Let’s say…

[KHNC]

It just depends what group you belong to. Other small groups get entire months celebrated in their honor and the entire country bows to their will.

Or bends over , depending on the group.

 

[CMP70306]

You do realize that there has been at best a marginal increase in hunters over the past few years but still way below the peak? Here in PA we peaked in 1983 with just over 1.3 Million hunters, today that number is 857,000 roughly 66% of our peak and continually trending down except for a brief bump in 2020.

If the issue is increased pressure out west it seems to be less an issue of more hunters joining the ranks and more likely current hunters heading west either temporarily or permanently to enjoy the hunting western states offer.

I know that if my life and family wasn’t so firmly rooted here in PA I’d move west in a heartbeat and my honeymoon to Yellowstone just confirmed it.

 

[venado mula]

We don't need anymore hunters on the landscape. We need more hunters engaged in the politics that run our wildlife agencies and the agencies that control the land. Conservation and public access can be negotiated and implemented through public engagement. More people crowding the hunting seasons doesn't move progress.

 

[sndmn11]

Correct

Then it's a win for next year!

 

[woods89]

Let’s say, you’re an accountant. Let’s also say that there are 330 million people in the US and there are 15 million hunters in the US. Hunters make up 4.5% of the population and we are outnumbered by 315 million. Your whole platform is based on the philosophy that we need more hunters to have a bigger voice. If we doubled the hunters we’d still be less than 10% of the voting population! Our voice isn’t going to grow!!!!

Don’t forget, you’re an accountant, numbers are your life. You’re telling me that you THINK you’re really doing it for the good of hunting and not for your own benefit?

Just a little rant from someone that saw a tag jump from 4th choice to 1st choice this year… I know I know, quit your whining.

How dare you bring actual math to this discussion?

 

[fngTony]

Then it's a win for next year!

Partial win, need less winter kill too

 

[sndmn11]

Partial win, need less winter kill too

We were 1/2 of first choice "maybes" that the points applied were what the cutoff was last year including pronghorn. 1/1 on first choice where I had an extra point compared to last year.

I think for my brother and dad the maybes are holding true at 50/50 as well.

 

[Chrisamx]

If there are less hunters than before, then why are tags so hard to draw? There are many more whitetail deer now than there were when I was growing up and many more hunters, but we all still had otc tags.

 

[svivian]

If there are less hunters than before, then why are tags so hard to draw? There are many more whitetail deer now than there were when I was growing up and many more hunters, but we all still had otc tags.

Peoples ability to travel and afford hunting multiple states, thats how. Not to mention how easy information is to find anymore on different states to hunt. There wasn't google in the 80's, that info came in the mail or sporting good stores in your home state.

 

[Chrisamx]

You do realize that there has been at best a marginal increase in hunters over the past few years but still way below the peak? Here in PA we peaked in 1983 with just over 1.3 Million hunters, today that number is 857,000 roughly 66% of our peak and continually trending down except for a brief bump in 2020.

If the issue is increased pressure out west it seems to be less an issue of more hunters joining the ranks and more likely current hunters heading west either temporarily or permanently to enjoy the hunting western states offer.

I know that if my life and family wasn’t so firmly rooted here in PA I’d move west in a heartbeat and my honeymoon to Yellowstone just confirmed it.

I hunted PA from 75 to 83 and there were a lot of hunters and a lot less deer than there are today. Can one still get OTC tags and hunt anywhere there?

 

[Gobbler36]

Agreed. Now you’re at 150-160 million.

I’m a firm believer that there are hunters, non hunters, and anti hunters. The non hunters make up the lion share of the population. You’re not changing an antis viewpoint on anything, but you’re also not impacting a damn thing increasing the number of hunters…well I take that back, your effing up all the hunting opportunities for the current hunters.

This 1000%

 

[akcabin]

I support new folks that want to learn more about getting out, hunting. Learning to enjoy a tradition. I was given that chance once and is now a big part of my life.
There are a lot of organizations gathering kazillions of bucks and followers while hunters argue with themselves. Public lands access are getting taken away million acres is common.
I could also care less about having to have the best. Keep it simple.
Let's just say we figure out how to quit the I'm right gotta have mine first. Or public ballots to make unnecessary changes.
We keep losing more every day is the reasoning behind my thoughts, just my opinion

 

[CMP70306]

I hunted PA from 75 to 83 and there were a lot of hunters and a lot less deer than there are today. Can one still get OTC tags and hunt anywhere there?

Still get a buck tag with your license that is valid for the whole state but doe tags are WMU based. They switched from county lines to Wildlife Management Units as a way to better control the herd by grouping the area by terrain rather than arbitrary county lines. Doe tag availability varies widely by the number of hunters and the number of tags in a WMU. Some places you can always get one but the second is tough while others, like where I hunt, I could realistically get as many as I wanted.

Two years ago they removed the statewide 3 tag max per year rule, you can now have up to 6 active doe tags and for every one you report a harvest you can purchase another until the WMU runs out. Our total deer harvest seems to be stable in the high 300,000 to low 400,000 range over the past few years.

 

[timekiller13]

You guys don’t understand math.

The number of hunters will always increase as the population increases. The overall percentage of the population of hunters may decrease, but, unless the percentage of hunters decreases at greater rate than the percentage increase in population, then the number will still go up. The population is not going to stop increasing. So you essentially are hoping to have exponential DECREASE in hunters.

I didn’t draw any tags this year. It’s sucks. But, guess what?? I’m still going elk hunting. And not OTC. Stop your whining and find a way to go hunt.

 

[Ucsdryder]

You guys don’t understand math.

The number of hunters will always increase as the population increases. The overall percentage of the population of hunters may decrease, but, unless the percentage of hunters decreases at greater rate than the percentage increase in population, then the number will still go up. The population is not going to stop increasing. So you essentially are hoping to have exponential DECREASE in hunters.

I didn’t draw any tags this year. It’s sucks. But, guess what?? I’m still going elk hunting. And not OTC. Stop your whining and find a way to go hunt.

False.

Go look at the applications over the last 5 years. It’s gone up exponentially. Definitely hasn’t gone up with population growth. Couple that with the “decrease in hunters” that the East is seeing and tell me again how we don’t know math.

Just to help you. Look at Wyoming’s general tag. It went from 0 points to 4+ in 5-6 years. Explain to me how that’s population growth.

More info. In 2016 Colorado had 199k total elk applicants. In 2023 Colorado had 243k elk applicants. That’s a 21% increase in 8 years. Dang, the population sure is growing fast.

You got one thing right in your post, I’m whining.

 

[CMP70306]

False.

Go look at the applications over the last 5 years. It’s gone up exponentially. Definitely hasn’t gone up with population growth. Couple that with the “decrease in hunters” that the East is seeing and tell me again how we don’t know math.

Just to help you. Look at Wyoming’s general tag. It went from 0 points to 4+ in 5-6 years. Explain to me how that’s population growth.

More info. In 2016 Colorado had 199k total elk applicants. In 2023 Colorado had 243k elk applicants. That’s a 21% increase in 8 years. Dang, the population sure is growing fast.

You got one thing right in your post, I’m whining.

Population growth isn’t the issue, that 44k difference is only 0.3% of total hunters in this country. All it takes is a few more hunters deciding to apply to hunt out west than had in the past to get that increase. 2016 through 2019 were good times for a lot of people who chose to take their extra money and go hunting. In 2020 everyone had their vacations and other expenditures cancelled so some people chose to go hunting out west and continued that in 21 and 22.

I know I took my first trip out west for bison in 22 and I’m sure there were plenty of others who did as well. Factor in the increased cost of private land hunts (the bison hunt I booked in 21 now costs 50% more) and that is pushing even more people to applying for tags.

You could always come hunt deer here in the east, we have tons of over the counter tags and plenty of public land to hunt them on.

 

[timekiller13]

False.

Go look at the applications over the last 5 years. It’s gone up exponentially. Definitely hasn’t gone up with population growth. Couple that with the “decrease in hunters” that the East is seeing and tell me again how we don’t know math.

Just to help you. Look at Wyoming’s general tag. It went from 0 points to 4+ in 5-6 years. Explain to me how that’s population growth.

More info. In 2016 Colorado had 199k total elk applicants. In 2023 Colorado had 243k elk applicants. That’s a 21% increase in 8 years. Dang, the population sure is growing fast.

You got one thing right in your post, I’m whining.

You are missing the point.

Overall, hunter numbers are WAY DOWN.

In 1980 there were 16.9 million licensed hunters in the US out of population of 226 million. That’s 7.5% of the total population.

Today there are 15.9 million licensed hunters out of 331 million. That’s 4.8% of US population.

That’s a drastic decease. Both in overall numbers and percentage of the population.

What we are seeing is a shift. More people are hunting in western states. Baby boomers got money to spend. People in their 30s got money to spend and ain’t waiting until they retire.

So, by the numbers, overall, total number of hunters has DECREASED in the US since the 1980s. That was the peak. There are 1 million fewer licensed hunters today than there were 40 years ago.

 

[Rich M]

Let’s say, you’re an accountant. Let’s also say that there are 330 million people in the US and there are 15 million hunters in the US. Hunters make up 4.5% of the population and we are outnumbered by 315 million. Your whole platform is based on the philosophy that we need more hunters to have a bigger voice. If we doubled the hunters we’d still be less than 10% of the voting population! Our voice isn’t going to grow!!!!

Don’t forget, you’re an accountant, numbers are your life. You’re telling me that you THINK you’re really doing it for the good of hunting and not for your own benefit?

Just a little rant from someone that saw a tag jump from 4th choice to 1st choice this year… I know I know, quit your whining.

The whole push for hunting is for the business end of the industry. It isn't for voting, it is for buying.

The main results are like you said - too many people in too small of a pool. You feel warmth on your leg and ask yourself if it is really worth it.

 

[RyanT26]

I did get quite the laugh this year when gritty was complaining, he didn’t get an Arizona tag as well as Jordan budd’s Instagram post saying she didn’t draw what should have been a 100% odds tag in Colorado. Reaping what you sow came to mind.

You are missing the point.

Overall, hunter numbers are WAY DOWN.

In 1980 there were 16.9 million licensed hunters in the US out of population of 226 million. That’s 7.5% of the total population.

Today there are 15.9 million licensed hunters out of 331 million. That’s 4.8% of US population.

That’s a drastic decease. Both in overall numbers and percentage of the population.

What we are seeing is a shift. More people are hunting in western states. Baby boomers got money to spend. People in their 30s got money to spend and ain’t waiting until they retire.

So, by the numbers, overall, total number of hunters has DECREASED in the US since the 1980s. That was the peak. There are 1 million fewer licensed hunters today than there were 40 years ago.

Hopefully that number (4.8) continues to fall.
More importantly the number of huntable acres has decreased greatly as well.

 

[idelkslayer]

Must be some of that Tax Code math.