The Future of Hunting in America
By Rolf Johnson
Recently, I read with interest from a brochure entitled Big Game Hunting - The Future of Hunting in America, by Stephani Kenyon and Mark Damian Duda. According to the authors, "Big game hunting in America is more popular today than it has ever been at any other time in our history. Surprising news for sure, especially given the undercurrent of anti-hunting attitudes fueled by animal rights propaganda. No doubt some misinformed individuals have led people to believe hunting is an activity that is not supported by the American public and have misled others to assume big game hunting is a sport in decline. But in truth much of the ‘controversy’ is based on fiction. The best way to debunk these negative and misleading notions about hunting is to take a look at the facts."
| Year | United States | Washington State | % of US Total | *U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Census. 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
** 1955-1985 data is comparable and 1991-1996 is comparable. However, 1955-1985 data is not directly comparable with 1991-1996 data due to changes in survey methodology. The number of big game hunters from 1955-1985 are those 12 years-old and older while 1991-1996 data are those 16 years-old and older. ***Washington Hunting license sale figures. Deer and elk tag sales represent 80-90% of hunting license sales. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 1,579,704 | 302,847 | 19.2 | |
| 1960 | 1,526,585 | 289,845 | 18.9 | |
| 1965 | 1,737,452 | 307,420 | 17.7 | |
| 1970 | 3,209,185 | 334,763 | 10.4 | |
| 1975 | 5,168,708 | 338,870 | 6.6 | |
| 1980 | 6,876,092 | 356,500 | 5.2 | |
| 1985 | 6,494,911 | 270,354 | 4.2 | |
| 1991* | 10,745,000 | 263,658 | 2.5 | |
| 1996** | 11,288,000 | 254,666 *** | 2.3 |
Big Game Hunter Trends in Washington State
The table above shows that Big Game License sales in Washington State differ from the national trend. We reached peak license sales in 1980 and have declined over 100,000 since then. Most hunters in Washington hunt deer and/or elk. Deer and elk population numbers increased in Washington until about 1980 and since then both deer and elk numbers have declined. The national trends in big game hunter numbers reflect White-tail deer population increase in the eastern half of the U.S. The steep decline of Washington hunters as a % of the U.S. total is alarming.
Why Is Big Game Hunting Growing Nationally?
It is believed that big game populations through out the U.S. are now at historically high levels. Thanks to the support of hunters, conservationists, and advances in wildlife management techniques that wildlife indeed are at high levels.
According to Kenyon and Duda, "The rise in big game hunting is not new- it’s a trend that has been mounting and gaining speed for many years. Its growth has been consistent, increasing seven-fold since the 1950’s. Hunting is worth $61 billion annually to the U.S. economy, with big game hunting being the dominant component of the industry" according to a study conducted by Southwick Associates of Alexandria, VA.
A study conducted by Responsive Management, Harrisonburg, VA, on the attitudes of American hunters revealed that American’s either strongly aprove (40%) or moderately approve (33%) of legal hunting.
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