It isn’t much of a surprise that fewer Americans are choosing to fish and hunt; it’s a trend that has continued for decades. What might come as a shock is how much lower those numbers are.
Preliminary findings from a survey conducted every five years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate the number of anglers declined 12 percent since 2001. The survey was taken at the end of 2006.
At the same time, hunter numbers fell by 4 percent. The biggest decline came in migratory bird hunting, which declined by 22 percent. Small game participation took a 12 percent hit.
Reasons for the decline aren’t hard to find:
Increasing American obsession with work, causing people to spend less time with recreation of all types – as breadth of recreational choices have expanded.
Urbanization and the decline in rural values that once placed more people closer to the land – and animals.
Difficulty gaining access to a shrinking outdoor environment.
Youth predilection toward video games, TV and city-oriented pursuits.
A breakdown in the transfer of outdoor traditions, in considerable part because of the rise in single-parent families.
