Future hunter participation
 

Most hunters are generally aware that hunter #'s are falling. While viewing my states game dept. website, the statistics were pretty clear this is the case in VA. Based on your state/locale statistics or
observations, have you taken notice of this? I have influenced quite a few people to partake in hunting or shooting over the years but lately that's been more sporadic. How has your influence been?

Colorado Been pretty consistent with number going out. Most public hunting has like a 8 % success rate though. So I noticed a lot more not hunting archery or muzzleloader season and everyone is just trying to get it done during rifle season here.

Where I am at we are a little different, because the Base here we constantly have families coming and going so the hunter numbers have remained relatively stable for the most part. Outside of the county though the numbers have seemed to be decreasing the average hunting age is increasing. I won't lie, there seems to be a number of reasons for it, and not a single answer to resolve it.

My experience is it's become harder every year to get a tag in Colorado in all seasons.

less hunters means more game for me. I think you should all stay home and play caabelas dangerous hunts on de video game. if you would be so kind as to do this for me , I will take lots of pics and regale you with my exploits.

There are few states if any that have no experienced a drop in hunter numbers. Many state agencies try to stem the flow by making it easier for people to become first time hunters with programs such as mentored youth and mentored adults programs that do not require a hunter safety course or age requirement until the youth reaches the age where they can and must buy a license and the adult program in my has a time limit. In my opinion none of this or anything else will stem the drop in hunters. We are an aging society and one of the biggest losses of numbers comes from the greatest generation who have mostly died off and from baby boomers who are now at the age where they have slowed down and have health problems that prevent them from enjoying hunting any longer. In addition, the young people today have many other things to do for fun that doesn't require them to get cold or wet or bored by having to wait for an opportunity to shoot. and many of them have no one to teach them as our culture changes. When I was a kid it was hard to find a boy that didn't hunt. Also, many places that people used to hunt on private ground are now shopping centers or housing developments and rather than hunt public land they just get disgusted and quit. Almost all the places I hunted up until I got out of the service are gone and it is disheartening to see. The places where my father and brothers and I laughed and had a good time hunting pheasants when there were pheasants in PA are no longer woods and farm fields farmed the old way long before no till came to town. I went back to see what was left one day, I live in a different county now, and what I saw was so sad I left with tears in my eyes. If hunting was not so deeply ingrained in my blood by my father I just may have quit but it is part of me so I will continue until I can't any more and then give it another year. All these things and more are reasons for loss of hunter numbers and I think it is naive to believe it can be stopped, it can be slowed some but our numbers will continue to drop. Doggy, what less hunters will mean in the future will not be more game for those who hunt, it will mean less people to lobby and pressure the state and federal governments to manage wildlife for optimum numbers for the habitat and to buy land and manage it for hunting and less money to do it. We only have what we have today because of our numbers. Once our numbers are low enough so that the General Assemblies in the respective states no longer are concerned about their voting block, they will pay more attention to the voting blocks of the anti hunters. State constitutions that have hunting as a right will be amended to remove it. I wish I could see a brighter future.

I can totally relate to your post, Ot. That has been my experience and what is mentioned on VA.'s dept. site. In this state-specifically where deer are concerned-hunter participation is one of, if not the main tool, for population control. It's sad that one day low hunter turnout will cause the end of your statement to become a final reality. By that time, I may not be around to see it either.

What Oldtimr said is so true that I could have written that post of his myself! He hit all the facets perfectly that will eventually spell what he mentioned with our generation getting too old to hunt, loss of habitat, etc. When polls are taken now the most common answer to why people have quit hunting or don't hunt much any more is lack of or no access to decent hunting land.

believe me, I get that. my post was merely a smart alek joke. when you lose your ability to laugh, nothing else is important.

its been a problem for decades,
with lower hunter numbers, less incentive for states/feds to increase funding and to increase access to hunting lands,
i try to get all kids involved in hunting and outdoors,
friends that dont hunt but enjoy outdoors i encourage them to take a hunters ed course, explain to them that theres alot more to it than just the actual hunting, and if they spend time in the field, they should know hunting regs regardless of whether they hunt,
many may only associate hunting with big game, but i explain the small game aspect of hunting, more people are prone to start hunting with small game, much more manageable for them, then they can pursue big game if they like.