Jul 28, 2018 5 min read

The number of hunters has been declining in Pennsylvania and in many other parts of the United States. The question of why cannot be answered with a simple answer, but one thing is for sure – we are becoming less and less outdoors-oriented people.

Not only my generation but my children’s generation as well were taught not only how to hunt and the rewards of the outdoors but also an enjoyment of things like wildflowers and the majestic old oak. I remember my late wife Eileen sitting on a log talking to four youngsters and a minister’s wife. One of the young hikers said that there was little life in the big woods. “Not so” said Eileen and she turned over the log exposing the small insects scurrying about as their home was disturbed. You have to look sometimes to find the living residents of a piece of earth. Today, if it is not on television or the computer, then it goes unnoticed. Is it any wonder that hunting is falling by the wayside?

It is not the anti-hunter who is making inroads in hunting, it is our change in what we do in our spare time.

The problem that future generations face is that it’s the hunter-funded game commission that is responsible for the protection of all of Pennsylvania’s wildlife. Much the same can be said about other states even if the name of the department is different. Here in Pennsylvania, funding comes to the commission through hunting license sales, natural resources from property that was purchased over the years or a self-imposed tax on hunting equipment called Pittman Robertson. The general fund is not utilized by this independent agency.

With the decline in the number of hunters there will be a drop in income to support all of the state’s wildlife as fewer and fewer people spend money to support habitat, acquisition of land and improvement. As one looks at the overall picture, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that far and away the money that supports all wild creatures comes from the hunter. As I age and look back on the years I have hunted, and what I have seen and learned from nature, I am saddened by what I believe the future holds.

Even in the past, when a decision had to be made between the welfare of an endangered species or some rare and beautiful wild place, and money, money always comes out on top. But why this loss of interest in hunting? In my opinion, we are fast becoming a lazy society and hunting is an activity that can be hard work. I doubt that the non-hunter has ever or seldom experienced the tiredness of the early morning get-up on the second day of buck season. And what of getting that buck to the road from the hollow where it was downed? Hunting means icicles frozen into the beard and cold toes and fingers. The expenditure for hunting equipment can go through the ceiling. Walking a South Dakota corn row watching a Springer Spaniel work back and forth is fun for the dog. He didn’t have to pay more than a thousand dollars for a decent double-barrel shotgun. Of course, the dog can fall back on his big brown eyes and friendly disposition to earn his keep.

So maybe that is a good point too, we all work more now. In my day, mom stayed home and dad worked and hunted to survive and support his family. Now, with the two-working-adults system, both parents share the duties and time is more valuable than ever. Dad doesn’t have much time to himself and neither does mom. The shared duties of the parenthood system might come into play as each parent’s free time becomes less and more valuable. Also a big factor is meat no longer is hunted and consumed like it was in the past. It was vital to a family in the past as meat was not as common as it is now. It used to be the best way for a family to survive. Now, we all go to the grocery store and buy meat. That fresh deer meat isn’t as valuable to us as it once was.

I, along with a few others, trace the decline in hunters back to the decline in small game. The places to hunt rabbits and birds just aren’t there anymore. That is where hunting got started. I have only touched on the reasons for the decline for the reasons are many. But there will be more pressure on the few who remain dedicated to the sport and far more cost.

George Block writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.