The Pandemic Effect, by onX Hunt

[robby denning]

Great article funded by onX Hunt. I’ve seen just about every topic in the article argued on this forum. Here’s the data to both support and disupute those debates:

https://www.onxmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/01/onX_Hunt_Research_Report-1.pdf

@Jordan Budd

 

[Glendon Mullins]

interesting info

 

[bozeman]

Excellent info, thank you for sharing. Kudos to OnX for doing this. I utilize this App extensively and it has helped in the trek from Bama to the west for Elk.

 

[gilby]

Really cool article, happy to see some data on new hunting. As a younger millennial, I feel old when the study mentions Gen Z as the young hunters.

 

[BoatsAndBows]

That’s some cool info. Put numbers on everything we’ve seen in the last two years.

 

[jkmoore3s]

Very interesting.

 

[CWayne121]

Anyone else getting "This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below."?

 

[tdhanses]

I get a not found issue.

 

[coyotecreek]

Anyone else getting "This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below."?

yep, I get the same message

 

[wesfromky]

Try:

https://www.onxmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2022/01/onX_Hunt_Research_Report-1.pdf

This is the blog post with the link to pdf in case it changes again.

The Pandemic Effect: How 2020 Changed Hunting

Hunting grew at an unprecedented rate in 2020. What does that mean for the future, and how do hunters actually feel about it? Get the answers in our new report.

www.onxmaps.com

 

[Szwampdonkey]

The increased pressure frankly has made some areas un huntable. First time in 32 years i witnessed two younger hunters trespass then argue with the landowner when caught. Then proceed to walk 25 yards passed me making more noise than a herd of elephants and all by 0630 on opening day. These guys appeared to be early 20s, so Gen Zers? Talking and staring at their phones the whole time they walked by me so don’t see how anyone involved (me, them, or the landowner) had a positive experience.

More numbers isn’t always a good thing guys. More “conservation money” is worthless when the QUALITY of the hunts erode. In some spots it’s just been terrible to the point i won’t hunt certain areas anymore and that’s after 3 decades afield. So how is that a positive to drive hunters looking for quality hunts away in favor of just packing public lands to the point no one is enjoying it much?

Sorry, i’m looking forward to things returning to how they were and new hunters taking to the field because they’re being mentored by hunters not Youtube, social media, and spurned on by boredom.

 

[rickjames80]

40% to supply meat and 0% of new hunters primarily motivated by hunting trophy animals...? Only like 3% of experienced hunters are primarily motivated to harvest trophy animals...? Hmm, just can't grasp that as truth. Heck, over 3% of the hunting population has instagram, facebook and tic tok to post videos of harvesting trophy animals. Seems like they wouldn't have to put so much time and money into hunting if it was primarily for the meat. Change my mind

 

[beauhunter]

40% to supply meat and 0% of new hunters primarily motivated by hunting trophy animals...? Only like 3% of experienced hunters are primarily motivated to harvest trophy animals...? Hmm, just can't grasp that as truth. Heck, like 3% of the hunting population has instagram, facebook and tic tok to post videos of harvesting trophy animals. Seems like they wouldn't have to put so much time and money into hunting if it was primarily for the meat. Change my mind

I tend to get frustrated w/ a lot of these surveys because they take a complex topic and try to simplify it, generally to promote whatever it is they are selling (product, subscriptions, memberships, etc.). Definitely a little misleading, as is the case w/ most statistics (a person/group can manipulate the numbers to convey a certain message) but the key word is primary. I don't feel that it is unreasonable though that the primary motivation for 40% of hunters is the meat and that for less than 5% of hunters the primary motivation is trophy quality. For the average hunter I feel that meat is more important than antler size but, I guarantee that for just about everyone, if given the opportunity, they would rather take the larger animal.

The thing that alarmed me the most was the view of technology's role in hunting when it comes to new hunters. The chart on page 12 shows the difference in how experienced hunters and new hunters view technology and how it pertains to hunting. It is easy to see that as hunters gain experience they are less concerned with technology applied to hunting whereas new hunters seem to rely heavily on technology. Though I'm only in my early 30's I can feel the "Get Off My Yard" coming out in me haha. It makes me hope that we as hunters don't let technology push us beyond fair chase and being ethical hunters. Like @Szwampdonkey said above, it is concerning that a lot of new hunters are being mentored by what they see on YouTube and other social media.

 

[bisblue]

Interesting report, I think there are two primary realities.

1. The West
2. Everywhere else

I will focus on the West, as I know things like digital technology (ahem rokslide), onx, gohunt, social media provide more detailed info to everyone. But also in the west population growth, development of the wildland urban interface, I think are having a huge impact on hunting. Idaho was the #1 or #2 fastest growing state last year. So number of non residents interested certainly makes it more crowded. All the old timers that moved to Montana 20 years ago and asked to close the borders.

Also better lighter gear lets the same person get deeper into the backcountry, along with growth in motorized and human powered recreation (also same fitness level goes farther with better gear) negatively impacting wildlife. More folks are out shed hunting, scouting, game cams, just more pressure on the same animals. People whose parents only hunted elk and deer at home or came out West every 10 years, now apply in multiple states and drive out in teams to a different western state each year.

Everyone wants more tags, but unless we expand the pie somehow (private land access, insert fairy dust image) I think we will see diminished opportunity, especially with more folks shooting rifles 800 yards and bows 80 yards, and people with money wanting more access to animals based on holding property.

 

[LA Hunter]

I wish the report explored the impact of point creep and discussed a potential ebb/flow of hunting based on the impact that the pandemic has on hunting.

 

[Coldtrail]

Obviously regardless of age group there are always going to be a few that we wish were not in the sport and will set the bad example, but It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, from what I'm seeing there are more people competing for less space, resuling in more problems, more garbage, anything within 100' of a trailhead, parking lot, or campsite is now an open toilet, and the courtesy given to the person that got up earlier than you did no longer exists because your app says you can legally be there. I am a believer that hunter ethics is something learned only through mentorship regardless of your age and there are plenty of all ages that could use a refresher. I'm all for new hunters taking up the sport, but there is definitely something lost when you learn hunting from watching videos and don't have knowledge of the history of this sport both good and bad.

It would be interesting to see how many hunters would remain in the sport if you eliminated some of the technology, the numbers imply quite a few would likely quit. The other factor is the hunting "industry" we now have convincing all those new to the sport what designer equipment they "need" to have. These days regardless how much you spend, the industry will convince you that you are never properly equipped when the next season rolls around. I think the same exit from the sport would happen if hunters had to stop shopping for new gear every season, makes one wonder the true motivation for some to get outdoors?

A while back I received a message right before hunting season from an organization I follow that is active in recruiting new hunters. The message was encouraging their members to not make fun of, or laugh at hunters in mismatched or old camo patterns or using outdated guns.......now I question the true motivations of that organization. (Along with being highly self conscious of my upland vest with duct tape patching the holes and my Stevens 5100)

 

[Crown]

The increased pressure frankly has made some areas un huntable. First time in 32 years i witnessed two younger hunters trespass then argue with the landowner when caught. Then proceed to walk 25 yards passed me making more noise than a herd of elephants and all by 0630 on opening day. These guys appeared to be early 20s, so Gen Zers? Talking and staring at their phones the whole time they walked by me so don’t see how anyone involved (me, them, or the landowner) had a positive experience.

More numbers isn’t always a good thing guys. More “conservation money” is worthless when the QUALITY of the hunts erode. In some spots it’s just been terrible to the point i won’t hunt certain areas anymore and that’s after 3 decades afield. So how is that a positive to drive hunters looking for quality hunts away in favor of just packing public lands to the point no one is enjoying it much?

Sorry, i’m looking forward to things returning to how they were and new hunters taking to the field because they’re being mentored by hunters not Youtube, social media, and spurned on by boredom.

I sympathize with your last statement but also try to understand that some of us new hunters have no option except to learn from youtube and social media (including this forum). Of course that dependence doesn't give anyone an excuse to be disrespectful in the field.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Absolutely falls in line with the amount of orange I saw this past year. I'm currently mentoring a couple of guys that seem pretty technology accepting compared to experience hunters I know.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Bearsears]

From page 7 "54% of gen Zers were interested in a trophy hunt, more interest than any other generation". Shocker (sarcasm). More proof that the Instagram generation is still only wrapped up in love of self, and exhibiting only attention seeking behavior.

Dont get me wrong, I will take a more mature animal if possible and I save points for some higher quality hunts. I also post my pictures up here with a story for you guys. Its not just about the trophy for me though. Its about the struggle and accomplishment. My most memorable hunts are definitely the hardest hunts Ive been on that were either unsuccessful or I took a smaller animal. I have a few hunts that were generally easy and not nearly as satisfying even though they ended with a "trophy". Its about the food provided for my wife and kids.

I feel like as more of the self centered generation gets into hunting, the more unethical and selfish behaviors are going to be seen and exhibited in the woods (see @Szwampdonkey post). My fear is that this will translate into hunting being even more disliked by the general public in the future and a potential loss of the privilege.

Or maybe as an on the cusp Gen X and Millennial getting dang close to 40, Im just like @beauhunter and I have a GET OFF MY LAWN complex developing.

 

[Coldtrail]

Along those same lines, I see much more of an "In your Face" attitude among younger hunters, gotta wear the T-shirt with the pic of the big whitetail with blood dripping from the "whack 'em and stack 'em logo printed on it, hunting and gun stickers all over your truck with the big lug tires and lift kit to get you into those places that only you know about (or maybe just be the guy dumb enough to drive into) get everything you do on social media so everyone is aware of how hardcore your hunting abilities are than the other guy etc. None of which helps the image of the sport, but a mentality that has been created by televised commercial hunting meant to advertise products & latched onto by those that know no other source of information. It's not just the younger generation that buys into this mentality, I see plenty of old fat guys that attempt to fit into the "hardcore" mold too, with much of their hunting being from the truck window.

So then the question becomes who is the best representative for the sport & will be followed by younger hunters? For me when I was young it was the old guys that I was fascinated with, I still know hunters in their 70's, 80's and even a couple 90's that are hunting whitetails in late fall and living out of tents using open sighted classic guns etc. I think it's pretty awesome and they are still my heros. These days it seems like the younger generation views the "old" guys as the enemy to virtually everything they stand for not knowing how many of these gray haired hunters grew up meat hunting with one round in a single shot rifle, running a trapline, trained their own hunting dogs, and truly lived from the land out of necessity rather than hobby, life experience, or to gain "followers".

You have really a short period in the history of the human race where hunting went from a way of life for survival to "my friends gotta see this!".......that's alot of distance between the two extremes to try to get those group into agreement and understand each other in such a way that can keep the sport moving in a positive direction