Hunters Disapearing

[nhboy]

Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.

New figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show 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 drop was most acute in New England, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states, which lost 400,000 hunters in that span.

LINK

 

[desertrat]

Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.

New figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show 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 drop was most acute in New England, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states, which lost 400,000 hunters in that span.

LINK

Sport fisherman nos. are declining also. You've got to wonder if it might be all the fees, restrictions and regulations that cause people to just give it up.

 

[smoothmarine187]

Pretty soon HunterJJD will just be JJD

 

[Dutch6]

Sport fisherman nos. are declining also. You've got to wonder if it might be all the fees, restrictions and regulations that cause people to just give it up.

 

[Novus Collectus]

... The drop was most acute in New England, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states, which lost 400,000 hunters in that span.

Well no wonder, with the gun control laws making ever tougher to buy and own hunting rifles and making hunting rifles more and more expensive in some of those states.
Also more areas where hunting was common are becoming more populated making it difficult for the average income hunter to afford to hunt because they have to travel farther every year.
Then there are the hunting regulations and fees increasing.


The demographics of gun owners has changed over the years to the point where politicians will have to change who they pander to. It used to be hunters were one of the biggest and most influential groups of the gun owners, but since 1996 there have been millions more collectors, target shooters, self defense gun owners and amateur competition shooters, but hundreds of thousands fewer hunters.
If there are fewer hunters but more gun owners overall, then that means there are millions more Americans owning handguns and legally than before and bans on the capacity of magazines or certain cosmetic features of rifles and implement ammunition tax/registration will be even harder for the anti gun politicians. I hope they finally take note.
With so many handgun owners nowadays, don't be too surprised someday to see a photo op of a presidential candidate like Hillary shooting a Browning High Power at a gun range because they will have to pander to a whole new crowd.
If there are only 12 million hunters but about 100 million gun owners, then maybe if Kerry did a photo op of him doing a three gun shoot with an AR15, a tactical shotgun and a 9mm handgun with a 15 round mag instead of duck hunting, maybe he would have gotten another million or so votes.

 

[desertrat]

Sport fisherman nos. are declining also. You've got to wonder if it might be all the fees, restrictions and regulations that cause people to just give it up.

One example. My son hunts waterfowl in Oregon. In order to get a goose permit you have to be able to identify the 5 subspecies of canadian geese because one of them is protected. The one that is protected is much darker than the others and therefore easy to id, but you still have to be able to tell the others apart even though you can take them!

 

[Magnum]

I am one Have not been hunting since 99. Too much BS now. Can't hunt here can't hunt there, gotta pay to hunt here. Screw that. When I lost access to the land I grew up hunting on because of Aggregate Industries I gave it up. Screw them and their hunt club, treat me and my family with total disrespect.

 

[HunterJJD]

biggest thing is people working and no place to hunt

I hunt year round and hunt everything. I trap and travel to hunt. You name it I can kill it. But I have lost many places to hunt but I have also gained MANY to kill on. They need the herds thinned since "hunters" are gone and antler hunters are out in force.

I do not even know how many permits I have this year, well over 150 to fill. Just gets hard to butcher that much and have a life and work

 

[Novus Collectus]

One example. My son hunts waterfowl in Oregon. In order to get a goose permit you have to be able to identify the 5 subspecies of canadian geese because one of them is protected. The one that is protected is much darker than the others and therefore easy to id, but you still have to be able to tell the others apart even though you can take them!

They are Canada geese, not Canadian geese unless they have Canadian citizenship of course.

 

[Magnum]

biggest thing is people working and no place to hunt

I hunt year round and hunt everything. I trap and travel to hunt. You name it I can kill it. But I have lost many places to hunt but I have also gained MANY to kill on. They need the herds thinned since "hunters" are gone and antler hunters are out in force.

I do not even know how many permits I have this year, well over 150 to fill. Just gets hard to butcher that much and have a life and work

I've never been a trophy hunter. Back in the day I hunted to eat. My entire family was that way. We would freeze what we could then pass the rest on. When supplies got low we would go find another. Only kill what you can eat is what I was taught.

 

[appendixqh]

Hmm...I believe lack of lands is one reason that my family and I have taken up the issue of No Hunting on some public lands to the county commissioners...we are trying to regain public access to 250 acres of land. Not much acreage, i know, but at this point every St Mary's County acre of huntable land counts!

 

[Vince]

I've never been a trophy hunter. Back in the day I hunted to eat. My entire family was that way. We would freeze what we could then pass the rest on. When supplies got low we would go find another. Only kill what you can eat is what I was taught.

Same here. Never was a trophy hunter. Hunt for meat, mainly deer. Used to hunt pheasant in Pa, but they are all gone now. If I take two deer a year, that's more venison than I can eat.

 

[desertrat]

Actually I read this hoping it was something cool like a chupacabra suspected of nailing hunters in Texas.

 

[Foxhound]

LOL! Me too, or PITA warriors kidnapping hunters.

I quit hunting a few years back because access to the land I used to hunt, up by deep creek lake, is no longer available. I enjoyed hunting using a rifle and there aren't many places in MD you can do that any longer.

 

[wv4x4]

According to an article entitled 'Number of U.S. Hunters dwindle' which laments the dwindling number of hunters and the dwindling amount of land to hunt on the usual jab at a gun-rights organization was taken, this time by a 'hunter' that has forrmed his own organization 'American Hunters and Shooters Association' name of this gent is Ray Schoenke of the state of Maryland. According to the article this group supports some 'restrictions' on firearms ownership--what they would be I'm not sure but with the rabidly anti-gun groups that I've encountered there really is no compromise sought, at least not in the long run. Most anti groups want an abolition of ALL gun ownership.
This 'hunter' and his opinions are quite dangerous for any freedom loving american----he believes in 'compromise' and his organization should be avoided! This guy and his associates have been and are affiliated with Brady et al. The enemy is inside the perimeter and we better wake up

 

[Vince]

The enemy is inside the perimeter and we better wake up

Definitely, or we'll end up like Great Britain and Austrailia.

 

[Novus Collectus]

According to an article entitled 'Number of U.S. Hunters dwindle' which laments the dwindling number of hunters and the dwindling amount of land to hunt on the usual jab at a gun-rights organization was taken, this time by a 'hunter' that has forrmed his own organization 'American Hunters and Shooters Association' name of this gent is Ray Schoenke of the state of Maryland. According to the article this group supports some 'restrictions' on firearms ownership--what they would be I'm not sure but with the rabidly anti-gun groups that I've encountered there really is no compromise sought, at least not in the long run. Most anti groups want an abolition of ALL gun ownership.
This 'hunter' and his opinions are quite dangerous for any freedom loving american----he believes in 'compromise' and his organization should be avoided! This guy and his associates have been and are affiliated with Brady et al. The enemy is inside the perimeter and we better wake up

Schoenke has donated thousand of his own dollars to Handgun Control Inc.

 

[wv4x4]

Schoenke has donated thousand of his own dollars to Handgun Control Inc.

Thats my point! With leadership like that, there is no doubt about the true goals of this idiot. They are trying to fool hunters and gun owners with a soft sell ... while working behind the scenes to end the sport that we all love. Whats a anti-gunner doing being a president of a hunting-shooting organization? The guy is a deusch nozzle!

 

[Novus Collectus]

Thats my point! Whats a anti-gunner doing being a president of a hunting-shooting organization? The guy is a deusch nozzle!

Because it is not really a hunting/shooting organization, it is an organization created to lobby for stricter gun control laws sucfh as an "assault weapons" ban (it is in their stated goals even). It is simply a special interest organization for stricter gun control that is masquarading as a hunting organization. It is a ruse plain and simple that was created to give some in Congress the impression that there is an actual organized group of Fudds.
http://www.gunlawnews.org/asha.html

 

[Toxick]

Sport fisherman nos. are declining also. You've got to wonder if it might be all the fees, restrictions and regulations that cause people to just give it up.

I find that it's much easier and cheaper if I take my International Harvester Corn-binder out a couple of times each year, and make sure I "accidentally" plow into a deer.

That's a good 4-5 months of venisen right there. No fees.