National Deer Association

FY21 QDMA DEER STUDY

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PUT TESTED MESSAGES ON THE GROUND TO ACHIEVE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND REACTIVATION (R3) THROUGH PODCAST AND STREAMING AUDIO ADS IN 4 PILOT STATES IN THE SOUTHEASTERN US. WORKING WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH STATE AND THE NATIONAL DEER ASSOCIATION, WE WOULD DEVELOP AUDIO ADS FOR PLACEMENT IN EACH STATE. WE WOULD USE THE RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT F22AP01126, WHICH DEVELOPED NEW HUNTER PERSONAS, AND DEVELOP AD CREATIVE AROUND EACH OF THE PERSONAS AND TARGET THE MESSAGES DEVELOPED TO FAMILY FIRSTS, SELF SUFFICIENTS, LOCAVORES, AND RECREATIONALISTS. THEN THIS PROJECT WILL MEASURE SUCCESS AT INCREASING PARTICIPATION BY USING LICENSE PURCHASE BEHAVIOR TO DETERMINE SUCCESS USING PIXEL TRACKING TECHNOLOGY. THE PERSONA RESEARCH FOUND IN THE R3 CLEARINGHOUSE RECOMMENDS PLACING ADS IN STREAMING OR PODCASTS AS THESE TARGETED GROUPS ENGAGE WITH THAT MEDIUM VERY OFTEN. ON TOP OF THAT RESEARCH, IN 2023 PODCAST LISTENERS INCREASED TO 164 MILLION IN THE US AND LISTENERSHIP HAS INCREASED 60 PERCENT SINCE 2020. OF ALL PODCAST LISTENERS, ALMOST HALF (47 PERCENT) ARE AGED 12-34 YEARS 33 PERCENT ARE 35 TO 54-YEAR-OLDS AND THE REMAINING 20 PERCENT ARE AGED 55 YEARS. THE MAJORITY OF PODCAST LISTENERS ARE MALE (53 PERCENT). THESE STATISTICS LEND TO PODCASTING AND STREAMING ADS BEING A GOOD MARKETING INVESTMENT TO ACCOMPLISH R3. OUR EXPECTED OUTCOMES WILL BE THAT NEW PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED WITH THESE ADS TO TRY HUNTING AND THAT PEOPLE THAT USED TO HUNT ARE MOTIVATED TO PICK THE HOBBY BACK UP AGAIN. USING THE PSYCHOGRAPHIC NETWORK, A DATABASE OF LISTENERS THAT TRACKS DIGITAL INTERACTIONS OF USERS AND ALLOWS YOU TO TARGET PERSONAS, WE ARE ABLE TO TARGET THE PERSONAS IDENTIFIED. THEN USING PIXEL TRACKING WE CAN SEE WHICH PEOPLE WHO HEARD THESE MESSAGES ALSO PURCHASED A LICENSE INDICATING THAT THEY ARE PARTICIPATING IN HUNTING. THIS WILL ALSO MEASURE HOW EFFECTIVE THE ADS WERE AND WHICH AD WAS MOST EFFECTIVE. THE DELIVERABLES FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE SCRIPTS FOR ADS AS WELL AS RECORDINGS OF ADS THAT ANY STATE OR REGION CAN USE AS WELL AS A REPORT WITH A CASE STUDY FROM EACH STATE WITH ALL THE FINDINGS FROM PLACING THESE ADS IN 4 PILOT STATES, INCLUDING WHICH ADS RECRUITED OR REACTIVATED THE MOST HUNTERS. THE BENEFICIARIES OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE THE PEOPLE THAT DISCOVER OR REDISCOVER HUNTING. THE 4 PILOT STATES WILL BENEFIT THE MOST, BUT ALL STATES IN THE SOUTHEAST (OR ANYWHERE) WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS MARKETING CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THE ADS CREATED WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY STATE TO USE AT NO COST AND THE LESSONS LEARNED AND CAMPAIGN ENGAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS WILL BE SHARED WITH STAFF FROM EACH STATE. THE PILOT STATES WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE INCREASED PARTICIPATION. THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE RESEARCH FROM MULTISTATE GRANT F22AP01126. THE CASE STUDIES FROM EACH STATE STAND TO BENEFIT ANY STATE THAT LEARNS FROM THEM AND THEN MAY DECIDE TO UTILIZE THIS R3 TACTIC. THERE WILL BE ONE CONTRACTOR IN THIS GRANT THAT IS THE MARKETING FIRM THAT WILL BE PLACING THE ADS.

THE 2022 NATIONAL SURVEY OF FISHING, HUNTING AND WILDLIFE-ASSOCIATED RECREATION REPORTS 56% OF U.S. HUNTING DAYS TARGET BIG GAME, MOST OF WHICH ARE FOR DEER (ALL SUBSPECIES). DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES HAVE INCREASED OVER THE YEARS AS STATES HAVE SUPPORTED NEW HARVEST METHODS (MUZZLELOADER, BOW, CROSSBOW, ETC.) AND AS DEER POPULATIONS HAVE GROWN. HOWEVER, WHETHER OUT OF NECESSITY OR RESULTING FROM PUBLIC DEMAND, DEER MANAGEMENT DECISIONS INVOLVING OPPORTUNITY, CHRONIC WASTE DISEASE (CWD), AND ANTLER RESTRICTIONS MORE OFTEN IMPACT DEER HUNTING PARTICIPATION. BY HELPING STATES UNDERSTAND THE NEXUS BETWEEN DEER MANAGEMENT, DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES, PARTICIPATION, AND HUNTER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REACTIVATION (R3) EFFORTS, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP STATES R3 PROGRAMS BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE. ALSO, IMPROVED COORDINATION AND BETTER HUNTER DATA WILL HELP STATES INCREASE HUNTER SATISFACTION AND BETTER MEET TARGET HARVEST OBJECTIVES. THIS PROJECT WILL BEGIN BY GAINING INPUT FROM DEER MANAGERS AND STATE R3 LEADERS, THUS PROVIDING A FIRST STEP IN BETTER COORDINATING STATES R3 AND BIOLOGICAL EFFORTS. REGIONAL DEER MANAGEMENT AND R3 COMMITTEES WILL BE ENGAGED TO IDENTIFY KNOWLEDGE GAPS SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF DEER HUNTING LICENSES SOLD (USED AS AN INDICATOR OF PARTICIPATION) COMPARED TO ACTUAL PARTICIPATION, WEAPON PREFERENCE TRENDS, AND HOW REGULATORY AND DISEASE FACTORS MAY HAVE IMPACTED PARTICIPATION. THE SECOND PHASE WILL COLLECT INFORMATION FROM STATES TO FILL THESE GAPS AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. USING MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES, 20 YEARS OF LICENSE SALES WILL BE ANALYZED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF REGULATORY, DISEASE AND OTHER CHANGES ON DEER HUNTING PARTICIPATION. WE WILL ALSO SURVEY U.S. DEER HUNTERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW REGULATORY CHANGES TO DEER HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES HAS IMPACTED MOTIVATIONS AND EFFORT. THE FINAL PHASE WILL SHARE RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ACROSS ALL LEVELS OF STATE AGENCIES TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW STATES BIOLOGICAL AND R3 FUNCTIONS CAN BETTER WORK TOGETHER TO SUSTAIN AND GROW DEER HUNTING.

OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS MULTIPLE RESEARCH PROJECTS CENTERED AROUND NEW HUNTERS HAVE UNCOVERED THE SAME FIVE KNOWLEDGE GAPS AS BARRIERS TO NEW POTENTIAL HUNTERS. INTERNATIONAL HUNTER EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS STUDIES ON ADULT HUNTER EDUCATION GRADUATES, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INCORPORATEDS WORK WITH NEW HUNTERS SEEKING MENTORS AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INCORPORATEDS STUDIES ON NEW HUNTER PERSONAS AND THE JOURNEY NEW HUNTERS TAKE TO HUNTING WERE JUST A FEW OF THE PROJECTS TO UNCOVER ESSENTIALLY THE SAME LIST OF KNOWLEDGE GAPS: 1. UNDERSTANDING REGULATIONS, SEASONS, AND LICENSING. 2. LEARNING HOW TO FIELD DRESS AND PROCESS WILD GAME. 3. LEARNING FIREARM HANDLING. 4. FINDING SOMEWHERE TO HUNT AND UNDERSTANDING ACCESS TO HUNTING AREAS. 5. UNDERSTANDING GENERAL HUNTING TECHNIQUES AND PREY BEHAVIOR. WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS ARE NOT IN THE SAME ORDER FOR EVERY STUDY OR AUDIENCE SEGMENT, THESE SAME KNOWLEDGE GAPS PREVENT NEW ADULT HUNTERS FROM FEELING CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY HUNT. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP VIDEO LESSONS AND POWERPOINT DECKS FOR LIVE TRAINING FOR THE THREE KNOWLEDGE GAPS AS OF YET UNANSWERED BY THE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND REACTIVATION (R3) COMMUNITY. 1. UNDERSTANDING REGULATIONS, SEASONS, AND LICENSING. 2. LEARNING HOW TO FIELD DRESS AND PROCESS WILD GAME. 3. FINDING SOMEWHERE TO HUNT AND UNDERSTANDING ACCESS TO HUNTING AREAS THESE LESSONS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO STATE AGENCIES, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, OUTDOOR LEARNING CENTERS, AND OTHER R3-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS TO USE AND DISSEMINATE AMONG THEIR HUNTING AUDIENCES, AND FOR NEW PROSPECTIVE HUNTERS TO FIND ON THEIR OWN ON YOUTUBE. WE WILL ALSO BE CREATING PHOTOGRAPHY ASSETS DURING THE PRODUCTION OF GAME PROCESSING VIDEOS FOR SHARING WITH THE ENTIRE R3 COMMUNITY TO ASSIST IN TELLING THE STORY OF FOOD AS THE CENTER OF THE MOTIVATION FOR HUNTING.

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR HUNTING CONTINUES TO DECLINE, AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OFTEN MISUNDERSTANDS THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND IT. FORTUNATELY, RESEARCHINCLUDING THE 2025 AMERICANS ATTITUDES TOWARD HUNTING AND SPORT SHOOTING SURVEYSHOWS THAT MOST AMERICANS STRONGLY APPROVE OF HUNTING WHEN IT IS DONE TO PROCURE FOOD. AT THE SAME TIME, THEY DISAPPROVE OF TROPHY HUNTING OR HUNTING THEY PERCEIVE AS UNETHICAL. THIS PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY: ALIGNING HUNTING MORE VISIBLY WITH FOOD-BASED MOTIVATIONS COULD HELP REVERSE THE DOWNWARD TREND IN SUPPORT. IN 2022, THE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE RECEIVED A MULTISTATE CONSERVATION GRANT FOR A PROJECT TITLED CONNECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES TO HUNTING AND FISHING THROUGH FOOD. THAT PROJECT TURNED 15 WILD GAME COOKING RECIPES FROM GLOBAL CUISINES INTO SHAREABLE PHOTO AND VIDEO ASSETS. TWO OF THE 15 RECIPES UTILIZED VENISON. MANY STATE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING NATIONAL DEER ASSOCIATION (NDA) HAVE USED THOSE RECIPES TO TELL THE STORY OF HUNTING THROUGH FOOD. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON THE PAST SUCCESSFUL GRANT BY FOCUSING ON THE NUMBER ONE MEAT THAT IS USED IN WILD GAME HUNTING: VENISON. THIS NEW PROJECT, A TASTE OF CONSERVATION, BUILDS DIRECTLY UPON THAT PRIOR EFFORT BY PRODUCING 15 ADDITIONAL VENISON RECIPES THAT ARE SIMPLE, APPROACHABLE, AND UNIVERSALLY APPEALING. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS PRIMARILY ON VENISON BECAUSE IT PROVIDES MORE MEALS THAN ALL THE OTHER GAME MEAT COMBINED. WITH THE SIX MILLION DEER HARVESTED A YEAR, ABOUT 1.2 BILLION MEALS ARE PROVIDED IF YOU ASSUME A QUARTER POUND OF MEAT PER MEAL. WILD TURKEY ONLY PROVIDES ABOUT THREE MILLION MEALS, AND ELK PROVIDES 191 MILLION MEALS. DEER IS KING OF GAME MEAT HARVESTED AND WILL BE THE MOST ENGAGED WITH CONTENT. RECIPES WILL USE EASY-TO-FIND INGREDIENTS AND COOKING METHODS ACCESSIBLE TO MOST HOUSEHOLDS. ALL CONTENT WILL BE DESIGNED TO PRESENT HUNTING AND VENISON IN A BEAUTIFUL, FLAVORFUL, AND RELATABLE WAY. THE PROJECT WILL USE MODERN, TRENDING VIDEO STYLES, MOUTH-WATERING PHOTOS, AND STRAIGHTFORWARD RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS THAT APPEAL TO NON-HUNTERS AND THE AVERAGE HOME COOK. SHORT VIDEOS LIKE THOSE FROM BUZZFEEDS TASTY CHANNEL RECEIVE OVER 500 MILLION VIEWS PER MONTH. WHEN BOTH HUNTERS AND ANGLERS WERE SURVEYED, ASKING WHAT FORMAT SETTING THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING INSTRUCTION, BOTH HUNTERS AND ANGLERS SELECTED SHORT INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS (1-3 MINUTES IN LENGTH) AS ONE OF THE TOP CATEGORIES, HIGHER THAN LONGER VIDEOS, IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING, WEBINARS, OR WRITTEN CONTENT. ALL ASSETS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED VIA THE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND REACTIVATION (R3) CLEARINGHOUSE AND MADE FREELY AVAILABLE TO STATE FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES. VIDEOS WILL INCLUDE SPACE AT THE END FOR AGENCIES TO INSERT THEIR OWN LOGOS, WEBSITES, OR CALLS TO ACTION. NDA WILL ALSO PROMOTE THE MATERIALS NATIONALLY THROUGH ITS BLOG, NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, AND PAID ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. KNOWING FROM THE RESEARCH THAT THE TYPICAL HUNTER BOUGHT A LICENSE IN 2.8 OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND ONLY 13% OF HUNTERS BOUGHT A LICENSE IN EACH OF THE LAST 10 YEARS, THERES A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO RETAIN MORE HUNTERS AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF HUNTERS, HUNT DEER. THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE 2026 ASSOCIATION OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AGENCIES (AFWA) STRATEGIC PRIORITY OF R3 MARKETING AND IS DESIGNED TO HELP RETAIN HUNTERS BY INCREASING THEIR ARSENAL OF WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR HARVESTED VENISON AND TO NORMALIZE FOOD-BASED HUNTING IN THE PUBLIC EYE BY USING THE UNIVERSALLY UNDERSTOOD AND EMOTIONALLY RESONANT MEDIUM OF FOOD.

IN NORTH AMERICA, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HUNT AND PURCHASE HUNTING LICENSES HAS BEEN DECLINING OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES. THERE IS ALSO LESS PUBLIC SUPPORT OVERALL FOR HUNTING, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS CONSIDERED TROPHY HUNTING. YET, LONG-TERM SURVEY DATA (RESPONSIVE MANAGEMENT ET AL., 2025) SHOWS THAT PUBLIC APPROVAL OF HUNTING FOR MEAT (81%) AND LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD (80%) REMAINS VERY HIGH. A WEAKNESS FOR THE HUNTING ADVOCACY COMMUNITY AND RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND REACTIVATION (R3) EFFORT IS WE CANNOT VERIFY NUTRITIONAL CLAIMS ABOUT GAME MEAT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTIVATION HUNTING FOR MEAT. CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE NUTRITION CONTENT DATA FOR WILD WHITE-TAILED DEER MEAT IN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURES (USDA) NATIONAL NUTRIENT DATABASE, FOODDATA CENTRAL, WHICH IS USED FOR STANDARD REFERENCE FOR HUMAN NUTRITION. TO LEVERAGE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE TO HUNT FOR HEALTHY, LOCALLY SOURCED MEAT AND R3, WE NEED TO FILL THE INFORMATION GAP ON THE NUTRITION CONTENT OF WILD WHITE-TAILED DEER MEAT. MEAT IS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF DIETARY PROTEIN AND ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS IN THE HUMAN DIET. CONSUMER DEMAND FOR HEALTHY, LEAN MEAT IS RISING, WITH THE DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS RECOMMENDING MEAT AND POULTRY CONSUMPTION FROM LEAN, NON-PROCESSED FORMS. AMERICANS ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN CONSUMING LOCAL, GRASS-FED MEAT THAT IS NOT FACTORY FARMED. MANY RECENT BOOKS, WEBSITES, PODCASTS, RECIPE BLOGS, AND TELEVISION SHOWS HIGHLIGHT HUNTING FOR HEALTHY FOOD, YET AMBIGUITIES AND UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN CONCERNING THE NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF THESE FOODS. WHITE-TAILED DEER IS VERY POPULAR TO HUNT AND CONSUME IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT IT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED IN FOODDATA CENTRAL. THE CLOSEST SPECIES LISTED TO WHITE-TAILED DEER IS GENERIC DEER MEAT WHICH IS FARM-RAISED DEER OR WILD HARVESTED SITKA DEER FOUND IN ALASKA, AND NOT WHITE-TAILED DEER. THROUGH THIS GRANT, WE AIM TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ON WHITE-TAILED DEER MEAT AND INCLUDE THIS DATA IN USDAS FOODDATA CENTRAL NUTRITIONAL DATABASE TO SUBSTANTIATE HUNTING FOR HEALTHY MEAT AS PART OF R3. THE NATIONAL DEER ASSOCIATION (NDA), ALONG WITH CORNELL UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION, AND USDAS HUMAN NUTRITION RESEARCH CENTER WILL COLLABORATE ON THIS PROJECT TO COLLECT WHITE-TAILED DEER SAMPLES, USE LABORATORY PROTOCOLS TO ANALYZE THE MEAT FOR NUTRIENT CONTENT, AND PUBLISH THIS NUTRITION INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS. NDA IS A RESPECTED RESOURCE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT WHITE-TAILED DEER AND HAS TRAINED PROFESSIONALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE ABLE TO COLLECT LEGALLY HARVESTED DEER DURING THE HUNTING SEASONS IN DIFFERENT REGIONS. NDA WILL COORDINATE THIS GRANT AND HELP DISSEMINATE FINDINGS FROM THIS WORK. CORNELL UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION HAS LED THE CHARGE IN COLLECTING WILD GAME AND FISH SAMPLES FOR INCLUSION IN THE USDA NUTRITIONAL DATABASE WITH BROOK TROUT, CANADA GOOSE, RUFFED GROUSE, AND EASTERN WILD TURKEY MEAT. THE TIDBALL LAB IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES HAS RESEARCHED, WRITTEN, AND SPOKEN AT LARGE CONFERENCES ABOUT LEVERAGING THE LOCAVORE MOVEMENT FOR R3 EFFORTS. THEY WILL COORDINATE WITH USDA TO ESTABLISH A RESEARCH PROTOCOL FOR INCLUSION OF WHITE-TAILED DEER MEAT INTO THE DATABASE AND WORK ON PUBLISHING THE FINDINGS. USDAS HUMAN RESEARCH CENTER WILL PROCESS THE MEAT AND CONDUCT THE NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS. THEY WILL CONDUCT THE LABORATORY WORK TO ESTABLISH CALORIES, FAT CONTENT, VITAMIN, MINERAL, AND CHOLESTEROL CONTENT FOR A SERVING SIZE OF WHITE-TAILED DEER MEAT. THEY WILL INCLUDE THE FINDINGS IN FOODDATA CENTRAL FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION ALONG WITH NUTRITIONAL PROFESSIONALS. THIS STRONG COLLABORATIVE TEAM AND THE NUTRITIONAL FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL HELP PROMOTE HUNTING FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL MEAT AS PART OF R3 EFFORTS AND TO HELP IMPROVE THE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF HUNTING, WHICH ULTIMATELY IMPACTS CONSERVATION OF THE SPECIES.

CONSERVATION DELIVERY AT THE NEXUS OF GAME MANAGEMENT AND LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY: STRATEGIC USE OF DEER MANAGEMENT COOPERATIVES IN HABITAT NETWORKS