Look at these graphs & tables!!!

[texansfan]

Huntable acreage is declining. Population is increasing, mostly in urban areas where most people have no connection to nature. The percentage of the population that hunts can't do anything but decline when those things are happening. Hopefully, hunters and conservation organizations will continue to expand their efforts to educate the mostly non-hunter public about wildlife conservation and hunting and how it is vital to the survival of all those cute critters out there in the woods and prairies. Recruiting more new hunters is a piece of the puzzle too, but we'll never be able to see a majority of the population own a hunting license. We need educated non-hunters who support hunting. We need to educate them before the anti-hunters fill them full of lies.

Whats a computer?

[LWC]

As a guy who hunts public land -- with access to a small (25 acre) private tract with its own issues (lack of game) -- I still fork over almost $150 for Super Combo plus Annual Public Hunt permit, plus Duck stamp. Access is definitely an issue, along with severe restrictions on means and qualifying game (antler restrictions, doe only allowed during archery season). Overall, not too bad, but nothing like the access to affordable property and availability of game, growing up hunting with my Dad.

Will say that there was an encouraging point made in the article: if even one third of the active hunters today would recruit a new hunter, the problem would be solved almost immediately. Reckon that's where we at TBH come in.

I don't think this can be said enough

[texansfan]

One is a tool the other is a murder weapon

[Man]

One is a tool the other is a murder weapon

More bait!

[texansfan]

More bait!

No bait.
My pardner is my tool.
I've never killed anyone but those shears have been used as a murder weapon by someone I'm sure.

General public are horribly afraid of guns.
I was raised to respect guns.
We were taught guns were cool.
Nowadays guns are the devil.

It's conditioning.

99% of my family lives in LARGE metropolitan areas now and are far removed from "the old ways".

Heh.
Let me get off my soapbox.
But They need to bring back woodshop and 4H clubs to urban high schools.

Everything is so STEM HYPER-focused
I understand we need STEM but we can't neglect our foundation.
Read that "I want to become a dairy farmer" post in campfire.
Low Fence basically scared any young kid not born into that dairy farming caste from ever getting in dairy farming.
Cattle farming posts go the same way.

My kids can barely talkbut know how to work an iPhone better than I do (I'm a droid guy but wife is iPhone)
But I still have them in the woods as much as possible.
No way in h e double hockey sticks their mom would allow them to assist with a field dressing.
I pick my battles wisely.

The point I'm trying to make with all this blabbering I'd it comes down to EDUCATION

[Man]

No way in h e double hockey sticks their mom would allow them to assist with a field dressing.
I pick my battles wisely.

Because of their age? Or the act of field dressing?

[Patton]

Because of their age? Or the act of field dressing?

You'd think there would be a huge educational aspect of teaching children about field dressing, the similarity and differents of anatomy between animals and humans, how the body works, where food comes from and what all goes into putting meat into the freezer outside of shopping at HEB. Wait wasn't he saying something about education?

[Man]

You'd think there would be a huge educational aspect of teaching children about field dressing, the similarity and differents of anatomy between animals and humans, how the body works, where food comes from and what all goes into putting meat into the freezer outside of shopping at HEB. Wait wasn't he saying something about education?

I took my father in law and my good buddy hunting several weeks ago and I popped a hog. Both of them have NEVER seen anything being field dressed in person. Well I was ready to hack that pig and get drunk (evening kill)....but they made me take it super slow...and were so amazed by seeing the full muscle quarters intact, actual fat under the skin and ever single organ they tried to hold and guess what it was. It was amazing for me to watch them in such awe having myself grown up with it my whole life.

[jdg13]

My opinion is that the decline in hunting is directly related to the decline in everything that takes effort or skill these days. How can you expect someone to go out in the woods when they can't even find the grocery store without a GPS? So many guys, especially the younger guys, don't want to put any real effort into it. They go on the internet and read what some "pro" says, and then they are pros too, and nothing can convince them otherwise. After a couple seasons of generally failing, the fad goes away and they quit hunting.

[100%TtId]

More bait!

He baits quite often on threads around here. One could even say he has enough experience doing so that he could be considered a master baiter.

[CoolHandLuke]

The only “tool” around here is the one that keeps asking ,”what is a computer?”

[Landrover]

Please don't derail this thread!!!! )-;

The article speaks to HOW to increase participation...........not why we have declining numbers. Numbers have fallen consistently for 35 years. In 15 more years we are done at this pace of decline!!! Maybe it don't matter to yall? Maybe it should not matter to me either. To each his own, let the chips fall where they may is a reasonable way to proceed......or not proceed!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[100%TtId]

The utterly insane and redundant system of laws regulating the activity intimidates a lot of new hunters away from the sport as well.

Ever explain to a noob what all they need to do and need to know before they ever step out in the field to keep from getting in trouble with the law? How many people hunt in more than one state? Keeping track of two or more sets of rules takes a big commitment.

[gdawg]

Agreed and that is why I believe the anti's have gotten relatively quiet over the past 5 yrs or so - they know have won the battle and just have to wait for demographic transition to take place.

[texansfan]

Because of their age? Or the act of field dressing?

You'd think there would be a huge educational aspect of teaching children about field dressing, the similarity and differents of anatomy between animals and humans, how the body works, where food comes from and what all goes into putting meat into the freezer outside of shopping at HEB. Wait wasn't he saying something about education?

Age of consent (who is to say a 4 year old really wants to sit through the gore of pig guts and blood?)

And hygiene (hogs are dirty and carry diseases)

Mommabear and I have discussed this and she's a city slicker through and through and would rather get our bacon from Central Market rather than have me set up the cold smoker in the backyard.
Although, she admits my bacon tastes so much better than anything store bought.

I come from the angle of this being a teachable moment for our girls to let them know exactly where bacon comes from and it is not made shrink wrapped like that.

I also want to be able to say 20 years from now when my oldest is in her surgery residency at Hopkins that what got her interested in surgery was field dressing hogs in East Texas and sticking her hands in a warm hog to pull the guts out.

Wife doesn't see it like that.
She'd rather our girls learn surgical techniques from clean cadavers in medical schools.
You can't control how those you love think (I think she'd vote for Oprah over trump too given the chance)

Another problem I have is my kids are scared at the mere sight of guns.
Never heard one go bang, but just the look of a long gun when I pull one out sends them running and screaming.

Tool vs Weapon.

Mommabear don't like guns neither.
Its just a uphill battle but I take small wins win I can.

City folk vs Country folk