Gateways to Hunting By Babe Winkelman Hunting participation is suffering my friends. Fewer and fewer men, women and children are taking to the outdoors. This is a problem, because the heritage of hunting does more than hold families together; nurture friendships; and promote a respect for nature. Hunting, through license purchases and financial support of hunting-related conservation organizations, preserves its very self. In 1970, more than 40 million people purchased hunting licenses in America. Today, the number is less than 13 million. Nearly half of all hunters are over age 47. We can link hunter decline and the preponderance of older hunters to habitat loss, complicated regulations and the rising costs of equipment, gasoline and related expenditures. Add all the competitive forms of electronic, web and media-based entertainment and you can see we’re up against a real problem. One of the key drivers of hunter decline is the drop in “gateway” activities that bring new hunters into the fold. These include the simple pastimes of plinking and small game hunting. Think about it. Most adult hunters got their starts going out with Dad or Grandpa to shoot at tin cans with a trusty Daisy BB gun or .22 rifle. From there, kids graduated to the thrill of small game hunting for squirrels, rabbits, doves, upland birds and waterfowl. The mega drop in small-game hunting since 1991 doesn't bode well for the future of hunting. Participation in squirrel hunting has fallen 48 percent. Rabbit hunting is down 52 percent. Grouse hunting declined 42 percent. And doves are off by 33 percent. Since 1955, total small game participation has dropped by half. We NEED to reverse these trends, and the way to do it is to dedicate ourselves to hunter recruitment through gateway activities. The first strategy is simple plinking with small arms. Unfortunately, the cost of rifle ammunition has gone up substantially in the past few years. Even the price of .22 ammunition can be a barrier to free-natured shooting with family and friends. But there are alternatives to rifle fire. Pellet and BB guns are still very economical. The technology of today’s modern pellet rifles is amazing. They have become truly accurate and lethal small game weapons – in some cases rivaling the .22 for quiet, pinpoint effectiveness. Shooting with archery tackle is another sure-fire way to get children and new recruits involved with the shooting sports and hunting. And let’s not forget about the most inexpensive and simple form of plinking – with slingshots. There is renewed interest in and sales of the classic Wrist Rocket, which is a wonderful gateway weapon that promotes hand-eye coordination and good shooting form that meshes perfectly with archery. As hunters, we need to rededicate ourselves to the joys of small game hunting and take an active role in bringing new hunters into the forests and fields. Hunting squirrels is the most accessible pursuit, as squirrels can be found virtually everywhere. They’re plentiful, delicious to eat and a blast to hunt. In the wild, they’re very wary and help hone a hunter’s woodsmanship and marksmanship skills. They are the world’s perfect gateway animal. Throw rabbits in the mix, along with the various game birds encountered when chasing rabbits, and you have the right recipe to nurture new hunting enthusiasts who will graduate to waterfowl and big game animals. These new sportsmen and women will then become ambassadors for the shooting sports and recruit additional hunters of their own. We’re all in this together, so let’s make a collective new year’s resolution and vow that 2012 will be the year that we introduce new people to the gateway activities that inspire involvement in the outdoors. Let’s turn the tide on decreased hunting participation to protect and preserve the outdoor activities we hold so dear.   Good Hunting! Babe Winkelman