What do you think

For the last 20 years, or more, we (hunters) are constantly being told about the diminishing number of outdoorsman. State agencies, hunting organizations, etc always telling us there are fewer and fewer hunters hitting the woods each year. Wellllll, in my neck of the woods nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the difference from when I started hunting in the mid 70s to now is ridiculous. Every "ranchette" that was once a part of a larger property has people hunting on it. There are easily TEN times as many people hunting within 5 miles of me now, than there were in the old days. I know we are told this because everyone that depends on hunters for income want more and more, and I guess there is nothing wrong with that. Just interested in what other people are seeing in terms of hunter population? More, fewer, same, don't know.....?

It's fewer. License sales across the nation and state prove it.
We are becoming a more urbanized society with every passing year.

That is EXACTLY the type of information I'm referring to, when the physical evidence doesn't support it. What parts of the state have fewer hunters? Since there are obviously more in central Texas, there must be places that have practically none.

This is an interesting point. Anecdotally, it seems like deer hunting is as or more popular than ever. But you always hear outdoorsmen are on the decline.

Could it be that, although deer hunting is booming in certain circles, many outdoorsmen who used to fish, hunt small game, etc as part of a rural lifestyle now just aren’t out there in the same numbers?

Yes

Interesting, we seemed to have plateaued somewhat in 1985. Considering population growth (on a per-capita basis) we are way down.

Compiled from
US Fish And Wildlife Service
National Hunting License Report

Year Texas
2015-- 1,060,455
2014-- 1,020,105
2013-- 1,036,946
2012-- 1,020,227
2011-- 1,024,520
2010-- 1,020,799
2009-- 1,012,446
2008-- 1,005,226
2007-- 1.039,709
2006-- 1,073,847
2005-- 1,039,327

2000-- 1,028,297

1995-- 1,064,803

1990-- 1,138,011

1985-- 1,100,550

1980-- 937,267

1975-- 853,250

1970-- 760,351

1965-- 576,695

1960-- 474,451

1958-- 408,682

. Excellent point. Never really considered that, since basically all I do is deer hunt. What prompted my thread, is there was only one property in what I consider my neighborhood that hasn't had anyone hunting it, to my knowledge, in many years, and this weekend there were 2 guys at the barn with the whitetail starter kit: truck/trailer/blind/feeder/4wheeler. Kind of caught me off guard. Never see anyone in there during the fall.

With all the suburbs, ranchettes and development there's less huntable land now so more people are squeezed into it.

these numbers back up my point completely. Never was a question of what percentage of people hunt, but how many people hunt. Roughly a 24 percent increase from 75 to 2015. That's a lot.

It’s flat from 1985 to now. With 30 years of population growth, that’s not great. Not catastrophic, but not great.

My guess is that hunting and fishing are very slowly becoming more middle-class to upper-middle-class to upper-class pursuits as land is tougher to come by and the toys get more expensive.

Cheap and easy activities like hunting squirrels or rabbits, local creek and pond fishing, etc may be on the decline while whitetail hunting, saltwater fishing etc probably are not.

Total guess.

year TX hunters TX pop hunters/1000 year-over-year change
2015 1060455 27469114 38.6053587313 0.7633663225
2014 1020105 26956958 37.8419924088 -1.3646936586
2013 1036946 26448193 39.2066860674 0.0563329272
2012 1020227 26059203 39.1503531401 -0.7535506319
2011 1024520 25674681 39.903903772 -0.518230758
2010 1020799 25253466 40.42213453 -0.4314552616
2009 1012446 24782302 40.8535897916 -0.467866794
2008 1005226 24326974 41.3214565856 -2.1730410755
2007 1039709 23904380 43.4944976611 -2.1859903713
2006 1073847 23507783 45.6804880324 0.3514592094
2005 1039327 22928508 45.329028823 -3.7559627825
2000 1028297 20949316 49.0849916055 -7.9182074813
1995 1064803 18679706 57.0031990868 -9.7630135936
1990 1138011 17044714 66.7662126804 -0.865323606
1985 1100550 16272734 67.6315362864 1.7622257964
1980 937267 14229191 65.86931049 -2.0168107704
1975 853250 12568843 67.8861212603 -0.0221876834
1970 760351 11196730 67.9083089438 12.3393168451
1965 576695 10378000 55.5689920987 6.2702597628
1960 474451 9624000 49.2987323358 5.1264452628
1958 408682 9252000 44.1722870731

more hunters every year but a smaller fraction of the population each year
ergo... buncha non-huntin' yankees & californies movin' in

IMHO... since hunting resources are fixed, more hunters each year is what counts re resource management- not fraction of population. Fraction of population that hunts (and votes) has the bigger political significance however.

There is no room for it to grow. Most places are leased out. Can't make more land to hunt on. Lots of places bought and kick hunters off now so they can hunt it themselves.

I guess if you don't want to acknowledge the facts based on the numbers there's not much point in discussing any further. Anecdotal localized occurrences don't tell one anything about what is really happening.

Sadly, if it weren't for all the TV "silly season" hype and "tacticool" craze getting the young folks all stoked up we would probably be even worse off.

Based on the numbers it looks comparable To me the huge differnce is simple.

Texas looks completely different than it did in 1985. It was much much more rural.

Also technology, cell phones, pictures, websites to share info quickly.

I never even heard of a high fence ranch in 1985, but I was 14, but still hunted.

Hunter numbers are comparable from 1985-2015. Texas population up 60% in that timeframe. Zero growth. Big losses relative to population.

When I was a kid, I had 900 acres to myself. The landowner didn’t hunt and didn’t lease it. It was great hunting. Now that property is over hunted and almost no deer are harvested on it. I think hunting is still available, it just costs way more and the costs shuts many folks out.
Hunting was a rural pastime when I was a kid. I agree that hunting shows make it look appealing to many more folks. I know that finding a place to hunt is difficult now. As a kid growing up, we just asked people and they would let us hunt.

If we want to stay alive in the hunting world we have to teach the next generation how to do it. One of the lessons I learned in the Service came from on old Sgt. He said we train our replacements. This is true in all forms of live. The Libtards are working on the children in grade school are younger. We have to start when they are walking. I took my children as much as possible and to this day I carry my grandchildren when I get the chance. We have to teach our side of the story, because every cartoon, tv ads, Disney program wants to eleminate us. If we want to add numbers to the cause we have to start in our own houses, and carry the kid who doesn't have the chance to see our side of the story.

When I see how low the numbers were back in the 50s it makes me wonder how many "good ole country boys" bought them back then?

In 1960 there were 9 million people in texas.......now there are 27 million.

It could be simply that people today of all ages have many more options for spending their spare time. When many of us first learned to hunt, there were no high-resolution video games, the Internet, social media, and television with hundreds of channels. How often do you even see kids playing outside their homes these days.

My thoughts exactly, I was surprised to see the declining figures. Facts are facts but in our neck of the woods, the hunting pressure on the surrounding ranches is incredible. So a decline is not what I would have guessed. Interesting

Many counties out west didn't even have deer back then. Now you can shoot 5 deer a hunter. Brush control stopped being subsidized by the government. I didn't even know a deer existed within 100 miles of Lubock when I lived there. Now it is nothing to kill a 150 inch out there if you can get on a lease on the right place.

The license numbers will not increase and don't expect them to. Leases are fixed now. Deer leases are a fixed number. Only area I see them ever changing are dove which can go up or down. Some years we bring new hunters and other years they can't come. We bring new hunters each year to hog hunt but replace them with new guys the next year. Many only hunt when we invite them so numbers will not change.

We bring a ton of guys out to ranches to shoot but will never hunt. Fine with me. No need to buy a license to shoot metal.

Well, Sir, you should probably read the OP again. At no point did I talk about the PERCENTAGE of people who hunt. I am talking about actual numbers of people. Percentage is way down, but actual numbers are way up since I was a kid. Pretty sure the amount of huntable land has decreased in the last 30 plus years, therefore, if you really think about it, the amount of hunting PRESSURE has increased. But like you said, no need to argue with someone who can't acknowledge the facts

I think single family homes are one of the biggest influences on the decline.

I am not sure what the numbers say, but I sure do know the educational value of the hunters has diminished, at least based upon what I have experienced.

When I was growing up, people had more respect for other land owners... and they shot deer, but it was not such a 'commercial' ordeal to the individual.

I know the 'person' west of us was bragging about how he shot 12 deer last year.......on his 102 acres...

Not sure where it all went wrong, nor do I see where anyone needs that many freaking deer.

Russ

A license wasn't required to hunt on your own property back then.

Finding a place to hunt can also be expensive. Virtually every huntable ranch is leased to outfitters or hunters, and they don't come cheap. You can expect to pay several thousand dollars for an elk or mule deer hunt in prime country.Access problems aren't just confined to big-game lands in the Test. Finding a place to hunt practically anywhere in America is more difficult each year. Urban dwellers are buying rural properties, looking for their "little slice of heaven," and they typically slap up posted signs.