Socialization and motivational pathways among different groups of non-traditional hunters in Alabama reveal unique recruitment and retention opportunities

Abstract

Participation in hunting has been declining and organizations have increased efforts to recruit non-traditional path hunters (NTPHs) such as adults who did not hunt as children, urban residents, and women. Anecdotal evidence suggests that NTPHs could be interested in hunting if recruiters emphasized certain aspects of the hunting experience such as connecting to nature or harvesting sustainable meat. To explore effects of non-traditional backgrounds on recruitment and retention, we measured the importance of socialization pathways, recruitment motives, and retention motives of a group of current hunters in Alabama Wildlife Management Areas (n = 700). A generalized ordinal logit regression model determined effects of different non-traditional backgrounds (e.g., non-hunting family, adultonset hunters, urban resident, female, millennial) on recruitment and retention. We found that each non-traditional background has a unique influence on recruitment and retention, indicating a need for investigating specific NTPH backgrounds rather than a single homogenous NTPH group.

The importance of structural, situational, and psychological factors for involving hunters in the adaptive flyway management of geese

“…In our study, having a goose hunting parent during childhood was associated with higher levels of involvement in goose hunting, confirming the importance of socialization revealed in previous research of hunters 20 . The proportional dominance of men among ‘Goose hunters’ is in line with goose hunter studies 28 .…”

“…Studies examining drivers and barriers of hunting (e.g., hunting frequency, bag size) commonly identify explicit, or stated, hunting motives related to nature or escaping from everyday life, social inclusion, achievement or excitement, and game meat 20 , 22 – 25 . In addition, hunting can provide collective gains for management 26 , 27 .…”

Dominant attitudes and values towards wildlife and the environment in coastal Alabama

“…This is further supported by 31% of individuals from Alabama indicating that they have hunted in the last twelve months and 35% indicating that they plan to hunt in the future (Dietsch et al, 2018), versus 23% and 16% for those same categories nationwide (Manfredo et al, 2018). Although hunting in Alabama has been shown to be undertaken for many reasons including connecting to nature, socializing, managing deer populations, and as a source of local meat (Birdsong et al, 2021;Mehmood et al, 2003), hunting is a traditionalist activity that falls firmly in the domination scale.…”

Dominant attitudes and values toward wildlife and the environment in coastal Alabama

“…Nationwide, Alabama ranks 10th among states with the most active hunters (Manfredo et al, 2018). Although hunting in Alabama has been shown to be undertaken for many reasons including connecting to nature, socializing, managing deer populations, and as a source of local meat (Birdsong et al, 2022; Mehmood et al, 2003), it is firmly considered a dominant activity.…”