Nick knows deer. And Nick knows conservation. Many of you are familiar with Nick Pinizzotto as the leader of National Deer Alliance, or you might know him from his days as the CEO of U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. Either way, it is high time we chat with him for the next installment of “5 Minutes…”
Q: Nick, you’ve been at the helm of NDA for three years now and I want to look forward to the next few years – as the big visionary I know you are – what are some of your big picture goals for NDA and deer conservation as a whole?
Nick's Kentucky buck, 2015
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A: We just prepared our new strategic plan that will take us through 2021, and we put a heavy emphasis on dealing with chronic wasting disease (CWD). As a deer organization that was established for the purpose of working on deer policy, there really is no bigger issue, and the board recognizes that. We’ll continue to work on hunter access and hunting opportunity issues, as well as state and federal land management, which were also focus areas of our first strategic plan. Beyond that, we want to continue to establish NDA as a policy leader for deer issues in D.C., and in the individual states, while also growing our membership.
As far as broader deer conservation, I hope we can help slowly rebuild the deer hunting tradition that I fear we’ve been losing over the last decade. I want to continue to inform hunters about important issues like CWD, while not scaring them away from the sport in the meantime. We’re in a tough spot trying to retain, reactivate, and recruit new hunters, when our most popular game animal is facing a scary and uncertain challenge. I think NDA can play a significant role with preserving our hunting heritage, and a symptom of that will be a strong industry, and more dollars for land and wildlife conservation.
Q: Let’s look backward now…What has surprised you about NDA over the last few years? Could be something you didn’t expect or maybe a pleasant discovery?
A: I think the biggest surprise is how difficult it is go give away a free membership! Well before my time at NDA, there was talk about having a database of a million email addresses of deer hunters. The reality is, we’d be thrilled to have 100,000. Part of the problem is people have grown reluctant to sign up for anything online because they don’t want their in-boxes cluttered. I get it. The other issue is deer hunters remain largely apathetic to issues. If you post stories about what equipment to use, or how to shoot a big deer, you get tons of interest and interaction. If you post a story about a federal policy that impacts deer and hunting, like the Farm Bill for example, it’s just doesn’t move the needle as well. We understand that, so we try to mix up our content, while getting hunters to engage in policy to the greatest extent possible. As resources allow, we plan to implement some creative strategies to grow membership and engagement.
Q: You’ve reincarnated “Coffee + Deer” in a different format – it’s now on YouTube as a pre-recorded show vs Live on Facebook. Could you share with those of us who live and breathe social media metrics, why the move? I know you only have one show on YouTube now, but are you seeing a difference from your Live shows? Where do you see this show going in 2019?
A: Oh, Coffee and Deer. I get such excellent feedback on the show, but when we were producing all of the shows live, it presented some technical and scheduling challenges, as well as alienating a significant audience of people who don’t use Facebook. We also learned pretty quickly that most people watched it after it ran live, so it wasn’t like the live format was drawing eyeballs. Early on viewership looks really good, so I don’t think the format matters much. I think we’ll still do some live shows, but for the most part we’re going to a pre-recorded format that, in all honesty, makes my life a lot easier. I’m the scheduler, host, videographer, editor, and promoter. My family room looks like a television studio, and so far I’ve been able to avoid being thrown out of the house. Ultimately, I have to work it into my schedule, which is mostly focused on policy. While I love doing the show, it’s important to stay focused on the issues first. That said, I’d love to see the show continue to grow and attract more sponsors. It’s one of the few things we do that we can sell to advertisers, which can help support our mission. If it can’t support our mission, we can’t justify doing it.
Q: Ok, how was your deer season? Did I see some action on your Facebook page??
A: Oh yes, deer hunting. It’s nice to do that now and then instead of just dealing with the issues. I’m having a bit of an awkward season so far. We moved back to our home state of Pennsylvania this year from Ohio on the day before archery season opened. I literally left all of my stands and trail cameras behind, and didn’t get back there to hunt until early November. I also hunt in Delaware, and did some hunting there in mid-October and early November, which is probably the latest I’ve ever started my season. I’ve been efficient with my time though filling some antlerless tags, and taking a really good 6 year-old buck in Ohio that I’ve had some history with. I still have my buck tag for Delaware, and I picked up a license in Pennsylvania so I can do some winter archery hunting. No trips out West this year, but I hope to fix that next season.
Appreciate your time Nick – see you at ATA Show. – Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire.