Reading, writing, and ... hunting?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Reading. Writing. Muzzle loading?

That will be the curriculum of choice for middle- and high-school students in West Virginia under a measure approved last night by state lawmakers, that will establish hunter-training courses in public schools.

Proponents believe the courses will help to reverse an ongoing decline in the number of hunters and outdoors enthusiasts who purchase licenses each year. That slump in interest cost West Virginia $1.8 million in license fees this year and is especially pronounced among teens with more varied free-time diversions than their parents and grandparents.

"We want to generate interest in hunting and make it as easy as possible for kids who are interested in hunting to pursue it,'' said state Senate Majority Whip Billy Wayne Bailey, who introduced the school-training measure in January.

"We're losing [potential hunters] on the younger end because they go through school and never get to [hunting]," said Mr. Bailey, of Pineville in southern West Virginia. "Then they go off to college and it's never been a sport they've come to like.''

The measure, which drew widespread attention around the country, originally made the 10-hour course mandatory, but the House of Delegates changed it Friday to leave that decision in the hands of county superintendents and school principals.

The state Senate approved of the change last night and sent the bill to Gov. Joe Manchin.

Numbers of hunters have been flagging nationally for more than a decade, even in states like West Virginia where hunting, fishing and shooting sports have been traditional pastimes shared by generations of families.

Between 1996 and 2006, the overall number of hunters ages 16 and older in the United States dropped from 14 million to 12.5 million, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In 2006, 501,000 hunters were age 16 or 17 and 968,000 were age 18 to 24. The overall U.S. population in 2006 was about 300 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A national survey conducted by the Fish & Wildlife Service in 2006 and released last year also showed that nearly 1.8 million hunters were between age 6 and 15, down from nearly 2 million in 1980. The survey stated that 53,000 people age 6 to 15 hunted and fished in Pennsylvania and 34,000 people age 5 to 15 hunted and fished in West Virginia in 2005. The survey did not break down state totals for hunters only.

The impact of the downturn is exacerbated in West Virginia, where hunters age 65 or older or 15 and younger are not required to pay license fees. More than 15 percent of the state's population is 65 or older, and that number is rising, prompting legislators to also consider requiring hunters who turn 65 to pay a one-time $15 fee for a lifetime senior license.

West Virginia landowners also are not required to buy licenses to hunt on their own property. Those exemptions, coupled with the aging population and waning interest among teens who grew up playing soccer and Nintendo, further cuts into license revenues used to pay for wildlife management programs, conservation officers and other outdoor recreation activities.

More than 350,000 people hunt in West Virginia each year, creating more than 5,000 jobs and generating nearly $270 million for the state's economy, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

But between 1997 and 2006, the overall number of licensed hunters in West Virginia declined by 17 percent and number of licensed fishermen declined by 10 percent, according to the state Department of Natural Resource.

During that period, the number of West Virginia hunters age 12 to 15 dropped from 28,000 to 11,000 and the number of hunters age 16 or 17 dropped from 15,000 to 10,000, according to the department and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The state charges $15 for a junior sportsman license, which covers hunting, trapping and fishing, for resident and non-resident hunters ages 15 to 17. Adult sportsmen under age 65 must obtain a sportsman license for $33 as well as other specialty licenses or stamps with different fees.

Mr. Bailey's measure had the support of the National Rifle Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation and other hunting and outdoors organizations and enthusiasts, he said. He's also received calls and letters from opponents -- nearly all from other states -- but said supporters who contacted his office outnumbered opponents by more than 3 to 1.

Hunting enthusiasts and legislators in Pennsylvania and other states also have tracked the measure's progress with an eye toward pushing similar versions.

"We certainly would support and endorse a similar program,'' said Jerry Feaser, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which also has seen hunting license numbers dwindle in recent years.

In Pennsylvania, overall license sales are down from their peak of 1.3 million in 1982 to 945,892 in 2006, the last year for which the commission has statistics. Junior license numbers, too, have fallen from 168,456 in 1976 to 101,185 in 2006.

The measure will move the state's 10-hour hunter-training course, which is mandatory to obtain a license, out of after-hours locations and into schools. The course will be offered as a two-week physical education elective to students in grades 8-12, who will use deactivated guns and blank ammunition, said Frank Jezioro, director of the state Department of Natural Resources.

Coursework sections will include firearms safety, basic hunting skills, conservation, responsible hunting, and first aid in the wild. Other sections will cover turkey hunting and safe hunting with muzzleloaders, bows, all-terrain vehicles and boats.

A deer hunter and the father of two young sons, Mr. Bailey said the measure will make it easier for young people to explore a recreation option that otherwise might have been too difficult for them. It will provide an invaluable introduction to firearms safety that, he said, could save lives in the future.

State law requires successful completion of the training course in order to obtain a hunting license. But in past years, courses were often offered at night, and were not offered in every community, he said.

"It has been cumbersome for our students to take that course when it's usually been given in the evenings," he said. "They have homework, plus sports practices. It was just inconvenient to have to drive to the next county to take this course.''

About $75,000 will be included initially in the state budget to pay for instructional materials and supplies. Some physical education teachers will have to be certified to teach the course, but Mr. Bailey and Mr. Jezioro said many instructors will be retirees and volunteers who already are certified to teach it elsewhere.

"There's no uniforms, no mats,'' Mr. Jezioro said. "It involves only very, very basic items."

Some schools also may opt to offer the course as an after-school option, Mr. Jezioro said. He said he knows of no other states where similar legislation has been adopted, but said a few schools in Hardy and Hampshire counties in eastern West Virginia already offer the course.

"There are no down sides to it. If you don't want to take it, you don't have to take it. But teaching anybody safety is a good thing," Mr. Jezioro said. "When I grew up, you didn't have video games. We have an obligation to see that these kids have exposure to the outdoor world and if they like it."