New survey shows number of U.S. anglers, hunters on rise

[Curly]

The latest national survey of outdoor recreation shows a significant increase in hunters and a double-digit increase in anglers over the past five years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation found the number of hunters increased by 9 percent while the number of anglers grew by 11 percent. The survey found that almost 38 percent of all Americans participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2011, an increase of 2.6 million participants from the previous survey in 2006.

In addition to more people in the field, they also spent more compared with the 2006 survey. In 2011, people engaged in wildlife-related recreation spent $145 billion on related gear, trips and other purchases, such as licenses, tags, and land leasing and ownership, representing 1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. That is up from $120.1 billion in 2006.

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[509]

Not sure I believe those numbers.

I tracked upland bird licenses sold in WA from 1980 to 2000.  The number dropped by HALF, at a time Washington's population was growing significantly.

Anyway, license sales are the best method for tracking hunters and fisherman instead of surveys.

Oh, last few years I have noticed that there are significantly fewer hunters out there in the field.

[sebek556]

I think the bad economy helped those numbers, saw many people last year looking to fill a tag to get cheap meat...