Socio-demographic shifts such as rural to urban migration, exurban growth, changing family structure, and increasing population of racial/ethnic minority groups may have significant impacts on hunting, an activity that is rooted in traditional rural American culture and disproportionately practiced by white males who are often introduced to the activity during their youth through immediate family members, typically the father or another male figure. Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests that proportionately more hunting participants do not have these socio-demographic attributes and may be entering the activity through “non-traditional” pathways. Understanding these “paths,” or sociocultural mechanisms that drive interest and participation in hunting is critical to the future of hunter recruitment and retention. The research described in this report examines these mechanisms and provides insight into the degree to which non-traditional pathways are contributing to hunter recruitment and retention.Content replaced at author's request on 29-June-2016.

Hunting; recruitment; retention

other