Understanding Hunters' Knowledge of, and Interest in R3 Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation

Many organizations within the outdoor industry, from state wildlife agencies and conservation groups, to manufacturers, media and sportsmen’s clubs, have invested substantial time, money and effort into recruiting new, retaining current, and reactivating lapsed hunters over the past 15 years. This practice has been named; “R3”, which stands for; Recruit, Retain, Reactivate. “R3” has a goal of increasing participating in hunting and it has been accepted as a key initiative among the aforementioned groups. While the goal of increasing overall participation is common among these groups, no research has been done among America’s 15 million active hunters to understand their knowledge level and interest in this important initiative. We do not know what percentage of current hunters are for, or against, having more participants, nor do we know how to best communicate with current participants no matter their opinion on the topic. To confirm if there was a need for comprehensive research on this topic, the project team conducted an awareness poll / exploratory survey in May 2024 and received 240 completed responses from American’s that have hunted within the past 12 months. Among the results from this exploratory survey were that only ~29 percent of respondents (current hunters) had a clear understanding of what “R3” (Recruit, Retain and Reactivate) is, and 10 percent of respondents were opposed to organizations focusing on recruiting more hunters. Full results from the awareness poll are available at the end of the proposal application. The awareness poll results proved to the project team that further, in-depth research is needed on this topic. This proposal aims to identify, for the first time, items such as; what current hunters know about “R3”, what their opinions are on increasing hunting participation, and what are the best communication tactics to implement no matter their opinion on increasing hunter numbers. The project team has more than thirty years collective experience with this topic and has well-rounded representation from state agencies, NGOs and industry.