Never been hunting.
That is in a way why I posted this in the general discussion area rather than the hunting section. Most of the guys I know who still actively hunt are over 50 and one is almost 70, I think as long as he can drive he’ll be in Colorado every fall hunting Elk.
respectfully, i think that your experience could be true for pockets of places, while there still being an overall decline.
And from what i've heard, it extends to other things like golf. Specialty locations, specialty equipment, high costs of entry, etc are all affecting interest in these sorts of things. If you're from the city, and don't have a family member to go hunting with, the likelihood you get into the sport is slim. Whereas if you live in a location with access to good hunting and have been raised with it in your background, you're probably more likely to participate. Hunting isn't something most people just decide to pickup.
I know a guy who grew up in south carolina and loves to deer hunt. But he lives in Southern California and doesn't have easy enough access to land/ time to go. So for him, he isn't buying a hunting license or taking his step son to hunt very often.
Coming from a non-hunter. for starters I do not know how to clean after I shot a deer or any other game. Secondly I have no idea where to hunt. Those are barriers to entry. I am not willing to chance getting sick because I do not know how to clean the game properly. I do not shoot animals for fun just to leave them there. Yes I understand there are pest like wild pigs, and coyotes, that is understandable.
Growing up I knew people that owned land.I would help them with their farm work or sometimes just asked them if I could hunt on their land and had quite a few places to dove or quail hunt.40 years later I am back in the same area and now the same families don't allow hunting or most have leased it out.So I would agree that their are less hunters now.
Cleaning an animal is not terribly difficult. I think you probably have a greater chance of getting sick by under cooking store bought hamburger.
arizona shot themselves in the foot a few years ago when they increased hunting and fishing licenses by quite a bit.a lot of people who would only get out to fish occationally quite buying so state raised cost again on top of charging to park at the lakes..so now people who just wanted a picnic werent going out either.polititions in game and fish still havent figured out what they did wrong
It's declined where I hunt in Nebraska...we used to run into bird hunters all the time on opening weekend and now we're the only idiots out there. Granted the hunting quality has declined, but we dont see nearly the people in orange in town when getting gas or other supplies either.
I'm calling flagrant foul. Buried in the article.
Meanwhile other wildlife-centered activities, like birdwatching, hiking and photography, are rapidly growing, as American society and attitudes towards wildlife change.
Sorry, but as the population gets fatter, the land whale is NOT going on a hiking trip. Bird (pigeons) watching out the window in the mid level walkup is what they are conveying.
Photographing birds (with an iphone) is not photography.
Meanwhile other wildlife-centered activities, like birdwatching, hiking and photography, are rapidly growing, as American society and attitudes towards wildlife change.
Sorry, but as the population gets fatter, the land whale is NOT going on a hiking trip. Bird (pigeons) watching out the window in the mid level walkup is what they are conveying.
Photographing birds (with an iphone) is not photography.
depends on what you call hiking, though. Walking from your car and around the nature trail might be 'hiking' to some.
but the point still stands that our door interests are there, but the current model for funding conservation is being to have issue.
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