quote:

Originally posted by Navaluk:
Same as everywhere else. Too damn many humans.

Succinctly stated!

I was thinking of writing about big cities, no place to shoot, the wealthy escaping to near urban countryside in 5 acre parcels and other forces scattering people through otherwise open spaces.

No only is hunting stressed, but opportunities for folks to use firearms for sport, much less as food-gathering tools are way down.

This, coupled with deemphasis on history and civics courses disappearing from public schools gives fertile ground for PETA and the anti-fgun community to lead the young by their nose rings.

So, yes, Navaluk said the same thing with four words "Too damn many humans." Bravo!

I wrote this column more than 30 years ago.

Last Shot

We're Losing Them

It's no big secret the number of hunters on a national level has declined over the last two decades. With the growth of many small cities into larger cities, a less rural population has resulted. This alone has cut hunter numbers. The seemingly parallel decline occurring in Arizona -- once considered to have a very "rural" population -- is even more distressing.

Unquestionably, the cities here have also grown rapidly. In the Phoenix metro area alone, the population has jumped from 900,000 in 1965 to 2.3 million now. The state's overall people count has increased proportionally, too. Yet, despite the huge influx of people into Arizona, the sales of hunting licenses have fallen substantially from historic highs.

At a recent Arizona Game and Fish Commission meeting, Education Branch Chief Kerry Baldwin explained the history of license sales. He cited a steady growth in license sales from World War II into the 1970s. The gas crisis of the 1970s signaled the peak of license sales growth relative to the changing population across the country. The key years appear to be 1970-71, when most of Arizona's big-game hunts went to a permit system.

Baldwin also pointed to the large drop in youngsters between 10 and 20 years old now getting into hunting. Overall only 5.6 percent of Arizona's residents bought licenses in 1987 compared to 9 percent of the total population in 1967. The number of youths buying licenses declined even worse.

Many factors have played a part in the overall decline. A poor economy, adverse weather and high gas prices have had noticeable but short-term effects over the years. Declines in specific game populations and regulation changes like the permit system played key roles, as well.

More discouraging, though, are the long-term variables -- the ones that will carry over for the coming decades and possibly predict the future of hunting in this country.

First, we have an aging population. This especially shows among licensed hunters because of the lower recruitment of youngsters. As more hunters get older and quit hunting altogether, fewer people will take their place in the outdoors.

Earlier, I mentioned the growth of cities. With this upsurge in a more urban population, fewer and fewer youngsters get to experience the outdoors on a first-hand basis. Instead, they watch the Discovery or Disney channel to learn about wildlife and the outdoors. By the time they become adults, their only experiences with live animals other than a domestic pet might come from a zoo.

Lifestyles have also changed drastically in the last 30 years. In many families both parents MUST work just to pay the bills. Thus, they have little free time for hunting. Instead, the adults take up golf, tennis, bowling or other pastimes, ones they can enjoy close to home and over a few hours. To them, finding time to play 18 holes is a lot easier than finding a few days to hunt deer. These people spend a large part of their expendable income closer to home, too.

No doubt the current trend in the family makeup accounts for at least some of the lack of recruitment among youths, and it's less than encouraging:



* 30 percent of all children live in a one-parent family;

* 50 percent of all children will live with one parent by age 18;

* 90 percent of all single-parent families have a woman as that parent;

* 10 percent of the population is comprised of 15-19 year olds;

* 93 percent of the hunters in Arizona are males.



Most juvenile hunters come from homes where hunting and fishing have been a traditional part of the adult family member's lifestyle, according to Baldwin. If juveniles do not participate in hunting or fishing by the time they hit 18 years old, they likely never will. The current surveys support this; 85 percent of current hunting license buyers started before they reached 18 years of age.

Many of my neighbors show just how true these statistics are. At least three families on my block consist of a divorced mother and one or more children. One lives across the street. The mother has been alone for nearly 12 years and somehow has made do on her earnings from two low paying jobs. She was determined to keep herself and three kids off the welfare roles.

When I first talked to the oldest boy nearly 10 years ago, James was 11. I had been outside packing my truck for a deer hunt, and James was cutting his front lawn. He shut down the lawnmower and walked across the street just to visit. During our conversation, I found out he had never hunted and fished only at the park about a mile away. He told me his mother simply never had time to take him. From what I already knew, she probably didn't have the money to spend on even the most minimal equipment either.

Two weeks after the deer hunt, I invited James into my house to see my collection of trophy mounts. They somewhat awed him at first. During the next few months, though, he became a regular visitor. He always enjoyed talking about my trips and looking at the photos from the successful ones.

All my kids are long gone, and I always have these leftover fishing rods, reels, lures, line, baseball hats and other sundry goodies, courtesy of the manufacturers. Plus, my closet contains at least 15 firearms, and I can only use one at a time.

So about five years ago I decided to "adopt" James. During one of his visits, I asked if he thought his mother would let him hunt. He said he didn't know but he would ask.

A day later, I heard a loud knock. When I opened door, James was standing there with a very big smile on his face.

"She said I can."

"She said you can what?" I asked.

"I can go hunting with you."

"Aha, now I understand. Good. But first things first. There's a thing or two we need to get done. I want you to take a hunter education course. Just tell your mom I'll take care of the registration fee and get you to the classes."

The next day I called the game department and got the dates for the next hunter ed class in our neighborhood. James and I attended together, and he graduated with flying colors. A week later, I took him out to the desert and let him shoot some clay birds with my 20 gauge shotgun. We made two more forays to the desert before I felt he had progressed enough to shoot at a live bird without becoming discouraged over missing. On the way home from that third trip, I stopped at a license dealer and bought James his first hunting and fishing license. The next weekend James killed a limit of doves. A week later, we went fishing at Lake Pleasant.

He was hooked.

James is now 20 and attending an out-of-town college on an academic scholarship and majoring in biology. He wants to be a wildlife researcher. He finds little time for hunting and fishing now but still manages to stop by my house and reminisce whenever he comes home to see his mom. Naturally, his mother is proud of James' scholastic accomplishments -- and deservedly so.

I have no doubt the youngster will get back to hunting and fishing once he graduates. Before he left for school last August, he told me he would be home for the Thanksgiving holidays and would like to do a little quail hunting with me and my German shorthair if I have the time.

Of course, I made the time. If hunting is to survive, we need all the help we can get. James and youngsters like him represent the best help around.
----- 30 -----

I think social media, demographics and LIBERALISM will be the main things that end our sport as we know it.

Social media has given ANTI-hunters a platform to spread their hate of hunting and hunters far and wide quickly, effectively and at little to no cost. It has also given legions of clueless or uncaring hunters a venue to show themselves in the worst possible light, especially to non-hunters. It's also given pro-hunting, ethical hunters and pro-hunting groups the same opportunity, but unfortunately it hasn't been used to full advantage yet.

As others have pointed out earlier, changes in demographics from rural to urban and younger, who haven't been brought into an outdoors lifestyle. Also, so many other opportunities to use their time doing other stuff have all hurt our prospects for a future like the past we've known.

Finally... the scourge of society, LIBERALISM and especially its militant variant, have forced us all to acknowledge that we have a fight on our hands to defend and protect our interests in hunting and it's future. Liberals first seemed to go seriously on 'the offensive' when George W. Bush defeated Algore in 2000. They've only grown bolder through the Obummer years and have reached a level never seen before now that Donald Trump is our President. I do believe that their greater militancy towards hunting and fishing has been a natural outgrowth from their greater prominence in the 2000's than in prior years.

In the end, LIBERALISM, if not defeated, will be the end of most things we value, not just hunting.

Good thoughts, DLS.

If I had written my article in the current time, much of what you outlined would have also been included.

First one is not enough kids hunting ! THE average age of hunters
Here in Georgia is 65 ! It will disappear before our eyes !
Second too many predators this country over protects predators and now
There are 30 predators for every prey animal !
Third most fish and game are antihunting they have become scientific
Group that uses our money to control wildlife numbers and they are replacing
Hunters with predators .
FOURTH loss of habitat good private land to hunt is becoming harder
And harder to find .
Fifth Trophy hunting has made hunting.into a rich man's sport and leaves out
Lots of new hunters who can not afford high dollar trips or super high leases .

Dgr416, the first point you make, about not enough kids getting involved, is a valid concern. I have to ask, how many new or youth hunters have the various members here taken out and shown them how to hunt? It really is up to US, the current generations of hunters, to bring new ones into the fold.

There is a big effort that has started at the national level and taken up by the states known as R3. It stands for recruitment, retention and reactivation. It's all about recruiting new hunters, retaining them as active hunters and reactivating those who've drifted away from the sport.

Not to be negative, but I curious how much we all do to support this concept. I'm betting that not enough people have made a big enough effort of their own to 'Take a Kid Hunting'.

The one base concept that needs to be considered is that while hunting in America is fading as a part of the fabric of our nation, there is no one blanket/one size fits all solution that will stop or reverse the problems.

Just as an example, here in north Texas where I live and grew up land ownership and access to that land has undergone a dramatic change.

So many locals in this area that used to hunt have given it up.

Yes, landowners have and are playing their part in the equation, but I really cannot blame them because farming and ranching really is a crapshoot, becausev the operators are dependent on so many factors falling just right to make any kind of profit.

It is pretty hard for a landowner to walk away from a few thousand dollars in their pocket simply to let someone access their land.

I took and taught 15 ,kids to hunt in Alaska and put them above my own hunting.They all Still hunt and are awesome hunters .Here in Georgia I have taken and taught 20 kids to hunt and most of them still go but low deer populations make it very hard to keep them interested .I gave up archery hunting and Take kids on youth hunts during that time .I give them Cano take them target shooting and do what my dad did for me .
There is the big problem today no one knows their dad or their dad won't take them .More grandparents take kids hunting today than parents .I usually take kids hunting a month of my hunting season I really enjoy.doing it lots of fun .I used kids had ladders to build my house in Alaska .I.paid them good and took them fishing and hunting.every time I.could .It was hard while building my house but I.made time always to take them .My dad taught at least 50 kids to hunt.and fish in.his lifetime .I wish I.had
A hunting school for kids could never find funding or help to do it .
One day I will start giving out my guns to the best kids when their old enough .
I finally bought two 260 Remington rifles just for these kid hunts they love those rifles
Low kick and super accurate .I wish they had deer like I did growing up they would love hunting alot more .
That's been my favorite type of hunting the last 20-years taking kids I quit trophy hunting this is way more important.Those trophies and guns will be just a bunch of junk for them to get rid of If you don't teach kids to hunt .Teddy Roosevelt saved the animals to hunt and the land now it's our time to save hunting !

Taking [someone else's] kids hunting is one of those things that's a noble idea but probably not such a good idea in this day and age.

In my case, I've never had kids of my own and wouldn't know how to handle them. Insuring a kid's safety is an awesome responsibility and it doesn't take something as dramatic as a shooting to be on the hook for medical bills and a possible lawsuit - a simple fall could cost 10's of thousands of $$. (Having driven school bus and special-ed bus taught me all about this.)

More importantly, being an unattached adult, I don't want to risk potential accusations of abuse. These days, an off-color joke or unintended gesture could easily lead to suspicions of pedophilia that can follow a person for life. No, thanks.

Sad to say, but giving disused firearms to unrelated kids is asking for trouble. Here again, it doesn't take a shooting, all the kid has to do is show the firearm to the wrong person at the wrong time.

I salute those who are willing and able to introduce youngsters to the outdoors but these days it's just too big of a risk.

What hasn't been mentioned are the nature-faker and animal-rescue programs that keep kids glued hours on end to TV screens every weekend. Ever take the time to see what they are watching? It is only one reason hunting is declining, but it certainly is a powerful one.

Bill Quimby

A few thoughts, in no particular order.

What is meant by the "treat to hunting in America?" Does this mean that sometime in the foreseeable future hunting, in any form, will be banned? Will the number of hunters continue to drop and eventually go to zero? I don't believe either of these scenarios. There is no question that a quality hunting experience is getting harder to find and more expensive. And it's no surprise that there are fewer hunters, due to a number of factors. But I don't believe that hunting in general will be going away anytime soon.

Hunting is a hard-wired instinct. You go hunting because something inside makes you want to do it, not because you have a place to go or your father was a hunter. Being humans, we have free will and can choose to follow this instinct or not. There are those who grew up in urban areas that become avid hunters without any outside influence or help (I'm one of them) and there are those who grew up on farms or ranches that have little interest in hunting despite living in an outdoorsman's paradise. There will ALWAYS be those who choose to take up the chase.

It is impossible to accurately project the future by observing the present day trends. Trends can change course, and even reverse direction overnight. I read an article in an 1884 issue of Harper's Weekly magazine in which the author describes an antelope hunt in Wyoming. He ends the article by saying "if you want experience a hunt in West, do it now. Within a few years the country will be filled with settlers and the antelope, deer and elk will follow the bison to complete extinction." In 1900 you might have believed him but these days Wyoming is still sparsely populated and there certainly is no shortage of antelope, deer or elk. The author had no way of knowing about the conservation movement that was just getting underway.

As for the next generation, it will be their choice - and their fight - if they want to continue the hunting tradition. If future generations find electronic devices more intriguing than the outdoors, then so be it. There is nothing we can do about it. But the latent urge to hunt will always be there and those who follow the urge may find more and better opportunities as the overall number of hunters decreases. England is a good example. Stalking deer ("Hunting" over there means the horses/hounds/fancy suits thing) is popular and available to someone of average means. To keep the population under control, a determined British stalker can shoot a lot of deer in a season that lasts for months. Other European countries, as well as Australia have hunting cultures despite rampant liberalism and strict gun laws.

The influence of the radical animal rights movement is waning as the Hollywierd crowd moves on to other SJW issues. PETA's donor base is shrinking as their antics become more "out there" and more people are learning that HSUS (Humane Society of the US) has nothing to do with helping animal shelters.

Hunting is changing but it is not going away.

Each generation to its own, good comfy life and technology we are glued to is big part
Everyone has good points
But I believe it’ll be here for generations
Less hunters, means more opportunities, means more for tags ... well, you get the drift
I’d say, too many yahoos in woods as it is now indiscriminately shooting first thing that moves in the name of “winter meat”
Also I’d say we make it too easy on young generations and they expect everything handed to them
So in hunting, when going gets tough, they go home to their games and IPhones

Hunting is not as "Hard Wired" in people as some choose to believe.

Those of us that grew up hunting are one thing.

My Dad was born in 1897 and the vonly time I remember him going hunting was to shoot a few cottontails in a pasture close to where we lived.

He loved to fish, but did not care about hunting. In my lifetime I have known a lot of folks that were the same way.

My belief is that a person is either born a hunter or they aren't. Our society is changing and as time goes along, fewer young people are going to be recruited in to the sport and fewer young people are going to have actual contact with people that do hunt.

I will continue to hunt as long as I am able, but I am a realist on the issue and I do not view hunting as having a Rosy future.

The world and society is changing so fast and not in a good way, and hunting is losing ground in modern society.

I raised my two sons to be hunters. They took Hunters Education courses in Michigan when they were 14, and both were accomplished hunters and shooters. They hunted deer successfully while in high school, and since both attended the University of Michigan, during breaks in college. But as soon as they graduated from college, they both moved to Chicago to pursue their careers. They both got married, and had kids and haven’t hunted since. While I’m disappointed they’ve quit hunting, I’m working on the grandkids now. My 13 year old granddaughter shoots her Mathews bow with me and almost went with me to Namibia in 2015. She is an All Star basketball player, and was invited to the Doug Bruno Basketball Camp. Doug is one of the coaches for the US Women’s Basketball Team,,and Maddie just couldn’t miss the opportunity. I’m now working on my youngest grandson, who is 7 and has expressed an interest in shooting and hunting.

Lot of folks are in that same boat these days and with access to hunting lands getting more difficult it does not look like things will get any better.

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
For non resident hunters it is the rising cost of licences and the ability to obtain them.

Amen to that!