The Outdoor Scene

There are a plethora of single-day events hosted throughout the country that do an excellent job of giving kids a chance to try fishing, camping, hunting and target shooting. Exposure to the outdoors is an important part of the process. So is mentoring. While introducing a child to the outdoors can spark their curiosity, it takes long-term guidance from a caring adult to grow that interest.

That’s exactly what the program Pass It On Outdoor Mentors, Inc. provides. President and CEO Mike Christensen explained Pass It On got its start within Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) where he served as director of outdoor mentoring. In November of 2006, the program stepped out on its own with funding from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to launch pilot outdoor mentoring programs in Kansas, Texas and Pennsylvania. Since then, additional BBBS agencies and conservation partners across the nation have worked together to recruit mentors and host events to introduce at-risk youth to the outdoors.

I really like this program for two reasons — because it matches up young people with adult mentors for ongoing lessons in hunting, fishing, hiking and more. Plus, it brings together BBBS and the volunteer resources of Pheasants Forever, Whitetails Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, National Wild Turkey Federation and more to focus on what we’ve all agreed is critical, recruiting the next generation of conservation stewards.

If you’d like to support the program or become a mentor, contact Mike at:
316-290-8883
mchristensen@outdoormentors.org
http://www.outdoormentors.org

Another program worth looking into is Hunters Education For Troubled Youth (HEFTY). The program is based on the concept of “why hunting is good for bad kids.” This program is designed to break the cycle of unacceptable behavior, followed by punishment that can expose vulnerable kids to the “wrong crowd” and lifelong problems as a result.

The program provides a new environment for these kids and teaches them the principles of self respect, compassion, integrity and high moral values through mentoring and hunter education.

HEFTY was developed by Karl Milner, a Wyoming volunteer hunter education instructor who is devoted to improving wildlife habitat and giving back to his community. Milner found support for his thinking in Dr. Randall Eaton’s book “From Boys to Men of Heart:  Hunting as Rite of Passage,” which explains how hunting has been and still is a rite of passage that helps boys realize the need to become productive members of society.

For more information about HEFTY or to become a supporter or mentor, contact Karl at:
307-686-5705
307-299-2084
karl@hefty4kids.org
http://www.hefty4kids.org/

Thanks to programs such as Pass It On and Hefty, I am encouraged about the future of hunting and today’s young people, who are growing up during complicated and confusing times. The next step for programs such as these is evaluation, so we can better assess what efforts are most effective.

What gives you hope for the future of hunting, fishing and target shooting? Let me know. Leave a comment here or find me at:

Facebook: facebook.com/tammy.sapp2
Twitter: @TammyDianeSapp
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tammydianesapp

Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3, the Women’s Outdoor Wire will be featured as part of The Outdoor Wire.

Readers will continue to receive news and information specifically for women and families except it will come packaged in The Outdoor Wire every Wednesday. I accepted an invitation from Jim Shepherd, publisher of the Outdoor Digital Wire Network and editor of The Outdoor Wire, to write features and blog posts as well as track down products, events and advice for women.

The reason we agreed to make this change is while the Women’s Outdoor Wire boasts some wonderful sponsors, it did not receive enough industry support for us to continue producing it as a separate entity. I’m not pointing fingers either because I am well aware of the numbers and so, too, are outdoor manufacturers and retailers.

Results from the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Association Recreation from 1991 to 2006 reveal women continue to comprise a small portion of the overall market. While the number of women hunters held steady from 1991 to 2006, the National Survey indicates fewer women are fishing.

Results taken from the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Association Recreation
1991
Women anglers —9.9 million (28 percent of all anglers)
Women hunters —1.1 million (8 percent of all hunters)

1996
Women anglers —9.5 million (27 percent of all anglers)
Women hunters — 1.2 million (9 percent of all hunters)

2001
Women anglers — 8.9 million (26 percent of all anglers)
Women hunters —1.2 million (9 percent of all hunters)

2006
Women anglers —7.6 million (25 percent of all anglers)
Women hunters —1.2 million (9 percent of all hunters)

Though I’ve read a lot of hoopla about the number of women hunters increasing, the jury is still out on that. The National Sporting Goods Association participation survey showed the number of female hunters decreased from 2002 to 2007, though an increase was posted from 2003 to 2008. Some statisticians question NSGA’s web-based survey methodology, though; whether or not there are enough respondents and if survey results are representative enough of the American population to provide statistically significant results. While no survey is perfect, the National Survey is one of the most trusted sources of information on fish and wildlife recreation in the United States.

As far as female target shooters, I dug into those numbers with the help of Jim Cururuto, director of research and analysis for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. According to a Southwick Associates research effort, which was partially funded by NSSF, there were approximately 10.3 million target shooters in 2008. However, Jim reported no gender data is available from that survey but the latest NSGA Shooting Sports Report shows 23.7 percent of those involved in target shooting are female. We should know more soon. NSSF recently funded a large research project through Responsive Management that will provide another source for numbers of target shooters, including women. Results will be available in early March.

Don’t take this journey into the numbers as me throwing in the towel on encouraging women to find health and happiness in the out-of-doors. I’m just keeping it real. Any good marketer knows you have to understand the true situation to develop strategies that will get you to the goal. One of my tactics is to reach a wider audience, which is exactly what I’ll do by writing for women every Wednesday in The Outdoor Wire.

I hope you’ll join me as I profile amazing outdoor women, cover breaking news and unearth the most important information you need to know whether you hunt, fish, shoot, bird watch, camp, hike, kayak, canoe or climb. So make sure you watch your inbox for The Outdoor Wire.

Tammy Sapp

Let me know what you think. Leave a comment here or you can find me at:

Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2
Twitter @TammyDianeSapp
tammy@womensoutdoorwire.com

When Virginia hunters who had not purchased a license in 2008/2009 were asked in a telephone survey why they didn’t, their answers came as a surprise. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they hunted but it was on private land, and thus they were exempt from purchasing one.

Virginia regulations do allow hunting on private land without a license in specific situations, and hunters take full advantage of that opportunity. That same telephone survey revealed 46 percent of the hunters Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) thought had lapsed were actually hunting on private land.

This is alarming news because it means the agency is losing funds, which could be used for conservation work, in two ways. The first is the obvious loss of license sales money from private land hunters who qualify for an exemption. The second way is less apparent, yet extremely important to VDGIF funding. Fewer licensed hunters means the agency qualifies for less money through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration. This program authorizes hunters and shooters to pay an excise tax on firearms and ammunition that is apportioned back to the states based on a formula that factors in the number of licensed hunters. Bottom line, those who don’t buy a hunting license reduce federal matching money for VDGIF’s wildlife management and habitat improvement projects.

You’re one of the first to hear about these new research results from Virginia. The reason is I am involved in a marketing communications project with VDGIF. Working with partners such as Mile Creek Communications and Southwick Associates, we assessed current factors affecting hunting participation and license sales in Virginia. Then Responsive Management conducted focus groups and a telephone survey to better understand why some hunters don’t buy a license every year.

We’ll use this information to develop communications messages and strategies aimed at bringing Virginia’s lapsed hunters back into the fold. Year one of this project was funded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Hunting Heritage Partnership, a program that awards grants to support state-level hunter recruitment and retention programs.

The focus groups and telephone survey unearthed a treasure trove of information VDGIF can use to improve its products and services as well as market those opportunities to Virginia hunters. We learned why Virginians hunt, who they hunt with, what they hunt for, how often they hunt and what types of licenses they purchase and how often they’ve purchased a license in the last four years.

The survey also revealed factors that affect their enjoyment of hunting. Survey respondents told us not having enough time, work and family obligations were the top factors that took away from their enjoyment of hunting.

However, not having enough places to hunt and not having enough access to places to hunt were among the top four factors that strongly took away from lapsed hunters’ enjoyment of hunting in Virginia.

We first heard about their dissatisfaction with public land in the focus groups. Participants said they perceived much of the available public hunting land to be overcrowded with other hunters.

In needs to be said that providing hunters with a good experience on public lands is no small task because this group is not a homogenous blob. Hunter expectations vary greatly. Some hunters want a wilderness experience while others want to see a lot of game or have a chance to bag a trophy. VDGIF has its public land management work cut out for them whether they’re trying to attract those Virginians who aren’t buying a license because they’ve dropped out of hunting or not buying a license because they’re hunting on private land.

While there are no easy answers when it comes to managing public lands, this market research project does make several points abundantly clear. Wildlife agencies must understand their customers. They must provide products and services their customers want. And they must be more aggressive about reminding Virginia hunters to buy a license so they don’t miss sharing the hunting heritage with friends and family, connecting with nature and, of course, helping pay the bills of managing wildlife and their habitats.

Leave a comment here or you can reach me at: tammy@womensoutdoorwire.com, Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

BASS giveth to women and Bass taketh away.

When BASS launched the Women’s Bassmaster Tour in 2005, outdoor women were elated. It promised to raise awareness of female professional anglers, give them a chance to compete against each other and build the kind of relationships that would enhance sportfishing opportunities for all women.

Women

That euphoria turned to disappointment Jan. 4 when BASS General Manager Tom Ricks announced the decision to eliminate the Women’s Bassmaster Tour from the Tournament Trail, citing declining participation levels as the culprit.

“We have worked diligently to grow the WBT to increase or maintain participation levels – even awarding a berth in the Bassmaster Classic – but ultimately, our efforts didn’t resonate,” Ricks said. “This was a very tough decision, and one that we didn’t take lightly.”

I visited with several professional women anglers last week and while most weren’t shocked by the news, the timing of the announcement did catch them off guard.

Sharon Rushton said if they had canceled the tour last fall, it would have been less surprising. According to Sharon, during the tour’s first full year, boat numbers ranged from 90 to more than 100. That number had fallen to less than 70 by last year. However, with the new schedule announced, many women thought the show would go on in 2010.

The last minute cancellation left many women scrambling. Judy Wong, who claimed her second Bassmaster Women’s Tour Championship last year, had to decide by Jan. 11 whether or not she would fish the Bassmaster Opens or FLW Tour events.

Kim Bain-Moore, who focused on the 2009 National Pro Southern Kingfish Association Tour after her history-making appearance in the Bassmaster Classic last year, said even before the news of the WBT’s demise, it was decision time for a lot of women – continue to fish the WBT or focus on the next frontier, fishing the Opens to try to break into the Elites.

“Maybe if the WBT was still around only four or five girls would have a serious crack at the Opens in 2011,” Kim said. “Now with no other option, hopefully 20 girls will focus on the Opens in 2011. And for the success of women’s angling that is what we need. A bunch of girls turning up en masse to fish the Opens, united rather than divided by strength of numbers, and therefore less likely to be singled out. We don’t need to win. But we need to be there, fishing, and having a noticeable presence — A call to arms.”

For many women, competing in the Opens this year won’t be an option due to finances and schedules that conflict with Open dates. There’s also the fact that some women don’t want to compete against the men.
One thing is for certain, 2010 will be a year of flux for many women who fished the WBT.

For example, Sharon weighed her options and will most likely fish the Heartland Trail, which for her means she won’t have to drive as far and will spend fewer nights in a hotel. Debra Hengst, who said she could see the end coming, got into the BASS Central Opens in November and also will fish the Bass Champs Trail, which has four divisions in Texas. While Kim Bain-Moore decides what she wants to do next, she’ll definitely be filming the second season of her Sportsman Channel TV show “Breaking the Surface” with co-host Diana Rudolph.

While these women are launching their boats in different directions, they all said they were grateful for the opportunities the WBT provided.

“I made so many friends and met so many people along the way,” said Debra. “The Women’s Bassmaster Tour was something to be thankful for.”

Sharon appreciated the positive female role models the tour provided.

“I hate to see the tour go away because it showed women who were independent —launching their own boats and fishing on their own. It’s fun to fish with other women, too. It’s a different atmosphere.”

While everyone agrees the failing economy dinged the WBT, several of the women questioned whether or not everything possible was done to grow the tour.

Judy, Debra and Sharon all made the point that with the firepower of media giant ESPN behind BASS, why was there no TV coverage of the women’s tour?

Professional women anglers have been scratching and clawing for sponsors since Sugar Ferris founded Bass’N Gal. A fundamental law of sports survival is a dastardly chicken/egg situation: Without sponsors, there is no TV airtime. Without TV airtime there are no sponsors.

While TV coverage of the WBT was never promised, participants fervently hoped for it.

“I felt at the beginning it would grow and be THE tour for women. But ESPN didn’t get behind it,” Judy said. “They didn’t use all the resources available to them to grow the tour.”

The jury is out on whether or not someone else will pick up the loose ends. But as far as Judy is concerned, it will take someone who has an understanding and passion for women’s fishing. And a lot of money to back up that desire.

Despite upticks in the stock market, experts warn we’re probably facing a false economic rebound, which doesn’t bode well for tournament support. Though WBT title sponsor Academy Sports + Outdoors did not pull their sponsorship, according to a marketing representative who called into Fish Bait Radio on Jan. 6, it will be tough for individual anglers to catch the sponsor dollars they need.

So, 2010 may be a year where professional women anglers hit the water to keep their skills sharp in hopes there are better times around the bend.

If you’d like to hear what others have to say about the closing of the WBT check out the following podcast: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fishbaitradio

What do you think about the downfall of the WBT? Leave a comment here or you can find me at: Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.

I am a soul hunter.

When things come together and I punch my tag, the feeling of accomplishment is intoxicating. When they don’t, I’m not disappointed because it’s the experience that makes me happy. I love the peaceful feeling I get when hunting. Yet I know at any moment I might glimpse a buck with a candelabra rack, triggering an exquisite adrenalin rush.

To be honest, I am grateful hunting is not a competitive endeavor because that would spoil its magical healing powers. Besides us soul hunters have more important things to consider than whether our buck has longer G-2s than someone else’s.

While I head afield with the goal of seeing and taking a deer, turkey or whatever it is I’m chasing, being a soul hunter means my attention is apt to wander. One minute I’m like the front side of a mullet, all business as I comb the woods for the flick of a tail or an ear. And the next I’m distracted by how the sun makes the dew sparkle like millions of Swarovski Crystals. Closing my eyes isn’t a great technique for spotting game but you can’t beat it for inhaling the spicy, sweet smell of decaying leaves or listening to the urgent calls of a pileated woodpecker.

While I’m not some whacked-out earth momma, in 2010 I’ll be seeking my own brand of Nirvana as a soul hunter. With just a few tweaks, hunting can nourish my spirit better than a massage or bubble bath ever could. Though my resolutions are simple, in my opinion they are critical to attaining this highest state of consciousness.

Steps to a Soul Hunter’s Nirvana

-After a cold morning waiting for critters to show up, those first rays of sunlight can put me to sleep faster than Ambien taken with a shot of tequila. I’ve tried to fight it. But why? If a buck shows up and I’m napping, I’ll never know. So there is nothing to fret about other than the pain from my head snapping around like a flag in a stiff breeze. I’ll be one step closer to Nirvana when I listen to my body and get one of those neck-stabilizing pillows.

- It’s important to distance myself from those who measure their self-esteem by turkey spur length, the inside spread on a whitetail’s rack or the number of animals they’ve killed. There’s nothing wrong with knowing the numbers behind your success. But there’s no room for those who want to shift hunting from the spiritual realm to a basketball game. It’s pure buzz kill for a soul hunter.

-Hunting in 30-degree weather is not a problem for me. However, when temps dip below that, I begin to whimper especially when my foot warmers fail, which they invariably do. Why? The hand warmers stay hot for hours. So one of my goals for 2010 is to find a product that warms my feet and doesn’t tear up my socks when I peel it off.

-Losing a few pounds would mean that when I wriggle out my cold weather hunting pants, the waist band wouldn’t be indelibly etched onto my skin. Plus, the ability to breathe deeply would help me control those occasional flare-ups of buck fever.

- I vow to never forget my Hunt Comfort cushion when I head afield, especially if there’s a long wait involved. I received a complimentary Fatboy Lite a year ago and believe they’re the best thing to happen to derrières since Spanx. Sitting in a ladder stand without one causes a serious condition known as “posterior paralysis,” which is marked by pain, numbness and sometimes a waffle pattern on your bum.

-I’ll also never give up my Gor-Tex woodsman hat with Thinsulate no matter how much people make fun of me. Yes, it’s too big for my head and makes me look like the female version of Elmer Fudd. But its soft warmth makes my detour to dorkyville well worth it.

- Most importantly, this year I plan to worry less about self-inflicted work deadlines, folding laundry or dusty baseboards and instead spend that time hunting. I’m old enough to realize enjoying life is more important than a clean house or even a fat bank balance. So in 2010, I intend to play outdoors even more with the people I care about most. I hope you do, too.

What do you resolve to do in 2010?

Let me know. Leave a comment here or you can find me at: Facebook.com/tammy.sapp2 and Twitter @TammyDianeSapp.