First Hunt Foundation
The First Hunt Foundation is a National non-profit 501(c)3, with the mission to “Keep the Hunting Heritage Alive.” We have mentors throughout the United States that have selflessly volunteered their time to support this mission. Every mentor passes a vigorous background check and agrees to the ‘Mentor’s Creed’, to participate in our programs.
With the help of our tireless volunteers, we seek out those who have a desire to learn about hunting and strive to give them their first experience, which can go on to develop into a life-long passion for the outdoors. Our mentors love the outdoors and want to do everything they can to help "Keep the Hunting Heritage Alive "
visit the First Hunt Foundation at www.firsthuntfoundation.org to see how you can be a mentor!
My Why
I have been a Mentor for the First Hunt Foundation since 2021, and in 2023, I was appointed as the California State Director. I have been a California Hunters Education Instructor for nearly 15 years and heard over and over, that students now had their Hunter Safety Certificate, but had no one to take them hunting. I also saw the statistics of the number of students taking the class going up, yet license sales going down. For some reason, students were not taking the next step, and a lack of qualified and available mentors is a large part of that. I decided it was time to do something about that and along came First Hunt Foundation. I knew immediately, the new hunters of California needed that here.
California FHF Mentors
We have almost 30 Mentors throughout the state and more are joining regularly! Our mentors have experience in everything outdoors from foraging to Upland Game, Waterfowl and Big Game hunting and are ready and willing to help new hunters get started on the right path. Mentors are all over the state from Redding to San Diego and the Sierras to the Coast, there is a mentor out there for you if you need one!
Transforming lives by sharing Hunting Education and Resources
First Hunt Foundation recognizes that it is often more effective for women and girls to learn hunting skills from other women, who understand how to overcome the unique barriers women may face when embarking on their first hunt. With this program we strive to provide supportive, encouraging, inspiring female mentors who themselves will also grow as they teach and assist new hunters. Both grow together hunting! We hope these experiences build a network of female hunters who can rely on each other for knowledge, shared experiences, and confidence-building connection.
Interested in learning more about this new program, contact FHF’s Share the HERitage Director, Rachel Voss at rachelv@firsthuntfoundation.org. It’s your journey, make it amazing!
Forgotten Rites
The survival of humanity hinged on the ability to hunt for food. The hunting and foraging skills of our ancestors ensured the existence of all present-day individuals.
In several societies, a successful hunt symbolized the transition from a dependent member to a contributing one of the community.
However, numerous cultures have lost touch with this age-old rite of passage. The “Forgotten Rites” initiative seeks to boost the engagement and visibility of underrepresented communities in the realm of hunting.
The program will offer education and experiential opportunities to those who wish to reconnect with their ancestral legacy through hunting and spending time in nature.
We aspire that those who choose to rediscover these “Forgotten Rites” will establish a profound connection with themselves, the natural world, and their distinctive heritages.
Our vision is to promote inclusivity and diversity in the hunting community by fostering a welcoming environment for underrepresented communities. We aim to inspire and empower individuals to embrace the hunting lifestyle and culture, and to become active participants in preserving and celebrating our hunting heritage.
First Hunt Foundation has tremendous respect and admiration for our national and local heroes. All veterans and first responders understand mission, teamwork and the desire to serve. We want to connect these heroes to a new mission of recruiting new hunters and helping those in their own ranks learn about conservation and hunting. If you are interested in learning more about this new program contact FHF’s Connecting Heroes & Hunters Director, Rich Cotte at richc@firsthuntfoundation.org. It’s going to be epic!
The vision of Connecting Heroes to Hunters is to ensure that veterans and first responders always have an avenue to discover a new collective purpose and unified bond in serving their community as well as the national need to keep our hunting heritage alive today, tomorrow, and forever.
