In states across the country, the state of our hunting heritage and the wildlife we love are at a dire crossroads. From fish and game commissions to state legislatures to Congress, intense pressure is being applied by anti-hunting interests, threatening to undermine wildlife management efforts and erode the rights of hunters.
Unfortunately, the hunting community struggles with not having a simple, effective means of using its collective voice — and being heard. To help overcome that hurdle, a powerful hunter advocacy and action platform was launched in 2021: HOWL For Wildlife.
Howl’s start
For Charles Whitwam and John Stallone, co-founders of Howl, their motivation is to counteract anti-hunting legislation and advance pro-sportsmen legislation at the state and federal levels. Quite simply, they want to unite sportsmen and women against all threats to hunting, fishing, and the wildlife we love.
According to Whitwam, “Howl’s mission is to provide a streamlined, powerful engagement process and the resources to get involved — such as speaking at commission meetings — and get pro-wildlife management laws on the books.”
Their goal is to motivate 1 million action-takers.
In Howl’s short tenure, they have been successful at progressing or halting 80% or better on pieces of legislation they have championed across twenty different states.
Even so, Whitwam recognizes that asking people to get involved takes more than putting their name on a petition, sending an email, or attending a committee meeting.
“A big component of our actions is education about wildlife management, conservation, hunting, and fishing,” he said. “Providing the science a data that supports the conservation of habitat and wildlife that we stand behind.”
“We want sportsmen and women to understand the background of every issue, what’s at stake, and how it affects them,” he added. “Even if the issue isn’t in their state.”
Armed with that knowledge, and the ease of the platform, people are far more willing to engage and make their voices heard.
How the platform works
The Action Den on Howl’s website offers a list of active issues hunters and anglers can get involved with. Every email that’s sent reaches the appropriate decision-makers directly and offers a unique position on the issue at hand — not a one-track canned block of copy.
Whether the email is personalized by the sender or not, Stallone reported no legislator or committee member receives the same email twice.
“That email might be sent to a single state senator, or it might be sent to several lawmakers at once,” he said. “The key is the people who need to hear your voice are hearing it.”
“Most action centers ask you to contact your legislator who may or may not be involved in this particular legislation,” Stallone added. “Howl gets your voice to the decision makers and lets them hear your stance. That’s powerful.”
Another benefit of Howl’s platform is it acts as a hub for similar non-profits and companies to send their members, centralizing the effort and number of emails, and amplifying the hunting community’s concerted voice.
Get involved today
The simplest way to make your voice heard on issues affecting hunting, fishing, habitat, and wildlife management is to visit the Action Den. Get up to speed on current issues and follow the simple steps to make your voice heard.
When you take action, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for alerts and newsletters, which will keep you up to date on the latest news from Howl.
Lastly, the Howl team may be small and mighty, but we put a huge amount of time and energy into advocating for hunters, wildlife, and habitat. Between our time and the cost of running Howl’s unique platform, we rely solely on memberships and donations to keep the lights on.
Our individual memberships come with fantastic benefits like access to OnX and MTNTOUGH+, and discounts from partner brands like Protekt, Black Rifle Coffee Company, and Eastman’s Tag Hub. There are also reciprocal memberships with Pope & Young, American Bear Foundation, and GOHUNT available.
Make your voice heard on issues that are important to sportsmen and women in your state and beyond — join Howl for Wildlife today.
Matt Smythe Writing & Creative Direction
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