CLFT is not intended to recruit or train the students to be hunters.  Instead, the objective is to provide students with insights into why hunting is important from biological, social, cultural, economic and recreational standpoints— and its role in conservation. 

To achieve these objectives, the three-day workshops blend interactive roundtable discussions and field exercises.  The CLFT instructors are wildlife conservation professionals who are veteran hunters.  These professionals mentor the students and facilitate the roundtable discussions; and they teach and coach the hands-on field exercises.

Until recently, nearly every student who pursued a career in wildlife sciences was a hunter and, as a result, had the skills and knowledge that allowed them to successfully interact with this important conservation constituency.  Today, approximately 50 percent of students graduating with a wildlife degree have never hunted and know little about the reasons why people hunt or the impact and benefits that hunting and hunters provide to wildlife management and other conservation programs.

If this next generation of natural resource professionals does not understand the roles, values, motivations and satisfactions derived from hunting, they will be unprepared to manage wildlife effectively.

For students who wish to participate, there are only a few criteria.  First, they must be committed to a natural resource discipline and preferably wildlife science.  Second, they should not have held a hunting license previously.

The roundtable discussions address the biological basis for hunting, the role of hunting in wildlife management, hunting ethics and morality, hunter responsibilities, hunting safety, the role of hunting in society and more. Any and all questions from students are welcome.

Students are not required to do anything that makes them uncomfortable. Those who wish to take part in actual hunting must first pass the host state’s hunter education exam, for which they have been well prepared. Almost every student elects to hunt.
Students who participate in the hunt are accompanied by an instructor, along with professional guides and their dogs. The hunt, along with dressing, packaging and eating harvested game, ties together all of the classroom discussions and field exercises into a memorable and enduring educational experience.

The final portion of the CLFT program encourages students’ to re-examine their perceptions of hunting after they have participated in (or observed) a hunt. Any lingering issues or common perceptions about hunters are fair game.  Frank, open discussions, directed by student questions, add immeasurably to the students’ perspective about the role of hunting in conservation and natural resource management.

Even if the students never hunt again, they will leave the workshop experience knowing that regulated, ethical, safe hunting of game populations is an essential component of wildlife conservation, important cultural and economic aspects of our society, and a uniquely satisfying recreational experience for practitioners.

IPlease let us know if you are interested in developing or participating in a CLFT program. Contact info@clft.org.

Download Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow brochure (PDF, 640 kb)