Study Reveals Public Support Levels for Hunting and Sport Shooting

Public support for hunting and sport shooting in the United States remains strong, but highly conditional, according to the 2025 Americans’ Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting report, a new national study conducted by Responsive Management for the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS).

With 2,212 completed interviews collected through a scientifically rigorous survey, the new study reveals that Americans are most likely to approve of hunting and shooting when motivated by food, conservation, or safety.

“The results confirm that Americans largely understand the value of ethical hunting and shooting sports,” said Steven Leath, PhD, Executive Director of the CAHSS. “But they also remind us that intention matters and maintaining public trust requires continuous outreach and education. We can’t take support for granted.”

Among the key findings: 73% of Americans approve of legal regulated hunting, and 74% approve of sport shooting for recreational purposes. However, approval rates dropped sharply for trophy hunting and high-fenced or captive animal harvest. These insights provide a roadmap for policymakers, conservation leaders, and educators aiming to align messaging and programs with public sentiment.

“This data set gives us clarity,” said Scott Lavin, Director of Research & Partnerships for CAHSS. “Whether you’re designing policy, funding outreach, or running a recruitment, retention, reactivation (R3) program, it’s essential to understand where the public stands and why.”

In addition to topline results, the report offers a detailed trend analysis comparing attitudes over time and across demographic and geographic segments. This layered approach allows agencies and partners to identify where shifts in public opinion are occurring and adjust strategies accordingly.

The CAHSS views this research as a strategic tool for advocacy and planning. With pressures mounting on outdoor access, gun rights, and conservation funding, understanding the social landscape is more important than ever. As Lavin put it, “We’re committed to ensuring this data informs real action, not just conversation.”

The full report, "Americans' Attitudes Toward Hunting and Sport Shooting 2025," is available for download by clicking here.

Scheels and ATA Partner on Archery Staff Training Program

On June 3, the Archery Trade Association participated in Scheels Archery Tech University, a weeklong training program that brings together Scheels archery technicians from locations across the country. Participants spent time further developing their skills under the guidance of industry experts and manufacturer representatives.

For the first time in program history, Scheels students also took part in the ATA Bow Technician Certification program. Before arriving on-site, they completed online coursework. During the in-person session, students demonstrated their skills by completing a hands-on practical assessment, which required participants to perform a full bow setup, including string and cable changes, cam timing, accessory installation and finishing with a successful paper tune.

Designed to raise the standard across the country, ATA's Bow Technician Certification ensures technicians have the knowledge and ability to confidently service compound, crossbow and recurve bows. The practical assessment is intentionally challenging, ensuring only qualified technicians earn their certification. At this event, 24 of 26 bow technicians passed the assessment on their first attempt, closely aligning with the program’s 95% pass rate. This brings the ATA’s total number of certified compound bow technicians to 154 and 28 for crossbow technicians.

Scheels’ decision to include the ATA Bow Technician Certification program reflects their commitment to providing customers with high-quality, standardized service in every store. Leading manufacturers like Mathews and FeraDyne Outdoors have also endorsed ATA’s certification program as a foundational requirement for new retailers interested in selling their archery products.

Visit the ATA Bow Technician Certification program, available to both members and nonmembers, to learn more, view upcoming assessment dates and enroll. Attending the 2026 ATA Show? This is also a great opportunity to complete the practical assessment, while reducing travel expenses. Space is limited, so register early to reserve your spot.

For questions about the program or upcoming practicals, contact Kurt Smith, ATA’s director of industry relations, at kurtsmith@archerytrade.org.

Mike Schlegel Receives Pope and Young’s Lee Gladfelter Memorial Award

On April 10 in Phoenix, Arizona, Mike Schlegel was awarded the Lee Gladfelter Memorial Award at the 34th Biennial Pope and Young Convention. This award recognizes a wildlife professional who, through their efforts, has made a significant contribution to bowhunting and wildlife conservation.

In 1965, Schlegel graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor of science degree in fish and wildlife management. He went on to receive his master’s degree in fish and wildlife management from OSU in 1969.

Schlegel’s lengthy career with the Idaho Department of Fish & Game started in 1970 when he was a conservation officer for ID F&G. In 1971, he became the research biologist assigned to the Lochsa Elk Ecology Project. His study on calf elk survival, showing that predation by black bears was the major cause of calf mortality, was instrumental in changing elk management in Idaho.

He presented seminars on this research at the University of Idaho, Washington State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Montana. He represented the ID Dept. of F&G on the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Gray Wolf Recovery Team.

Schlegel was the primary ungulate capture biologist for ID F&G, capturing mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion and caribou in Canada to supplement the caribou herd in northern Idaho.

From 1983 to 1996, he was promoted to wildlife manager in McCall, Idaho, where he monitored all the above species. He retired from ID F&G in 1996, but he didn’t retire from wildlife work. Since 1996, Schlegel’s worked for several helicopter companies conducting animal capture projects, worked on a five-year Idaho power dam relicensing project in which he captured and attached transmitter collars on 125 mule deer.

Until 2023, he was a member of the instructor staff for Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow. This organization conducts workshops for college students and professionals in the wildlife field who do not hunt or fish. Also, in 2023 he was a co-author of the book “The Lochsa Elk Herd.”

Schlegel began bowhunting in 1954 and has hunted with a bow for 70 years using a longbow, recurve and compound. Schlegel is a senior member of Pope and Young, a measurer and associate editor for P&Y’s Ethic quarterly magazine. He was P&Y conservation chair from 2004-2014, and a board director from 2019-2020.

Schlegel is a life member of the Professional Bowhunters Society and served on their conservation committee for several years. He’s also a member of Compton Traditional Bowhunters, Idaho State Bowhunters and Idaho Traditional Bowhunters.

Chuck Sykes Named Executive Director of the CAHSS

The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) has named Chuck Sykes as its new executive director, effective July 1, 2025. With decades of experience in wildlife management, conservation, and hunter education, Sykes brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the role.

“Chuck Sykes is exactly the right person, at the right point in time, to take the CAHSS to the next level,” said Mark Tisa, Ph.D., chair of the CAHSS board. “Chuck’s passion for hunting, shooting, and the outdoors embodies this Council’s mission.”

Sykes has served as the director of wildlife and freshwater fisheries at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since December 2012. A lifelong conservationist, he has been deeply engaged in hunting, fishing, and wildlife management from an early age in his home state of Alabama. His extensive field experience, combined with his formal education, has shaped a career dedicated to advancing responsible natural resource stewardship.

A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in wildlife biology, Sykes founded a full-service natural resource consulting firm in 1999, managing hundreds of thousands of acres nationwide. In 2001, he launched “The Management Advantage,” a pioneering television program on the Outdoor Channel that focused on wildlife management and habitat restoration. The show aired for 11 years, educating landowners and the public on sustainable conservation practices.

“It’s an honor to be named executive director of the CAHSS,” said Sykes. “The organization provides important leadership and training for Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) professionals, playing a vital role in protecting the future of hunting and the shooting sports, and I’m proud to help carry that mission forward. I’ve spent my life working to conserve wildlife and pass along our hunting and recreational shooting heritage, and I look forward to working with partners across the country to strengthen that legacy for generations to come.”

Sykes has been a leader in promoting hunting participation and firearm education, spearheading programs such as the Alabama Adult Mentored Hunting Program, the Go Fish Alabama Program, and Firearms 101 Courses. His commitment to preserving America’s hunting heritage and fostering new generations of hunters aligns with the CAHSS mission to protect and advance hunting and shooting sports.

In addition to his extensive conservation work, Sykes has held numerous leadership positions within the industry, including serving as past president and current executive committee member of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, past president and current executive committee member of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, past chair of the Alabama Natural Resources Council, past civilian co-chair of the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS), and AFWA representative to the International Hunter Education Association. Notably, he also previously served as chair of the CAHSS, bringing a deep understanding of the organization’s goals and initiatives.

“I’ve watched the CAHSS grow under the leadership of past executive directors over the past decade,” said Sykes. “John Frampton guided the organization through some tough early years, and Dr. Leath helped secure stable funding and took the R3 community to new heights. I certainly have big shoes to fill, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Succeeding Dr. Steven Leath, Sykes takes the helm of a CAHSS that has grown stronger, more visible, and more capable of advancing its mission to support the future of hunting and shooting sports under Leath’s four years of dedicated leadership and forward-thinking guidance.

The CAHSS looks forward to Sykes’ leadership as it continues to advocate for wildlife conservation, hunting participation and shooting sports.

Steve Hall Rejoins NBEF Board of Directors

The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) recently elected Steve Hall to its board of directors. Hall was previously president of the International Hunters Education Association (IHEA) and served 10 years as a board member of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation.

Steve Hall retired from Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) in 2011 after serving two years as assistant hunter education coordinator, and 24 years as outreach and education director. He then served as executive director of the Texas State Rifle Association and IHEA, prior to going back to TPW in 2015 as hunter education coordinator. Currently, he is on the Ashby Bowhunting Foundation board, where he also has been honored with the Ashby Award. Other honors include hall of fame for both TPW and IHEA, and NBEF’s Hunter Education Coordinator of the Year.

“We are so happy to welcome Steve back to NBEF’s board of directors,” explained Marilyn Bentz, NBEF executive director. ”His dedication to hunter ed, bowhunter education and instructor training is noteworthy as both a professional and as a volunteer. We look forward to his contributions to our mission.”

“I’m thrilled to be back on the NBEF board contributing to the safe, legal and ethical behaviors of bowhunters,” shared Hall. “We strive to do things in the right way — following safe and ethical practices, selecting the right equipment and gear, practicing a lot, taking lethal shots and taking care of the game from field to fork. To preserve our hunting heritage, we must all work to maintain a high hunting standard. Taking hunter and bowhunter education courses helps us all reach that standard.”