TG78

I lost my two best goose hunting properties; one to the morning coffee drinkers watching me with binoculars ringing the necks of a couple that were not quite dead and the other to a large toll highway. In turn I hunt far less geese now so I guess I can make since of the dropping numbers.

Centauri

If this is in fact true, I find there are 3 main reasons as to why.

1. Amount of land avalible/Areas that you can access. With development increasing all over the country, the land that you can hunt is getting smaller and smaller. Sometimes, the public land is getting divided off and being sold, so as said, land is decreasing

2. Costs. Hunting isn't a very cheap sport, and our economy isn't helping it at all. Guns/Bows, ammunition, licenses, proper clothing, equipment, and GASOLINE. Not every person can afford all of these things, including the gasoline needed to get to the hunting land

3. Antigun/Antihunters. I see these people all over the place now. They preach about the "dangers" and "evils" of hunting. And the sad truth is, people listen, and they don't know about the truth, or care about it after the ideas are put into their mind.

LKNCHOPPERS

Arthur, you hit it right on the head there. May I also add, we are living in the XBOX/Playstation "Instant Gratification" Computer Generation. It is far more satisfying and easier for our young people to "Play" then do something that resembles work like hunting. Unfortunately our culture has gone soft.

G2 Shooter

Good point! I couldn't guess how many hours hunters put into this sport to try and get a shot at whatever game they are after. I don't know if kids today could sit still for hours in a stand or stalk slowly and quietly enough to sneak up on an animal.

TG78

My parents would not let me own a video gaming system and then in college when I could buy one I did only to sell it two months later, as I felt I was wasting too much time in front of the T.V.

arrow2512

I've heard a few years back the squirrel hunters where realy down . I guees with the cost of deer tags these days 24 or 25 dollars a tag i can see why deer hunting might be down .On private land i know some guys at work don't even buy tags just shoot them take them home cut them up that night . To be honest with you i can't believe they even admitt to it .

early in

I believe this to be a fact. In1999 they sold 263,377 adult resident bowhunting licenses in Pa. There has been a decline every year since.In 2007 they only sold 255,188adult resident bowhunting licenses. That's over 8000 less. I think that's a pretty big drop.

GTOHunter

It is true that the older Hunters are dying off....but I have faith in the Youth Hunters of today because many of us that have been hunting for years are taking our Son's and Daughter's,Niece's and Nephewsout hunting to learn how to be a more safe and ethical Hunter.I have seen many Hunters taking their kids to learnin the Safety Hunter Classes and have also seen several Wife's out with their Husband's and Girl's out learning abouthunting with their Boy Friends....they are even having classes in School now about Archery too so hopefully we can pass our love for hunting and being outdoors to the Youths of today!

treboryerf

Exactly right! Access to hunting land is getting harder every year unless you have plenty of extra cash,and public land can be very frustrating when you have so many trying to hunt the same area.If you don't have private land to hunt agood hunting club membership will cost at least a couple of grand,just this morning I say a flier for a hunting membership for only 7500.00 ,I tried to right them a check,but they wouldn't hold it for 3 years,oh well I'll stick with my father in laws land.

mddoss

I just read in this months Petersons Hunting Magazine that they are trying to teach hunters/gun education in schools as an elective in West Virginia. I am 22 and am currently in the process of teaching my girlfriend how to hunt. She wants me to buy her a bow now...
In central NC there are still some great spots on public land to hunt. I killed an 8 pointer the year before last on public land and only hunted there 2 times last year because I am so busy with school and work. a