W ith the increasingly targeted efforts to recruit , retain and reactivate ( R3 ) hunters , the importance of good data has become paramount . One group that has been largely overlooked in the R3 efforts is active-duty military personnel . Despite clear overlap , there was no existing research that spoke to their interests , proclivities or barriers to hunting and the shooting sports . We produced the first study on these items to help state wildlife agencies and conservation organizations better recruit new hunters from the ranks of the active-duty military .