Hudson Rod, Gun, and Archery Club

Emphasizing projects designed to reactivate lapsed hunters, introduce more youngsters to hunting and evaluate previously funded efforts, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has awarded Hunting Heritage Partnership grants to seven state wildlife agencies and, for the first time, the regional Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The first comprehensive survey to look at ownership and use of modern sporting rifles reveals that 8.9 million Americans went target shooting with AR-style rifles in 2009 and that participants using this type of rifle were the most active among all types of sport shooters.

Plant a sapling and, in time, it will bear much fruit. That's the way to look at Families Afield, a program launched in 2004 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation to reduce states' regulatory barriers to youth hunting. Now firmly rooted in 29 states that have passed legislation lowering barriers to youth hunting, the program is producing bushels of new, young hunters. Families Afield's latest report shows that from 2005 through 2009 more than 388,000 apprentice hunting licenses have been sold, based on 24 states reporting their license sales numbers. As the tree grows, the yield becomes greater: An increase of 100,000 apprentice hunting licenses occurred in 2009 alone.

Warmer weather and more hours of daylight make spring the perfect time to introduce youngsters to the shooting sports. To help get children properly started in these safe, adult-supervised and fun activities, parents have many programs from which to choose.

A new National Shooting Sports Foundation poll conducted by Harris Interactive found that more Americans are target shooting now than six months ago, and that "home and personal defense" were the main reasons Americans recently purchased firearms. The poll also showed that 43 percent of respondents, which equates to nearly 98 million people, expressed some level of interest in participating in the shooting sports or hunting.