Number of Hunters Falls, Worrying Some

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/02/ap4075531.html

Number of Hunters Falls, Worrying Some

09.02.07

Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the

presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are

shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the

loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.

New figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that the number of

hunters 16 and older declined by 10 percent between 1996 and 2006 - from 14

million to about 12.5 million. The drop was most acute in New England, the

Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states, which lost 400,000 hunters in that

span.

The primary reasons, experts say, are the loss of hunting land to

urbanization plus a perception by many families that they can't afford the

time or costs that hunting entails.

"To recruit new hunters, it takes hunting families," said Gregg Patterson of

Ducks Unlimited. "I was introduced to it by my father, he was introduced to

it by his father. When you have boys and girls without a hunter in the

household, it's tough to give them the experience."

Some animal-welfare activists welcome the trend, noting that it coincides

with a 13 percent increase in wildlife watching since 1996. But hunters and

state wildlife agencies, as they prepare for the fall hunting season, say

the drop is worrisome.

"It's hunters who are the most willing to give their own dollar for wildlife

conservation," Patterson said.

Compounding the problem, the number of Americans who fish also has dropped

sharply - down 15 percent, from 35.2 million in 1996 to 30 million in 2006,

according to the latest version of a national survey that the Fish and

Wildlife Service conducts every five years.

Of the 50 state wildlife agencies, most rely on hunting and fishing license

fees for the bulk of their revenue, and only a handful receive significant

infusions from their state's general fund.

"They're trying to take care of all wildlife and all habitats on a

shoestring budget," said Rachel Brittin of the Washington-based Association

of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

In New Hampshire, only multiple fee increases - which produced numerous

complaints - have enabled the Fish and Game Department to keep revenues

robust. Its ranks of registered hunters has dropped from 83,292 in 1996 to

61,076 last year, according to department spokeswoman Judy Stokes.

"We hear concerns about land access," Stokes said. "People grew up hunting -

you went out with your family, your uncle. And now you go back, and there's

a shopping plaza or a housing development. Some of your favorite places just

aren't available anymore."

National hunting expert Mark Damian Duda, executive director of

Virginia-based research firm Responsive Management, says America's

increasingly urban and suburban culture makes it less friendly toward the

pastime.

"You don't just get up and go hunting one day - your father or father-type

figure has to have hunted," Duda said. "In a rural environment, where your

friends and family hunt, you feel comfortable with guns, you feel

comfortable with killing an animal."

Indeed, hunting remains vibrant in many rural states - 19 percent of

residents 16 and older hunted last year in Montana and 17 percent in North

Dakota, compared with 1 percent in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts

and New Jersey. Nationally, 5 percent of the 16-and-over population hunted

in 2006, down from 7 percent in 1996.

As their ranks dwindle, hunters are far from unified. The often

big-spending, wide-traveling trophy hunters of Safari Club International,

for example, have different priorities from duck hunters frequenting

close-to-home wetlands.

One rift involves hunters disenchanted with the National Rifle Association,

which runs major hunting programs and lobbies vigorously against gun

control. A Maryland hunter, Ray Schoenke, has formed a new group, the

American Hunters and Shooters Association, primarily as a home for hunters

who would support some restrictions on gun and ammunition sales.

"The NRA's extreme positions have hurt the hunting movement," Schoenke said.

"Soccer moms now believe hunters have made things more dangerous."

Political support for hunting remains strong, though, with several states

recently enshrining the right to hunt and fish in their constitutions.

Last month, President Bush ordered all federal agencies that manage public

lands to look for more room for hunting. In the 2004 presidential campaign,

both Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry courted hunters' and gun owners'

votes. A camouflage-jacketed Kerry even toted a shotgun during a goose hunt.

Among the 2008 candidates, Democrat Bill Richardson aired a TV ad showing

him hunting, while Republican Mitt Romney was derided for calling himself a

lifelong hunter even though he never had state hunting licenses.

Public support for hunting also is high, in part because huge deer

populations have become a nuisance in many areas. Duda's surveys indicate

less than 25 percent of Americans oppose hunting, although groups such as

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals denounce it as cruel.

Most major animal-welfare and conservation groups don't campaign to end

hunting, but some lobby against specific practices such as bear hunting or

"canned" hunts in which game is confined in fenced areas and shot by hunters

who pay large sums for the opportunity.

"As a matter of principle, we should not condone the killing of any animal

in the interest of sport," said Andrew Page of the Humane Society of the

United States. "But as a matter of pragmatism, we target those practices

that even hunters would agree are egregious."

The Humane Society welcomed the new federal data showing a surging number of

birdwatchers, wildlife photographers and other wildlife watchers. They

increased from 62.8 million in 1996 to 71.1 million in 2006, spending $45

billion on their activities compared to $75 billion spent by hunters and

anglers.

"The American attitude regarding wildlife is changing," Page said. "I

suspect the day will come when a presidential candidate goes to a local

humane society to adopt a homeless animal, rather than go the field and pose

as hunter with a gun."

However, hunting groups and state wildlife agencies are striving to reverse

the decline by recruiting new hunters. Vermont's Game and Wildlife

Department, for example, sponsors thrice-annual youth hunting weekends,

offers low-cost youth licenses and teaches firearms safety and outdoor

skills each summer at youth conservation camps.

Another initiative is Families Afield, sponsored by three national hunting

groups; it aims to ease state restrictions on youth hunting. At least 12

states have obliged, enabling thousands of youths to sample hunting before

taking required hunter education courses.

Other programs seek to attract more women, though few promote racial

diversity. More than 90 percent of U.S. hunters are male; roughly 96 percent

are white.

Rob Sexton, a vice president of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, said one

upside of the shrinking numbers is that hunting groups are more motivated to

seek remedies, such as access to more land and less burdensome regulations.

"There are still a lot of us," he said. "Hunting is a great passion for our

people."