The REAL (REASONS) hunting is declining

[hossblur]

Access is far and away #1.

Although tags is gaining. In my state kids average a tag every other year for deer.

Oil in actually never in a lifetime, and LE is becoming OIL.

BUT.

I shot a lot of tweetie birds. A lot of rats. Musk rats. Jackrabbit. Squirrels.

The cyber bully thing is interesting. It's become frowned on in a lot of circles to whistle pig shoot. Rat shoot.

While the focus on food is great, making a kid wait into his teenage years to pull a trigger is bad on our behalf.

There is a tendency to force a 40year olds ethics onto a 8 year old.

Sad as it is nothing made me shoot better than hitting a jackrabbit and listening to it cry. I'm not sure id learned as much from tge "wait for a good shot" lecture as I did one crying jackrabbit.

Last. The hardcore dudes. I see so many IG hero's, and even YouTube hunters who I know have kids, yet there they are, backpack, mtn boots, mtn house.

My boys were 4. The rule was as long as snow was below the knees. Which meant I road hunted, A LOT. But it also meant my 12 year old had 8 years of hunting by tge time he could do so legally.

 

[LuketheDog]

That's funny because when I was 19 I also thought I knew everything.

Oh yes, didn't we all...

Ok boomer

I read your posts and was going to applaud all your youthful energy and passion, but then you dropped an "ok boomer"...that's such a lazy response and so typical of your generation, you want positive attention, not constructive criticism

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Oh yes, didn't we all...


I read your posts and was going to applaud all your youthful energy and passion, but then you dropped an "ok boomer"...that's such a lazy response and so typical of your generation, you want positive attention, not constructive criticism

 

[MTGomer]

 

[MJE2083]

All valid points, however I think the biggest one is that people are simply aging out of the sport. The birth rate in the US has been declining for decades so it's not wonder that we're not seeing some surge in young people. Baby boomers, an estimated 20% of the population are now mostly in their 60's and 70's and are dropping out. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. I do think the loss of access/opportunity is another big factor.

 

[MO Betta]

Ok boomer

You just negated any valid points you previously made.

 

[Elk Bugler]

Colorado, but North Carolina felt the same way when I lived there as well. Both regions are unique and I'm sure their dynamics differ from say Wisconsin, or New Hampshire

Oh ok that makes perfect sense hunter numbers in Colorado are increasing a lot of new residents but mainly non residents Western States with lots of non residents tend to be the exception to the decline in hunters trend.

 

[MTGomer]

Without drawing anything that doesn’t have atleast a 96% draw odds, I plan to hunt in atleast 3 states and if the travel ban is lifted get paid to ‘work’ on another hunt.
I could do more but I ‘only’ have 4 or 5 weeks to do it in.
If I draw anything ‘special’ I’ll be turning back or wasting other tags to make the time.
I don’t get the lack of tags argument. You don’t have to rifle hunt the Arizona strip to have a good deer hunt.

There are more good hunts that are easy to get tags for than there is time to do them.

 

[Elk Bugler]

Wait, do you mean people your age or people who are "youngsters" relative to you? Because they would be, like, 8...

I don't think many people are young relative to me let me rephrase I've met 3 other teenagers hunting public land so far lol.

 

[Elk Bugler]

You just negated any valid points you previously made.

Not even close he made a joke trying to dismiss my points for being a young adult so I did the same thing to him for being elderly it's called a joke boomer lol.

 

[MTGomer]

Although I probably agree more with the boomers than I do Bugler, I appreciate his vigor. Give these crotchety old fellers hell!!!

 

[Elk Bugler]

But increasing cost is one of the arguments. So some people can afford to buy NR licenses in 3,4,5 states and other people drop out because the $25 resident license is too expensive. That is reflective of our economy and not relevant to decline in hunting. Younger people need to get better jobs.

I kinda disagree with that there's plenty of good jobs for young people we had the best economy ever before this Wuhan virus pandemic and I was doing really well for myself before this pandemic. I think cost if more of an issue than there not being good enough jobs for young people or adults in general.

 

[Elk Bugler]

Although I probably agree more with the boomers than I do Bugler, I appreciate his vigor. Give these crotchety old fellers hell!!!

Lol, that's what I find funny if I didn't say I was 19 and didn't bring up that some not all not all not all older hunters have an "I don't care kind of attitude" and are contributing to the problem by not encouraging young people to become hunters I'd be being be being praised all around right now and they'd all throw out their backs trying to crowd surf me while cheering

 

[Elk Bugler]

All valid points, however I think the biggest one is that people are simply aging out of the sport. The birth rate in the US has been declining for decades so it's not wonder that we're not seeing some surge in young people. Baby boomers, an estimated 20% of the population are now mostly in their 60's and 70's and are dropping out. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. I do think the loss of access/opportunity is another big factor.

Aging out is a big factor that I did mention. Also the issue that nobody talks about is immigrants are not really being recruited either there are a few exceptions, like I said people from eastern Europe who fled from Communist countries and Vietnamese Americans specifically the Hmong ethnicity are very much into hunting and it's in their culture. Also many eastern Europeans countries especially the Baltics and Finland have strong hunting cultures and before I get corrected I know Finland was not part of Russia or the Soviet Union for very long and they were mostly independent through WW2 but I digress.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Lol, that's what I find funny if I didn't say I was 19 and didn't bring up that some not all not all not all older hunters have an "I don't care kind of attitude" and are contributing to the problem by not encouraging young people to become hunters I'd be being be being praised all around right now and they'd all throw out their backs trying to crowd surf me while cheering

 

[Elk Bugler]

Without drawing anything that doesn’t have atleast a 96% draw odds, I plan to hunt in atleast 3 states and if the travel ban is lifted get paid to ‘work’ on another hunt.
I could do more but I ‘only’ have 4 or 5 weeks to do it in.
If I draw anything ‘special’ I’ll be turning back or wasting other tags to make the time.
I don’t get the lack of tags argument. You don’t have to rifle hunt the Arizona strip to have a good deer hunt.

There are more good hunts that are easy to get tags for than there is time to do them.

Exactly that's what I was saying there's to many people who don't hunt if they can't draw a coveted tag like Arizona strip or whatever other unit forgive I'm not familiar with many other coveted units lol.

 

[MO Betta]

Not even close he made a joke trying to dismiss my points for being a young adult so I did the same thing to him for being elderly it's called a joke boomer lol.

Nah, it's a pejorative retort used against anyone older than yourself who disagrees with you. Signed, a millennial.

 

[Elk Bugler]

Not even trying to be funny here I'm confused I don't understand boomer memes. What does this mean.

 

[Elk Bugler]

Nah, it's a pejorative retort used against anyone older than yourself who disagrees with you. Signed, a millennial.

Well you're more offended than he is and seems like he's being a good sport about it that's what I love about my elders they can take a good joke. You're a millennial that explains why you're offended in some else's behalf who's not even offended. Signed Gen Z (the generation that saw millennials overreact and decided to be more rational. Take a joke man it's all good fun

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Not even trying to be funny here I'm confused I don't understand boomer memes. What does this mean.