Nonprofit connects hunters and heroes

“Within 10 years, if there aren’t more hunters, there won’t be enough funds from license sales to pay for fish and wildlife conservation,” said Richard Cotte, a Sanders County resident and director of the new Connecting Heroes and Hunters branch of the First Hunt Foundation (FHF).

Cotte spent much of his life in the military and has been a lifelong hunter. He is not the only one worried about the loss of the hunting culture in America, especially regarding its support of conservation. According to a study done by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, $1.8 billion of money raised for wildlife conservation in America comes from license sales, hunting organization membership dues, and sporting equipment excise taxes. The foundation also concluded that hunters contribute $185 million per day to the U.S. economy. To help fight this loss of interest, Cotte started his branch of the program in Sanders County.

Rick Brazell, president of the FHF, shares Cotte’s concerns. Brazell started FHF in 2015 to give new and young hunters a way to get involved with the sport. The program utilizes more than 500 fully background-checked hunters from across the United States as contacts for young people to reach out to. These “mentors,” as Cotte explained, are people who have a love and passion for hunting and can teach new hunters about the correct way to hunt, as well as about the impact it has on conservation. When Cotte heard about the foundation in January, he called Brazell, and the two hit it off immediately.

Since then, Cotte got involved and has started the new initiative for the FHF that targets military and first responders. The Connecting Heroes and Hunters program connects both military personnel (retired and active) and first responders with hunters (new or experienced) and allows them to connect over the joys of hunting. This mentor/mentee structure is crucial to the mission of the FHF. According to Cotte, this is an effort to give veterans a “new mission.”

“A lot of people, including myself, struggle with that,” said Cotte, referring to an aimless feeling after retiring from the military. This loss of purpose, according to Cotte, arises because in the military “everything is so mission- and purpose-driven,” and “it is something that a lot of vets face after they separate.” This new effort for the FHF started in February and will see its first hunts this year. There are several mentors Cotte has already convinced to get involved within Sanders County. Connecting Heroes and Hunters is being tested this year here, because the county has a high veteran population.

Both branches of the nonprofit aim to develop new hunters by guiding them through a mentored experience that they may not be able to get through their family or support group.

This program is “not a one-and-done type program” said Cotte. New hunters can develop skills and understanding over multiple sessions with a mentor, which Cotte hopes can eventually turn the mentee into a mentor. “If they are taught like this, they are more likely to pick it up down the road,” said Cotte. He also hopes that they will return to the program to mentor others in the future. Through this continuing process, Cotte hopes the new hunters participating in the program will build a lifelong hobby and create valuable personal connections to nature and to other passionate hunters, perpetuating the hobby.

Cotte says there needs to be more hunters out there, especially as many hunters are beginning to age out without young hunters ready to replace them. According to Cotte, that will directly affect conservation funding. Cotte wants to get a fully organized FHF chapter in the area and is looking for more interested mentors and mentees before the next hunting season. The organization can be found at firsthuntfoundation.org, which has a map of the U.S. displaying the locations of mentors across the country so interested mentees know who to contact near them. The mentor application can be found on the website, as can information for prospective mentees. Interested parties can contact Cotte at (406) 439-3999 or through his email [email protected].