BigBlue wrote:The whole premise that a youth needs to be fully outfitted from scratch to go hunting seems flawed to me. If someone is taking a youth hunting, I'd say in most cases they (the adult) has much of the equipment, especially firearms, to take them on an intro hunting session. After all, the accompanying parent/guardian/mentor CAN'T HUNT during the youth deer season so their gun is available. (see
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/deer/youth.html) The concept that someone is going out and buying a gun for their first hunt "just to try out the sport" does not resonate with me, certainly not as a "can't do it without buying one" case.
The question is not on recruiting newcomers, often kids, from hunting families; it is recruitment of individuals of all ages who have no hunting history in their families or immediate circle of friends. These people have no one to borrow or be gifted equipment so have to buy everything from scratch. Some may have had very limited hunting experience as a kid but life's circumstances removed them from that location and/or help. Now, they are looking at getting back into the sport from the very beginning. I deal with these types at least once a week at work, you can see by the expression on their faces that the cost is often more than they expected. We are a long way from the $150 Marlin 336, $200 Wingmaster, and $79 10/22 they remember of their youth.
This "sticker shock" is readily seen by the advent of firearms such as the Remington 870 Express, Mossberg/Maverick 88, Savage Axis, Ruger American Rifle, and even the Mossberg Plinkster. One can go back even further looking at the Remington 700 ADL, Winchester 770, and Winchester 25. Even the 870 Wingmaster was an attempt at producing a less expensive shotgun to the general public when it was first introduced.
I'm in agreement with crbutler that something other than youth days are needed to advance hunting into the future. Youth hunting opportunities seem to be far over represented by those in hunting families. This makes for a very linear pattern and little ability to grow. What is needed is getting those with no history in the shooting world a chance to step in. Branching out into this demographic is the key to actual growth.