“Unlike traditional hobbies and sports available to children and adults alike, hunting and fishing take introduction and mentorship. There aren’t teams, coaches and sign-up sheets to recruit the next generation of outdoorsmen and women. It’s up to those of us who enjoy these outdoor pursuits to pass these skills along, and fishing is a perfect place to start.”
Wise words from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s R3 Fishing Coordinator, Skylar St. Yves.
R3 stands for Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation of anglers and hunters, and it’s a growing area of focus and expertise for wildlife agencies across the country. The national consensus among R3 practitioners is that sportsmen must work with their respective conservation agencies to pass along their outdoor traditions, or risk watching their heritage of conservation slowly erode. Fortunately, Oklahoma’s outdoor scene is strong and its participants are passionate - a good thing when conservation is funded by sportsmen and women through their purchase of fishing and hunting licenses. But passion alone isn’t enough. Indeed sportsmen must actively engage in the outdoors, but they must also be part of a larger story — someone else’s story — through mentoring new outdoorsmen and women and inspiring those who’ve hung their gear in the garage for too long.
When it comes to passing along or breaking into the sport of angling, St. Yves says to try starting with something like fishing for sunfish. In this R3 Short from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, St. Yves provides the information you need to get started right now - or equally important, how to help someone else. There's places to go no matter where you live in Oklahoma and no matter your level of experience. Just grab your fishing license and some simple gear, and go!
- This video is an "Education Short" from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, created with work by Skylar St. Yves, the R3 fishing coordinator for the ODWC.
- Accompanying article written by Michael Bergin, senior information & education specialist