Reaching New Audiences

The NWTF’s “Learning to” video series will introduce novices to hunting and fishing.

Indiana’s novice hunters, like veteran hunters, take to the woods for a variety of reasons. A short list includes obtaining lean wild protein, seeking an abiding connection to nature, and enjoying time with friends. These diverse impulses may lead hunters to pursue different game species in sundry ways. But, while motivations may vary, a common message resounds across the spectrum of new hunters: They want know-how and they want it jargon-free and easy to access.

A whole curriculum has developed in tandem — and often with feedback from — adult novice hunters. While learn to hunts might be viewed as a short course and usually assume some level of familiarity with firearms and hunting, Field to Fork and Hunt for Food classes take a deep dive. They teach hands-on skills immersively, through activities like tracking, shooting, processing and cooking. This is typically done in small groups with 10 or 15 students at a time.

Where do novices turn for instruction if classes are full or unavailable? They turn to a growing body of how-to resources on the web. On the private sector side are offerings like Kalkomey’s Deer Hunting 101 and the NWTF Turkey Hunting 101 online course. In the public sector, natural resources departments like Illinois and Minnesota have produced their own self-learning modules. Adding to this library of resources, the NWTF has worked with the outdoor media, adult-onset hunters and conservation organizations to produce the “Learning to” video series.

“What’s unique about these videos,” said John Motoviloff, the series’ executive producer and Wisconsin R3 coordinator for the NWTF, “is that that they’re peer-centered. We specifically recruited novice and atypical hunters and anglers. The idea is to send a message of inclusion. ‘If they can do it, I can do it, too.’”

“This is a good springboard for folks learning to hunt,” said Ashley Peters, communications and marketing director for the Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society and narrator for the Learning to Hunt Grouse and Woodcock video. “It’s also handy for those looking to pick up another type of hunting.”

The “Learning to” series consists of four separate videos: Learning to Hunt Wild Turkeys, Learning to Hunt Grouse and Woodcock, Learning to Hunt Rabbit and Squirrel, and Learning to Fish for Trout. These modules will be featured on the NWTF website and its digital channels later this year. Between 10 and 15 minutes in length, they are intended to be confidence-boosters as much as they are primers. The series is underwritten by a grant from L.L. Bean. Videos will be available to users free of charge.

Just as funding from an icon like L.L. Bean speaks to a broad audience of outdoor enthusiasts, partnerships with conservation organizations extends and deepens the series’ reach. The Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock Society, Trout Unlimited and Color in the Outdoors are partners. They have supplied staff, volunteers and expertise.

While all four episodes are filmed in Wisconsin, the content is applicable to the vast majority of states east of the Rockies — from the Northeast to the Atlantic Tidewater, from the Appalachians to Great Lakes and Prairies.

“Squirrel hunting in Wisconsin is very similar to squirrel hunting in Tennessee,” said Christopher Kilgour, Founder of Color in the Outdoors, an organization devoted to inclusiveness in the outdoor world.

Remaining relevant is key to the long-term survival of any enterprise. Hunting and angling are no exception. Similarly, a goal of this series is to make sure that all groups are visible and included in outdoor activities such as hunting and angling. For that reason, narrators are either women or people of color.

“The reality is that atypical hunters and anglers have always been out there,” Kilgour said. “We’re just finally talking about it.”

Reaching women and people of color is essential for the viability of hunting and angling for what might be called marketing reasons. While most hunters and anglers are white, America is estimated to be a minority-majority country by 2035. Hunting and angling need to reflect this — or run the risk of becoming obsolete.

Elizabeth Simpson learned to hunt as an adult through the Wisconsin DNR Hunt for Food program and is featured in Learning to Hunt Rabbit and Squirrel. She’s eager to share what she’s learned with others.

“The series is a great introduction to the basics,” she said. “I would definitely have used it when I was starting out.”

On the other end of the age and experience spectrum is the series’ editor, Dan Small, a freelancer outdoor writer, producer, host of Outdoors Radio, and lifelong hunter and angler.

“These videos will ignite a spark in at least a few folks and let them know they’re welcome as full-fledged members of the sporting community,” Small said.

The Minority Outdoor Alliance is holding its second annual Minority Outdoor Alliance Festival, or MOA Fest, Aug. 26-28, 2022. A sporting clays tournament is planned along with vendor stations, horseback riding, ATV rides, bird dog and performance dog demos, dock diving, shed hunting and more. The festival is held at Orvis Pursell Farms, 560 Farm Links Blvd., Sylacauga, Alabama 35151. General admission: $35; General admission and dinner ticket: $65. The Minority Outdoor Alliance’s mission is to emulate nature and ensure our outdoor communities are filled with color and diversity to cultivate inclusivity for a healthier outside. Contact durrellsmith@minorityoutdooralliance.org for more info.