The Basic Hunter Education and Safety and Hunter Recruitment and Recreational Shooter Recruitment subprogram, and the Enhanced Hunter Education and Safety Program, provide Federal funding to for hunter education programs.
This information applies to:
Basic Hunter Education and Safety Subprogram and Hunter Recruitment and Recreational Shooter Recruitment and the Enhanced Hunter Education and Safety Program
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Background
The Hunter Education and Safety (HE) Program was created in 1970, when Congress amended PR to allow a portion of the funding to be used for hunter education and safety programs. Projects must have objectives related to one or more of the following: hunter and sporting firearm safety programs; hunter development programs; the enhancement of interstate coordination and development of hunter education and shooting range programs; archery ranges, and the updating of safety features of firearm shooting ranges and archery ranges. In 2000, Congress approved the Enhanced Hunter Education program that directs additional resources to this effort.[1] In December 2019, the Modernizing PR Act added a definition eligible activities for "R3" to the Wildlife Restoration Act:
16 U.S.C. 669a(3):the term ”hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment” means any activity or project to recruit or retain hunters and recreational shooters, including by
(A) outreach and communications as a means
(i) to improve communications with hunters, recreational shooters, and the general public with respect to hunting and recreational shooting opportunities;
(ii) to reduce barriers to participation in these activities;
(iii) to advance the adoption of sound hunting and recreational shooting practices;
(iv) to promote conservation and the responsible use of the wildlife resources of the United States; and
(v) to further safety in hunting and recreational shooting;
(B) providing education, mentoring, and field demonstrations;
(C) enhancing access for hunting and recreational shooting, including through range construction; and
(D) providing education to the public about the role of hunting and recreational shooting in funding wildlife conservation.
Overview
Broadly, the Hunter Education Program (Basic Hunter Education and Hunter Recruitment and Recreational Shooter Recruitment Subprogram and the Enhanced Education Program) provides grant funds to the states and insular area fish and wildlife agencies for projects to provide instruction in firearm operations and safety, wildlife management, nature conservation, ethics, game laws, outdoor survival and wilderness first aid. Funds may also be used for Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation of hunters and recreational shooters (R3), and for the development and operations of archery and shooting range facilities. The goal is to teach students to be safe, responsible, conservation-minded hunters. Most States require completion of a hunter education course prior to purchasing a hunting license.[2]
Authorities
50 CFR 80 Administrative Requirements, Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Acts
§ 80.50 What activities are eligible for funding under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act?
The following activities are eligible for funding in these programs and subprograms under the Wildlife Restoration Act:...
(b) Basic Hunter Education and Safety subprogram and Hunter Recruitment and Recreational Shooter Recruitment.
(1) The following activities are eligible under the Basic Hunter Education and Safety subprogram for activities authorized at 16 U.S.C. 669g(b):
(i) Teaching the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be a responsible hunter.
(ii) Developing and improving access to public target ranges by:
(A) Acquiring real property suitable or capable of being made suitable for public target ranges, including through licenses or third-party binding agreements that provide assurances for public access (see § 80.58).
(B) Constructing, upgrading, or restoring public target ranges to a useful condition.
(C) Operating or maintaining public target ranges.
(D) Acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing public target ranges as 90/10/5 projects following §§ 80.60 and 80.62.
(E) Constructing, operating, or maintaining educational facilities to support Hunter Education.
(2) The following activities are eligible when directly supporting recruiting, retaining, or reactivating hunters or recreational shooters (R3), as authorized at 16 U.S.C. 669c(c)(4).
(i) Communicating with hunters, recreational shooters, and the public about hunting and recreational shooting and associated opportunities by:
(A) Promoting conservation and the responsible use of the wildlife resources of the United States as part of an effort to recruit, retain, or reactivate hunters or recreational shooters.
(B) Promoting a State's R3 program, special events, and opportunities.
(C) Providing outreach on public target range availability, access, and locations.
(D) Marketing, publications, press releases, and media relations for content directly related to R3 activities.
(ii) Interpreting, translating, printing, or disseminating published State hunting regulations to inform and educate the public about their responsibilities to comply with laws, orders, and regulations.
(iii) Using a State fish and wildlife agency's website, cell phone or software products, online support systems, or other appropriate communication tools to engage the public in activities supporting a State's R3 efforts (see § 80.55(c) for exclusions related to income-producing activities).
(iv) Supporting the scope and impact of a State's R3 program by:
(A) Reducing barriers to hunting and recreational shooting opportunities;
(B) Furthering safety in hunting and recreational shooting;
(C) Providing education, mentoring, field demonstrations, and other similar opportunities to recruit, retain, or reactivate hunters or recreational shooters;
(D) Constructing, operating, or maintaining educational facilities to the extent they support R3 activities;
(E) Supporting programs for hunting or recreational shooting that have been developed or are delivered by other entities; and
(F) Offering activities that support R3 for youth and beginner hunters or recreational shooters, such as R3 camps and mentoring programs.
(v) Constructing, operating, or maintaining public target ranges, including mobile public target ranges.
(vi) Educating the public about the role of hunting and recreational shooting in funding wildlife conservation.
(vii) Supplying services that support R3 activities, such as hunt guides, trainers for shooting, and celebrity endorsements.
(viii) Acquiring supplies that enhance the experience and skills for hunters and recreational shooters.
(ix) Engaging in other allowable activities that directly support recruiting, retaining, or reactivating hunters or recreational shooters.
(c) Enhanced Hunter Education and Safety program. The following activities are eligible under Enhanced Hunter Education and Safety for activities authorized at 16 U.S.C. 669h-1:
(1) Enhancing programs for hunter education, hunter development, and firearm and archery safety. Hunter-development programs introduce individuals to and recruit them to take part in hunting, bow hunting, target shooting, or archery.
(2) Enhancing interstate coordination and developing hunter-education and public target range programs.
(3) Enhancing programs for education, safety, or development of firearm and bow hunters and recreational shooters.
(4) Enhancing development, construction, upgrades, rehabilitation, and improved safety features at public target ranges.
(5) Acquiring real property suitable or capable of being made suitable for public target ranges.
(6) Enhancing operation and maintenance of public target ranges.
(7) Enhancing access for hunting and recreational shooting opportunities.
(8) Acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing public target ranges following the regulations at § 80.60.
(9) Enhancing the hunter and recreational shooter R3 activities listed at paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the recruitment and retention of hunters and recreational shooters (R3) eligible for funding for the three subprograms of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act: Wildlife Restoration, Basic Hunter Education and Enhanced Hunter Education?
Yes. Examples of eligible activities that support recruitment and retention efforts include, but are not limited to, the following:
Wildlife Restoration - carry out research and surveys that assess trends in hunter participation, including recruitment and retention, socio-economic studies and barriers to hunting; acquire, lease or manage lands to increase hunting opportunity; develop facilities to support hunters, hunting and wildlife-related recreation; and conduct tests to evaluate the results of recruitment and retention techniques.
Basic Hunter Education -assess the effectiveness of basic and advanced hunter education programs on recruiting and retaining participants; develop and implement model recruitment and retention programs provided the activities involve teaching skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be a responsible hunter; improve public access to hunter education materials and courses; acquire land, construct and operate firearm and archery ranges; acquire, develop and maintain hunter education facilities; and provide technical assistance to target range operators.
Enhanced Hunter Education - develop and implement model recruitment and retention programs; offer shooting skills development programs, such as Archery in the Schools and Scholastic Clays that introduce individuals to the shooting sports; develop and sponsor exhibits at outreach events; increase opportunities for recreational shooting, such as mobile shooting clays and live fire exercises; acquire and maintain facilities that encourage hunting, firearms and archery activities; and communicate positive hunting messages through media.
What if Basic HE funds are not fully obligated during the period of availability?
The Service may use unobligated funds to carry out the Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715 et seq.).
What if Enhanced HE funds are not fully obligated during the period of availability?
The Service reapportions unobligated funds to eligible States as Wildlife Restoration funds for the following fiscal year. States are eligible to receive unobligated Enhanced HE funds only if their Basic HE funds were fully obligated in the preceding fiscal year for eligible Basic HE activities as listed above and according to 50 CFR § 80.50(b).
What if Basic HE funds are fully obligated during the period of availability?
If Basic Hunter Education funds are fully obligated for eligible Basic HE activities as listed above and according to 50 CFR § 80.50(b), the agency may use that fiscal year’s Enhanced Hunter Education funds for eligible activities related to Basic Hunter Education, Enhanced Hunter Education, or the Wildlife Restoration program. (50 CFR 80.60)
What if Enhanced HE funds are fully obligated during the period of availability?
No special provisions apply. (50 CFR 80.60)
May an activity be eligible for funding if it is not explicitly eligible in this part?
Yes. An activity may be eligible for funding even if the regulations in this part do not explicitly designate it as an eligible activity if:
(a) The State fish and wildlife agency justifies in the project statement how the activity will help carry out the purposes of the program or subprogram under the Wildlife Restoration Act or the Sport Fish Restoration Act;
(b) The activities are allowable under 2 CFR part 200; and
(c) The Regional Director concurs with the justification.
(50 CFR 80.53)
Are costs of State central services eligible for funding? (50 CFR 80.54)
Yes. Administrative costs in the form of overhead or indirect costs for State central services outside of the State fish and wildlife agency are eligible for funding under the Acts and must follow an approved cost-allocation plan. These expenses must not exceed 3 percent of the funds apportioned annually to the State under the Acts.
What activities are ineligible for funding? (50 CFR 80.55)
The following activities are ineligible for funding under the Acts, except when necessary to carry out project purposes approved by the Regional Director:
(a) Law enforcement activities (see definition at § 80.2).
(b) The formal administrative process for establishing State fish and wildlife agency regulations. This process:
(1) Begins when boards, commissions, or other policymakers receive information and recommendations from State fish and wildlife agencies and use this input to develop and implement public policy.
(2) Involves official filing and publication of regulations, including State administrative procedures to officially adopt rules and laws to meet authoritative requirements.
(3) Includes printing and distributing the official code of regulations, or State equivalent, except as provided for under §§ 80.50(b)(2)(ii) and 80.51(d)(2) (which pertains to the agency's interpretive guides and regulatory resources for the public) for the purposes of R3.
(c) License sales and other activities conducted for the primary purpose of producing income. These activities include processes and procedures directly related to the sale of items listed at § 80.20(a).
(d) Activities, projects, or programs that promote or encourage opposition to the regulated taking of fish, hunting, or the trapping of wildlife.
(e) Activities or projects that do not provide public access when access is a purpose of the funding or an objective of the award (see § 80.58).
Learning Aids
Related Pages
WSFR Quick Reference Guides - Hunter Education Programs
Resources
References
- US Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, WSFR, 2014, wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/AboutUs/WSFRProgramBrochure2014.pdf.
- “USFWS-WSFR Hunter Education Program.” Official Web page of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, wsfrprograms.fws.gov/subpages/grantprograms/huntered/he.htm.
