Vanishing Hunter: Applying Research-based Solutions to the Challenge of Declining Participation
by John Devney, Senior Vice-President
At Delta Waterfowl, we rarely shy away from tough issues. Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn from the experience and once in a while we get our fannies whooped.
If the range of outcomes has varied, our mission remains constant: We believe the world of waterfowl can be better than it is today, and we’re always searching for ways to achieve that better tomorrow.
Our approach never changes either. Our legacy of waterfowl research is at the foundation of the organization, it’s our very core. Now the same critical thinking that has shaped Delta research and provided key scientific discoveries about waterfowl and their habitats is now having a profound impact on waterfowling itself.
This time the work wasn’t conducted by master’s or PhD students, and it won’t be published in The Journal of Wildlife Management. But the work of Dan Nelson and Tori McCormick in their Vanishing Hunter series over the past four issues of Delta Waterfowl magazine is the most comprehensive and understandable examination of the decline in hunting participation ever produced. And let’s not forget about the incredible photos by Fred Greenslade.
Instead of accepting the “easy” answers, they dove into the issues, grilling the experts and synthesizing their findings in a manner that all can grasp. This is the exact product the hunting community needed to comprehend the status of hunting.
Rather than simply lamenting the losses (or, in the case of the anti-hunters, celebrating those losses), our team took an in-depth look at where we are and, most importantly, provided a template for moving forward.
This is only the beginning. Look for Delta to build on this by conducting social research that will pry deeper into why people hunt and why they quit. Our goal is finding ways to fully immerse the next generation of hunters into our community.
Count on Delta in partnership with our chapters, volunteers and like-minded groups to expand the reach of our mentored hunt program, exposing young and not-so-young hunters to everything from the joys of dawn in the marsh to mallard on the grill.
And trust that Delta will be there on the issues that count, whether it’s the scaup harvest strategy, access or anything that impacts our ability to experience the glory of duck hunting. Delta will be there because these are the actions that are ultimately necessary for our beloved traditions to continue.
By applying the same analytical and strategic approach to waterfowling as we have historically undertaken on behalf of ducks and geese, Delta has been, and will continue be, a driving force in securing the future of hunting.
