Hunting and Shooting Activities

Since 1922, League chapters have been a gateway to the outdoors for generations of American hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts. This page highlights some of the resources available to chapters related to hunting and target shooting.


Resources Related to Shooting Range Design and Environmental Management

More than 100 chapters of the Izaak Walton League of America operate shooting ranges. Chapters, divisions and the national organization share common goals for the safe and environmentally sustainable operation of ranges.

From time to time, chapters request information from the national organization and colleague chapters concerning range design, operation and environmental management. The national office has compiled some of the third-party resources available to chapters related to these topics.

Below, additional materials highlight R3 opportunities and potential sources of funding for ranges.


R3 Initiatives

Hunting_credit NSSF_small

Hunting and shooting sports participation have steadily declined over the past several decades. Many of our members are hunters and recreational shooters and their pursuits have long supported wildlife conservation funding nationwide.

The IWLA Shooting Sports Conservation Committee hosted a webinar, entitled "R3 for Hunters and Recreational Shooters," to discuss how Izaak Walton League chapters can help secure the future of hunting and the shooting sports.

During this 30-minute webinar, Ernie Padgette, Shooting Sports Conservation Committee Chair, and Scott Kovarovics, IWLA Executive Director, discussed the League’s strategy to support and implement the national R3 Plan to recruit, retain, and reactivate hunters and recreational shooters across America.

Download the webinar slides (PDF)

Download the slides with notes (PDF) – You don't want to show notes pages during a presentation, so print out a copy for talking points.

You can learn more about this topic in our Outdoor America article, "A Roadmap for the Future of Hunting and Shooting Sports," or review the complete R3 National Plan created by the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports.


Potential Range Funding Sources

Shooting RangeSome state fish and wildlife agencies use a portion of their federal Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act funding to make grants to nonprofit organizations or local governments for shooting range projects. 

To help chapters capitalize on this funding opportunity, the League has researched and developed a series of P-R Funding Summaries detailing grant programs offered by certain states where the League has a significant presence:

Each analysis summarizes authorized uses of grant funds, public use requirements, how to apply, and provides state agency contact information.

The publication "Using Wildlife Restoration Funds for Shooting Ranges", by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, further provides a broad overview of the use of P-R funds for public shooting ranges.  

There are other sources of potential funding and in-kind support for chapter shooting ranges and shooting sports education and training programs. Refer to the Ikes On Target newsletter (volume 5, issue 1) for further details. 

Ikes on Target archives