Average Age

22 January 2010, 19:11

Boghossian

quote:
Originally posted by mho:
So, since 50+ is the oldest category in the poll, I take it that qualifies you as "Truely an Old Fart"...

Just wait, all you young lads, one day you'll wake up, and guess what...

- mike

You're right I should have added further categories...

My grandfather passed away this summer at the age of 98 and he only stopped hunting in his mid-nineties. Maybe that counts for one 50 and one 40-50??

22 January 2010, 21:13

Stu C

Hunting is one of those things that wives/GFs, young kids and professional commitments can really get in the way of. I bet this will acoount for a majority of hunters being either young and single or else having grown-up families.

I wonder how many of you 50+ folks have been active hunters your whole adult lives, and how many have returned to hunting after a break?

stu

22 January 2010, 23:27

Inácio

My English is very bad, but I hope to be understood.
I have 52 years.
Since I know that I am a hunter, I have always hunted and increasingly love hunt.

22 January 2010, 23:52

peterdk

im not all that old i just look like it at the moment. so i pulled the poll down a bit with a 30-40

best

peter

23 January 2010, 00:46

Lincs Stalker

Making me feel old at 52, if you put
50 - 60
60 - 70
70 - 80
80+

I would have been at mid point on the scale and middle aged - that would have made me feel better.

24 January 2010, 19:40

Gerry

50+ and a Truly Old Fart?

I represent that remark.

It's not that all hunters are aged; it's that younger ones are all out hunting instead of relating hunting stories.

Learning to stretch the truth on AR is a skill that takes considerable time to cultivate; that's why there's more True Old Farts here .....

25 January 2010, 00:06

wildboar

quote:
Originally posted by Gerry:
...It's not that all hunters are aged; it's that younger ones are all out hunting instead of relating hunting stories....

I don't know about Germany, but here there are (sadly) VERY FEW young hunters.

25 January 2010, 12:38

Claret_Dabbler

Gabe, thanks for that.

Here I am sailing along thinking I am in the 30-40 bracket. You now force me to relook at this and realise I am actually in the 40-50 bracket. Practically as old as Gerry.

Thanks pal.....

25 January 2010, 13:44

Boghossian

quote:
Originally posted by wildboar:
quote:
Originally posted by Gerry:
...It's not that all hunters are aged; it's that younger ones are all out hunting instead of relating hunting stories....

I don't know about Germany, but here there are (sadly) VERY FEW young hunters.

That is very unfortunate. One key strength of the British system is the lack of red tape surrounding shooting - so you can just bring a mate along on Saturday if he shows interest in it. I think stalking is doing very well and growing in popularity, along with the deer population.

Not sure how numbers/age profile have changed within the UK over the last decade...

25 January 2010, 16:14

Claret_Dabbler

I think in the UK / Ireland there are a lot of young guys who would do a lot more shooting / stalking if they could. Here most people start with shotguns, clays, rough shooting, pigeons etc. They then move to the rifle sports.

In my own case and that of a few friends, it is only as we moved through our thirties that we have had the time, and more importantly the money, to allow us to follow our sport.

I think there will be plenty of young guys coming along behind us.

25 January 2010, 18:59

Ingvar J. Kristjansson

Just because we are discussing age ecc. Out of curiosity how is your family status ? Married...kids ?
To answer the topic I’m 40 married and have 3 kids....

25 January 2010, 19:04

Ghubert

Well Gabe is the baby of the bunch so naturally he put up that offensively front-loaded poll and sit back giggling with his mug of cocoa.

I'm the wrong side of 28 for the record, no wife and no kids.

25 January 2010, 19:20

Claret_Dabbler

quote:
Originally posted by Ingvar J. Kristjansson:
Just because we are discussing age ecc. Out of curiosity how is your family status ? Married...kids ?
To answer the topic I’m 40 married and have 3 kids....

Also 40, also married, also have 3 kids.

25 January 2010, 19:35

wildboar

Married, one little daughter.

25 January 2010, 19:58

peterdk

living with the mother of my kids, daughter 6 years and son 3 years.

peter

25 January 2010, 20:07

solvi

Married,
4 kids,
5, grandkids

nr 6 is on the way

25 January 2010, 20:14

Arild Iversen

Ok. ok....
Age 64, divorced since 2000, 2 daughters and a son,great kids by the way, grandfather to 7, have a girlfriend (suppose they still are "girlfriends" after they have passed 55 ?)

Sorry to drag the poll way down age wise

But I´m still around, alive and kicking and hunting/stalking means a lot even to a middle aged grumpy fella like me...

25 January 2010, 20:30

Fallow Buck

34 and as the kids grow my hair doesn't!!

25 January 2010, 22:04

308mate

26 no kids no wife 12 guns, 2 dogs and 2 cars

25 January 2010, 23:11

Stonecreek

I'm an American, so I don't count in the poll, but I suspect that if you polled some other way than via computer, the age of your universe of respondents would go up. I'm 59 and I don't know too many people older than myself who regularly use a computer. Just something to keep in mind when calculating the average age of hunters.

By the way, as a hopelessly monolingual American, I truly appreciate the effort of many posters whose primary language is something other than English to communicate on the forum. NEVER be embarassed or apologize for your capacity in English -- not one in fifty native-born Americans can speak another language (and most of us struggle with English!)

You Europeans have better educational systems, better medical systems, and cleaner environment. All we can brag about is how easy it is to get a gun and how many feral hogs we have to shoot with one.

Thanks for letting me eavesdrop on this thread!

25 January 2010, 23:19

b.martins

As there is no 60+ categorie is it OK if I vote twice on the 30-40?

B.Martins

26 January 2010, 00:03

Trapper Dave

I think the results are distorted because there is no 50-60, 60-70, 70-80 & 80-100 option and therefore no seperation of information after 50.

Is 80-100 any less credible than 0-20?
Bring back the normal distribution curve I say

This is a hunting forum anf if a thing's got two tails, we should have a shot a both

26 January 2010, 01:09

Richard E

i hav no secrets
39 , in love with my partner
1 son of 18 and 14 working pets

life don't get any better than that
unless you hav age on your side

26 January 2010, 12:43

Boghossian

quote:
Originally posted by Trapper Dave:
I think the results are distorted because there is no 50-60, 60-70, 70-80 & 80-100 option and therefore no seperation of information after 50.

Oi - make your own poll if you don't like it. Still waiting for someone in the 0-20 category to show up!

I'm 25, living in sin, no children, a few guns.

26 January 2010, 13:10

trans-pond

51, wife, 2 dependant children, 6 dogs, 3 motorbikes.... and spent dawn this morning up a tree with a rifle waiting for red hinds (which didn't show) but I enjoy doing things I did as a child so..... 4.30 this afternoon I shall stop "crutching" sheep and go and freeclimb the same tree and wait for those same deer that outwitted me this morning!

26 January 2010, 15:02

miketaylor

25 years old. I have a girlfriend. I have 6 guns. I will be using one of them on Friday and Saturday. The 20 bore for driven Pheasant,Partridge and Duck. The last two days of the season.

Mike

26 January 2010, 15:03

miketaylor

I forgot, i have 1 car (Daihatsu Fourtrak)

Mike

26 January 2010, 18:04

peterdk

quote:
Originally posted by trans-pond:
4.30 this afternoon I shall stop "crutching" sheep

trans-pond please tell me what is it excatly you do with sheep.

seriously i dont understand that term in the sentence "crutching" . and belive me all sort of nasty pictures came up in my mind.

best

peter

26 January 2010, 20:38

Stonecreek

At age 51 and with a wife at home, if Trans-Pond still has the wherewithal to "crutch" sheep, more power to him. Maybe he's taking Viagra.

On this side of the pond, only the Aggies still "crutch" sheep. Our motto: "Texas A&M, where men are men and sheep are scared."

26 January 2010, 23:04

Ghubert

I have to agree with Trapper and Peter, change the poll and leave the sheep alone.

28 January 2010, 20:56

Wooly ESS

I am not European and therefore have not voted in your poll. Neither am I a pollster or statistician. However, as you have broken down the age categories, including 50+ as a single category, you are creating the impression that hunters are in fact an aging demographic, with a large number in the 50+ range. If you were to continue your breakdown by decade beyond 50, you might find that with the large 20-30 demographic, the number of hunters is declining with age.

I am 65 and am still an active hunter. However, I have noticed a huge change in the age of my hunting peers since the decade of my 50s. Virtually ALL of my hunting partners when I was in my 50s are now gone. They are either sick, too tired or dead. My partners now are people 15 to 20 years my junior and I am everlastingly grateful for their tolerance and acceptance of a curmudgeonly old coot in their midst.

In short, with a more detailed breakdown of the 50+ group, you might see a dramatic drop off in hunter numbers past the decade of the 50s and the overall chart might look much more youth weighted than expected.

I know the "hunting is dying" lament is a common one in our field, but as I look around me, I see a strong youthful presence in the sport. For me that is encouraging and I welcome it.

28 January 2010, 23:08

Trapper Dave

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly ESS:
I am not European and therefore have not voted in your poll. Neither am I a pollster or statistician. However, as you have broken down the age categories, including 50+ as a single category, you are creating the impression that hunters are in fact an aging demographic, with a large number in the 50+ range. If you were to continue your breakdown by decade beyond 50, you might find that with the large 20-30 demographic, the number of hunters is declining with age.

I am 65 and am still an active hunter. However, I have noticed a huge change in the age of my hunting peers since the decade of my 50s. Virtually ALL of my hunting partners when I was in my 50s are now gone. They are either sick, too tired or dead. My partners now are people 15 to 20 years my junior and I am everlastingly grateful for their tolerance and acceptance of a curmudgeonly old coot in their midst.

In short, with a more detailed breakdown of the 50+ group, you might see a dramatic drop off in hunter numbers past the decade of the 50s and the overall chart might look much more youth weighted than expected.

I know the "hunting is dying" lament is a common one in our field, but as I look around me, I see a strong youthful presence in the sport. For me that is encouraging and I welcome it.

Well, I'm nearly in the same age territory plus I'm in Europe and I agree with you entirely.
Very well said