# Deer Hunting Losing Its Appeal Among The Young article



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Deer Hunting Losing Its Appeal Among The Young

Nov 12, 2006 1:50 pm US/Central

As Whitetail Herd Continues To Grow, DNR Fears Hunting Is Falling Out Of Favor

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_316145539.html

(AP) Minneapolis Fewer youth are taking up the hunting traditions of their parents and grandparents, according to licensing numbers from the Department of Natural Resources.

And that has DNR officials worried, as the state's whitetail herd continues to grow.

"We can't manage deer populations without people out there shooting them," said DNR big game specialist Lou Cornicelli.

A decline in hunters also could affect conservation funding -- because about 85 percent of hunting revenues in the DNR Game and Fish Fund comes from deer hunting fees.

"There appears to be a generational shift in Minnesota away from all outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing and wildlife watching," said DNR researcher Tim Kelly.

Over the past five years, the number of Minnesota hunters between the ages of 16 and 44 declined almost 11 percent. This fall, Minnesota's 500,000 deer hunters are expected to kill about 250,000 of the state's 1.3 million whitetails.

The decline is often blamed on urbanization, more single-parent families, participation in youth team sports, and a lack of hunting opportunities.

"Deer hunting is a big commitment," said Brian Arndt, 34, of Minnetonka, who said he still hunts pheasant, grouse and duck, but no longer hunts deer. "You need land and time off from work.

Deer hunting just takes a lot more effort than getting up early on a Saturday with some friends for a day of duck or pheasant hunting. I can do that and get back in time to be with my kids."

In 1971, the state had so few deer that the DNR canceled the firearms season. In 1975, the state tried to increase the population by limiting the number of does hunters could kill. Permits to kill antlerless deer were distributed beginning that year to lottery winners.

That management shift, landscape changes and fewer brutal winters have helped boost whitetails in Minnesota. In 2003, DNR wildlife managers largely scrapped the antlerless permit lottery.

"Except in the southwest part of Minnesota, we're back to a 'kill everything' deal in the state," Cornicelli said.

Wildlife managers are also trying to deal with the changing desires and expectations of hunters.
Until recently, most Minnesota whitetail hunters were fairly happy just to kill a doe or buck. Now, trophy animals are seen as the prize.

Still, the state's ever-larger deer herd has been attracting more hunters. Before the deer-management changes made in 1975, the most hunters that Minnesota put in the field was 323,000 in 1968. That mark has been surpassed every year since 1977, peaking in 1994, when more than 530,000 licenses (including those for archery) were sold.

But it's the declining percentage of hunters under age 45 that concerns wildlife managers.
"Demographics worry us," said DNR fish and wildlife policy section chief Ed Boggess. "We're not seeing the same participation in hunting, even in Minnesota, among young people, as has been the case historically."

Surveys of active, adult hunters by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that almost 80 percent had their first hunting experience before age 15. People exposed to hunting later in their lives are less likely to stick with it.

Many hunters are ambivalent, saying the percentage of the population that hunts might be declining, but the number of hunters remains high.

In 2000, the DNR sold 250,000 more hunting licenses than it did in 1970, though the percentage of licenses issued in the two periods relative to the state's population remained fairly stable.

"But when baby boomers are gone," Boggess said, "we could have problems keeping hunter numbers up. Which is another reason we want to keep the state's deer herd at a manageable level. We might not have as many hunters in the future as we do now."


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Doesn't it seem that ALL hunting and fishing are losing popularity with the next generation? Its really too bad.


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## baker_08 (Nov 15, 2006)

I'm 16 and I agree that we need more people to hunt the deer. The deer are getting over populated and coming into the big cities where deer don't belong. I have tried to take up hunting and fishing like my grandpa. He has gotten me to go out and hunt. Matter of fact I'm going this weekend until Thanksgiving day. Its to bad that deer hunting and fishing are loosing popularity.


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