“r3”

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearm industry, has opened the application period for the 2025 Hunting Heritage Trust Grants. They offer a total of $100,000 in financial support for programs that work to expand participation in hunting and the shooting sports.

Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations can submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters. Application deadline is May 1 and the maximum grant allowed is $3,000.

The guide is now available for use by practitioners working in the fields of hunting and shooting sports to aid their efforts in recruiting, retaining and reactivating (R3) hunters, target shooters and other outdoor recreationists.

Grants from Wildlife Habitat Canada have been awarded to Delta Waterfowl to bolster the organization’s Hen House program, as well as HunteR3 recruitment and advocacy efforts.

The NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum will help FHF, a national R3 organization, develop free, online interactive training mentors may use to recruit, train and retain new hunters.

Whether we merely drive across the state or plan a lavish safari to parts unknown, hunting affords us the chance to travel mentally and physically. As we actively recruit and reactivate hunters, it’s important to retain our own zeal for the hunt, for when it comes to refreshment there is no substitute for new game and new ground.

The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce that over 100,000 hunters have completed the award-winning, free NRA Hunter Education online course since its inception in 2017.

The 2022 National R3 Symposium wrapped up last week in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The 220 participants representing over 100 different organizations with an interest in hunting and shooting sports were the first to lay eyes on data released from the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (Council), documenting a slight decrease in hunting license sales in 2021.

As we celebrate 150 years of the NRA and reflect on the progress generated by NRA hunter members over the years, let us also acknowledge that our once widely accepted pastime is being pushed to the fringes then commit to recruiting others to “Join the Hunt.”