By Bill Cooper

In 2022 hunters represented 4.8 percent of the U.S. population. Even at the 1982 peak, hunters only represented 7.2 percent of the U.S. population. Numbers of anglers have also declined, but not at the same rate.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service records of annual hunting and fishing license sales from all states and U.S. territories, numbers of hunters and fishermen has declined in both actual numbers and as a percentage of the total U.S. population.

Since 1960, the actual number of hunters increased until peaking at 16.7 million in 1982, after which it began to decline. The numbers began to climb again after 2010, but remain below the 1982 peak. In 2022 there were 15.9 million hunters in the U.S.

In relative numbers, the percentage of the U.S. population that hunts have been on a steady decline since at least 1960, when there were 14 million hunters, representing 7.7 percent of the total U.S. population of 180.7 million people. In 2022, hunters represented only 4.8 percent of the U.S. population. Even at the 1982 peak, hunters still only represented 7.2 percent of the U.S. population. 

Between 1960 and 2022, the actual number of hunters grew by 13.5 percent, but the U.S. population increased by 84.4 percent, more than six times as fast. The actual number of anglers has plateaued since the 1980s, but the relative numbers have declined compared to the overall population. The actual numbers of anglers peaked in 2021 at 32.2 million before dipping slightly again in 2022, when there were 31 million anglers in the U.S.

The relative numbers of anglers have declined slowly over the past 40 years. In 1960, there were 19.1 million anglers, representing 10.6 percent of the total U.S. population. At the 2021 peak anglers represented 9.7 percent of the total population. In 2022 that figure fell to 9.3 percent.

Between 1960 and 2022, the number of anglers increased by 62.3 percent, more than four times as fast as the increase in hunters but still not as fast as the 84.4 percent growth in total population.

The data clearly show that the percentage of Americans who hunt and fish continues to decline, a trend that threatens the revenues of state wildlife agencies. It is also the reason why most state wildlife agencies have embraced R3 efforts to “recruit, retain and reactivate” hunters and anglers in order to boost the number of license buyers.

The idea that interest in hunting and fishing is declining under “regulation overload” highlights a growing tension in modern wildlife management. While complex rules are intended to protect game populations and combat issues like Chronic wasting Disease (CWD), sports advocates point out that the resulting legal maze acts as a significant barrier to recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters and anglers.

Critics and outdoor writers, including this one, argue that hunting regulations have transformed from strait forward safety rules into dense, confusing legal frameworks. The problems are complex.

Many states feature highly fragmented management zones, (micro-management zones), each with unique bag limits, weapon restrictions, and season dates that can change annually. A common feeling among today’s hunters is that they need to have a lawyer along on hunting and fishing to interpret the maze of regulations to stay legal.

Navigating mandatory check-in phone apps, antler point restrictions, transport laws, e-tagging systems, and precise shooting hours leaves new hunters feeling that one minor oversight will result in a criminal violation (The “Accidental Misdemeanor” Fear).

Recent federal and state restrictions -such as banning lead ammunition or traditional tackle on specific wildlife refuges -increase the cost and complexity of entering the sport.

Research on hunter dynamics shows that as regulatory restrictiveness decreases, hunter retention and recruitment generally increase.

The decline appears to be here to stay. Recent projections are flashing a warning sign for the future of our hunting heritage. In Wisconsin, research scientists from the Department of Natural resources recently delivered a sobering forecast to the Natural resources Board: the state could lose 100,000-190,00 male deer hunters by 2040.

This is not just a theoretical problem, it is the acceleration of a trend that has been eroding participation for decades. According to the Wisconsin DNR, gun deer hunting peaked in the 1990s at approximately 700,000 hunters. Since then, that number has dropped to 150,000. The slide is consistent across seasons, with the state losing about 10% of deer hunters across all license types since 2005.

Some want to blame the decline on “Baby Boomers” aging out, but the decline began well before the baby boomers would have begun aging out. The handwriting is on the wall. recruitment has simply not kept pace with modern culture.

Multiple studies have indicated the prime factors affecting the decline, including lack of adequate access to hunting lands and fishing areas, complicated regulations, busy lifestyles, and urbanization. Fewer people are growing up in rural areas, where hunting and fishing traditions are actively passed down. 

There is still hope, however. Proof that complexity suppresses participation can be seen when agencies actively streamline their rules. For example, when the Nevada Department of Wildlife audited and simplified its convoluted licensing system, the state saw an immediate 22% increase in hunting and 39.5% increase in fishing license sales.

Recognizing these compounding issues, federal efforts like secretarial Order 3447 have directed agencies to remove unnecessary administrative barriers and establish hunting and fishing as default activities on public lands unless activities explicitly restricted.