How many bow hunters are there in the us

The findings reflect a continued interest in engaging in the outdoors. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. As a kid who grew up hunting and fishing on public lands who later took my own kids out on the same land, I know how important it is to expand access for future generations.

Many folks east of the Mississippi River rely on friends with large acreages or pay high rates for hunting and fishing clubs. This makes access to wildlife refuges and other public lands more important.

On his first day in office, Secretary Zinke reversed an order that would have banned lead ammo and tackle on National Wildlife Refuge lands, and he began the process of expanding hunting and fishing opportunities on public lands across the Department. In August, the Secretary announced a proposal to expand of hunting and fishing opportunities at 10 national wildlife refuges, and he announced the initial stages of a plan to acquire land to make the Bureau of Land Management Sabinoso Wilderness Area accessible for the first time ever to hunters, hikers, and wildlife watchers.

In addition, Secretary Zinke recently made recommendations to President Trump on 27 national monuments that call for changes to some that, while still protecting the land, would also protect and expand public access to that land for citizens who want to hunt, fish, and hike and experience the joy and beauty of these special places.

This includes hunting and fishing licenses, as well as tags. While the rest of the nation is slowly losing interest in hunting, Utah is proving to be one of the exceptions.

You may also like: Bizarre slang words and phrases from every state. In a controversial move, the Missouri Department of Conservation announced in May a framework for a black bear hunting season, reports Fox News. The number of women who are purchasing hunting licenses is going up across the nation.

According to a U. In Louisiana, however, the number of women who are purchasing hunting licensees is going down. According to Baton Rouge Business Report, the number of licenses issued to women has dropped over the past few years. Echoing the shifting hunting trends across the nation, Kansas is also reporting a decrease in the number of licenses and tags sold. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism depends on these dollars for funding, so to make up the difference, they have allowed people from out of state to also buy tags.

To combat a rising deer population that is destroying crops, a new bill was passed in allowing for an earlier deer hunting season. The bill provides four permits per landowner, as well. In fall of , the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took its full hunting certification and education program online.

It allows for residents ages 16 and older to complete the education requirements via the web. Anyone who is under 16 still has to participate in classroom education to be certified. You may also like: Can you answer these real 'Jeopardy! Funding for natural resource protection is on the decline in Arkansas due to the decreasing number of fishing and hunting licenses, Leslie Newell Peacock writes in the Arkansas Times. In the state passed Amendment 75 , which imposed a conservation tax of one-eighth of a cent to make up the difference.

According to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, other changes include more elk seasons and license options, which will be used to help manage the rising elk populations in the state. In June , Tennessee passed a law lifting restrictions on family members who want to hunt or fish on family property.

Under the new law, family members will not need a hunting or fishing license when participating on farmlands owned by a spouse, parent, or grandparent.

Adrian Mojica writes in Fox Nashville that the permission trickles down to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, spouses of children, and spouses.

Alabama hunting is yet another victim of the rise of urbanization. A beloved tradition among older generations, it is one that is not picked up as quickly by the younger ones. According to Corky Pugh of the Yellow Hammer News, the decline is also driven by changing social trends.

Another factor is the rising cost of hunting in the state overall. Hunting license sales dropped in every Vermont county between and The reason? Rising urbanization, changing attitudes, aging population, and declining rural populations. The decrease in sales started happening back in and has continued ever since.

You may also like: U. Air Force by the numbers. To combat the decline in hunters, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has set out to recruit new hunters through a pilot project that pairs novices with experienced mentors.

According to The Portland Press Herald, other states have tried similar programs, and Maine has offered the option for veterans in the past. This is the first time it has been open to the public. According to Chris Lawrence in Metro News, while the number is high compared to the rest of the states, it still threatens the future of the wildlife model in the state. A team has been organized to help with recruiting and retention of new hunters and other outdoor pursuits.

This information helps wildlife agencies track trends and set management policies. Even states with mandatory reporting use scientific estimates to determine or double-check harvest data.

Harvest rates can also help customers plan their hunts. Publicly accessible data varies by state, but provides insight into hunting areas, success rates, animal maturity, hunting pressure and tag-draw odds. Some states also compile archery-specific information. This includes the latest information available as of March We rounded numbers to the nearest hundred or thousand. Hunters bought , licenses in These data show the county results.

Hunters bought , licenses. Alaska requires hunters to report all big game harvests. You can view survey data here for Hunters bought , licenses in , and harvested , deer. The harvest data are detailed by zone , date and county. Arkansas hunters killed 8, turkeys last year.

Online and telephone reporting provide daily harvest data during the season. California issued , deer tags in , and hunters harvested an estimated 29, deer. Hunters must report whether they harvest a deer.

That number includes about 12, bowhunters who registered 3, deer. Of the elk harvested, 21, were bulls. About 48, of the hunters were archers, who took 5, elk. They harvested 5, turkeys. Hunters bought 37, license permits in Connecticut hunters must report turkey and deer harvests within 24 hours. Hunters must report deer harvests within 24 hours. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provides a detailed breakdown of harvest numbers on its website.

You can search by season, region, hunt identification number and more. The data are available for deer, hogs and turkeys. The Department of Natural Resources has an interactive map with deer harvest numbers reported through mandatory check-ins. For , hunters checked in 89, bucks and 86,00 antlerless deer.

Resident turkey hunters bought 45, licenses in , and harvested 17, turkeys. About 11, people bought Hawaiian hunting licenses last year. All the major islands have huntable big game, including axis deer, feral pigs ad mouflon sheep. Hunters took more mule deer and fewer white-tailed deer in than in , while the elk harvest was average, according to harvest data from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Crossbow use rose dramatically after legislation removed restrictions. The DNR treats crossbows as just another bow during archery season. Illinois hunters also harvested 16, turkeys in Spring Hunters took , whitetails during the season and , during the season.

Hunters must report their kills within 48 hours. The Iowa DNR sold , white-tailed deer licenses for Densities range from 1. There are many ways to move bucks into older age classes, and one that works well for some states is having light hunter densities.

Nearly identical to the Midwest, the Southeast averages 6. How do you combat high hunter density? Every hunter is important to our wildlife management system and to the future of hunting. Rather than reducing hunter numbers, it is generally better to reduce their impacts in areas of high hunter density.