Hunter Numbers, Recruitment, etc.

[Dougfirtree]

The Rinella DDD thread got me wondering, but I don't want to hijack that discussion. Matt Rinella states that hunter numbers are actually up since the 60's in most of the U.S. and continue to rise in the west and southeast.

Does anyone have access to good data about hunting numbers around the country and how they've changed over time? Does his statement strike you as true? Seems to me like there's two issues; overall hunter numbers and the % of the population hunting. I'm guessing that percentage has been plummeting like a shotgun slug at a long range shooting competition.

How does it appear where you live? More crowded than ever? Quiet? Is this a good thing? Bad thing? I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts/observations on the issue of hunter numbers.

Here in northern NY, It appears to me that hunter numbers are down and falling. My sense is that it has alot to do with the excitement factor. There are still plenty of hunters out at pheasant releasing time and a decent number of duck hunters on Lake Champlain. Most good private property has a hunter or two with permission to hunt there, finding private access is not easy. But deer camps are fading, the number of hunters in the Adirondack woods chasing whitetails seems to be dropping and small game hunting seems almost non-existent. Just a handful of weirdos (like myself) still hunting squirrels, rabbits and grouse. Basically, if the type of hunting has a reasonable high chance of action AND a charasmatic game species, it's doing ok, but the rest is slowly fading.

As for the question of how important hunter numbers are, I'm definitely not at either end of the spectrum, but I tend to err on the side of public perception being more politically important than having tons of voting hunters out there. I don't have a ton of hunting friends, but I also don't know many people who are really opposed to hunting. That seems like a livable situation.

 

[Dfuller]

I am in eastern Iowa. Bow hunter #s seem way up, gun hunters seem stable with mostly older guys/groups still doing large group hunts. It’s hard to find anyone who small game hunts now with everyone so worked up over trophy deer.
David

 

[thusby]

Might be fewer hunters in general but more people than ever hunting deer on public. 2 miles deep in a tamarack bog and stepping on some other guys boot track. Same reason for the crowding out west is the land hogs of the east.

You have one guy hunting a 2500 acre farm because he can’t bear the thought of someone shooting a 10 pointer he has on camera. Generalization I know, but relevant.

Only seen one other group hunting ducks all year and no one hunts squirrels.

 

[shootbrownelk]

The Rinella DDD thread got me wondering, but I don't want to hijack that discussion. Matt Rinella states that hunter numbers are actually up since the 60's in most of the U.S. and continue to rise in the west and southeast.

Does anyone have access to good data about hunting numbers around the country and how they've changed over time? Does his statement strike you as true? Seems to me like there's two issues; overall hunter numbers and the % of the population hunting. I'm guessing that percentage has been plummeting like a shotgun slug at a long range shooting competition.

How does it appear where you live? More crowded than ever? Quiet? Is this a good thing? Bad thing? I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts/observations on the issue of hunter numbers.

Here in northern NY, It appears to me that hunter numbers are down and falling. My sense is that it has alot to do with the excitement factor. There are still plenty of hunters out at pheasant releasing time and a decent number of duck hunters on Lake Champlain. Most good private property has a hunter or two with permission to hunt there, finding private access is not easy. But deer camps are fading, the number of hunters in the Adirondack woods chasing whitetails seems to be dropping and small game hunting seems almost non-existent. Just a handful of weirdos (like myself) still hunting squirrels, rabbits and grouse. Basically, if the type of hunting has a reasonable high chance of action AND a charasmatic game species, it's doing ok, but the rest is slowly fading.

As for the question of how important hunter numbers are, I'm definitely not at either end of the spectrum, but I tend to err on the side of public perception being more politically important than having tons of voting hunters out there. I don't have a ton of hunting friends, but I also don't know many people who are really opposed to hunting. That seems like a livable situation.

Hunter numbers plummeting in the east? Probably because they're all hunting in Wyoming. I certainly don't see a decrease in hunter numbers out here, that's non residents though.

 

[Dfuller]

I think there a lot of truth already. Lots of guys have big tracts locked down and won’t let any one else in because they have been watching the deer. I really like watching Randy Newberg as it gives us working class folks hope to go and hunt. Buddy and I have been researching for a year and a half different western hunts. I’m all for big antlers and horns for the wall but a legal animal is a trophy to me.

 

[Bigjay73]

2019, roughly 35,000,000 licenses sold
1999, roughly 33,000,000 licenses sold

This is USFWS data. It doesn't exactly determine the number of actual hunters, just the number of tags, licenses, stamps sold per year.

USFWS- WSFR Historical License Data

 

[Huntkook]

In Pennsylvania numbers are steady, but average hunters age is increasing. So recruitment is not on the rise. Here is a link that will give you some numbers. https://www.fws.gov/wsfrprograms/Subpages/LicenseInfo/Hunting.htm

 

[rwc101]

I know a handful of people in NC and VA who have quit hunting or were forced on to small parcels of public due to losing access to private.

 

[MO Betta]

It’s hard to find anyone who small game hunts now with everyone so worked up over trophy deer.
David

This has been a trend I've noticed for sure.

I know a handful of people in NC and VA who have quit hunting or were forced on to small parcels of public due to losing access to private.

This happens in a lot of states, the prevalence of private land being leased has made it difficult for a lot of people.

 

[Dougfirtree]

2019, roughly 35,000,000 licenses sold
1999, roughly 33,000,000 licenses sold

This is USFWS data. It doesn't exactly determine the number of actual hunters, just the number of tags, licenses, stamps sold per year.

USFWS- WSFR Historical License Data

This data is really interesting. I may have to spend some time with this..

 

[Pucky Freak]

IA
Pheasant and quail hunting is up. More people seem to be buying dogs. Bird populations have been decent lately and public gets hammered. I’ve done a bird hunt on Jan 1st the last 7 years, but I doubt I’ll go next week.

Waterfowl is WAY down. I hardly ever see other hunters and there is nearly unlimited opportunity. Migrating birds don’t seem as wary. It’s about x10 times easier to hunt ducks/geese than pheasants in IA IMO.

I don’t know anyone who hunts rabbits. The population is low, but I have found a few productive pockets over the years.

I see hunters of Asian descent hunting squirrels, but overall very few hunters compared to the large # of squirrels.

Furbearer take seems to be on the decline. Less trapping, but a fair amount of people go after coyote.

Archery deer had really taken off, but it is such a long season and plenty of places to hunt so it doesn’t feel crowded. Turkey is also increasingly popular, but similarly hunters are pretty spread out on the landscape.

Gun deer seems a little declined, but I believe that is almost entirely a function of the rising popularity of late muzzleloader making the 2 shotgun seasons less busy since in most cases you have to pick between hunting either shotgun or ML season.

As others have mentioned, probably the #1 factor influencing hunter participation here is the consolidation of small farms into huge ones. Corporation X based out of Florida might own 8000 acres and doesn’t allow hunting. All the fences and trees are removed to maximize crop yield and the habitat is eliminated. 80 years ago maybe 100 people hunted the same ground for small game along fencelines and through weedy cornfields, etc.

2021 top skills for successful hunting include having local social connections for access, or just buy your way in, especially when it comes to mature WT bucks.

The current hunting scene is definitely a mixed bag. The “good old days” likely get glorified a bit much, and sometimes I lose sight of really how good I have it now. Access barriers are a headache in terms of hunter recruitment and loss of cultural hunting heritage. A whole lot more could be done to mitigate these trends, but I believe that the will of many chasing big $ will overshadow the will of the few who advocate for having places to hunt. We’ll probably look a whole lot like Europe does now in 30-40 years at the rate things are changing. People are exponentially looking to the American West for a slice of what they want outdoor life to feel like, to the dismay of most people who have already been there awhile.

 

[pwrwgn57]

Drove past one area of public land today here in SE PA, this week is the last pheasant stocking for the year. There were 40 trucks parked at the various lots. I would say hunter numbers are up.

 

[MarvB]

Read an article about hunting in the year of the pandemic and the associated turnout of “new” hunters

Said that Michigan saw a 67% hike in new hunting license buyers this year compared with 2019, a 15% increase in female hunters and moderate growth in many younger age brackets. The state also sold 46% more apprentice licenses, a discounted option that allows new hunters to give the sport a try.

Nevada saw a 30% jump in hunting licenses and put 50% more people through its hunter safety class. Maine sold a record number of deer permits, amid a 9% rise in hunting—with young adult hunters and women making up its fastest-growing groups.

Washington graduated more than twice as many residents from its hunter safety program than it did last year, while hunting license sales were up 8% compared to the same period in 2019. Idaho sold 28% more hunting and fishing licenses to first-time buyers.

Here’s the link to the story:

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/resear...ed-new-hunters-states-need-to-keep-them?amp=1

 

[3855WIN]

Might be fewer hunters in general but more people than ever hunting deer on public. 2 miles deep in a tamarack bog and stepping on some other guys boot track. Same reason for the crowding out west is the land hogs of the east.

You have one guy hunting a 2500 acre farm because he can’t bear the thought of someone shooting a 10 pointer he has on camera. Generalization I know, but relevant.

Only seen one other group hunting ducks all year and no one hunts squirrels.

You have one guy on the 2500 acres becasue the landowner doesn’t want a person they don’t know well operating a high powered rifle on their land. Too much liability.

 

[thusby]

Things keeping duck hunter numbers low;
1. Barrier to entry-it’s damn expensive.
2. The hours-3:30 am wakeups wtf
3. The danger-riding across a frozen lake in the dark in an overloaded boat.
4. The quarry-damn these things are hard to cook so they taste good.

 

[WapitiBob]

Simple math as outlined by Randy on his Elk Talk podcast will show hunter numbers are increasing in the western states simply due to the influx of new residents.

 

[Nick87]

Things keeping duck hunter numbers low;
1. Barrier to entry-it’s damn expensive.
2. The hours-3:30 am wakeups wtf
3. The danger-riding across a frozen lake in the dark in an overloaded boat.
4. The quarry-damn these things are hard to cook so they taste good.

I wish that was the case down here last couple of years seems there is a decoy spread in literally every other 80 acre field.

 

[Nick87]

I'm not sure if numbers are increasing or decreasing here but due to access there is certainly more hunters hunting less and less land every year. Guys that used to have a couple hundred acres to themself are now sharing 40 acres with multiple hunters. There really isn't any public here to speak of that is walk in anyway. A lot of private that you are able to access though is more crowded than some public I've hunted in other areas. Access is lost to either development and leasing. I cant believe some of the farms with hardly any wildlife habitat guys will pay to hunt. On the other hand seems like whenever different groups of hunters get access to private bickering and arguing ensue and the landowner has enough and everyone gets the boot and it goes out for lease or becomes no hunting allowed.

 

[88man]

access and opportunities change every year even my desire changes a little also

 

[Shangobango]

Definitely increasing hunter numbers on public down here.

All the private land is leased now and the cost of leasing land or buying into a hunting club is rising. A lot of people are getting priced out and hunting public instead.

Up until 20 or 25 years ago there was open unposted private ground aplenty. Most all that open land was leased and the trespassing laws changed to require written permission of the landowner regardless of if the land was posted or not.

That was also the same time period when all the open range that was left around here was done away with. My back still hurts from building fence after that change.