Preserving the Hunting Tradition Among African American Community
Research Poster Social & Behavioral Sciences 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Ezekiel Adesawe
Exhibition Number 35
Abstract
Hunting plays a vital role in U.S. culture, economy, and wildlife management. However, African Americans remain underrepresented in the hunting population, with limited research exploring their experiences, constraints, and perceptions. This study employed an exploratory focus group design to develop a deeper understanding of African American hunters’ experiences with hunting recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts. Using thematic coding, we analyzed responses on hunting traditions, perceived and actual constraints, attitudes toward land access, and social support structures. Findings indicate that while hunting is a valued tradition among some African American hunters, some participants still face systemic barriers such as limited access to private land, lack of representation in hunting management agencies, and exclusion from established networks. Many hunters addressed social and cultural constraints, including the perception that hunting is not a common activity within African American communities. Joining hunting clubs was identified as a strategy for overcoming land access issues and finding mentorship. Policy and programmatic recommendations include increasing land access, expanding mentorship opportunities, and enhancing outreach efforts tailored to African American youth. Collaborations between federal and state wildlife agencies, non-profits, and hunting organizations are essential to fostering inclusivity and ensuring that hunting R3 initiatives engage African American communities more effectively.
Importance
Black Americans are currently underrepresented in the active hunting population of the United States. Despite increasing implementation of recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts on the part of both state fish and wildlife management agencies and conservation NGO’s in the last decade, very few (if any) of these programs or practices have successfully engaged or served Black Americans as evidenced by their participation rates compared to those of other demographics. Consequently, natural resource management agencies and conservation NGO’s have been chronically ill-equipped to deliver programs, policies, practices, and engagement points to Black Americans that effectively address the specific, and often obscured, needs of this community. Hence, the relevance of this study.