt is judged by the hunter based on several hierarchal factors thatcollectively determine the perception of the quality of the hunt. In other words, it is

multiple satisfactions rather than satisfaction with a single factor that determinesoverall satisfaction . For this reason, it is important that multiple satisfactions areconsidered. Heberlein cautioned stakeholders to not focus on one thing.

It is important for stakeholders to work against over-specialization to the exclusion of other hunting and shooting activities. Quite simply, a hunter or target shooter whobecomes too specialized may limit the satisfactions he/she derives from the sport, whichin turn may lead to desertion if that single satisfaction is interrupted. A sportsman whoderives multiple satisfactions from hunting or target shooting will be less likely tobecome dissatisfied based on only one factor going wrong.

As part of this effort to diversify the activities of sportsmen, the promotion of under-utilized hunts that allow for longer seasons will tend to diversify a hunter’s activities.

Another part of the effort toward diversification involves cross-marketing various huntingand target shooting opportunities. Increased or sustained participation may occur bymarketing turkey hunting to deer hunters or sporting clays to IDPA participants.




8. START THEM YOUNG

While the link between competing activities and age of initiation can only be inferred fromthe data in the study, it would appear that activities that compete with hunting are less of athreat among those hunters who started hunting at an early age simply because they are more

devoted to hunting. There is a clear link between avidity and age of initiation in hunting, asdemonstrated below.

Mean Age of Hunting Initiation

12.7

15.1 15.7

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

21

Active Intermittent Ex

Y e a r s o l d

One could conjecture that other activities that compete with hunting and target shooting haveless draw among hunters and target shooters who started hunting and shooting at an earlyage. The priority that sportsmen place on their sport—which is greater among those whostarted earlier—simply means that other activities will have less priority relative to huntingand target shooting.

There are several tactical strategies regarding initiation. These include: To help hunting and target shooting get a head start over other activities, stakeholders

such as managers and manufacturers should target programs toward youth 12 years oldand younger. This is the time that youth are being targeted with competing activities.

It is important to consider more hunting and target shooting recruitment programs aimedat middle school level, or earlier.

Programs that have helped in hunting and target shooting recruitment should beimplemented; for instance, it is important to implement more youth programs likeFamilies Afield and apprentice licenses.

See Factors Related to Hunting and Fishing Participation Among the Nation’s Youth ,published by Responsive Management under a grant from the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, for more information about youth recruitment.




9. ACCESS REMAINS A MAJOR ISSUE

Any constraint to hunting and target shooting participation—i.e., a difficulty withparticipating in these activities—obviously affects how hunting and target shooting competewith other activities. Access is a constraint over which government and industry have some

influence, and easier access allows hunting and target shooting to better compete with otheractivities, as well as to compete against time constraints, because better access would meanless time would be required to plan the hunting/shooting trip and get to the hunting/targetshooting area. Access is the top-named hassle associated with hunting and target shooting.

Q113. What hassles are associated with hunting?(Asked in follow-up of those who do other

recreational activities that have fewer hassles thanhunting.) (Open-ended.) (Shows top 10 responses.)

6

5

12

26

19

13

11

8

8

34

6

11

7

11

11

14

26

17

10

9

7

8

8

7

9

10

9

32

7

0 20 40 60 80 100

Access issues

Travel distance

Needing to plan / amount of preparation

Getting a license / permits / cost oflicense / permits

The amount of time it takes

Weather-related answer re: having tobe outside during fall / winter

Regulations / restrictions

Costs (in general or other than forlicense)

Need for equipment / maintaining

equipment

Hunting is physically demanding

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent


HUNTERSURVEY




Access is a huge issue in participation in target shooting in the graph below, just as it was inhunting in the previous graph.

Q113. What hassles are associated with shooting?(Asked in follow-up of those who do other

recreational activities that have fewer hassles thanshooting.) (Open-ended.)

(Shows top 10 responses.)

2

2

6

50

16

15

9

5

7

13

2

5

4

8

9

12

45

15

17

3

5

2

6

2

8

8

14

50

10

0 20 40 60 80 100

Access

Cost

Getting equipment / maintaining

equipment

Safety / behavior of other shooters

Time-consuming

Crowding

Packing equipment and travellingand set-up (but not an access

problem)

Requires too much planning

Hard to find somebody to go with

Noise

M u


A l l o w e

d

Percent


SHOOTERSURVEY

A quarter-hour is all it takes to lose a target shooter. The research suggested that ex-shooters typically traveled farther to go target shooting(when they did shoot) than do active shooters (when they shoot now). In answer to howlong it takes them to get to where they typically target shoot, the mean amount of timewas higher among ex-shooters than among active shooters. In short, it appears that moredistant access is related to a higher dropout rate. In particular in the graph on thefollowing page, focus on the means (a 14-minute difference) and medians (a 10-minutedifference). (The mean is simply the sum of all answers divided by the number of




respondents—the most common “average” that people generally discuss; the median isthe response at which half of respondents gave an answer above and half below. In thehunting graph below, half of active hunters gave an answer at or below 20 minutes, andthe other half gave an answer above 20 minutes.)

Q58. In minutes, how long does it take you to get towhere you typically go shooting?

1

7

11

8

8

9

16

11

10

1

3

10

3

21

4

5

3

0

0

8

10

10

13

17

8

10

10

3

2

5

3

1

0

8

8

10

9

9

8

14

20

0 20 40 60 80 100

More than an hour

46-60 minutes

31-45 minutes

21-30 minutes

16-20 minutes

11-15 minutes

6-10 minutes

5 minutes

4 minutes

3 minutes

2 minutes

1 minute

Less than a minute

Don't know

Percent


MeansActive = 28.93Intermittent = 34.14Ex = 43.17Medians

Active = 20Intermittent = 20Ex = 30

SHOOTERSURVEY

Tactical strategies related to access include the following: Make all efforts to have a range within 30 minutes of

all current and potential hunters and target shooters(consider both physical and social/psychological aspectsof access).

Implement the findings and recommendations of theNSSF/Responsive Management 2010 report Issues Related to Hunting Access in the United States (e.g., walk-inaccess programs, mapping and atlas programs—theseprograms were proven to be successful in that study).

Help connect private landowners with interested hunters(e.g., lease arrangements, fee hunting, open lands).

NSSF members may access this report at www.nssf.org/members

Mean Travel Time to Go Shooting

28.934.1

43.2

0

10

20

30

40

50

Active TargetShooters

IntermittentTarget Shooters

Ex-TargetShooters

M i n u

t e s




10. LOSING HUNTERS AND TARGET SHOOTERS TOCOMPETITION IS A SUBTLE PROCESS

Losing a hunter or target shooter is not an overnight action, nor is it a simple matter of his/her decision to suddenly take up another activity instead. “Do recreational activities other than hunting take time previously used for hunting?”

o While 20% of active hunters say that other recreations are stealing away fromhunting, 35% of ex-hunters say this. However, this latter amount leaves 65% who donot say that other activities are stealing time away from hunting. If hunting’scompetition was its only challenge, rather than one of many challenges, then 100% of ex-hunters would report that other activities stole time from hunting. Quite simply,there is more at play than another activity simply stealing hunters and target shootersfrom those activities.

Another subtlety in the decline in hunting and target shooting participation is the losingof one’s hunting or target shooting partners: 5% of those who said their huntingdecreased in the past 5 years attributed the decrease (at least in part) to losing theirhunting partners/not having anybody to go with, and this amount was 3% among targetshooters regarding going target shooting. While these are not large percentages, theyillustrate the slow chipping away of participation for various reasons and the perhapsslow process that leaving the sports can be. In short, this is generally not an overnightprocess; rather, the social circle gradually shrinks as individual members leave huntingand target shooting, each for his or her own reason (including age/health and even death).

There are several tactical strategies to address the subtle process of losing participants.These include: Keep hunting and target shooting “Top of Mind” all year long.

o An effective strategy to keep hunting and target shooting in sportsmen’s minds is topromote hunting and target shooting year-round.

o Additionally, an effective strategy entails promoting hunting and target shooting invenues where customers go when they are not thinking about hunting and targetshooting, such as in fishing magazines, on golf websites and so forth.

o Other ancillary activities to hunting and target shooting have a place in keepingsportsmen engaged in these sports. In short, the industry can help keep sportsmenengaged in the off-season or when their buddies can’t go by promoting re-loading,sporting clays, seminars and consumer shows.

o Encourage hunters and target shooters to put their plans to hunt and target shoot onthe calendar, thereby making hunting and shooting structured activities—particularlybefore other activities claim their attention and time. Things that are on the calendarare more likely to be done; things not on a calendar are more likely to be ignored orput off. “Put it on the calendar” could be a potential campaign theme.

It is also important to encourage the social aspects of hunting and target shooting, andhelp facilitate social interaction among those who may have lost hunting or targetshooting partners.




11. COST IS GENERALLY A MINOR ISSUE

Hunting and target shooting equipment is specialized and sometimes costly. However, salesof such equipment have been robust, suggesting that cost is not a major issue. Otherevidence suggests that cost as a whole is not an important constraint.

For instance, only 2.4% of ex-hunters blamed high costs as a reason for not hunting. Additionally, only 4.1% of active hunters complained about costs as taking away from

hunting. In target shooting, costs are a little more of a concern, but generally cost is still not a

great concern, as just 10% of target shooters cite costs as a reason for less participation intarget shooting.

An exception regarding costs is that fuel prices are a concern, particularly in the past fewyears. Almost half of those who named “cost” as a hassle associated with hunting mentionedgas prices or the cost of travel.

There are several tactical strategies to address cost-related issues. These include: Outreach should not talk about cost but should instead emphasize benefits and

satisfactions with hunting and target shooting. A low cost should not , in general, be aprimary focus of any campaign to encourage greater participation, as many other issuescome into play before cost.o A prime issue that is of more importance than cost is the fun and enjoyment derived

from hunting and target shooting. Toward this end, promotion of the fun, social, andoutdoor benefits of hunting and target shooting will resonate better than any cost-related promotion.

o It is important that local retailers remind customers of good local hunting and targetshooting opportunities.

o To help address fuel costs, the provision of shooting ranges close to populationcenters to reduce the effect of fuel costs would be effective.



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Report provided by NSSF Research. For additional research materials, please visit www.nssf.org/research

Documents

NSSF - Understanding Activities that Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting - 2012