The U.S. may have increased its population, but that never meant more hunters were going to be recruited.

First, the population contains more and more "baby boomers" who just started turning 65 years of age. A large number were hunters. Now many are retired, getting to the point of retirement, passing the scene entirely. That number will only grow in the next ten years and mean a decrease in hunters.

Replacements weren't coming from what I call the "computer generation." There are many more interests than fishing and hunting. Even I had outside interests way back. But the interests are too varied, and the communities are becoming too large and interest varied.

Over thirty years ago, a mentor warned me that I'd probably stray from hunting, once I moved to the big city. I've noticed over the last twenty years, as the population became more diverse, the hunting and fishing businesses, especially the firearms trade, started moving out further. The last two hunting bows I bought, were bought at now closed stores. Many athletic and outdoor stores have much in their store, that has nothing to do with hunting and fishing.
My mentor was absolutely right about the falling hunting population over thirty years ago. He had already seen too many acquaintances from the farm area and the smaller city where he lived, just fall away from hunting.

A lot of homes are more one parent homes. Show me a family with a woman at the head, and I'll show you, 9 to 1, a family with no hunters.

A lot of small cities had groups of hunters that hunted together, or had a hunting camp "up in the mountains." Many of the old so called buddies have long disappeared. If I wasn't prepared to fish and hunt alone, I probably would have quit, fifteen and twenty-five years ago.

I have one long acquaintance, who in many ways never was really an acquaintance. He never fished or ever hunted. All my hunting and fishing trips never included him. There was a door our friendship never went by.

And I see a continuing drain on hunting. I see more and more younger adults gaining weight and becoming overweight. How is that going to help hunting, a sport where you need more fitness, than a couch potato. I never started hunting and fishing, in an entirely fit physical condition. Perhaps I was more attuned for my need to get and stay in the best physical condition I could. Too many current hunters, and I use the term loosely, are slowly fading away to a ton. How long does anyone hunt, with their "46 inch waist."

Too many today aren't willing to stay fit for hunting and even fishing. The falloff will continue and I don't see any rapid changes.

If you're young, just check your local sporting and hunting store. See if they offer any tree stands with a 250 lb. limit.
And how long will a hunter hunt, who actually needs one of those 300 lb. weight limit tree stands?