Keys to Increasing Turkey Hunting Participation

April 10, 2018
By Team Realtree
Marketing

For turkey hunters, the good ol’ days are right now. With an estimated 7 million wild turkeys inhabiting the U.S., there is no lack of opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts who want to take up this grand sport. Yet, within the universe of all hunters and shooters, only a tiny fraction of them participate in turkey hunting. What are some keys to getting more sportsmen and women involved?

In recent blog posts 5 Ways to Promote New Hunting and Shooting Activities and Keys To Increasing Deer Huntign Participation, we’ve summarized findings from Paths to Participation, a study conducted by Southwick Associates and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. We recently looked at ways to grow deer hunting participation. Now, let’s review some insights into growing the ranks of turkey hunters.

Of hunters surveyed who say they don’t turkey hunt but would like to try it, 77% already hunt deer, 51% hunt upland game, 46% hunt small game, 29% hunt waterfowl and 29% hunt predators. Because 80% of respondents report already hunting with a shotgun, and because 41% said they shoot sporting clays, it would seem that moving them into turkey hunting – which is mainly a shotgun endeavor -- would not be a huge challenge.

The top reasons this group reported not having trying turkey hunting yet:

No convenient places to hunt 29%

No one to go with 28%

Not enough time 23%

Don’t know how to get started 21%

Believe there’s no land available 15%

Similar to the findings in the report on deer hunting, the study concluded that hesitancy to participate is tied to land accessibility and figuring out how to get started.

More than 40% of respondents indicated that an invitation from a friend or family member could influence them to try turkey hunting. Clearly, it’s important that those of us who already know the excitement of trying to outwit a spring gobbler extend an offer to those who haven’t been lucky enough to get in on the action.

If you are already in the deer hunting products retail or manufacturing business, it shouldn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out a way to offer services to turkey hunters, since 77% of your customers say they are already interested.

Editor’s Note: It’s easy to stay current with breaking product news, industry insights and marketing tips from Realtree, American’s No. 1 camo brand. Simply click here to sign up for our free newsletter, courtesy of the Realtree Business Blog!