This week New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed House Bill 206, making New Hampshire the 32nd state to pass Families Afield legislation. The Families Afield initiative was started in 2004 as an effort to reduce barriers to new hunters joining our ranks.
House Bill 206, introduced by Rep. Dennis Reed (R-Merrimack), creates an apprentice hunting license. The license would allow newcomers to try hunting while accompanied by an experienced hunting mentor before being required to complete the state’s hunter education course.
New Hampshire follows Idaho who passed a similar bill in March to become the 31st.
“The try before you buy concept has had great success across the country in safely recruiting new hunters,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of state services. “Hundreds of thousands of apprentice licenses have been purchased across the country as a result of the Families Afield program. The New Hampshire legislature should be commended for their hard work in passing House Bill 206.”
The Families Afield initiative was established by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the National Wild Turkey Federation to bring a new generation of sportsmen to the field. Along with the National Rifle Association and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the Families Afield coalition has worked to pass measures in 32 states with more than 600,000 apprentice or mentored hunting licenses sold since the programs inception.