|
Forums46
Topics539,024
Posts9,744,293
Members87,136
| |
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
|
|
|
 If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
#4805744
12/04/13 05:53 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,857
cmc
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,857 |
why the hell is there more and more people in the woods everytime I go? There maybe a new study I haven't read but if you listen to NRA and other conservation organizations hunters are a dying breed. I'd like to invite them to Jack county on any given Saturday in November or opening day Michigan where the woods are orange with hunters. I remember just a few years ago around Graham and Jacksboro when you may hear a shot or two on opening day and last year I counted over 20. Time for me to find a new area I think.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: cmc]
#4805772
12/04/13 06:00 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,732
Sneaky
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 29,732 |
Depends on how you look at the numbers, and what you want the numbers to reflect.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Sneaky]
#4805844
12/04/13 06:21 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,359
txhunter1010
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,359 |
in a way i dont mind they decrease....more deer and possibly bigger bucks around, but at the same time, less hunters, means more deer and possibly less bucks and an un healthy deer herd..i guess you could look at it either way, good and bad
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: txhunter1010]
#4805845
12/04/13 06:21 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,359
txhunter1010
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,359 |
also, the hunting idustry itself would hurt,
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: txhunter1010]
#4805858
12/04/13 06:26 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,605
fouzman
Veteran Tracker
|
|
Veteran Tracker
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,605 |
I'm more worried about TPWD hurting than anything else. We should all do everything we can to recruit new folks into the outdoors.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: fouzman]
#4805897
12/04/13 06:36 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,623
chalet
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,623 |
I grew up hunting Jack Co when it was 1 buck, no doe, and didn't have any pigs to speak of. Definitely remember hearing more than a few shots opening weekend. After that it would taper off and if you heard someone shoot it was worth discussion back around camp.
Think a big difference these days is with a 5 deer limit plus pigs there is a lot more shot opportunities for a hunter. Same amount of hunters but they are doing a lot more shooting.
Shoot. Eat. Repeat.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: fouzman]
#4805923
12/04/13 06:41 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,271
Palehorse
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 5,271 |
I just read in USA Today that hunter numbers are increasing again after decreasing recently. They are attributing some of the increase to the local food movement and the fact that the animals live a clean, free life until their last day. If that is why some folks are getting into hunting, I say, "welcome aboard".
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Palehorse]
#4805981
12/04/13 06:54 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 436
yeti2009
Bird Dog
|
|
Bird Dog
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 436 |
More and more people moving to Texas and wanting places to hunt. May not be decreasing nationwide but increasing in certain areas.
Also, more land being sold off and sub-divided. I can think of several places where neighbors were FAR away. Now these said places have subdivisions and "ranchettes" on both sides of them. Honestly, I don't like it at all.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: yeti2009]
#4806047
12/04/13 07:14 PM
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,857
cmc
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
OP
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,857 |
I hate it, I go hunting to not see people and now I got neighbors building cabins across the road and new lease guys down the road blowing up everything. I agree land being inherited and split doesn't help and I'm sure a five deer limit has something to do with it but the amount of people hunting are out running the amount of game to be hunted, I see less animals every year.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: yeti2009]
#4806061
12/04/13 07:18 PM
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,810
dogcatcher
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,810 |
Compared to 20 or 30 years ago there is quite a bit of land that s no longer available for hunting. That means the hunters are moving to other areas that already had their fair share of hunters. You can draw a 10 mile circle around south half of Abilene, a lot of that land was deer hunting land 10 years ago, today there are houses, subdivisions, ranchitos, and businesses on a lot of that land. That is a lot of old hunting leased land that the hunters have moved away from.
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back.
_____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________![[Linked Image]](https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/pics/usergals/2018/09/full-3152-162968-charge_air_assault.jpg)
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: cmc]
#4806150
12/04/13 07:44 PM
|
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 527
Daven
Tracker
|
|
Tracker
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 527 |
Maybe they just went back to counting traditional hunters and took the bait&wait numbers out of the mix???? 
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Daven]
#4806159
12/04/13 07:47 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
rifleman
Sparkly Pants
|
|
Sparkly Pants
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461 |
People don't have time for it anymore and are in debt up to their eyeballs.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: rifleman]
#4806209
12/04/13 08:05 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,970
jdickey
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,970 |
Another possibility is that many of those hunters are not buying licenses, particularly those states with an abundance of public land. I see "poachers" nearly every time I hunt in New Mexico, and they seem to increas! In some states, those hunting fees continue to increase, so fewer licenses are sold.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: jdickey]
#4806224
12/04/13 08:10 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
rifleman
Sparkly Pants
|
|
Sparkly Pants
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461 |
Well, out West mule deer is king. With their declining numbers tags are getting cut, season are getting cut so that'll help show fewer licenses sold. Plus you have MLD where 1 license can be used to shoot a ton of deer.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: rifleman]
#4806335
12/04/13 08:38 PM
|
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8,257
Double Naught Spy
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8,257 |
why the hell is there more and more people in the woods everytime I go? A good possibility here is that your sampling is heavily biased. There may be more hunting/hunters where you are, but that does not mean that hunting or hunters is increasing. It just means there are more where you are. Your tag line says you are in Arlington, so I am guessing you are hunting somewhere reasonably close to a major metropolitan area. So you likely get a lot of city-slicker day trip type hunters concentrated locally.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Double Naught Spy]
#4806543
12/04/13 09:52 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 718
upsslim
Tracker
|
|
Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 718 |
Maybe the numbers are decreasing because deer hunting is becoming a rich mans sport. With the price of leases, guns, ammo, stands, bait, and gas it is getting hard for the average man to hunt. I'm not rich but I'm not poor and I can't afford a lease. I have to make do with hunting on public land. A lot of people can't even do that. Hunting license, fishing license, WMA permit= $105. That's a week worth of food for a lot of people. Just my $.02 worth.
East Texas
Patriot Guard Rider
Flag Captain
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Daven]
#4806553
12/04/13 09:54 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,724
QuitShootinYoungBucks
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 15,724 |
Maybe they just went back to counting traditional hunters and took the bait&wait numbers out of the mix???? 
![[Linked Image]](http://www.katiecortese.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/texas-tech-logo-2-150x150.jpg) https://web.archive.org/web/20170223065011/http:/www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: upsslim]
#4806599
12/04/13 10:04 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200 |
Maybe the numbers are decreasing because deer hunting is becoming a rich mans sport. With the price of leases, guns, ammo, stands, bait, and gas it is getting hard for the average man to hunt. I'm not rich but I'm not poor and I can't afford a lease. I have to make do with hunting on public land. A lot of people can't even do that. Hunting license, fishing license, WMA permit= $105. That's a week worth of food for a lot of people. Just my $.02 worth. I have no hard data; it may even be a wild-arse guess.... But you take the cost of a Texas deer lease when I was coming of age 50 years ago in 1963, and the price of a tricked-out 4WD pick-up. Compare that cost to a similar lease and similar truck today. I bet the increases are pretty close. I'm not rationalizing, just observing.....
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: dawaba]
#4806642
12/04/13 10:16 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 718
upsslim
Tracker
|
|
Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 718 |
I was coming of age in 63 also. I don't remember ever hearing of a deer lease back then except for the ones down by the border where hunters could wander across for the night. You could ask a rancher if you could hunt their land. Most of them would let you. Nobody had a tricked out 4wd. A tricked out truck was 2wd with mud grips on it. Don't get me wrong I understand your comparison. The first day lease I went to cost me $50. I got two does. I just feel that the average man is getting squeezed out. I hate to see what it is like when my 16 yr. old is 40.
East Texas
Patriot Guard Rider
Flag Captain
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: upsslim]
#4806858
12/04/13 11:24 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,170
Jimbo
THF Trophy Hunter
|
|
THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 6,170 |
I agree with everything mentioned above, and anyone who is old enough to remember hunting during the 50's, and 60's and remember the stories from their parents and grand parents, this hunting thing has grown by leaps and bounds since then.
Maybe they are concerned that it may be tapering off, and like mentioned, it's become the sport of the rich folks.
Fewer rich folks= fewer common folk in the field.
Thursday at 12:45 PM
#33
Once i learned that i didn't "NEED" to kill something, and that if i did kill something all the fun stopped and work began, i was a much better hunter.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: Jimbo]
#4806883
12/04/13 11:33 PM
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200
dawaba
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,200 |
I only regret that I was too young to enjoy the good old days of mule deer hunting, back in the 60s, when a group of buddies could drive out to Colorado or New Mexico and all shoot gagger bucks, and many over 30" wide. Nowadays, a guy would have to pay a handsome sum--and be quite lucky--to find a muley approaching the size of those 50 years ago.
I DID get to enjoy the heyday of quail hunting....when a wing-shooter didn't even need a dog to find covey after covey, so long as he was in good country. I hope the quail come back for my kids and grandkids to enjoy, as I did.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple.....and wrong." H. L. Mencken
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: cmc]
#4807588
12/05/13 02:43 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,655
1860.colt
emoji colt.45
|
|
emoji colt.45
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 13,655 |
lumber jack's  
i'm postaddic
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: 1860.colt]
#4807790
12/05/13 03:49 AM
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,017
NDN98
THF Celebrity
|
|
THF Celebrity
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 14,017 |
I think the percentage of hunters per capita might have slightly decreased in Texas since I began hunting 23 years ago, but the overall number of hunters seems to be increasing since the population of Texas has gained 9 million people since 1990.
Last edited by NDN98; 12/05/13 03:50 AM.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: dawaba]
#4807817
12/05/13 03:57 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461
rifleman
Sparkly Pants
|
|
Sparkly Pants
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 44,461 |
I only regret that I was too young to enjoy the good old days of mule deer hunting, back in the 60s, when a group of buddies could drive out to Colorado or New Mexico and all shoot gagger bucks, and many over 30" wide. Nowadays, a guy would have to pay a handsome sum--and be quite lucky--to find a muley approaching the size of those 50 years ago.
I DID get to enjoy the heyday of quail hunting....when a wing-shooter didn't even need a dog to find covey after covey, so long as he was in good country. I hope the quail come back for my kids and grandkids to enjoy, as I did. A guy we get tags from in the Gunnison Basin has some of his dad's mounts in his ranch house and I would imagine there's 10 over 200. He took me to his dad's house on down the road and he had probably 20 more on his wall in the 190-230" range. Amazing what very low elk numbers and prime browse let those deer do.
|
|
|
|
Re: If hunter numbers are decreasing then..
[Re: dogcatcher]
#4807992
12/05/13 04:57 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,811
TxAg
Extreme Tracker
|
|
Extreme Tracker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,811 |
Compared to 20 or 30 years ago there is quite a bit of land that s no longer available for hunting. That means the hunters are moving to other areas that already had their fair share of hunters. You can draw a 10 mile circle around south half of Abilene, a lot of that land was deer hunting land 10 years ago, today there are houses, subdivisions, ranchitos, and businesses on a lot of that land. That is a lot of old hunting leased land that the hunters have moved away from. I think this is a big part of it. I also know there are many ranches that were once leased that are no longer avaialble. 50 years ago the rancher looked at Hunters as an additional source of income. Now adays his kids probably don't ranch and don't live there. They also don't care much for the ~$5k a year they can make leasing the place, and just keep it for family use. What land that is still available or affordable gets more pressure.
|
|
|
Moderated by bigbob_ftw, CCBIRDDOGMAN, Chickenman, Derek, DeRico, Duck_Hunter, hetman, jeh7mmmag, JustWingem, kmon11, kry226, kwrhuntinglab, Payne, pertnear, rifleman, sig226fan (Rguns.com), Superduty, TreeBass, txcornhusker
|
