Last week, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed Senate Bill 234 making North Carolina the 35th state to have enacted measures aimed at getting new hunters into the field. The bill, sponsored by Senator E.S. Buck Newton (R-Wilson) and Representative John Bell (R-Goldsboro), creates a Hunting Heritage Apprentice Permit allowing new hunters to try hunting under the guidance of a licensed adult mentor prior to completing a hunter education course.
The apprentice hunting concept has been a cornerstone of the Families Afield initiative and has resulted in more than one million apprentice licenses sold across the country. Senate Bill 234 had strong support by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the General Assembly where the bill did not receive a single “no” vote.
“We are pleased that Governor McCrory signed Senate Bill 234, helping to pass along our great hunting heritage to the next generation,” said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of government affairs. “Apprentice hunting has shown to be one of the best, and safest, hunter recruitment tools available today.”
About Families Afield: Families Afield 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 coalition has worked to pass Families Afield measures in 35 states resulting in more than one million “apprentice” or “mentored hunting” licenses being sold since the program’s inception.