A spike in gun and ammunition sales in the past two years has created a windfall for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which is spending part of the money on a campaign to recruit new hunters.

This year the commission is receiving $3.5 million -- a 28 percent jump -- in Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funds, which are generated through a federal excise tax on the purchase of sporting firearms and ammo, and allocated to states on the basis of land mass and hunter numbers. Consumers pay 11 percent on sporting arms, ammunition and archery equipment, and 10 percent on handguns.

Sales of firearms and ammunition increased sharply after the election of President Barack Obama and fears his administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress may attempt to restrict gun ownership rights. CNN reported that in the week following the election in 2008, the FBI received more than 374,000 requests for background checks on gun purchasers, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the same period in 2007. Sporting goods trade associations report that nationwide, some hunters, shooters and collectors continue to hoard firearms and ammunition.

But other factors, too, may have boosted Pittman-Robertson funding in Pennsylvania. Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser noted recent expansions in hunting seasons, and last year's addition of another federally taxed sporting arm -- the crossbow -- which is now legal statewide.

"We have expanded hunting opportunities for such firearms as in-line and percussion muzzleloaders, which we know have spurred sales of those firearms based on what we learned from sporting goods stores," said Feaser. "And hunters are notorious for collecting guns."

Dispersal of Pittman-Robertson funds is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pennsylvania is also benefitting from the federal agency's lifting of restrictions on how states can use the money, allowing for the first time for funds to be spent on hunter education and outreach.

While the Game Commission has earmarked most of its portion of Pittman-Robertson for habitat improvements on gamelands and an urban bear study, it is spending about $240,000 on hunter recruitment and retention. That includes spending $30,000 to co-sponsor the Women in the Outdoors program with the National Wild Turkey Federation, and creating a new "outreach coordinator" position. Julie Imes, a former Perry County science teacher, got the job in February at a salary of $40,000 a year.

The goal, said Joe Neville, the commission's director of education and information, is to cultivate hunting interest in non-traditional quarters, and promote the agency as a mentoring resource. He admits it's a challenge.

"The difficult part is, how do you create hunters?" said Neville. "Most of us got into the sport through family. To approach it in other ways is very, very tough."

In addition to expanding the Women in the Outdoors and the National Archery in Schools programs, the commission has expanded its Junior Pheasant Planning Guide to include rabbits and other small game. Available online at the commission's website (www.pgc.pa.state.us), the Youth Hunt Planning Guide gives experienced hunters tools for hosting a youth hunting event and providing follow up.

While another program, Youth Mentored Hunting, enables kids under 12 to go afield with adult hunters, the commission's new push is aimed at 12-16 year old prospects for junior license sales. But in a state with a shrinking number of young families, it could be a tough sell. Junior license sales have trended downward for the past 10 years.

"Instead of trying to compete with soccer and other activities, we want to show kids and their parents that hunting can accommodate busy lifestyles," said Feaser.

"If you take a kid rabbit hunting, he can spend a few hours hunting in the morning, grab some lunch, and still go to his softball game in the afternoon. It's the same with squirrels. They're one of the most under-utilized species out there."

Small game hunting is ideal for young hunters because it keeps them moving, Feaser said.

"A lot of kids don't want to sit in the woods for hours waiting for deer. There's a lot more activity with pheasants, rabbits and squirrels."

Both the junior and mentored youth programs allow kids to hunt during regular seasons as well as on designated days.

Because schools provide a necessary recreational outlet in the lives of many kids, the Game Commission has reinvigorated the National Archery in the Schools Program -- a volunteer-driven effort that had floundered in recent years. Neville sees it as way to reach kids who may have never considered learning to hunt.

"With Julie [Imes] going to schools and training instructors, the program will expand," Neville said. "Shooting target archery with the [compound bow] equipment we have in this program ... isn't really difficult. Julie taught both of my girls, 10 and 13, to shoot with just 10 minutes instruction. Once kids get comfortable handling a bow, they eventually might want to move onto sporting clays. In Kentucky, where the program started in 2002, 56 percent of kids who took part expressed an interest in going from target-shooting to the next step, hunting."

The Game Commission is taking a similar tack with another sector of prospective hunters by expanding Women in the Outdoors. The one- and two-day programs expose women to a range of activities from camping to turkey calling to self-defense, as well as target and trap-shooting.

"Women are one of the fastest-growing segments of the outdoors community," said program coordinator Jeff Souders, of Middletown. "The idea is to get them involved in a non-competitive, fun atmosphere where they can spend time with other interested women."

Hunting may follow, he said. "This program hasn't been on center stage for a long time, and my goal is to see that 18 new events are held this year."

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