Explore Bowhunting’s Collective Effort

Scheduled to launch in January 2010, Explore Bowhunting will be available in six to eight states initially.

Explore Bowhunting, an outdoor education program for students ages 11 to 17, will reach educators early next year, thanks in part to $267,000 recently awarded to the Archery Trade Association (ATA) by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Multi-State Grant program.

The funding represents another layer in the onion of generosity, partnership and conviction that powers Explore Bowhunting.

“A group of outstanding professionals teamed up to create Explore Bowhunting, and they’ve all put more hours into this project than I can measure,” said Emily Beach, the program’s coordinator and ATA’s education and research manager. “This program would not be a reality if not for our professional team and the more than 40 archery-industry sponsors who provide equipment for Explore Bowhunting trunks used to teach the class.”

The trunks include a bowhunting demo kit, a basic youth compound bow, recurve bow, youth crossbow, aluminum and carbon arrows, bow sights, stabilizers, arrow rests and other accessories. The trunks also include game calls, a game board, range-finder, scent-eliminators and camouflage clothes.

“Explore Bowhunting is a great way to get young people into the sport,” said Jimmy Primos, Primos Hunting Calls’ chief operating officer. “We’re impressed with Explore Bowhunting because it focuses on the excitement of hunting with a bow. We want kids to not only enjoy archery, but to get outdoors and keep our traditions alive.”

Scheduled to launch in January 2010, Explore Bowhunting will be available in six to eight states initially. It’s a flexible set of 22 lessons that can be taught weekly for a school semester, or as part of a weeklong summer program in camps or recreation programs. The ATA completed 24 pilot programs in five states during the 2008-09 school year to fine-tune lesson plans and test the effectiveness of its goals.

Learn more about how Explore Bowhunting can benefit conservation and the archery and bowhunting industry here.

Explore Bowhunting Sponsors: AAE, Alpine Archery, American Broadhead, A-Way Hunting Products, Bear Archery, Bohning, BowTech, Boyt Harness Company/Bob Allen Sportswear, Cobra, Concept Archery, Cuddeback, Eastman, Easton, G5, Gateway Feathers, Gold Tip, Horton Mfg., Company LLC, Hoyt, Knight & Hale, Kwikee Kwiver, Leupold & Stevens, Leven Industries (Doinker), M2D CAMO, Midwest Cimmarron Archery, Mossy Oak, Muzzy, NEET, Non Typical/CuddeBack, NWTF, NXT Generation, Parker Compound Bows, Plano, Primos, PSE, QDMA, Quaker Boy, Robinson Outdoors, TRU Ball, Tru-Fire, Tru-GLO, Wildlife Research Center, Woods N’ Waters Press.