I grew up without cable television and was never really into video games. We had about three television channels and seldom watched much for that matter.
In the mid-1980s video games were just taking off, and thankfully the quarter required pay to play was not really easy to pry out of my dad's pocket. Because of that, friends and school activities were the primary diversions that kept me from outdoor activities.
While our home had one of the first computers on a desk in the neighborhood (Apple II), except for a rainy day or raging blizzard that still wasn't enough to keep us from exploring the great outdoors.
Why do I bring this up as we ascend to the peak of summer? Because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just released the latest numbers from its twice per decade survey of hunting and fishing trends across the nation.
The short version indicates the number of anglers is down 12 percent from five years ago and the number of hunters fell 4 percent. Those are nationwide trends. Specific North Dakota numbers are not included in the preliminary report, but a quick check of the Game and Fish Department’s actual license statistics shows the number of anglers in 2006 is off a few percent from 2001, while the number of hunters will likely come in slightly higher.
Nationally, I can’t say these numbers are surprising, as many factors influence any trend. A continued migration of citizens from rural to urban areas, increasing competition for accessing hunting lands, and the gamut of activities that draw, pull and trap kids in front of electronic devices are all part of the mix. In addition, current anglers and hunters may or may not be investing the time of expose kids to the fun and exciting outdoor world on the other side of the window.
When I ponder the changing demographics of new and old hunters, I can't help but go back to the comparison of modern day television viewing habits. I don’t watch NBA basketball much these days, but I am a sports fan of sorts and am aware that viewership for the NBA championship finals in June had fallen.
Back in the ‘80s, my buddies and I gathered around the television and watched Magic Johnson and the Lakers take on Larry Bird and the Celtics, partly because we cared, but also because the NBA was the better of the three choices we had available without cable or satellite. Don't take this example lightly.
This past month the NBA was not only competing with the other major networks, but homes now have hundreds instead of dozens of channels to choose from. The three major networks from two decades ago no longer have the market cornered, so to speak. The same can be said for hunting, fishing, trapping and spending time outdoors.
The competition for these activities has increased dramatically over the past few decades. Even so, in 2006 more than 87 million Americans, or 38 percent of the United States’ population age 16 and older, hunted, fished or observed wildlife. They spent $120 billion that year pursuing those activities, which is almost equal to total spending at all spectator sports, casinos, motion pictures, golf courses and country clubs, amusement parks and arcades combined.
The study pulls out the ever popular “wildlife observer” sector of which I've written before. This is a growing trend in which 31 percent of the population – that’s 71 million people – took part in a watchable wildlife activity. This shows a huge segment of the population still loves wildlife, even if they are not classified as hunters.
So while critics such as anti-hunters point toward declining participation in consumptive wildlife and fishing activities as evidence their agenda is advancing, the raw numbers of active hunters, anglers and wildlife observers indicates otherwise.
The contributions of hunters and anglers is important to those who observe or otherwise appreciate wildlife but may not hunt or fish. License dollars, along with excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment, have financed nearly a century's worth of habitat protection, improvement and purchases. Millions of acres of state wildlife management areas, federal waterfowl production areas and other habitat areas exist because of hunter dollars.
The next time you hear about a birding event or watchable wildlife activity, keep your eyes and ears tuned in, as chances are these events include some type of habitat or land made possible by hunting excise taxes and license dollars.
While hunter and angler numbers might have declined a bit, their contributions to the outdoor world that all of us share has not fallen off a bit.
Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Dept. He can be reached via email: dleier@state.nd.us
