21lb Indiana Tom

Posted 03 May 13:46 by donna@southwickassociates.com

21lb Tom taken by Tony Westmoreland and his daughter Chloe, on the 2nd day of Indiana's 2012 Turkey Season

Photo sent in by Tony Westmoreland

Why Education is Important

Posted 05 Mar 20:23 by donna@southwickassociates.com

Education and training are key to young shooters.  Our parents enrolled us in elementary school so we would receive the education necessary to become good citizens and be self-reliant members of society.  It is incumbent upon us to not only continue our education daily, but to make certain today’s youth are educated to best of our ability.

Education is key to firearm safety.  We need to educate the next generation in the shooting sports and this begins with safe firearm handling. 

Advantage Firearms Education and Training is committed to training our young shooters.  We not only train youth in firearms safety, but also adults to be certified instructors for the Boy Scouts and other youth groups.  Training an average of fifteen instructors per month, these instructors can then go back to their groups and introduce and train dozens of youth each year in firearms safety.  For many, this will be their first experience with a firearm.  It needs to be safe and it needs to be positive.

Kevin Cummins, CFI
Advantage Firearms Education & Training

Competitive Shooting

Posted 16 Sep 20:08 by donna@southwickassociates.com

Of those survey respondents who went shooting in June, 16 percent said they shot competitively.

Southwick Associates Media Monitor Offers “Must-Know” Information for Businesses, Media Outlets

Posted 16 Aug 13:59 by donna@southwickassociates.com

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — For those savvy publishing or television professionals seeking to know how their products and just as importantly, their competitor’s products, are received by consumers, or if you are a business owner or marketer looking to increase exposure for your products or services, Southwick Associates now offers the Media Monitor (SAMM).

For years, Southwick Associates’ monthly Hunter Survey, Shooter Survey and Angler Survey reports have set the benchmark for reliable data used by nonprofit organizations and outdoor product manufacturers to understand the participation and purchasing decisions of consumers and constituents. Now Southwick combines this understanding of consumer decision making with newly updated survey data to determine not only which products are the most popular, but which media outlets are having the most influence on these buying decisions.

SAMM measures total media consumption—outdoor magazines, television programs, websites and social media—of anglers, shooters and hunters and can ultimately match a sportsman’s purchasing preferences to specific programs and titles. Never before has this information been available.

“From numbers on programs watched, magazines read or websites visited to a detailed view of the media and buying habits of various segments of the sporting community, SAMM provides marketers with the data to determine which media people are using and which ones most influence their decisions to buy,” says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates.

Publishers, producers, ad buyers and others can sign up to receive the quarterly reports along with a summary report at the end of each year or they can even request customized reports that will pull data specific to their particular business or marketing plans. For pricing or more information on purchasing the SAMM report, contact Mr. Courtney Olson at courtney@c2csalesandmarketing.com <mailto:courtney@c2csalesandmarketing.com>  or (303) 955-2194.

Visit us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/huntersurvey.

NSSF Honors Southwick Associates for Groundbreaking Contributions

Posted 09 Jun 03:10 by donna@southwickassociates.com

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation today honored two research professionals for their longtime contributions to industry.

Mark Damian Duda of Responsive Management and Rob Southwick of Southwick Associates each received hand-carved walnut wildlife statues from Jim Curcuruto, NSSF's director of industry research, in recognition for their groundbreaking research projects. Their work provides the foundation for many NSSF programs and has helped make NSSF's research department an indispensable resource for media, legislators and its 6,000 members.

NSSF is the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry.

"Responsive Management and Southwick Associates have been leading the way with quality industry research for more than two decades," said Curcuruto. "Mark and Rob play an important role in giving NSSF a better understanding of hunter and target-shooter participation, motivations and buying behaviors.

"The awards are well deserved. NSSF research would not be where it is today without them."

The honors were presented at the Shooting Sports Summit, which is taking place today and tomorrow in Louisville, Ky. Leaders from the firearms industry and conservation fields are discussing the findings of a new joint research project by Responsive Management and Southwick Associates. The project focused on activities that compete with hunting and target shooting.

"Responsive Management is very appreciative of the opportunity to have worked with the NSSF for more than 20 years, and I am honored to be given this award," said Duda. "It is especially gratifying to be recognized by the NSSF, as I have always found them to be one of the best run organizations we have ever worked for. In accepting this award, I want to acknowledge the contributions and support of my entire staff at Responsive Management."

Said Southwick, "Helping develop the NSSF's trade statistics program has been professionally rewarding and fun. The NSSF has provided us the support needed to develop new research tools that help companies boost profits and increase hunting and shooting sports participation. We are sincerely grateful to the NSSF for its recognition and for the opportunity to serve the industry."

Duda is executive director of Harrisonburg, Va.-based Responsive Management, which has conducted more than 500 studies on how people relate to the outdoors, including almost 200 studies on hunting, fishing and shooting participation. His work has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and on the front pages of The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He is the author of four books on wildlife, including the newly released "The Sportsman's Voice: Hunting and Fishing in America." Duda holds a masters degree from Yale University in natural resource policy and planning.

Recently, Responsive Management partnered with NSSF to produce one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on hunting and the shooting sports, "The Future of Hunting and the Shooting Sports: Research-Based Recruitment and Retention Strategies." This report was at the core of the 2008 Shooting Sports Summit and became the impetus for NSSF's Task Force 20/20, currently the largest hunting recruitment-and-retention effort underway. Duda has presented this research to the Secretary of Interior and the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council.

Southwick, a University of Florida graduate, founded Southwick Associates in 1990 and for the last 21 years has been a leader in wildlife economics, statistics and market evaluations for the hunting and shooting sports industry.

His Fernandina Beach, Fla.-based firm has worked directly with most state wildlife agencies to help them communicate the economic importance of hunting and fishing and how to improve license structures and pricing. For industry, Southwick Associates helps individual companies understand their place in the market, identify new products and sales opportunities, and improve efficiencies and boost profits.

Southwick has helped NSSF grow its trade statistics program through both long-range and special one-time research projects. These efforts have benefited NSSF's First Shots introduction-to-shooting program and Models of Success effort that seeks to introduce newcomers to hunting and target shooting.

High points in Southwick Associates' work for NSSF have been developing the first index of hunting license sales, tracking of shooting range activities and trends, the first estimates of lifetime expenditures expected from new hunters and target shooters, the first annual survey of firearms retailers to identify trends and, last year, a groundbreaking study that identified hunter churn rates and described their lifestyles, the findings of which will help guide recruitment-and-retention efforts for years to come.

Bowhunting's Biggest Brands

Posted 21 May 01:40 by donna@southwickassociates.com

Results from the April Hunter Survey reveal the following about the most purchased archery equipment:

Top brand of bow – Mathews purchased by 37% of survey respondents

Top brand of arrow – Carbon Express arrows purchased by 36% of survey respondents 

Top brand of broadheads – Rage purchased by 38% of survey respondents 

 

 

Excise Taxes Create Enormous Annual Return on Investment to the Outdoors

Posted 19 May 13:31 by donna@southwickassociates.com

For Immediate Release:  May 16, 2011

Contact: Rob Southwick, rob@southwickassociates.com, 904-277-9765

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — An analysis conducted by Southwick Associates and Andrew Loftus Consulting for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies found that federal excise taxes collected on the sale of hunting and shooting equipment represented an approximate 1,100 percent annual return on investment (ROI) to manufacturers between 1970 to 2006 and taxes collected on sport fishing equipment generated a striking annual ROI of 2,157 percent between 1955 and 2006.

The ROIs in the new report “The Benefits to Business from Hunting and Fishing Excise Taxes” were determined by comparing the amount of excise taxes collected annually to the amount of purchases made annually by sportsmen during the respective timeframes. By law, the excise taxes only can be used to maintain fish and wildlife populations, provide public access and support programs that directly benefit hunters, shooting sports enthusiasts and anglers.

On average, the hunting- and shooting sports-related industry paid $251 million in excise taxes, but made $3.1 billion in revenue through sportsmen purchases each year from 1970 to 2006. From 1955 to 2006, the sport fishing industry on average contributed $110 million in annual tax payments/import duties, but generated $2.3 billion in annual taxable equipment sales.

“How many tax models in our country today can show an $11 to $21 return to the company on every dollar spent,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair U.S. Congressman Jeff Miller, R-Fla. “This is one of the most impressive examples of how an American industry can profit and bolster the economy while restoring and improving our nation’s cherished natural resources.”

The excise taxes are collected quarterly from outdoor industry manufacturers and importers for sales on items such as fishing lures, rods and reels, firearms, ammunition and other products. Hunting-, shooting- and fishing-related taxes are collected under the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and Sport Fish Restoration Act respectively.

Funding is then apportioned to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies based on land area and state fishing and hunting license sales. Agencies combine these funds with the license revenues to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats and create recreational and educational opportunities. In 2009 alone, more than $740 million was made available to states and territories in addition to the nearly $1.4 billion total paid by hunters and anglers in license fees.

“Outdoor activities like hunting and fishing have shaped who we are as Americans and they are important traditions that must be preserved.  In order to do so, conservation and wildlife management must be among our top priorities as sportsmen and women,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair U.S. Congressman Mike Ross, D-Ark.  “The revenue from these excise taxes helps fund conservation and wildlife management efforts in a fiscally responsible way.  Ultimately, the value and opportunities created by improved habitat and more robust fish and wildlife populations bring more sportsmen and women into the fold, which in turn spurs more revenue and keeps the cycle of investment strong.”

“The conservation community has known for a long time that the excise taxes provide a vital funding source for state agencies and have enhanced fish and wildlife populations,” said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates. “This ROI study, for the first time, demonstrates the substantial bottom line financial benefit of these taxes back to those companies that write the checks.”

According to the ROI study, outdoor industry excise taxes have helped to:

• Increase Atlantic striped bass populations by nearly 500 percent since 1982; leading to a 1,000 percent increase in the number of angler trips and generating more than $68 million on average per year in related fishing equipment sales.

• Improve fishing in the Great Lakes from nearly nonexistent in the 1950s to world class for salmon, trout, walleye and yellow perch; generating more than $2 billion in retail sales and supporting more than 58,000 jobs.

• Turn Wyoming into one of the top destinations for elk hunting with 23,000 harvested annually when in 1937 only a few hunts were permitted.

“Everyone who has a stake in hunting or fishing—from hunters and anglers who enjoy the resource to manufacturers who make the products—benefits,” said Ron Regan, executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “State fish and wildlife agencies particularly benefit as these funds represent the single largest, dedicated funding source for science-based conservation programs.”

The report concludes that a decrease or elimination of outdoor industry excise tax funding would reduce long-term investment into the foundation of the sport-fishing and hunting—fish and game populations, public access and recruitment of future customers. Such a circumstance would, in turn, cause a downward spiral in participation, which would further diminish consumer spending on the equipment produced by manufacturers.

 “The Benefits to Business from Hunting and Fishing Excise Taxes” report along with full reports that include technical details, are available for free at www.SouthwickAssociates.com/excisetaxROI.

Shooters to Make Key Purchases in 2011

Posted 07 May 00:11 by donna@southwickassociates.com

For Immediate Release:  May 3, 2011

Contact: Donna@southwickassociates.comHunters,

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — While recessional concerns continue to plague many sectors of the economy, the future looks good for the companies that supply America’s hunters and shooters with the primary tools of their activities—rifles and shotguns. In a survey conducted by HunterSurvey.com, more than 40 percent of sportsmen said they intend to purchase a new rifle in 2011, while nearly a quarter of them anticipate buying a shotgun.

“This is great news for firearms manufacturers. While we know many people who want a new firearm won’t actually get around to buying one, the level of interest among active hunters and shooters is shows there is still strength in the market,” said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, which designs and conducts the surveys at HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com. “Continued increases in NICS background checks and excise tax collections show the firearms sector is performing much better than the overall economy, and it looks like growth might continue in the near future.”

The news bodes well for our nation’s gun makers and dealers, many of them small businesses that provide jobs for tens of thousands of Americans. When asked by HunterSurvey.com what hunting and shooting products they planned on purchasing in 2011, 41.1 percent said their purchases would include a rifle and 23.9 percent will buy a shotgun.

Additional key items sportsmen intend to purchase throughout the remainder of the year include bows (14.9 percent) and muzzleloaders (9 percent). More than 55 percent expect to buy some type of optics including scopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and/or rangefinders.

Those who hunt, fish and target shoot are invited to participate in the surveys conducted on HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com. Each month, participants who complete the survey are entered into a drawing for one of five $100 gift certificates to the sporting goods retailer of their choice.

Regulations on the web

Posted 13 Apr 20:30 by donna@southwickassociates.com

Huntnfishregs.com is adding the new 2011-2012 Hunting and Fishing Regulation Books on a weekly basis.  If you have any questions for  your next Hunting and Fishing  trip check out this new and up to date web site.

 

Most Purchased Scope Brand

Posted 08 Apr 18:08 by donna@southwickassociates.com

Bushnell took top honors in 2010 among optics manufacturers for being the most purchased brand of firearm scope in 2010 by HunterSurvey.com and ShooterSurvey.com survey respondents. The company's scopes accounted for 17.1 percent of scopes purchased.

Get more hunting and shooting facts and findings at huntersurvey.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.