Every state wildlife agency is committed to increasing participation, getting more of their citizens in the field with a fishing rod or hunting rifle in their hands.

Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation (OSCF) has identified the need to form a coalition of state wildlife agencies, NGO’s, media, industry manufacturers and retailers to work together to develop and communicate messages that promote the positive contributions of Hunters, Anglers, Trappers and Shooters (HATS).

For years, when former hunters and anglers were asked why they stopped hunting or fishing, they often cited a lack of access to places to hunt and fish. Maybe an upstate relative sold the family farm, or the neighbor’s woodlot where they had been given permission for years was sold to a housing developer.

While our nation’s founders fought for freedom from tyranny and oppressive taxation, personal liberty was at the core of America’s origin story.

The foundation of our shooting and hunting industry is a population of Americans who know how to safely and responsibly use firearms, and happily, there has never been a better time to become a safe, knowledgeable, and proficient recreational shooter.

This Labor Day, as we salute the passing of another summer and celebrate the American workers who are the real heroes of our economy, pause to consider the economic and job- creation engine that the outdoor industry provides the nation.

In a previous OICC installment, we detailed the $80 billion annual contribution the firearms industry makes to the national economy. But the industry is composed of people, each contributing their skills, knowledge, and time to a particular task. We wanted to get to know one of the people whose work—and work ethic—is responsible for the industry's horsepower.

I just picked up a box of Remington upland game loads, 12 gauge #6 shot, high-base ounce- and-a-quarter shells that should take me through prairie grouse season and right up to the beginning of Montana's pheasant season in a couple weeks.

By Andrew McKean

Gwen and I have almost nothing in common, besides sharing a hometown and a love of words. She's maybe 20 years younger than I am, tattooed, and has spent most of her life indoors.

As the modularity, versatility, accessibility, and in many cases affordability, of AR-platform rifles has become more widely recognized over the past decade, so too has the popularity of the platform grown for hunting.