Committee hearings highlight plan to pilot youth-hunting program to reverse participation decline

Representative Tiffany Roberts told the committee LD 13 22 would create a two‑year pilot program for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, working with the Office of Tourism, to test approaches to increase youth hunting participation and report back to the legislature.

Roberts described declining youth license sales and argued the decline threatens future conservation funding and mentoring networks. “This program isn’t just about participation,” she said, describing partnerships with community organizations, schools, outfitters and retailers and saying pilot results would help identify “what days and formats best support youth participation.”

Stakeholders and outdoor‑education groups testified in favor. Kim Moulton,…