Hunting plays a critical role in conservation, and delta waterfowl believes that future wildlife management professionals who experience waterfowl hunting firsthand are more likely to maintain a…

Hunting plays a critical role in conservation, and delta waterfowl believes that future wildlife management professionals who experience waterfowl hunting firsthand are more likely to maintain a strong footing among the wildlife management community at national, state/province, and local levels. The university hunting program, launched in 2017, provides these students with a firsthand hunting experience and equips them with a more holistic view of hunting and conservation. Through UHP, delta aims to provide students who do not have a hunting background (i.e., nonhunting wildlife degree majors) with hands-on participation in the north american model of wildlife conservation-the world's most successful system of policies and laws to restore and safeguard fish and wildlife and their habitats through sound science and active management. While UHP is a powerful educational tool, IT is equally effective as a hunter recruitment tool, with the vast majority of participants continuing to hunt after participation in the program. Funding provided by the multi-state conservation grant will help US expand the program by funding 36 universities bringing US to a total of 50 universities. This will allow US to achieve our dual goal of recruiting and educating 500 wildlife management students of the critical relationship between hunting and conservation.