We’ve all seen the numbers — participation in outdoor “blood” sports like hunting and fishing is declining, with hunting taking the biggest hit.
So how much crossover is there between hunters and fly fishers? I get the impression the two sports have polarized a bit, and that the number of crossovers used to be higher.
So here’s the Underground’s Poll of the Day: How Many of You Hunt AND Fly Fish? (Retrieving roadkill doesn’t count)
How Many of You Fish AND Hunt?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like you had an awesome time fishing! Wish I could fish like that everyday! I am stuck in ohio though, not bad fishing herre at all. The steelhead out of lake erie are just now starting to heat up in the rivers. Going to do some fly fishing soon! kevin(Quote)
Kevin: I didn’t say anything about going fishing. Hmmm. Explain what you mean, or I’ll kill your comment as simply an attempt to generate traffic for your site… Tom Chandler(Quote)
I agree that motorcycle racing is the most exciting sport around. It’s too bad that the motogp season is over, but I’m sure it will be even better next year!
Ahahahahahha. Dave(Quote)
I used to hunt fairly frequently when I was in high school – just rabbit and squirrel. But I’ve hunted only once in the last 20 years. My feeling is that if I’ve got time to hunt, then I’ve got time to fish and I’d much rather be fishing. I think I enjoy the idea of hunting more than the actuality of hunting. I still really enjoy reading hunting stories though – can’t wait for the new issue of Gray’s Sporting Journal. Smellslikefish(Quote)
The decline in my hunting time is attributable to the lack of land available for hunting here in the East. It seems like every time I turn around another development of cookie cutter McMansions is being built where I used to hunt. Unfortunately, public lands can’t handle all of the additional hunting pressure. The General(Quote)
I come from the “Dick Cheney” school of hunting. My success rate improved when I didn’t have to lead them as much. kbarton10(Quote)
Tom,
I finished reading the complete study today. The conclusions actually state that the 4% national decline in hunting participation is not statistically significant (smaller than the studies ability to accurately gauge) while fishing has declined by a wider margin that IS statistically significant. This is for the period between 2001 and 2006. Now, if you look back over the past 20+ years, YES…hunting has declined more than fishing as a popular pasttime. And the #1 reason most certainly is access to decent hunting land and habitat loss (they go hand-in-hand).
Some years I hunt more than fish. And some years I fish more than hunt. As schedules, opportunities, buddies, and budgets change; this fluctuates for most of us. But there has been a marked decline in the number of “sportsmen” (those who hunt and fish)and a marked increase in the number of those who engage in wildlife viewing over the past decade.
One very interesting note from the USFWS study: those anglers surveyed spent about $1 million on fishing-related books and magazines in 2006. They spent considerably more on conservation donations and memberships in organizations. They spent considerably more on licenses and tags. But almost everything else was measured in BILLIONS…not millions. And 30 million Americans fished. That means the average American angler spent about 3 cents on fishing books and magazines last year. But he also spent about $300/year and 1 hour per day surfing the Internet for fishing information.
Hmmmm…. KW Morrow(Quote)
It a matter of opportunism (is that a word?) I fish a lot since I live within shouting distance to the Bitterroot River, with access points close and friends who own land on the river even closer. And bird hunting is way more difficult in the valley since the subdivision and no trespassing signs have gone up. It seems that most folks lean towards one or the other, I fish more than hunt (now, was different about five knee surgeries ago) but still enjoy both. What the survey would say about hunting and fishing on public vs. private (club) areas would be interesting…. taku(Quote)
Gave up deer hunting about the time the ATV’s
started to appear in the woods. Still buy a license when I’m low on soft hackles so I can shoot a few grouse out in back of my place. Curly Friede(Quote)