If you’ve read or watched any “news” reports on hunting over the past 20+ years, you have been conditioned to believe that hunting in America is on the decline. Here’s a newsflash based in facts: Hunting is not on the decline. In fact, it is more robust today, especially for state coffers, than it has ever been.

Don’t take my word for it, though, here are the straight-up facts from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Do we have fewer hunters in 2022 than we did in, say, 2004? Nope. In fact, there are MORE hunters than there were 17 years ago. According to the USFWS, more than 15.2 million people bought a hunting license of some sort this past hunting season. That compares to 14.96 million hunters in 2004. That is correct — those are the actual hunters, per the USFW. In 2021, there were 38.59 million hunting licenses, tags, permits and stamps in the U.S. — more than twice the number of total hunters (all species, big and small game).

We are talking about all hunters here, and that includes anyone who goes out for deer, elk, moose, antelope, rabbit, squirrel, duck, pheasant, and so on. Which states attract the most hunters? The answers might surprise you:

Top 10 States for Total Hunters, 2021

Texas                  1,094,753

Pennsylvania      945,737

Georgia               724,269

Tennessee         694,458

Wisconsin         666,670

Michigan            642,242

North Carolina  609,131

New York          550,868

Minnesota        545,300

Oklahoma         512,724

Total US:         15,202,669 hunters in 2021

Here’s a look how that compares to from the first complete year that the USFWS tracked these numbers:

Top 10 States for Total Hunters, 2004

Texas               1,027,908

Pennsylvania   1,048,731

Michigan            870,432

Tennessee          725,110

New York           696,679

Wisconsin        689,099

Minnesota       585,104

Missouri           539,062

No Carolina     433,135

Arkansas         402,493

Total US:         14,966,406 hunters in 2004

Now, the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would have said. When you look at total dollars generated by hunting license sales, you could look at the following numbers as great or bad, depending on your outlook. They are great if you believe the states are using these dollars wisely for wildlife conservation. Long story short, states collected nearly $1 billion in license fees alone in 2021. That’s right: One billion dollars. The economic impact is many, many times more than that. For example, deer hunting alone in Wisconsin contributes more than $1 billion in economic impact annually. Texas deer hunters contribute at least three times that much.

Top 10 States for Total Hunting Fee Revenue, 2021                                                  

Colorado         $63.1 million                          

Texas               $46.5 million                                      

Montana         $37.9 million                          

Pennsylvania   $37.8 million                                      

Wisconsin       $36.4 million                                      

Michigan         $35.1 million                                      

Wyoming        $34.9 million                          

Minnesota       $32.1 million                                      

Idaho               $30.2 million                          

Illinois              $29.8 million

Total U.S.        $918,478,259 in 2021 for hunting licenses and fees.

The other side to this story is that hunters spent $656.9 million in licenses and fees in 2004. So, while there was a modest gain of 1.5% in hunter numbers over that 17-year span, the states took in nearly 40 PERCENT more in licenses and fees (just shy of $262 million).

How much do deer hunters contribute? Plenty. If you look at states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin, you’ll see a ton of money being spent on deer licenses and extra permits. However, even bigger money is being spent by Western hunters who pursue coveted elk, moose and antelope tags, plus Southern and Midwestern hunters who chase migratory waterfowl. Here’s a look at the big spenders when it comes to nonresident fees:

Top 10 States for Nonresident Hunting Fee Revenue, 2021

Colorado         $49.7 million  

Montana         $26.9 million

Wyoming        $23.6 million

Idaho               $18.7 million

Kansas             $18.4 million

South Dakota  $13.5 million

Texas               $12.1 million

New Mexico    $11.7 million

Arkansas         $11.2 million

Missouri          $9.9 million

Total U.S.        $372,804,333

Conclusion: The Future of Hunting in America

The future of hunting in America is bright, my friends. This lifestyle (it’s not a sport), is something that we not only cherish, but we live it on a daily basis. Stop the anti-hunters and unsuspecting nonhunters in their tracks with the facts. We have more hunters today, and we are spending billions of dollars on this lifestyle so we not only pass it down to the next generations but also so we preserve these precious natural resources.

— This article is copyright 2021, Media 360 LLC, Waupaca, Wis.