Youth Hunting Program Progressing in Pennsylvania

[LifeNRA]

Youth Hunting Program Progressing in Pennsylvania

(Harrisburg) – Legislators in Pennsylvania have taken the first steps toward ensuring that more young Pennsylvanians will have the opportunity to experience the sport of hunting.

On Nov. 1, Sen. Joe Conti, R-Doylestown, Chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee attached language from Senate Bill 988, which creates a mentored youth hunting program, to HB 1690, a bill that permits the baiting of coyotes. The Game and Fisheries Committee unanimously approved the newly amended HB 1690, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Smith, R-Dillsburg. The bill now awaits a floor vote in the Senate.

Senate Bill 988 was introduced on Oct. 31 by Sen. Bob Robbins, R-Salem. The sole purpose of SB 988 was to authorize the Pennsylvania Game Commission to create a mentored youth hunting program.

The mentored youth hunting concept is a key element of the Families Afield program currently being promoted across the country by the United States Sportsmen’s Alliance, National Wild Turkey Federation and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Recent studies have shown that a properly mentored youth hunter is the safest hunter in the field, regardless of age.

Pennsylvania was chosen as one of the first states to introduce mentored youth hunting legislation because of an alarming decline in the number of new hunters entering the field each year. Pennsylvania is classified as a very restrictive state by the Youth Hunting Report, a survey which detailed the impact of restriction on youth involvement in the hunting sports. For every 100 hunters the state of Pennsylvania loses, only 62 new hunters take their place. This downward trend is alarming in a hunting heritage-rich state like Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.