Just finished a fun interview for the Project Upland podcast. Enjoyed every minute because host Nick Larson let me spout off on multiple subjects at length! Cheaper than therapy, podcasts may be the new Primal Scream.
One topic we discussed and I’ve done speeches on before is (as I’ve been told) a little politically incorrect. But now that “R3” is all the rage (recruit, retain, re-activate) and we are trying to save our sport it deserves more attention, again. I won’t go into the reasons we should be boosting hunter numbers – that’s a subject for another day. But who we recruit deserves scrutiny.
I’m not against trying to turn urban dwellers, youth, Millennials, minorities, women, single-parent households or anyone else into hunters. More power to those making that effort. Every dollar they spend on gear begets excise taxes that pay for habitat and wildlife management. Good on ’em.
But sheesh, folks, the lowest-hanging fruit is ready to drop on our unsuspecting heads like Newton’s apple: people just like us.
Think about the barriers to hunting that every outlying demographic has: tough to get to hunting areas, lack of disposable income, little free time, prevalent anti-gun/anti hunting culture, no dog, little knowledge and nobody to introduce let alone sustain a pro-hunting effort with them – a “coach.” Imagine trying to drag a Millennial from his parents’ basement, confiscate his phone, put a gun in his hands, make him walk ten miles and kill something. The odds are not in your favor, are they?
Instead, think about your neighbor, co-worker, the guy who sits next to you in church, a fellow Rotarian.
Same values, similar age and income, more free time (empty nest), and as your friend he’s (she’s) interested in many of the same things you are. For all I know, he’s asked about your hunting trips, your dog, what quail tastes like.
Bada boom, bada bing.
Take the hints. Offer a hunting trip (or an observational opportunity sans shooting). You’ve got the dog, the gun, the ammo, the spot. You two already get along. Chat about all the things you have in common on the drive, plus safety, how dogs work, what to expect, how you’ll cook anything you actually hit.
What are you waiting for?
Scott Linden Outdoors 
There seems to be opportunities everywhere you look. I do agree with you, often the easiest convert will be a friend or associate who hunts deer, but not pheasant, or fishes religiously but does not chase after birds. If you introduce them to the sport, you will find that they will find this sport challenging and exciting. I introduced a friend, who was an avid deer hunter, to upland game hunting and now he spends 90% of his time working behind his dog and chasing pheasants and grouse.
Good on ya!