International Hunter Education Association

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ADULTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HUNTING BUT DID NOT GROW UP IN A HUNTING FAMILY NEED AND DESIRE REPEATED, ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTION AND SOCIAL SUPPORT FROM AN EXPERIENCED HUNTER TO EVENTUALLY HUNT ON THEIR OWN. LEARNHUNTING.ORG PROVIDES A PLATFORM TO ALLOW NEW HUNTERS TO SELECT EXPERIENCED HUNTER VOLUNTEERS AND SAFELY AND ANONYMOUSLY REACH OUT TO THEM ABOUT MENTORSHIP. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE AWARENESS AND INTEREST AND DRIVE TRAFFIC FROM 8 PILOT STATES TO LEARNHUNTING.ORG AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO FIND A HUNTING MENTOR THROUGH THE PLATFORM. THE WORK CONDUCTED IN THE 8 PILOT STATES WILL ALLOW THE PROGRAM FURTHER SUCCESS WITH OTHER STATES IN EACH REGION UPON COMPLETION OF THE GRANT AS THE PROGRAM GROWS MORE EFFICIENTLY THROUGH LEARNED SUCCESSES IN 2023. LEARNHUNTING.ORG IS MANAGED BY IHEA-USA, BUILT UPON PREVIOUS MSCG FUNDED RESEARCH, AND EXECUTED ON BEHALF OF STATE HUNTER EDUCATION AND R3 PROFESSIONALS IN EVERY STATE. INSTRUCTOR MENTOR HOURS AND CONTINUED EDUCATION WITHIN THE PLATFORM ARE TRACKED AND DELIVERED TO STATE AGENCY TEAMS THROUGH PERSONALIZED STATE ADMINISTRATOR DASHBOARDS. EVERY STATE IS ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM, BUT THIS STUDY SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON TWO STATES PER REGION AS PILOT FOR WIDESPREAD MARKETING AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC TO EMBRACE THIS NATIONAL MENTORING EFFORT.RESULTS WILL BE COMMUNICATED AT AFWA SUMMER DIRECTORS MEETINGS, REGIONAL R3 COMMITTEES, AND THE COMMUNICATION TOOLS OF THE R3 COMMUNITY HOUSED BY THE COUNCIL TO ADVANCE HUNTING AND SHOOTING SPORTS TO ASSIST STATES IN DEVELOPING LEARNHUNTING.ORG MARKETING CAMPAIGNS OF THEIR OWN UPON COMPLETION OF THE GRANT IN 2023.

MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH RESEARCH AND LOCALIZED PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TO MORE COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDTHE BEST APPROACHES TO MENTORING. FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS SUCH AS "MAKING MENTORSHIP WORK" AND "CREATING AHUNTING MENTOR COMMUNICATION TOOLKIT" WERE SUCCESSFUL IN UNCOVERING BOTH PROS AND CONS TO PREVIOUSLY ATTEMPTEDMENTOR PROGRAMS AS WELL AS IDENTIFYING MISSING ELEMENTS THAT WOULD LIKELY HAVE MADE FOR A MORE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO WORK ALONGSIDE THE TEAMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE PREVIOUS PROJECTS WITH THE ADDITIONOF A FEW KEY ORGANIZATIONS TO BUILD A NATIONALLY SCALED, INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM THAT APPEALS TO MENTORS ANDVOLUNTEER EDUCATORS FROM EVERY STATE AND REGION.IN 2021, MAFWA RECEIVED A MSCG TO CREATE A "HUNTING NETWORK" SOFTWARE PROGRAM WITH ENOUGH FUNDING TO BUILDTHE INITIAL MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT TO BEGIN THE NATIONAL PROJECT. FUNDING FROM THIS PROPOSAL WILL FINALIZE THEBUILDING OF THIS MARKET-READY SOFTWARE AND ITS ABILITY TO OFFER STATE AGENCIES AND OTHER PARTNER-EDUCATIONALORGANIZATIONS THE OPPORTUNITY TO AID IN THE CONNECTION OF INTERESTED MENTORS WITH RECENT STUDENTS OF HUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW TO HUNT. UPON COMPLETION, ALL STATE AGENCIES WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE SOFTWARE AND ITS EDUCATORS TO MATCH WITH NOT ONLY INTERESTED MENTEES, BUT ALSO OTHER GROWING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES WHERE VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTION IS BENEFICIAL. EACH VOLUNTEER IN THE PROGRAM WILL BE OFFERED CONTINUED EDUCATION COURSES TO MAINTAIN THEIR ENGAGEMENT AND GROWTH IN THE PLATFORM. THEY WILL BELONG TO ANATIONAL COMMUNITY OF EDUCATED, PASSIONATE VOLUNTEERS WITH THE ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO MULTIPLE EDUCATIONALOPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASE THEIR ABILITY TO IMPACT NEW HUNTERS. NEW HUNTERS WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY SAFE,TRUSTWORTHY, MENTORS, COACHES, AND INSTRUCTORS RELEVANT TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS, WITHIN THEIR STATE OR REGION, THROUGH THE PROGRAM FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR HOMES. EACH MENTEE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE NEW SYSTEM BECAUSE OF ITS AUTHORITATIVE BACKBONE OF RECOGNIZED PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND STATE AGENCIES.ESTABLISHING PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY IS INTEGRAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM BEYOND AVAILABLE MSCG FUNDING. THISPROPOSAL INCLUDES METHODS TO CREATE THIS SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH DJ CASE & ASSOCIATES,IHEA-USA, JOURNEYAGE, AND NORTHWAY OUTDOORS IN 2022.

EACH YEAR, APPROXIMATELY 600,000 PEOPLE GRADUATE FROM HUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS. THOUGH ONLY 5 NEVER INTENDED TO HUNT, NEARLY 40 PERCENT WILL NEVER PURCHASE A LICENSE (SAF IHEA 2021). THIS SUPPORTS STATEMENTS THAT THE ORAM MODEL DECISION TO CONTINUE STAGE IS A CRITICAL POINT. THIS PROJECT WILL BUILD ON RECENT SAF IHEA HUNTER EDUCATION RESEARCH AND WMI MENTORING RESEARCH TO SCIENTIFICALLY IDENTIFY HOW STATES AND NGOS MENTORING PROGRAMS CAN CONVERT A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF GRADUATES INTO CONFIDENT, INDEPENDENT HUNTERS AND CONSISTENT LICENSE BUYERS. TARGETED INSIGHTS INCLUDE IDENTIFYING THE FACTORS AND BARRIERS CAUSING NEW HUNTERS TO HESITATE AND WHAT THEY NEED TO OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS.UP TO FOUR STATES IN EACH AFWA REGION WILL BE RECRUITED TO IDENTIFY NEW HUNTERS WHO: 1) ENROLLED IN MENTORING PROGRAMS, 2) CONTINUED WITH OR WITHOUT ADDITIONAL MENTORING SUPPORT, AND 3) HAD BENEFITED FROM MULTIPLE TYPES OF MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE GAINING CONFIDENCE TO CONTINUE INDEPENDENTLY. THESE STATES WILL BE ENGAGED TO HELP IDENTIFY TOPICS AND POINTS TO EXPLORE. TO MAXIMIZE STATE S USE, RESULTS WILL BE PRESENTED IN A SUCCINCT, VISUAL FORMAT AND SHARED DIRECTLY WITH EACH STATE, VIA IHEA AND R3 COMMUNITY WEBSITES AND WEBINARS, AND AT REGIONAL AND NATIONAL R3 MEETINGS. THE FINAL DELIVERABLE WILL HELP STATES CONVERT THOUSANDS OF MENTORING AND HUNTER EDUCATION GRADUATES INTO INDEPENDENT HUNTERS AND CONSISTENT LICENSE BUYERS.

THE HUNTERS CONNECT PROGRAM HAS BEEN CREATING NEW HUNTER YOUTUBE CONTENT FOR JUST OVER TWO YEARS. DURING THATTIME, YEAR-ONE FUNDING CAME FROM PRIVATE STARTUP CAPITAL WHICH HELPED LAUNCH THE R3 PLATFORM MOVING IT FROM ANIDEA TO REALITY QUICKLY. TO CONTINUE THE WEEKLY CREATION OF NEW HUNTER VIDEO CONTENT A SECOND YEAR, AND ALIGN ITMORE CLOSELY WITH STATE AGENCY NEEDS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ADDITIONAL ONLINE SERVER RESOURCE FOR AGENCYUSE, FUNDING WAS ACQUIRED THROUGH AN R3 MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT WHICH CONCLUDES IN SEPTEMBER OF 2021. BYTHAT TIME, HUNTERS CONNECT WILL HAVE CREATED OVER 145 PUBLISHED HOW-TO, TUTORIAL STYLE HUNTING VIDEOS. ONE OF THEORIGINAL GOALS OF THIS PROGRAM WAS TO CREATE A LIBRARY OF EDUCATIONAL HUNTING CONTENT FOR THE INDUSTRY TO USE THATREPRESENTED SAFE PRACTICES FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE. THAT GOAL HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY MET AND THEREFORE IT IS TIME TOPIVOT THIS PROJECT BY ESTABLISHING NEW GOALS AND TACTICS AIMED AT AUDIENCE EXPANSION AND ENGAGEMENT.ALTHOUGH YOUTUBE HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY OUTLET FOR HUNTERS CONNECT VIDEOS, THE ADDITION OF A SPECIAL ACCESS BYNDERSERVER, SPECIFICALLY FOR STATE AGENCY USE, HAS INCREASED VIEWERSHIP AS WELL. THIS ADDITIONAL RESOURCE WAS PART OF THERECENT MSCG FUNDING AND ALLOWS AGENCIES THE ABILITY TO DOWNLOAD ALL HUNTERS CONNECT CONTENT AD FREE AND READY FOROFFLINE USE FOR HUNTERS EDUCATION COURSES, IN MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, AND FOLLOW-UP EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH HUNTEREDUCATION GRADUATES. THESE NEW OPTIONS HAVE BEEN USED BY MANY STATES INCLUDING NEW YORK, LOUISIANA, IDAHO, ANDWYOMING JUST TO NAME A FEW. SPECIAL VIDEO PROJECTS HAVE BEEN CREATED BY THE HUNTERS CONNECT PLATFORMSPECIFICALLY FOR STATE AGENCIES UNDER THE RECENT GRANT INCLUDING LANDOWNER RELATIONS VIDEOS, AND A TRAPPING VIDEOSERIES. THIS HAS ALL LED TO A COMBINED 4.9 MILLION IMPRESSIONS, 235,324 VIEWS, 8,746 COMBINED WATCHED HOURS, AND9,600+ ACTIVE SUBSCRIBERS TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO ENGAGE WITH NEW AUDIENCES IN MULTIPLEWAYS TO DRIVE THESE NUMBERS MORE EFFICIENTLY THROUGH NEW CHANNELS AND WITH MORE DIVERSE PARTNERSHIPS.THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED OUTPUT WOULD BE 26 NEW VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE (DOWN FROM 52 PER YEAR IN 2020) PLUS 104 NEWSOCIAL MEDIA CLIPS FROM EXISTING CONTENT FOR THREE NEW PLATFORMS INCLUDING FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND LINKEDIN.THESE ADDITIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS REQUIRE CONTENT IN DIFFERENT FORMATS AND LENGTHS TO BE SUCCESSFULLY SHARED WHILEYOUTUBE PRIMARILY RELIES ON A USER SEARCHING FOR THE CONTENT USING KEYWORDS.SIMPLY ADDING MORE CONTENT COULD ASSIST WITH GROWING THE EXISTING AUDIENCE OF THIS R3 PROGRAM, BUT THIS MODIFIEDSTRATEGY OFFERS ADDITIONAL EFFICIENCY BY INCREASING ITS ABILITY TO DIRECTLY SHARE VIDEO CONTENT WITH TARGETED AUDIENCESTHROUGH NEW PARTNERSHIPS FOCUSING ON DIVERSE HUNTING POPULATIONS. THESE SAME PARTNERS WILL BE HELPING TO DIRECT THECREATION OF NEW CONTENT PRODUCED BY HUNTERS CONNECT AND ALL CONTENT CREATED BY THIS MODIFIED CONTENT STRATEGY WILLBE AVAILABLE TO STATE AGENCY TEAMS IN THE RECENTLY ESTABLISHED BYNDER PLATFORM.BY ALTERING TYPES OF VIDEO CONTENT MADE, ADDING ONLINE PROMOTION, AND TARGETING AUDIENCES HUNTERS CONNECT WILLINCREASE VIEWERSHIP AND ENGAGE DIVERSE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS.

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF STATE FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCY (SFWA) HUNTER EDUCATION SAFETY (HE) PROGRAMS IS TO PROMOTE SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, AND ETHICAL HUNTING PRACTICES. IN CURRENT PRACTICE, THE PREPAREDNESS OF HE STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE THESE BEHAVIORS IS DETERMINED BY USING A MINIMAL PASSING GRADE ON THE FINAL EXAMINATION, TYPICALLY GIVEN AT THE END OF A COURSE. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FORCED MANY SFWAS TO ADOPT ONLINE AND HYBRID MODELS OF HE IN ADDITION TO THE TRADITIONAL IN-PERSON PROGRAMS. A PREVIOUS MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT (MSCG) STUDY, CONDUCTED BY IHEA (BAER, DUNFEE, CHASE, 2021) FOUND THAT VIRTUAL, HYBRID, AND IN-PERSON DELIVERY METHODS HAD NEARLY IDENTICAL RESULTS IN TERMS OF STUDENT SATISFACTION AND STUDENT PREPAREDNESS, AS MEASURED BY THE FINAL EXAM SCORE. EVEN THOUGH SFWAS USE THE FINAL EXAM SCORE TO CERTIFY TO THE CONSERVATION COMMUNITY, OTHER HUNTERS, AND THE NON-HUNTING PUBLIC THAT AN INDIVIDUAL IS MINIMALLY COMPETENT TO PARTICIPATE IN HUNTING IN A SAFE AND LEGAL WAY, ONE REASONABLE CRITIQUE OF THAT RESEARCH IS THAT EXAM SCORE IS LIKELY ONLY AN INDICATOR FOR HUNTER EDUCATION KNOWLEDGE, RATHER THAN A METRIC FOR LIKELIHOOD OF EXPERIENCING AN ACTUAL HUNTING-RELATED INJURY OR ACCIDENT (I.E., INCIDENT).THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PROVIDED AN UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION IN WHICH HE WAS DELIVERED PRIMARILY USING VIRTUAL AND HYBRID METHODS, AS MOST IN-PERSON, FIELD TESTS, AND LIVE-FIRE EVENTS WERE CANCELED. THIS PHENOMENON OFFERS THE CONSERVATION COMMUNITY A UNIQUE NATURAL EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HUNTER EDUCATION, BY DELIVERY METHOD, THIS TIME USING A DIRECT MEASURE OF HUNTER INCIDENT RATES, RATHER THAN STUDENT EXAMS AND SATISFACTION AS INDICES OF SAFETY. THIS STUDY PROPOSES TO USE AN INTERRUPTED TIME SERIES ANALYSIS WITH AN AUTOREGRESSIVE INTEGRATED MOVING AVERAGE (ARIMA) MODEL TO DETERMINE HOW HE DELIVERY METHOD AFFECTS, OR NOT, THE SAFETY OF HUNTERS IN THE FIELD AS DIRECTLY MEASURED BY HUNTER INCIDENTS, AS REPORTED BY THE SFWAS.CURRENTLY, HUNTING INCIDENTS ARE COLLECTED EACH YEAR BY THE INTERNATIONAL HUNTER EDUCATION ASSOCIATION U.S.A. (IHEA-USA) FROM HUNTER EDUCATION TEAMS, WHICH ARE OFTEN NESTED WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT WITHIN SFWAS. THESE COLLECTED DATA, WHEN COMPILED CORRECTLY, HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERVE AS A NATIONAL RESOURCE FOR RECRUITMENT, RETENTION CAPABLE OF IDENTIFYING TRENDS IN HUNTING INCIDENTS OVER TIME TO AID SFWAS AND THEIR PARTNERS IN EVALUATING THE IMPACTS OF FUTURE HE PROGRAMS, PRODUCTS, CURRICULUM, AND COURSE DELIVERY POLICY DECISIONS. FORTUNATELY, THE EXISTING NATIONAL HUNTER INCIDENT DATABASE USED BY SFWAS AND IHEA-USA HAS BEEN RECENTLY REDESIGNED AND UPDATED. THIS UPGRADE POSITIONS THE DATABASE TO SERVE AS A NATIONAL RESOURCE, OFFERING NEW ANALYSIS TOOLS FOR SFWAS AND INDUSTRY RESEARCHERS WHEN EXAMINING THE AVAILABLE DATA. WHILE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND DATA ENTRY OPTIONS ARE IMPROVED, THERE ARE STILL GAPS IN THE DATA FROM PREVIOUS YEARS WHICH NEED TO BE COLLECTED FROM SFWAS. THIS PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY AS THE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS FOR THIS PROJECT WILL FEED THE NEW DATABASE AND PROVIDE A MODEL FOR DATA SYNTHESIS THAT CAN BE USED IN FUTURE HE EVALUATION EFFORTS.

GIVEN STAFF LIMITATIONS, STATE AGENCIES RELY HEAVILY ON VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS TO SUCCESSFULLY FIELD MANY EDUCATION, RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REACTIVATION (R3), AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS. HOWEVER, AS MORE AND MORE OPTIONS BECOME AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE WILLING TO DONATE TIME, STATES ARE FINDING IT INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS, THREATENING THEIR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY DELIVER HUNTER EDUCATION, R3 EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND VARIOUS OTHER LABOR-HEAVY CONSERVATION PROJECTS. TO HELP ALLEVIATE THIS CONCERN, STATES NEED INFORMATION AND TESTED APPROACHES FOR FINDING, RECRUITING AND RETAINING NEW VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE STATES WITH TESTED INSIGHTS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPROACHES FOR INCREASING THEIR POOL OF R3 AND HUNTER SHOOTER EDUCATION VOLUNTEERS. WORKING WITH TWO STATES PER REGION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES, CURRENT AND FORMER VOLUNTEERS WILL BE SURVEYED TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS MOTIVATIONS AND INTERESTS THAT DROVE THEM TO VOLUNTEER, ALONG WITH THE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS AND SOURCES THAT MADE THEM AWARE OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WITH STATE AGENCIES. THE RESULTS WILL GROUP VOLUNTEERS INTO PERSONAS BASED ON SHARED MOTIVATIONS AND IDEAL RECRUITING MESSAGES AND TACTICS. THE RESULTS WILL THEN BE TESTED VIA A PILOT CAMPAIGN IN EACH STATE TO IDENTIFY EFFECTIVENESS, POTENTIAL AND IMPROVEMENTS. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WILL THEN BE PROVIDED TO ALL STATES FOR ADOPTION VIA A DETAILED VISUAL-BASED REPORT COMPLETE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTED RECRUITING MESSAGING AND SHARED VIA THE FULL RANGE OF R3 COMMITTEES, MEETINGS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATIONS. ALL 50 STATES R3 PROGRAMS ARE THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES WITH INCREASED VOLUNTEERS AND THEREFORE INCREASED R3 PROGRAMS AND HUNTING SHOOTING PARTICIPATION BEING THE PRIMARY PURPOSE AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES. THE MIDWEST ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES R3 COMMITTEE IS A PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO BOOST HUNTING PARTICIPATION BY REDUCING NO-SHOW AND DROPOUT RATES AMONG HUNTER EDUCATION REGISTRANTS. ANECDOTAL FEEDBACK INDICATES ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF REGISTRANTS DO NOT SHOW UP FOR THEIR IN-PERSON COURSE, AND WE HAVE NO CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF ONLINE DROPOUTS. WITH OVER 275,000 IN-PERSON GRADUATES ANNUALLY, AS MANY AS 110,000 POTENTIAL HUNTERS COULD BE WALKING AWAY EVERY YEAR. REDUCING THESE NUMBERS BY RETAINING AND GUIDING THESE PEOPLE THROUGH TO SUCCESSFUL HUNTER EDUCATION CERTIFICATION WILL BOOST HUNTING PARTICIPATION. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED INCLUDE FIRST DETERMINING REGIONAL AND NATIONAL RATES OF NO-SHOWS (PEOPLE WHO REGISTER FOR BUT DO NOT START) AND DROPOUTS (PEOPLE WHO START BUT DO NOT COMPLETE) FOR HUNTER EDUCATION COURSES STATISTICS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNVERIFIED AND UNDOCUMENTED. TO DATE, 13 STATES ACROSS ALL REGIONS HAVE COMMITTED TO PARTICIPATING AND PROVIDING DATA, WITH MORE EXPECTED GIVEN THE LIMITED TIME AVAILABLE AT THIS WRITING FOR STATES TO SECURE APPROVAL. TWENTY STATES MAXIMUM ARE ALLOWED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. WE WILL ALSO CATALOG STATE APPROACHES TO HANDLING ABANDONMENT CASES. WE WILL THEN USE A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY OF REGISTRANTS WHO DID NOT SHOW UP OR DROPPED OUT TO DETERMINE WHY, TO MEASURE THEIR INTEREST LEVELS AND ATTITUDES TO HUNTER EDUCATION AND IDENTIFY PERCEIVED CHALLENGES AND INTENTIONS TOWARD FUTURE HUNTING PARTICIPATION. RESULTS WILL BE CATEGORIZED BY COURSE DELIVERY METHODS AND FEE STRUCTURES, WHERE FEASIBLE, TO HELP STATES UNDERSTAND IF ANY ASPECTS OF PROGRAM DELIVERY ARE CREATING BARRIERS TO COURSE COMPLETION OR HUNTING PARTICIPATION. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES WILL BE ACTIONABLE INFORMATION THAT HELPS STATES AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) PARTNERS, WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HUNTER EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (IHEA) SUPPORT, DEVELOP INTERVENTION STRATEGIES AND TACTICS EACH STATE CAN EMPLOY TO REDUCE NO-SHOW AND DROP-OUT RATES, AND TO HELP GUIDE THESE PEOPLE TOWARDS SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF AN APPROVED HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE. THIS WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO GREATER HUNTING PARTICIPATION AT STATE, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL SCALES. DELIVERABLES AND COMMUNICATION PLATFORMS WILL INCLUDE: A TECHNICAL REPORT OF METHODS AND RESULTS AND A GRAPHICS-BASED SUMMARY THAT CONVEYS KEY FINDINGS, WITH BOTH DISTRIBUTED TO HUNTER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS AND RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND REACTIVATION (R3) COORDINATORS FROM ALL 50 STATES CUSTOM SURVEY RESULTS FOR EACH STATE, PRESENTATIONS AT RELEVANT REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND A VIRTUAL WEBINAR TO BE RECORDED AND HOUSED ON THE IHEA AND R3 CLEARINGHOUSE SITES. THE INTENDED BENEFICIARIES ARE STATE HUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS, THEIR SUPPORTING NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND PEOPLE WHO COMPLETE HUNTER EDUCATION AS A RESULT OF THIS EFFORT. THE INTERNATIONAL HUNTER EDUCATION ASSOCIATION-USA WILL LEAD THIS EFFORT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GRANT SUBRECIPIENT SOUTHWICK ASSOCIATES, BASED ON THEIR EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN HUNTER EDUCATION AND R3 RESEARCH.

PROJECT TITLE NOT PROVIDED

PROJECT TITLE NOT PROVIDED

WHEN A HUNTING INCIDENT OCCURS, FIRST RESPONDERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE OFTEN CALLED TO THE SCENE. WHETHER OR NOT THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE CERTIFIED TO INVESTIGATE A HUNTING INCIDENT COMES DOWN TO THEIR ABILITY TO ATTEND THE HUNTING INCIDENT INVESTIGATION ACADEMY (HIIA), CURRENTLY OFFERED THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL HUNTER EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - USA (IHEA-USA) AND THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION (MDC). IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF HUNTING THAT THE CONSERVATION INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO TRAIN CONSERVATION LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND GAME WARDENS TO ACCURATELY ASSESS WHETHER AN INCIDENT IS RELATED TO HUNTING, OR IT IS NOT. PROPER RECORDING OF THESE INCIDENTS PROVIDES INSIGHTS TO TRENDS IN SAFETY AND LEADS TO THE CREATION OF SAFETY STANDARDS DELIVERED THROUGH HUNTER EDUCATION THUS PROVIDING EACH GENERATION OF NEW HUNTERS WITH AN EDUCATION TO CREATE SAFER DAYS IN THE FIELD.THE PROGRAM IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO TRAIN WILDLIFE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO INVESTIGATE AND REPORT HUNTING INCIDENTS ACCURATELY. AS THIS IS A PROGRAM OF THE IHEA-USA, THE ACADEMY ALSO COVERS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MODEL AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INCIDENT REPORTS, THE STANDARDS OF HUNTER EDUCATION THAT ARE CREATED BY EXAMINING THESE INCIDENTS, AND THE RESULTING RECIPROCITY FOR HUNTING LICENSE PURCHASES THE STANDARDS PROVIDE WHEN INCLUDED IN HUNTING EDUCATION CURRICULUMS. THE ACADEMY IS RUN BY WILDLIFE OFFICERS WITH SPECIAL SKILL SETS AND EXPERTISE IN THIS DISCIPLINE. HOWEVER, PARTICIPATION BY OTHER AGENCY STAFF WHO MANAGE HUNTING ACCESS AND HUNTER EDUCATION AND SAFETY PROGRAMS WOULD BENEFIT FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE ACADEMY, IF OFFERED LOCALLY.WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, THE ACADEMY HAS BEEN DELIVERED ONCE OR TWICE PER YEAR TO NEARLY 40 OFFICERS SINCE 1993. FOURTEEN DIFFERENT STATES HAVE HOSTED THE ACADEMY DURING THAT TIME. HOST REQUIREMENTS, LOCATION AVAILABILITY, OPERATIONAL COSTS, AND TRAVEL COSTS HAVE MADE IT DIFFICULT TO REACH MORE OFFICERS. FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, DOZENS OF INTERESTED OFFICERS HAVE BEEN TURNED AWAY FROM PARTICIPATING DUE TO CHALLENGES IN SOURCING NEW INSTRUCTORS AND AN ABILITY TO COORDINATE MORE THAN TWO TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES EACH YEAR. A NEW SCALABLE MODEL INVOLVING BLENDED LEARNING IS SET TO LAUNCH IN 2024 TO HELP AGENCIES DELIVER THEIR OWN LEARNING ACADEMY TRAINING WITH THE HELP OF HIIA CERTIFIED TRAINERS. STATES WILL BE EXPECTED TO CHOOSE TWO OFFICERS TO BECOME THESE CERTIFIED TRAINERS AND SEND TO A TRAIN THE TRAINER (TTT) EVENT IN MISSOURI IN 2024.THIS GRANT PROPOSAL SEEKS FUNDING TO COVER THE TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS OF OFFICERS FROM FOUR STATE AGENCIES IN EACH AFWA REGION TO ATTEND THE FIRST TTT IN 2024. WITH 16 STATES AND 32 OFFICERS QUALIFIED TO DELIVER THE NEW BLENDED LEARNING ACADEMY FORMAT IN THEIR HOME STATES, EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT THE NUMBER OF CERTIFIED WILDLIFE OFFICERS WOULD SURPASS THE PREVIOUS 30 YEARS WITH THE NEXT 3.SEVERAL STATE AGENCIES HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SENDING OFFICERS TO THE FIRST TTT IN MISSOURI NEXT YEAR. THESE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: CA, CO, MO, IA, MI, IN, CT, MD, TN, NC, MS, AND SC.

HUNTER EDUCATION PROGRAM REVIEWS: A PEER EVALUATION APPROACH

IHEA-USA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & BUSINESS MEETING

ANNUAL IHEA CONFERENCE