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Wisconsin Youth Hunting Bill Cears Senate Panel





Legislation permitting parents in Wisconsin to decide when their kids will begin to hunt is one step closer to becoming law.

On Jan. 11, the Senate Natural Resources and Transportation Committee approved AB 586 by a 4-1 margin. The vote followed a hearing on youth hunting, which included testimony from Rob Sexton, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) vice president for government affairs, as well as other hunting activists, hunter education volunteers and parents.

Assembly Bill 586, sponsored by Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, creates an apprentice license program. The program would permit parents to introduce their children to hunting under restricted circumstances before the completion of a hunter education course. The bill requires that the child be at least eight years old. Current Wisconsin law states that hunting may not begin until age twelve.

Research commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the USSA conclusively demonstrates that high age restrictions result in poor hunting recruitment numbers. The research compelled the organizations to launch Families Afield, a program designed to work with hunters and elected officials concerning the impact of highly restrictive age limits on the sport of hunting. Wisconsin is a priority state because its hunting recruitment rate is among the lowest in the nation.

Pennsylvania recently became the first state to pass Families Afield legislation. A similar bill is also pending in Ohio.

"Hunting is a tradition passed from parent to child, and when you restrict the age at which a young person can enter the woods, you interfere with that tradition," said Bill Torhorst, vice president of the NWTF board of directors from Wisconsin. "This law gives families another opportunity to strengthen their ties, while at the same time removing barriers for youth hunting."

To assure the success of Families Afield in Wisconsin, the USSA is working with the Wisconsin State Chapter of the NWTF, Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, Wisconsin Chapters of Safari Club International and the National Rifle Association.

The committee vote clears the way for the bill to go to the Senate.
US Sportmens Alliance on Target

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