Decline In Hunters Threatens How U.S. Pays For Conservation (NPR)

[BuzzH]

While I can agree with that to some degree, I think it is more the private leasing and lack of access to private lands, not the lack of public land, that is the issue. Private and public lands are not simply two sides of the same coin. Access to private land used to be easy. Now it is often all but impossible and then there is leasing of private on top of that.

The other, widely missed reason, is that, frankly, unless you are of a pretty far right political stripe, you simply are not welcome. Believe it.

Hunters have ostracized 1/2-2/3s of the nation's population right at the get go. This affects not just declines in hunting, but also participation in shooting competitions which are also mostly declining.

Agreed, and exactly what I was getting at with the remarks regarding baby-boomers and feathering their own nest...mainly leasing, hunting clubs, buying land for their exclusive use, etc.

I also agree regarding your second paragraph...its on full display on just about every hunting board on the net...and that's a shame. If you don't want to pillage every ounce of coal, every stick of timber, every drop of oil, allow livestock to graze every blade of grass, and have 12 miles of road on every section of public land...then you aren't pro multiple use...and a full on libtard.

 

[Sytes]

I saw a FB post last season from a local dude griping he spent $130 on tags and how crooked FWP was for charging so much. Right below the post was a pic of a new Razor side by side decked out with all the accessories he had just bought for "hunting".

Haha! Yep. Amazing...

 

[1_pointer]

Access and loss of huntable lands via development, which in many ways are related, are the main issues here in IN. The good news is that the state is proactive in trying to add more lands to their roles.

I'm not buying the argument that folks are priced out. For some NR, big game tags possibly. For resident tags or general hunting licenses good for small/upland game or waterfowl absolutely not. $65 gets me a buck and two doe tags that are good for any season. That'd allow me to deer hunt from Sept-Jan if I chose to. A general hunting license runs $17 and has opportunities from Aug 15 to the end of February. Neither of those are pricing anyone out and the same can be said for most any state.

 

[beginnerhunter]

Yet the western states have no problem selling out their tags.

Do they? Randy is always talking about leftover tags in several states. Do they all eventually get purchased?

But I see what you're saying and I mostly agree. It's supply and demand. Less habitat = less wildlife = more demand = higher fees. If herd numbers improved (unlikely) there would be more tags for more hunters at less cost per tag. But as those resources are used up, the entry cost becomes so high people drop out. It's part of the reason eastern hunters don't care about public land.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Do they? Randy is always talking about leftover tags in several states. Do they all eventually get purchased?

But I see what you're saying and I mostly agree. It's supply and demand. Less habitat = less wildlife = more demand = higher fees. If herd numbers improved (unlikely) there would be more tags for more hunters at less cost per tag. But as those resources are used up, the entry cost becomes so high people drop out. It's part of the reason eastern hunters don't care about public land.

Eastern hunters dont care about public land? Can you elaborate?

 

[jmveverka]

One thing that always bothers me is the fact that in many states, you do not have to buy a hunting license to hunt on your own land...I know, I know that the government should not be telling us what we can and can't do on our property, but again, those deer don't belong to the landowner, they are held in trust for the public. I have observed, anecdotally, that as quality of hunting has been perceived to have gone down on the National Forest (here in the east), fewer hunters are buying licenses, and instead choosing to stick to shooting a deer or two to fill the freezer on their 10, 25 or 40 acre properties. They don't buy a license, don't fill out Department of Game Reports/Surveys, and don't contribute even peripherally to conservation.

 

[jmveverka]

Eastern hunters dont care about public land? Can you elaborate?

I think it is certainly a fact that a majority of Eastern Hunters don't care about public land. It is just not a factor for most whitetail hunters. There are definitely hunters who rely on the National Forests from Tennessee up through New England, but I would wager that a majority of hunters in those states have never set foot on public land for hunting purposes.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Every study as to the source of this decline points to loss of accessible lands. That comes in many forms - development, hunter behavior not what a landowner wants, leasing at the exclusion of other hunters for the large list of reasons that it makes more sense to a landowner, closing of arteries previously used to access public lands, etc.

It is this loss of access that drives the crowding some mention. When you have 10% fewer hunters but 30% loss, or whatever the % is, in accessible lands, the result is higher hunter densities on the remaining lands. Higher hunter densities result in less game, lower quality experience, and eventually restricted opportunity.

Thus, the effort toward improving and maintaining access is paramount. We can agree, disagree, fight, argue, whatever we want about the other supposed reasons, but if we are not all on board for maintaining and improving access to hunting lands, whether public or private lands, the end result is a foregone conclusion.

Yep Yep Yep.

Which is why programs like Habitat Montana, WY's Access Yes, KS Walk-in program, LWCF, etc, etc, etc are so vital to keeping hunting available for those who live in urban areas.

LWCF is set to expire in Sept, and the proposed budget effectively kills it. Congress needs to reauthorize it, but they're too busy thinking about new programs to do the work that they have failed to do in the past (Infrastructure for NPS will come from Offshore O&G leasing - which will we used as justification to kill LWCF).

Hunters also have to stop trying to be the only group in "control" of game & Fish agencies and recognize the value of having other wildlife enthusiasts help carry the bill.

 

[idahohuntr]

Thus, the effort toward improving and maintaining access is paramount. We can agree, disagree, fight, argue, whatever we want about the other supposed reasons, but if we are not all on board for maintaining and improving access to hunting lands, whether public or private lands, the end result is a foregone conclusion.

I couldn't agree more. I volunteered on a game advisory committee for several years and I always pushed that the private lands access coordinators for the F&G are now one of the most important jobs in the Department...these folks should have an office just outside the Governor's...it's that important to the future of hunting and wildlife conservation.

Non-profits will also play an increasingly critical role in hunter access - sometimes agencies and bureaucracies move too slow/inefficient as they are bound by too many rules - when I look at what some agencies accomplish with a million dollars...I think, put that money in a brief case and send a couple talented folks out to work deals with landowners.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

The other, widely missed reason, is that, frankly, unless you are of a pretty far right political stripe, you simply are not welcome. Believe it.

Hunters have ostracized 1/2-2/3s of the nation's population right at the get go. This affects not just declines in hunting, but also participation in shooting competitions which are also mostly declining.

While I do agree, I think you could probably argue that politics are a double edged sword. You do have the people on the far right with the mindset that you stated, but you also have people on the far left who ostracize anyone that owns guns or kills animals. This creates an unwillingness to participate in hunting and shooting competitions as well.

True conservatives (both democrat and republican) are tough to come by, and they're the people that are most friendly to sportsmen as well as public lands.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Admittedly don't have polls to substantiate, but I would contend there are far more right leaning presently politically influential folks willing to develop and/or sell off public lands and wildlife habitat than there are far left hunting opponents.

 

[brymoore]

States will need to address how it’s Fish and Game agencies are funded in the future. The current model (license and tag sales) no longer work and Legislatures are hesitant to give general funds to the agencies.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

Admittedly don't have polls to substantiate, but I would contend there are far more right leaning presently politically influential folks willing to develop and/or sell off public lands and wildlife habitat than there are far left hunting opponents.

I don't disagree. I personally am fairly far right and left on different issues. Both sides in general are garbage. But I don't see any of those people on the left pushing for someone to go and buy a weapon and kill an animal either.

This isn't really supposed to be a political debate. Apologies for slightly derailing the conversation.

I think showing non-hunting friends the benefits of hunting and taking the time (sometimes fairly mentally draining and time consuming) to teach them how it's done is the best way for us to recruit hunters; or at least get them on the side of the sportsmen. Sometimes it's not fun, but that's the work that needs to be done. No magical legislation is going to help greatly, but some can definitely hurt.

 

[Tradewind]

R or NR tags and licenses are the cheapest part of the hunt for the Sitka wearing, Kimber packing, F350 driving, MR using, Swarovski hauling, Kennetrk wearing modern hunter. Yet guys still gripe.

Tongue n cheek, no doubt but I don't run into that many hunters who fit your description. they may have 1 of the items you recommend. Most of the equipment you speak of has a useful (shelf life) of 4-5 years and has use elsewhere
thus they can justify. But mostly they make do with what they have or were able to 'afford'. The NR tags are a growing yearly expense.
The people you speak of have no trouble funding the whole deal. the ave hunter is the one who will find something else to do.

 

[Tradewind]

While I can agree with that to some degree, I think it is more the private leasing and lack of access to private lands, not the lack of public land, that is the issue. Private and public lands are not simply two sides of the same coin. Access to private land used to be easy. Now it is often all but impossible and then there is leasing of private on top of that.

The other, widely missed reason, is that, frankly, unless you are of a pretty far right political stripe, you simply are not welcome. Believe it.

Hunters have ostracized 1/2-2/3s of the nation's population right at the get go. This affects not just declines in hunting, but also participation in shooting competitions which are also mostly declining.

High school trap league is the fastest growing sport in my state. You have plenty potential hunters to recruit. How is it tht "Hunters have ostracized 1/2-2/3's of the nations population at the get go"?

 

[uster19]

I grew up in Chicago and moved to western IL about 15 minutes from the Mississippi. I didn't start hunting until I was in my early 30's and have only been hunting for 9 years. Over those 9 years I have seen more and more crowding on public lands and experienced more difficulty in drawing tags. I know quite a few guys that have lost access to private land over the last 9 years and are now hunting public. Around my area most of the farm land is either hunted by friends/family or leased. I am finding there aren't as many hunters but the people that do hunt, hunt more often and harder.

I am trying to do my part for hunter recruitment. I have a 15 year old and a 10 year old that both hunt. My 15 year old is heading out west with me this year to Elk hunt. His main focus right now is taking classes and trying to find a college to be a game warden in MT.

 

[CampRipleyLF]

The increasing cost of everything and the increasing mean age of hunters are major issues facing the sport of hunting. Take your child out or a friends and show them the excitement of hunting!

 

[bobbydean]

Thought better of it. Deleted!

 

[MNElkNut]

I see 2 major contributing factors. First, as stated, access to quality land to hunt (I left out the public/private part on purpose) can be difficult to find (difficult, not impossible and more on that later). Second, a lack of R3 (recruitment, retention, and reactivation). Did you look at the graph in that article? We have a major problem in that hunter numbers are running towards a cliff. How many of today's hunters are actively involved in conservation issues or recruiting new hunters? By active, I mean volunteering time to plant nesting cover, tear out old fence, teach Firearm Safety Class, consistently be a mentor, volunteering at a youth hunting event, etc? Getting your own kids to hunt is not nearly enough. If you are posting on this thread, you have interest in this. Become a leader. Become involved in a conservation organization. Start a chapter if needed. Get your buddies to join you. Make a difference.

Now I am not picking on anyone in particular, but I have a hard time with someone coming on an internet forum and complaining about lack of opportunity. You may have to work at it, but there is plenty of opportunity out there. My guess is these same people are the ones that give nothing back but instead expect others to create easy access to land teeming with wildlife. You want access to hunt deer in an eastern state? Get in the car in May and drive around all day knocking on doors. You will find a place. I live in west central Minnesota. I hear people all the time complain about access. Yet we have thousands upon thousands of acres of public land that holds pheasants, ducks, geese, deer, turkeys, and grouse. I myself, have hunted it with great success! If you don't have a place to hunt, put some effort into it!

Lastly, I will volunteer to share a model of how to hold a Youth Outdoor Activity Day that has drawn thousands of kids. This model can be replicated anywhere. If you are involved with an organization that you think may have interest, PM me and I will be happy to walk you through it.

 

[BrentD]

High school trap league is the fastest growing sport in my state. You have plenty potential hunters to recruit. How is it tht "Hunters have ostracized 1/2-2/3's of the nations population at the get go"?

It is the ONLY exception to my rule. High school trap is a big thing here. But coming from, almost exclusively small, rural, conservative, towns and school systems. So even that is somewhat exclusionary. Beyond that, everything from the Public Address announcer at a local gunshow to the guys at the bar, the trap range, the shooting range, and sort of PF, DU, etc event, are all very much unwelcoming to even centrist, nevermind left leaners.

Walk around the parking lot at your local gun club in the fall when everyone is sighting in or whatever. How many Hillary stickers do you see? Yup.

Interestingly, I have a good half dozen to ten grad students roaming my office hallways that would like to hunt. Very few do and most do it on the sly. They don't want anyone to know who they are or where they come from. They don't hang out on internet forums and they don't hang out at shooting ranges.