What is your favorite pastime — hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, shooting, just sitting quietly while observing nature at work, or a combination of all of these? If you grew up in Lycoming County or the surrounding area, then, no doubt you have spent countless hours enjoying all of these activities and look forward to many days ahead as you continue to enjoy your favorite sports in this wonderful north central Pennsylvania setting. After all, these things have been available for decades and will be here for generations to come — or will they?

During the last decade or so, there has been a slow and steady decline in the number of folks who participate in any of these various activities. Shotgun shooting is a good example. There is no doubt that the numbers of shooters who participate in trap and skeet shooting has been in a slow decline. Some of this has been offset by the rise in popularity of the venue of shooting sporting clays. Sporting clays has enjoyed a steady rise in participation ever since its introduction to the United States from its origin in the United Kingdom. Some of the skeet and trap shooters are older and instead of switching over to sporting clays, are merely retiring their shotguns and no longer participating. Compounding the problem is that there are not an equal or greater number of new shooters to offset the older retirees.

Similarly, the numbers of licensed hunters in Pennsylvania is on a slow and steady decline. Perhaps new technology is part of the reason for the decline. With the advent of computers and smart phones comes the increasing desire for instant gratification. Hunting never was about instant gratification, but instead its reward came in the form of hours of patience, rewarded by taking a deer or turkey or bear. Most hunters also whiled away the hours enjoying just being in the woods and spending quality time observing the wonders of nature and being away from the stress and turmoil of work, or enjoying the camaraderie of fellow hunters at camp.

Whatever the reason or reasons for the decline, the important factor is that it threatens the future of the various outdoor sports for future generations. Selfishly we can brush it off since any reduction in these numbers will not threaten the sports we enjoy in our lifetime — the reduction is not rapid enough to do that. But if we truly love the time we spend in the woods, along the stream or at the shooting range, why not do what we can to ensure the same enjoyment for future generations?

There is a simple step we can all take that will go a long way in reversing this continuing decline in participation. It is called “sharing” and it is the responsibility that each and every one of us has, especially if we want to pass on the joy of the outdoors to future outdoorsmen. It can be accomplished by bringing new recruits into our sports and by working to retain those who are currently participating.

Pennsylvania can be very proud of the fact that it is the first state in the nation to have established a Mentored Youth Hunting Program. It is the perfect tool for an adult to introduce a youth to the outdoors. Several species of birds and animals are legal to hunt under this program, and it is up to you, the adult, to teach and mentor the young recruit. There are also several special Junior Hunter seasons, which provide a unique opportunity to spend time in the woods when fewer hunters are participating, thus making it a more relaxed experience.

Think of it as your opportunity to “Pay it forward” and help insure that what you have enjoyed can then be enjoyed by future generations. It is perhaps the greatest way each of us can utilize our time and energy to help turn around the trend of a dwindling number of outdoors participants and begin to feel comfortable in knowing that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will have the same opportunities we have had.

There is a great feeling of enjoyment when you see a young person’s eyes light up as they catch their first fish, pop the first balloon with a pellet gun, break their first clay target with a shotgun or take their first game under the watchful eye of their mentor. There is also a great feeling of satisfaction in knowing you have played your part in introducing and nurturing a new member into our fraternity.