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ODWC recognizes staff team for creating trapping workshops to recruit and retain hunters
Summary
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation honored a team that started trapping workshops intended to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters; staff said the workshops draw multi‑age attendees and rely on cross‑division support.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on Monday presented its first R3 Champion award to a staff team that organized trapping workshops aimed at recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters.
The award honored JD Ridge and Coby Farquhar for initiating trapping workshops that have expanded across the state, the department said. The workshops teach trap setting, safe removal of animals from traps and fur preparation and have drawn attendees from about 10 to 70 years old.
The recognition comes from the agency’s R3 initiative — recruitment, retention and reactivation — which agency staff described as efforts to “plug people in, keep people plugged in, bring people back.” The department said the first year’s workshops averaged about 18–22 students and were held at sites including Packsaddle, Fort Gibson and Osage WMA locations.
Coby Farquhar, one of the recipients, said the effort was a team project that relied on help from wardens and biologists: “I don't have a lot to say, but I do wanna, give a little bit of credit. Colby and I, I'm not gonna say we didn't do a lot of work, but we had a lot of help.”
Agency staff credited Ron Smith, Marcus Thibodeaux, Jacob Harriet and area biologists for volunteer time and said most training materials so far were purchased through department channels. The department noted at least one participant in the workshops caught a coyote on his first trapping outing, an anecdote staff used to illustrate the hands‑on nature of the trainings.
Why it matters: The department framed the workshops as part of a broader strategy to maintain hunter participation. Presenters said continuing to bring new and returning participants into hunting and trapping helps sustain conservation funding and on‑the‑ground wildlife management.
Looking ahead: Organizers said they plan to continue expanding workshop locations and to refine the curriculum based on feedback from instructors and participants.
