Declining Number of Hunters in the United States

I just read a story over on Yahoo! about the declining number of hunters in the United States. While I have heard the statement before I was surprised that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hunters Survey showed that the number of hunters 16 and older declined by 10 percent between 1996 and 2006 - from 14 million to about 12.5 million.

The survey pointed out urbanization was resulting in less hunting land and that modern families have a difficult time finding time for hunting activities. As well most people learn to hunt from family members and with fewer people hunting that is obviously going to result in fewer mentors and fewer new hunters.

Being from a predominantly rural state and one well known for its trophy whitetail and abundant hunting opportunities the decline does not seem obvious to me. With the opening of our own Bass Pro Shop in 2005 and Cabela's in 2006 and higher sales of recreational land in the area it would seem that at least in our area hunting numbers have increased. Here in West Central Iowa we are blessed with the Loess Hills State Forest which stretches from Moorhead Iowa through Pisgah, Mondamin to Council Bluffs on the south end. The Loess Hills State Forest produces many huge trophy whitetail deer every year, with Monona County being the 6th largest producer of Boone and Crockett entries. All of these things combined would give you the impression that hunting activities have increased in this area.

The modern hunters is also much different than the hunter of just 30 years ago. Today hunters are connected to many information sources, groups and forums on the Internet. The Internet also provides them with a vast knowledge base and research such as Aerial photography and networking opportunities. The modern hunter has a greater choice of equipment, and today's equipment is so sophisticated it can not compare to the weapons, treestands, scents, and transportation of yesteryear.

Hunters today also travel much more than the hunters in the past. With more discretionary cash in the hunters pocket they are able to enjoy opportunities hunters could not in the past. Each year thousands of hunters make the trip to Iowa to chase whitetail deer and turkey. 20 years ago this was not even possible as Iowa did not allow non-resident hunters. Today the non-resident hunter helps us thin our heard and brings cash into the small rural towns close to hunting opportunities.

So is a 10% decline something to worry about? Isn't that good so that we can have more for ourselves? Certainly some will say that, but more is not always better. It is extremely important for us to keep our wildlife population in check. If the decline were to continue some places would be impacted more than others and certainly if the does continue we will see the day when the decline reaches 20% and 30%. I think we can all agree that would not be good for anybody.