If you were looking forward to a rant about how pintail management has been co-opted by money from California and the shameful yes nods of our biggest “not-for-Profit” waterfowl organizations, I’m not going there. I could, but I’m not.
Besides, there’s more to worry about if you are a waterfowler, or hunter of any stripe for that matter. Because the sky is falling.
Speaking to some of my friends in natural resource agencies, I hear grave concern. Duck hunter numbers are falling, revenue is falling. Several factors seem to be feeding this trend simultaneously.
Hunters are aging out. The average age of waterfowlers published four years ago was 50, that number has probably gone up, and its far above the country’s median age of 38. Waterfowl hunting is a lot of work, and when coupled with a lack of access it’s a tough burden for an old timer who may have also seen hunting partners pass away.
Casual hun
ters are tapping out. These are people mildly interested in fowling. The casual hunter buys a license in some years, but not in others. This behavior is far more common than most hard-core hunters realize and lends itself to falling away from hunting entirely.
The third group are young hunters who may have purchased a license when going hunting with dad but now are more focused on social engagements and social media than the hunting experience. Priorities change. It happens.
Fewer licenses sold means less revenue for state agencies that serve hunting, eventually resulting in less time, money and attention for the resources themselves. Add to agency woes, fewer hunters mean drops in sales of hunting products, meaning less Pittman-Robertson tax monies that help fund state agencies.
Of course, dry prairies and warmer fall weather hasn’t helped with hunter retention.
Also worth noting is the rising cost of hunting products manufactured in China and other far-eastern nations. Trade wars costs are always passed on to consumers. Our industry is brimming with products and do-dads not made in the U.S.
Finally, access to good waterfowl hunting spots is getting tougher. American Waterfowler’s annual Season Summary has noted that in the center of the country, particularly in the deep south, fewer and fewer ducks are seen due to warm fall and early winter temps. Many of those hunters will need to go farther north to find good hunting. But where?
South Dakota has a limited draw. Manitoba limits non-resident hunters. North Dakota, the best of the rest, is getting more crowded and recently began using electronic posting as well as a zone system that has made hunting more complicated and less accessible.
Fortunately, there is public land hunting in most places, and, in many cases, it is possible, though less easy, to find permission to hunt private lands—for those willing to do the work. Club membership is always an option for those who can afford it.
The point is, times are changing. Fewer hunters do not equate to more for us, it means less for us as a community. There is safety in numbers.