Reduced Hunting #'s Nationally Threaten State Conservation $.
- Thread starter Sytes
- Start date
Bigjay73
Well-known member
What do you see when you attend a hunting expo? Lots of white faces. We've done well getting women more and more involved, we need to work harder to include a more diverse crowd into our world. Theres a huge untapped resource out there that would probably love to hunt and fish if given the opportunity and motivation.
thusby
Well-known member
The population migration from rural to urban is the root cause. You gotta take a lot of kids hunting these days to find the one or two that will stick with it. I'm fairly confident that my niece will replace me long term, but she might be the only one.
R
rwc101
Guest
Anyone here take kids hunting/fishing that aren't theirs? I don't have much desire to make one, but I would like to get involved getting kids outdoors. No idea how to though.
Nameless Range
Well-known member
Interesting article Sytes.
I think this is the crux. We are up against demographic trends that influence human behavior far more than anyone realizes.
A fellow named Will Wilkinson recently wrote a fascinating paper called, "The Density Divide: Urbanization, Polarization, and Populist Backlash". https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Wilkinson-Density-Divide-Final.pdf
Basically, a powerful argument can be made that the number one predictor of a person's politics is where they live in terms of a Rural or Urban area. I have a hunch that that can also be extrapolated to other beliefs and behaviors, such as hunting or views about hunting. Not insurmountable, but the works that needs to be done needs to be done where most people are and where most people are going, which is cities.
I think this is the crux. We are up against demographic trends that influence human behavior far more than anyone realizes.
A fellow named Will Wilkinson recently wrote a fascinating paper called, "The Density Divide: Urbanization, Polarization, and Populist Backlash". https://www.niskanencenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Wilkinson-Density-Divide-Final.pdf
Basically, a powerful argument can be made that the number one predictor of a person's politics is where they live in terms of a Rural or Urban area. I have a hunch that that can also be extrapolated to other beliefs and behaviors, such as hunting or views about hunting. Not insurmountable, but the works that needs to be done needs to be done where most people are and where most people are going, which is cities.
WildWill
Well-known member
Surprisingly well written for the Washington Post. Not suprising with the changes in the last 70 years. There has been a shift in people living in rural areas who are closely associated with their food sources and environment to a urban area where they are completely removed from the natural environment and food sources they are dependent on. Hunting and fishing was just something you did growing up on a farm not do much in the middle of a city.
Compound that with the ever continuous loss of access to hunting areas through leasing, development, etc. and it's not surprising to see a down turn. We have done ourselves no favors either outdoor media has been dominated by trophy hunting backslapping bubba's and has only recently seen progress in how we represent ourselves through the work of men like Randy Newberg, Steven Rinella, Remi Warren, and so forth.
I don't think hunting is "dying" we just need to adapt and take more ownership on how we represent ourselves.
Compound that with the ever continuous loss of access to hunting areas through leasing, development, etc. and it's not surprising to see a down turn. We have done ourselves no favors either outdoor media has been dominated by trophy hunting backslapping bubba's and has only recently seen progress in how we represent ourselves through the work of men like Randy Newberg, Steven Rinella, Remi Warren, and so forth.
I don't think hunting is "dying" we just need to adapt and take more ownership on how we represent ourselves.
D
Deleted member 39961
Guest
And kids. Every organization should be trying to get kids in the field.
Bigjay73
Well-known member
Look for a youth organization around you. Anyone in Az can check out Y.O.U. or MDF, and AZRMEF they all have youth camps where you can mentor young hunters. It's a million times better than filling your own tag.
Bigjay73
Well-known member
Absolutely, it definitely starts with kids
BigHornRam
Well-known member
These guys are doing some amazing things. 8th annual expo is coming up this spring and keeps getting bigger each year.
Teller Wildlife Refuge hosts 6th annual Youth Expo
CORVALLIS — There's nothing quite like seeing a kid catch their first trout.
Bigjay73
Well-known member
Of course they had to get a Trump mention in there. Wouldn't be modern journalism if you dont somehow bring politics into it.
I don’t know the numbers but I bet minorities, African Americans and Hispanics, outnumber white fishermen in Arizona 3:1, just based on anecdotal observation.
A lot of Mexicans/Hispanics hunt or are at least very tolerant of the idea of hunting.
How to get them more involved and represented in organizations and at conventions etc, I have no idea, but the interest is definitely there I think.
I don't know if they still allow and after federal and state budget cuts, I don't know the current status of Big Brothers Big Sisters though back <I cringe when I share this> 15 years ago, I was a Big Brother for 4 years. One of the favored areas these young ones had, hunting and fishing. Went through Hunters Ed each year with a couple young men. Archery with a couple back when a local archery store ran a program for young teens (next to Diamond Meats, Missoula).
Was a great organization we still donate though time... I wish I had more time... Frustrates me to think that such an excuse is so darn restrictive.
Then, if you're a church go-er, always single parents who have young teens, really wanting to experience the outdoors.
Those two areas seemed to be where I was sought or I volunteered time - both fishing and hunting.
Doublecluck
Well-known member
Agreed, only about half the people I hunted with in California were white. I have Friends of pretty much every race many who visit and hunt with me in Montana now. Go to a CWA dinner in California and you will see a pretty diverse group.
Irrelevant
Well-known member
I don't feel like tracking down links right now but I think the SSF did a study that showed 1-day events, like kids fishing days, don't actually recruit hunters or anglers. You need mentorship. And post school kids/young adults are in the best place in life to try new things, accept mentoring, then start doing it on their own.
I don't think the hunting industry is actually doing anything to recruit new hunters, the only thing they're doing is convincing existing hunters to hunt more.
I don't think the hunting industry is actually doing anything to recruit new hunters, the only thing they're doing is convincing existing hunters to hunt more.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Urban migration is probably the biggest factor driving the decline in hunter participation, and there are other significant factors too. The worst part of monetization is that it restricts access. Loss of access is the #1 reason people quit hunting and lack of access is a major reason people do not take up the sport. There are many hundreds of thousands of Americans living in small towns, suburbs, and urban areas (mostly CA and the East) who would hunt if not for the stiff barriers they face in finding access.
In IA 60 years ago there were many modest family farms, the boundaries between properties created abundant habitat, and lots of people hunted. I know an IA farmer who farms the smallest number of acres in his county as his sole operation for income. Two generations earlier the same farm was the largest farming operation in that county. Years ago I asked a landowner if I could hunt on her 1000 acre farm and she said no one is allowed to hunt her ground. Generations ago this same ground was probably owned by 8 different families most of whom would hunt or allow hunting. Other large farms are leased for high cost to a small number of hunters. TV shows, outfitters, and other moneyed interests buy up thousands of acres, and the average Joe has to find somewhere else to hunt. Similar phenomenons repeat themselves across ag country in the US and newer generations go on to develop different hobbies and lifestyles.
In some areas of the country with population declines and dropping hunter participation hunting opportunity is expanding greatly due to less competition and less pressure. Even places you’ve hunted or looked at hunting 10 years ago may have improved. This is mostly waterfowl or small game in the East, but exceptions exist.
Nothing seems to work in recruiting new hunters. A lot of programs seem to fail. I have helped a few young people get started but I’m also just 1 person. I think we need recruitment as well as start charging nonconsumptive users too.
In IA 60 years ago there were many modest family farms, the boundaries between properties created abundant habitat, and lots of people hunted. I know an IA farmer who farms the smallest number of acres in his county as his sole operation for income. Two generations earlier the same farm was the largest farming operation in that county. Years ago I asked a landowner if I could hunt on her 1000 acre farm and she said no one is allowed to hunt her ground. Generations ago this same ground was probably owned by 8 different families most of whom would hunt or allow hunting. Other large farms are leased for high cost to a small number of hunters. TV shows, outfitters, and other moneyed interests buy up thousands of acres, and the average Joe has to find somewhere else to hunt. Similar phenomenons repeat themselves across ag country in the US and newer generations go on to develop different hobbies and lifestyles.
In some areas of the country with population declines and dropping hunter participation hunting opportunity is expanding greatly due to less competition and less pressure. Even places you’ve hunted or looked at hunting 10 years ago may have improved. This is mostly waterfowl or small game in the East, but exceptions exist.
Nothing seems to work in recruiting new hunters. A lot of programs seem to fail. I have helped a few young people get started but I’m also just 1 person. I think we need recruitment as well as start charging nonconsumptive users too.
beginnerhunter
Well-known member
- Joined
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Make Small Game Hunting Great Again.
If you got squirrels, you got hunting. Take kids and newbs squirrel hunting so they can have fun and dip a toe killing and eating something many consider a pest. Don't make them sit in the cold bored to death hoping to kill a beautiful majestic deer. At least....not the first time.
If you got squirrels, you got hunting. Take kids and newbs squirrel hunting so they can have fun and dip a toe killing and eating something many consider a pest. Don't make them sit in the cold bored to death hoping to kill a beautiful majestic deer. At least....not the first time.
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
I agree 100%, helping kids/adult onset hunters/ whoever, does nothing if you don't give them the tools they need to continue hunting.
That means, places to hunt as much as it does hunting skills.
In my mind there is no point in teaching other peoples kids to hunt, kids have no agency of their own (money, transportation, the legal ability to hunt without an adult, own a gun), so while you might be giving someone a life experience that will cause them to be a pro-hunting voter in the future, the likelihood that you will be creating a hunter is almost zero.
I personally spend about 80% of my pre-hunt preparation trying to figure out where to hunt. In my mind that is your problem entirely.
Most people aren't going to put in that time and/or don't have the skills or resources to do that kind of research.
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Stop reading here unless you are interested in a long winded diatribe about Colorado public land access.
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Personally I have a bone to pick with the CO land trust board, and CPW. They made this big deal about opening up all this new land to public access but I kinda feel like they did a halfass job on the roll out, only went after low hanging fruit, and made access/ have made access difficult to the point of stupidity.
In CO the biggest need for public land access is east of I-25. Traffic up to the mountains is already heinous and the eastern planes is an untapped resources.
Here is what CPW shows as legal public lands to hunt. Basically nothing, the little white boxes are private walk in access.
There is one SWA in the very bottom of the box on the left side which is Jumping Cow SWA, that SWA is a perfect example of stupidly difficult access.
Here are the regs, most of the SWAs around the front range are similar, permits, call in times, reservations, yada yada yada.
This shows all the state trust lands in that box, the green are being considered for public access, yellow are currently aviable, blue are not under consideration.
Essentially none of the lands close to the metro area are even being considered.
Then there are problems with with roll out. Example, new to this year 1,300 acres immediately adjacent to San Luis Lakes SWA.
This is what the Colorado hunt atlas shows
I called the local warden he didn't know anything about the new lands, even though there are in the brochure.
After combing through the state land board website, I was able to find a shapefile to the new State Trust Lands open to public access (obviously they didn't distribute this to CPW)
Green are the new lands. This shapefile was posted in December, after all the big game seasons were closed.
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