Hunting for hunters. Thinning ranks may weaken economy, environment
By: Leo Roth

Dale Statt of Honeoye Falls, a 35-year-old mother of two boys, married into a family of hunters.

When she took to the field for the first time with her husband, Leigh, eight years ago, she loved it. Last year Statt bagged a 9-point buck, and she's looking forward to the start of shotgun season for whitetails in New York state's Southern Zone in two weeks.

"It's a wonderful sport. My husband has taught me so much about it, and we look forward to teaching our kids," said Statt, who is an executive administrative assistant for Fibertech Networks. "We have a separate freezer for our venison. We eat more venison than beef."

While the Statts eagerly look forward to another hunting season, surveys and license sales continue to show that the American hunter is an endangered species. Fewer younger people are taking up the sport and more adults are leaving it.

Concerns rise

More than 87 million U.S. citizens age 16 or older fished, hunted or watched wildlife in 2006, spending more than $120 billion, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service survey of wildlife-associated recreation conducted every five years. The figures are from a preliminary report. The final report will be issued this month. While these figures represent a still robust hunting industry making a profound impact on the economy, the total number of hunters nationwide has slid from a peak of 19.1 million in 1975 to 12.5 million.

In 2006, New York state ranked sixth in the number of resident and nonresident hunters at 576,000 and ninth in hunting-related expenditures, at $683 million. Those numbers are down from 714,000 and $822 million in 2001.

According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, sales of big-game hunting licenses were down 11 percent and all hunting licenses 7.3 percent in five years. In 2005, 61,402 hunting-related licenses, stamps and permits were issued in Monroe County.

So while more game and fewer hunters in the woods make the present a great time to be a hunter, many are concerned about the future. They are asking: Who will pay for the increasing costs of wildlife conservation? Who will buy and preserve public open space? And who will advocate for hunting and gun ownership rights?

Retailers wonder who will be buying the guns, camouflage and trucks.

"There's definitely some concern that we may not have enough hunters to keep populations under control," said Mike Wasilco, DEC Region 8 wildlife manager. "We're looking at a demographic where the average age for deer hunters is in the upper 40s. There's a big lump of people approaching an age where they won't go into the field as much, so it's definitely on our radar and it needs to be addressed. We may have a control issue in the future, not to mention a funding issue."

Funding conservation

When it comes to wildlife conservation and education, hunters and fishermen pay the bills in each state.

According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife, states generated $724 million in license fees last year for wildlife, and taxes on guns, ammo and other gear added $267 million through the Pittman-Robertson Act.

New York's DEC — which manages all game, conducts research and polices against poachers and polluters — gets nearly all of its funding for such programs that way. Private clubs and organizations such as the New York chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, which has raised more than $1.5 million since 1985, contribute directly toward restoration and habitat projects and volunteer countless hours.

Big-game hunters donate 333,000 venison meals to New York's hungry each year, but controlling the state's 800,000 deer as a healthy, sustainable herd is their primary role. Deer can damage the forest underbrush and hurt other animal species if allowed to populate unchecked. Crop and landscape damage and human health problems resulting from increased deer-car collisions and disease would run into the millions of dollars, experts said.

"Hunters are our primary tool for managing most species of wildlife," Wasilco said. "Some towns where they've hired sharpshooters and had a bait-and-shoot program, it has cost the government several hundred dollars per deer vs. hunters who pay us for the privilege of harvesting that animal."

Legislation regarding firearms and land usage is always on the radar of hunting organizations, particularly with more farmland being chopped into parcels for development. But fewer hunters mean fewer voices.

"Declining hunters is a concern because there won't be many of us left to say, 'Hey, don't pass that ammunition bill, Mr. Senator,'" said East Bloomfield's Graham Fennie, 29, a four-season hunter and safety instructor.

Big business

The hunting and fishing industry employs 2.6 million people nationally and generates $75 billion (compared with $45 billion for wildlife watching). Locally, it supports a legion of sporting goods retailers, gun and ammo shops, shooting ranges, bait and tackle stores, guides, outfitters, meat processors and taxidermists. The ancillary businesses that benefit from outdoorsmen include banks, restaurants, hotels, and truck, boat and ATV dealers.

In the mid-Atlantic region (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey), annual spending per hunter averaged $1,388 in 2006, compared with $1,063 per fisherman and $365 per wildlife watcher.

"On our bottom line, it's No. 1, absolutely," said Jim Fehrman, Gander Mountain outdoor education coordinator for the Finger Lakes and Niagara region. "If you were to take hunting out of the equation, not to say fishing isn't big, but if we didn't have hunting, the store wouldn't be here. It's that simple."

Big national chains such as Gander Mountain, Dick's and Bass Pro doing business in New York reflect the region's quality and quantity of hunting. Specific seasons pertain to shotgun, bow and muzzleloader use; growing numbers of turkey, Canada goose, coyote and black bear offer more hunting opportunities.

"New York state is a well-kept secret. We're excited to show people," said Tim Furness of Webfoot Guide Service of Hilton, which specializes in waterfowl hunts. "Everybody wants to go to Arkansas, Texas or Canada to hunt ducks and I tell you what, 60 percent of the time we go out you can't beat it here whenever you go."

Furness said his business has grown 30 percent each of the past five years, with a big spike in corporate clients preferring to offer customers a goose hunt rather than a hunt for golf balls. About 80 percent of his business comes from out of state.

New York nonresident license sales accounted for nearly $10 million in revenue in 2005-06.

Changing culture

Hunting offers a challenge, the satisfaction of harvesting wild game to eat, and camaraderie among families and friends. Most hunters simply enjoy the outdoors and getting away from the rat race.

So why aren't more people partaking in this American heritage? Many blame it on modern living, not necessarily a diminishing hunting instinct.

Video games, the Internet, more households with single parents and the explosion of organized youth sports have made an impact on all traditional outdoor recreation. But while kids have more options for their leisure time, so do adults.

A kid is overwhelmingly more likely to hunt and fish if a parent hunts and fishes, but research shows that only 25 percent of youths from hunting households are active hunters.

"That's where we hunters are our own worst enemy," said Gander Mountain's Fehrman.

When it comes to cultivating new hunters, retention is just as important as recruitment.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife recruitment and retention study said that in 2005 only 43 percent of all individuals who had ever hunted were still hunting. Those interviewed cited lack of time and increased family and work responsibilities. For those earning less than $40,000 annually, cost was a factor. And for those older than 65, health reasons were cited most often for why they no longer hunt.

Firing back

Aggressive steps by governmental agencies, private clubs and retailers to welcome new hunters and make it easier to hunt appear to be having a positive impact on at least slowing hunting's downward trends.

The DEC changed opening day for deer from a Monday to a Saturday two years ago to make it easier on youth hunters and those who couldn't get off work. More areas are being opened for rifle use. And archery and turkey hunting, two very challenging pursuits, have pulled in more participants.

When it comes to catering to the next generation, the DEC has established youth-only hunting days for turkey, waterfowl and pheasant, allowing hunters ages 12-15 to enjoy the woods while their mentors concentrate on teaching them.

Efforts to lower New York's minimum age for big-game hunting with a firearm — at 16 it's the highest in the country — to 12 with a guardian continue. Since 2004, 18 states have loosened restrictions on when children can hunt.

Sixteen-year-old Jesse Palermo, a junior at Irondequoit High School, has taken three doe with his junior bowhunting license, which allows youths 14-15 to hunt big game with a parent. He is eagerly anticipating hunting with a shotgun for the first time this season with his dad, Tim, 52, at the family's camp in Wellsville, Allegany County.

Jesse, who gave up running cross country on his school team so he could concentrate on fall hunting, has a handful of friends who hunt, but persuading nonhunters of the joys of hunting and the important role man plays in the ecosystem is difficult.

"For me, it's quality time with my dad," said Jesse, who took a big gobbler during last spring's youth turkey hunt. "It's just something I really enjoy, being out in the woods, studying the animals and their habits. It's not the kill. It's a treat to be out there and have a squirrel climb up in the tree and sit in your stand, things like that. That's what hooked me on it."

While adolescence is a prime time to hook new hunters, studies show that more people are coming into the sport in their 20s after finishing their educations. More women are also hunting — an estimated 3 million nationwide, said the National Sporting Goods Association. That's an increase of 75 percent between 2001 and 2005.

Hunting's strong track record of safety is a selling point.

"I think a lot of guys out there had the seed planted to hunt but never had it watered," Fennie said. "Now their buddies are saying, 'Come on, we'll take you.'"

That's what happened with Delivan Young, 33, of Henrietta, who took up bowhunting three years ago.

"A friend pushed me towards it," said Young, who works in a machine shop. "He said I'd like it and I did. It's peaceful in the woods, you watch the colors change and it's the challenge of the shot."

Education remains an area of focus. The DEC and Turkey Federation have welcomed more women into the outdoors through workshops, figuring if more moms are hunting, more kids will hunt. Gander Mountain and Bass Pro also conduct weekly educational seminars, helping to kindle interest.

Some 5,000 people have attended Gander Mountain's outdoor education series at its Henrietta store since it began in January. Fehrman even instituted a program designed for families that home-school.

"The industry sees the writing on the wall with hunting," he said. "There's still a good number out there, but 12 years down the road, we have to be concerned. It's an aging demographic."

Back in Honeoye Falls, Dale Statt said her eldest son is eager to get his small-game license when he turns 12 in January. He represents the future.

"I guess we're doing our part and raising our kids to hunt," she said. "And maybe their kids will instill the traditions of hunting in their children and so on. We'll keep the sport alive."

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