Why are hunters becoming an "endangered species"?

Question

Meaning the numbers are decreasing and the great opposition againist it

I am an 18 year old hunter who has hunted since twelve and it sickens me to see the decline in the sport

Answer 1

I do agree that hunting numbers are down, but there are still millions of us out there. I think it is a combination of things, pressure from the un informed, outbreaks of disease like CWD, west nile etc, the high cost of ammunition and products, fuel and a society that is so busy that fewer take time to hunt.
I myself lost my long time hunting buddy to cancer 4 years ago. Even though I bought a hunting license every year since his death, I stopped hunting until this year. It just didn't feel right not having "grandpa Lon" along on the hunts.
It's a shame that numbers are down, because that means the revenues that support the healthy animal populations is down as well. People forget how many billions of dollars sportsman put into the economy, and into the departments that manage the game. But have faith, I think that times will change back shortly, and more people will be after that fresh pure protien and staying away more from the steroid/antibiotic,/growth hormone packed grocery store brand meats.
Shoot safe

Answer 2

I live in Canada. The goverment does everything they can to make it hard to buy a gun and try yo appease city anti gun people. they want to take guns away from duck hunters and hope the drug dealers register their guns. I am a land owner and encourage people to ask to hunt and will rarely turn any one down A lot of species have developed populations that need to be hunted as they have adapted to mans ways and the new nature. Very good observation young man. There will be a time when some predators or varmits become such a problem hunters will have to be hired

Answer 3

The numbers are decreasing simply because hunting is becoming an increasingly expensive activity.

Hunting is not dying, it's just becoming more exclusive as hunting land becomes a big business and public lands decrease.

Opposition to hunting has had little effect on the sport. The truth is, state's need hunters for income to support wildlife management and to control populations.

It used to be you'd go buy a license for $10 each person and go hunt. Land owners didn't much care or charge people to hunt.

Now, licenses for me to hunt for one season on land I own in a neighboring state can cost me $300 to $500 dollars, depending on what tags I get. I have seen some leases nearby going for $4000 a season for out-of-staters.

A working man with a family simply cannot afford to hunt anymore.

Answer 4

In the U.S. Hunters only make up 15% of of the total eligible Hunting population.* That means that 85% of the population chooses not to participate in the Sport of Hunting.* I belong to the 15% group.* There is plenty of room available for first time Hunters, for those who want to begin Hunting. Most of the Hunters today are 45 years old or older.*

Answer 5

People don't feel the need to hunt and gather any more, as you can purchase foods in the grocery store. I come from and live with hunters, fishermen, etc. and I have a hard time with the processing costs of deer meat. I don't even like it that well and then when someone in our household gets a deer it is hard for me to shell out like $75-100 for processing the meat. Years ago, with my first husband, we would actually butcher our own, but that is a pain too. I do agree that if you kill it you or someone else should eat it, I just don't particularly like deer meat, so it doesn't bother me when the boys and hubby do not get one. There is also increasing costs of actual hunting. Where we live you must purchase deer tags from a government entity (conservation dept.) and those tags are like $20 each also and that's if you hunt where you live. Out of state hunters pay even more. The tags are used to monitor the deer kill numbers. So, hunting, processing, ammo, appropriate clothing, tags, etc. gets expensive.

Answer 6

Because like here in VT, people from Massachusetts and New York who have only lived in urban areas move here and take up property with their money and politics and ignorance and decide that shooting "cute little deer" is mean, despite that it balances the population so there aren't starving deer wandering all over the place and into neighborhoods and dying all over the place. Well some day those NYers and MAers will see dead and starving deer all over the place and you know, blame society for not feeding them or something stupid like that when in reality if they just let us hunt them like we've been doing since the dawn of time, nature would balance out as it used to.

Answer 7

In theory Hunters are being extinct because as economy is becoming more unstable day after day also the lust to go outdoors in also becoming extinct. Many people are becoming addicts to television and sorts of things that just infringe the likes of before. HUnting is not done for the sole purpose of finding food its the craving to experience nature before hand. Some people are happy with buying hunting dvds on cabelas rather than experinecing it firsthand. I personally like to go out hunting when its possible and also when budget doesnt allow it well i grab them 22's and put'em in my jeep and just go shoot some jack rabbits to blow of some steam and sincerely spend some time with nature

Answer 8

because people are afraid to hurt poor little bambi, who happens to be the most dangerous animal in north america.

god forbid we hunt our own food, and eat meat.

Whats worse is most money from licenses goes to wildlife conservation. Everyone else sits around dissing hunters and hugging trees, whenever the reality is that hunters care more about the environment and wildlife them liberal tree huggin sean penn supporting vegans.

Just my thoughts.

Answer 9

That isnt the case here in Arkansas.

And remember it takes 20 tree huggers to = 1 hunter ; )

Answer 10

Not in my state, we had to go to a draw system, and now there are hunters who don't even get a chance to hunt.
I do see the expense going up too, and it is getting harder and harder to afford it.