Hunting a dying sport?

Classicvette63 · #1 12-02-2008, 09:42 AM

Was looking at the pgc website yesterday and came across something interesting/disturbing.

Hunting license sales have dropped over 150,000 in the last 10 years in Pennsylvania. Some of it is the pgc's mismanagement and just having their head up their arse most of the time, but that can't be all of it.

Too much building and development around here to get into hunting anymore. Locally the state games lands put the D-day invasion to shame on opening day of any season. Not a situation conducive to getting new hunters or keeping hunters.

How is it in your neck of the woods?

Dan Morris · #2 12-02-2008, 10:08 AM

Dropping...regrettably. Even sport shooting is down. Ammo prices/ fuel prices...
Dan

Nulle · #3 12-02-2008, 10:10 AM

About the same with a drop also and they keep hammering the heck out of us on license fees.

Adam Helmer · #4 12-02-2008, 06:47 PM

Classic,

The small game hunters numbers are way down here in Tioga County, PA.

Many kids do not want to sit all day in a deer stand. We had quite a few hunters out yesterday for the deer opener and today I had the woods to myself.

Adam

maineguy110 · #5 12-02-2008, 06:56 PM

I think a lot of the older hunters have passed on. not many people are taking kids out. alot of hunters are waiting for a family member to get old enough. dont wait there are alot of kids who want to go but the dad doesnt hunt or is not in the picture. so go take them out i bet you if hunter asked around he would find atleast 10 kids willing to learn So it is up to us to take kids out and teach properly also think of the memeries you can make. also what you have taught will be passed on and you will be remembered

Lilred · #6 12-03-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Many kids do not want to sit all day in a deer stand.

That's cause they can sit in front of the tv and hunt...
I know dam well when I was a kid, and I was told to sit there all day...I dam well did! And loved every minute to boot

fabsroman · #7 12-03-2008, 11:13 AM

Here is an article that my future brother in-law sent me this morning. The stats on declining hunters sucks.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...8866/index.htm

M.T. Pockets · #8 12-03-2008, 01:41 PM

I used to be able to hunt every farm I asked around my home when I was growing up 25 years ago. I used to go to South Dakota pheasant hunting and knocked on doors and got permission to hunt almost every time, and when the owner had to turn us down they'd apologize.

Now all I see is NO HUNTING signs.

People are still hunting the land, it's just being bought out or leased up.

The biggest threat to hunting's future is not gun control, it is access to hunting land.

MtnMike2 · #9 12-03-2008, 01:59 PM

Great article Fabsroman - thanks. I'm trying to do my part to increase the number of hunters. I intro'd a friend to it in '07 and he took his first elk in '08. I've taken both my boys hunting although they neither one hunted the last couple years (maybe I should speak to them about this...).

Mike

Dan Morris · #10 12-03-2008, 09:38 PM

My kids quit on me several years back............have had several
others go to range with me...nothing regular. Guy that went with me last year had fun and I had a great partner. MT is right about access.....
Dan

Nulle · #11 12-04-2008, 10:37 AM

M.T. I hear you and in South Dak. it's all about the $ .

Steverino · #12 12-04-2008, 10:42 AM

Good article Fabs, reminds me of another that I read a couple of years ago about pipeline techs being stalked by groups of wolves as well up in Alaska.

I also agree about the access of hunting property being the biggest threat to the hunting way of life for future generations. In Iliinois, public property is being closed off to hunters because the state DNR has been sold off by the beaurocrats in power and private property is being increasingly sold to either outfitters or land leases.

I have been privilidged to have had the opportunity to hunt on private property for the past several years and I have savored each and every hunt knowing full well that it could be my last on this land. Nothing lasts foever and when I am relegated to hunting public grounds once again, I will, reluctantly and with new tactics but will fondly recall the days of the quiet woods to myself.

fabsroman · #13 12-04-2008, 03:49 PM

I agree completely about access to land being the problem. I used to have four private farms to hunt on and now I only have 2 1/2 and those are pretty tenuous at the moment. The owner of one of them passed away last year, but his daughter is still letting us hunt it. The other two are owned by the same person, and he started selling lots out of the front of one of the farms, so that is my 1/2. It just gets worse and worse. After we buy a house, I'm planning on saving up for a farm on the Eastern shore so I will be able to hunt some time in the future without ever having to worry about anybody telling me I can't anymore.

Classicvette63 · #14 12-05-2008, 02:46 PM

Available land is probably the biggest issue and it's one that can't be addressed. Once it's gone, it's gone. No one is going to tear down a mall or housing development just so folks can hunt.

RagingBullPa · #15 12-08-2008, 01:17 PM

our biggest problem about the hunters decline lies in the generation , they are too much in a hurry to take the time to let themselves unwind and they don't have the time to spend with the youngstersbecause so they say their "careers" are more important than teaching someone about the outdoors or even enjoying them , they spend the money on their playstations and xboxes and put the kids in frontof them and say here is your supper don't bother me , i have seen this too much over the years with the new generation , they also claim i'm too busy i have no time for it that is bullcrap too