I have been concerned about hunter recruitment for some time.  Here are a few sobering statistics I put together from the USFWS "National Surveys of Fishing, Hunting, and
Wildlife-Associated Recreation" from 1996, 2001, and 2006.

During that span, hunters aged 16-17 decreased 25%.  The general population of 16-17 years olds increased by 15%.

Man, that's sad.   :(

well in 1 1/2 years ill be a 16 year old hunter

Lupe, good for you!!!  

So far, my daughter shows interest in all things outdoors, to include hunting and fishing.  She is 6, so I guess that could change, but I've been trying to acclamate her to the lifestyle.  Fortunately, she is surrounded by hunters and fishermen, so hopefully she will grow to enjoy it.

I am trying to up that %.  My oldest boy killed his first deer (gun kill) this year and my youngest (i only have 2 boys) is chomping at the bits.  I don't let him shoot at deer yet, but getting him out to see them gets him as excited as anything.  They are 3 and 5, won't make the survey for a while.

I will be 16 in May. The graphs and charts like that can really show us how Lupe and my generation and the next generation is going to be if things don't change. I just feel very fortunate that I have a dad who got me into hunting and the outdoors at a young age. Its sad to think about all the kids who never even get a chance to enjoy the great things God has provided us.

Look at it this way.  If evenly distributed, which of course they are not, but if they were, that's 10,000 hunters per state in the 16-17 year old range.  Or 5,000 16 year olds and 5,000 17 year olds.  We have 92 counties in Indiana.  That's 54 of each age per county.

You young guys need to bring a friend too if you can     Good luck, have fun.  Keep it light.

Mentor someone else's kid into hunting and archery. The decline is a big part due to no one to take them or introduce them to hunting.

Ive been hunting with my son for 5 yrs he is 13 now I have not killed as many deer but the memories I would not trade for the world record buck his first deer was taken on my birth day when he was 8 best birthday present ever I have not been Hunting without him sense he started i call him my creditcard I dont leave home without him

That's some interesting stats...

I was under the impression that youth hunting was a fast growing segment...along with women hunters.  

Do they show other age brackets?  

I was lucky to have an old man that put up with me and let me follow him around the woods starting at 4 or 5 years old...I'm trying to do the same for my kids!

Like I said above, we are all supposed to do it for our own kids, to stop the decline we need to get someone else's involved too.    

Yes, they show the full range in 10 year increments.  All age brackets up to age 45 decreased.

From 2001 to 2006 we lost a total of 526,000 hunters.  Age 18-24 decreased by 29%.  25-34 dropped by 17%.  35-44 dropped by 16%.

45-54 increased by 2%.  55-64 was up by 22%.  65+ was up 19%.  As you can see, our hunter population is aging dramatically.  The 45+ group increased by 670,000.  Those younger than 45 decreased by 1,198,000.  Now a big part of that is the baby boomers but still, we clearly are not replacing our hunters in the numbers we have had in the past.  And the baby boomers have been pitiful at recruiting their kids into hunting.  There should be a mini boom of hunters somewhere in there, maybe the 35-44 year olds??? But there isn't.  If the baby-boomers had done like you said Vermonster, we'd be in great shape.

Thanks for the rest of the data John!

The biggest thing that you can do to change this trend (imho) is to work to change the laws that establish minimum ages for hunting.  Teach them hunting ethics and firearms safety and when they are old enough that you feel they can responsibly transition to a bow they will be ready.  Get them out there as early as possible.

John and I have been talking about this type of stuff for a while. There are a lot of reasons for the decline, but in my opinion, the worst of the reasons are lying firmly at our (hunters') feet. Too many within our ranks would rather use their hunting time to score on the next big trophy than to lessen their chances by taking their own kids along. Is it any wonder when Daddy repeatedly leaves to pursue a hobby that those children will grow to resent that hobby?

I had a good hunting buddy about 16 years ago. We had that ability to act and react as if we knew what each other was thinking. One day at a 3D shoot he made a subtle comment about how the going was awfully slow while waiting for my 2 1/2 yr old to toddle around with us. Then in early season, he pointed out the obvious that it would be harder to kill a deer while bringing my now 3 yr old along. He didn't get a chance to make a third comment.

I've hunted and camped with John and his kids. I also had the pleasure of hunting with Gregg and his son. I know one thing for sure, none of those children resent hunting or other outdoor activities due to their fathers' neglect.

Now, with most things trad, I believe we tend to be a little less results-oriented and more into the fun and familial aspects of most activities. One more reason to be less critical of our non-stick, non-bow brethren. I'm guessing our influence would be greater if we treated other types of hunters with the same respect we would like to get from them.

Like John said; Take a kid hunting.

I second the notion that getting someone else's child involved in the outdoors is just as important as taking your own. I know my kids are being exposed to bowhunting, fishing, trapping and all that good stuff. But I also know that they have plenty of friends who have just never had the opportunity to experience these things for whatever reason.
 Encouraging kids, anyone's kids, in the outdoors is vital to the survival of our lifestyle. Even if that child grows up to be a non-hunter, chances are they will have good memories of their friend's dad that took them to an archery shoot or showed them how catch bluegills. Those kids will be much less likely to be ant-hunters.

bump up

I just found a very interesting report today:   http://library.fws.gov/pubs/nat_survey2001_recruitment.pdf

In it, they point out that a lot of hunters take up the sport later in life.  In fact, there were significant numbers that took it up after being introduced in thir 30's and 40's.  So maybe it's not just "take a kid hunting".  Maybe it should be "take someone hunting...anybody".

well John..I'll gladly fly to IL if you'd take me hunting  

Dan - since I've got access to ground in IL and John doesn't, I'll broker a deal where you both can come to our property with me if all 3 of us bring a new hunter along. Then maybe John and I can come visit you some September.  :D