I've posted some general hunter information AND traditional equipment sale data below. I hope this is Pow Wow worthy.

I'm at a 4-day conference this week in Dallas.  For the first time in nearly 20 years hunter numbers are up in the just released 5-year USFWS hunter survey.  In fact, hunter numbers are up 9%!

Also, bowhunter numbers are climbing nicely -- up from 3,000,000 in 2000 to 4.5 million now.  They've accelerated very rapidly the past 5 years.

Also heard from some BIG distributors and bow makers this week. Youth sales are through the roof!  Some are up over 200%.  I asked about trad equipment.  Youth are buying recurves in noticeable numbers causing an overall increase in recurve sells.

Also, Federal Excise Taxes on firearms, bullets, bows, certain accessories and arrows were $555 million in 2012 this is $70 million higher then ever on record.

Folks, hunting ain't dead!

Thanks for the update. Promising news for a change!

Good info- especially about youth sales!.  

I think though the excise tax increases though are majorily due to the huge boom in firearm and ammo sales in response to the president's apparent end run around the 2nd ammendment to give  the UN control over weapons?? And for a couple years now various Federal agencies buying up millions of rounds of ammo - which many see as a back door effort to control firearms- if you can't get the guns out of people's hands limit how much shooting they can do?

I've been hearing anecdotal stories about the gun shops here I metro Atlanta enjoying just unprecedented sales in the last couple of years

Ray,
You are definitely correct that the increase in FET is mostly due to other than bow and arrow sales.  In fact the biggest spikes have been 2009 ($485 million) and 2012. Archery FET has gone from $28 million to about $44 million.

By the way, those hunter and bowhunter numbers DON"T include hunters under age 16!  This a huge number that goes uncounted.

Both informative and positive news.

Thank you for sharing.

How much of that archery increase is due to recent legalization of unmentionable equipment?

That is excellent news, I know my 4H classes are growing, we are up to 71 kids and that is one county in one state. Several other counties in Kansas are showing the same trend. Allot of kids (girls especially) come in because of the movie hunger games and then stay because they find they really enjoy it. Whatever the cause I'm glad to see it.

Spot on Ray....

Don't get caught with your quiver empty ....

I would bet very small % of the increase in archery sales is due to crossguns. I would also wager that archery related movies and programs like NASP, Afterschool Archery and 4H archery would account for where most of these new archers are getting their start.
Thanks for the info Roy!

Great information to know. It really shows how important hunting is to wildlife management. also, the economic lift to the country.

Ray is correct.

Part of the "progressive" agenda is to dismantle the US Constitution so that it places far fewer limits on the authority of the federal government. I used to live in Illinois, and I remember then-Senator Obama stating that he thought the American constitution as a document that said "what government couldn't do" was outdated and needed to be replaced. It is my impression that most current "progressives" share his view.

The 2nd Amendment is one target, likewise the 10th Amendment and the 1st Amendment -- all parts of our Bill of Rights.

Since we are going down that road the dis mantling of the bill of rights started long before Obama. The biggest hit was the  Homeland Securities Act. We as a people gave up way to many freedoms that we will probably never get back.

The Hunger Games is actually having big impact on kids.  I know of several wanting bows as a result.

Let's keep this thread in line with the original post or the mods will make it disappear. While I don't disagree with your political statements AT ALL, I think we need to celebrate this success as a step in the right direction rather than let it devolve into a political discussion.

No offense intended to anyone.

Russ

Naaa,your right
Getting the kids involved with the outdoors is the key. It's fun to watch a kid go from first shot to hitting the target. I wish I had a picture of each kids face when they do. Even if they never hunt. They have a good time.

Thanks so much for the update. We have noticed higher sales this year aswell. I think record sales are due partially to the recent bow related movies. Thanks again for the update.
Mike

I agree with Texas Recurve. There have been a couple of shows with bows and Kids think they are cool now. whatever it takes I say to get a kid started.
 As Ray mentioned all the "small" gunshops around the small town I live in have sold a lot of guns the last 4 years. Way more than in the past.A buddy that owns a very small local shop sez he will pay a lot of his bills from the Christmas rush this year. He said he is selling a lot of handguns to ladies but also a lot of single barrel shotguns for kids as well as the small "cricket" youth rimfire.Most all the local wma`s have parent child hunts now that are well attended. Our DNR here in Ga. seem to know that growth helps keep their jobs I believe.Its good. RC

Hunger Games.  I have students every day ask if I can make them a bow.  Got a backlog to work on.  Good stuff.

I notice these numbers were for over 16 year olds for the 9% increase so I did some research and found this interesting related article.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/12/hunting_by_liberal_urban_locavores_is_a_trend_good_for_the_environment.html

Just goes to show that if you look close enough there just might be a reason to get along with someone that you thought you never could.