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We often muse about the future of waterfowl hunting. The current edition of Canada's Outdoors Sportsman says Western Canada's ducks and geese are virtually unlimited. The "real threat to waterfowling is declining hunter numbers."

Licensed resident migratory bird hunters in Canada hit an all-time high of 506, 681 in 1978 and the most recent survey in 2005 shows the number had fallen to 140, 926---for the entire country, Atlantic to Pacific to Arctic Oceans. C'mon up!

Manitoba to British Columbia has lost between 60 and 75 per cent of their resident waterfowl hunters. The Canadian Wildliife Service reports that the most obvious decline is among 15- to 34-year-olds.

Why? Starting families, less discretionary incomes, the increasing perception that hunting is obsolete and politically incorrect, possibly concern avian flu, and, I think, the rigamarole of the long-gun registry.

At the rate we're going, our hunting heritage is gone. The cannonading of the monster guns with 3- and 3 1/2-inch shells in our harbour is pushing it right along. I close my windows when I'm not out with my comparative popguns.

King, there's a decline everywhere in hunters. When I was a kid, we played with BB guns, and a little latter when around 12 our dads would let us go bird hunting with shotguns. What would people say now a days if a 12 year old was riding his bike with a shotgun over the handlebars ? Kids now like to play video gamesor sit in front of a TV. Life is different, but not better in some respects in my opinion. Paul

There's no doubt people are getting farther away from hunting here in PA.

Likewise, when I was a kid almost every boy in my school hunted for rabbits and squirrels. I grew up in a small town, not out in the country. Most often they had Dad's gun and only a few shells in the pocket. I often shared guns with my pals, one gun for 2 or 3 kids. No problem walking across town with my shotgun cradeled in my arms.

Wife and I were talking just this morning while on our walk with the dog. It's still deer season here in PA. Time was (not that long ago) when a lot of men took off the entire 2 week deer season for HUNTING, drive hunting was common, and deer hunting took priority over most everthing else. Deer were hung on front porches all over town to age the meat and show them off. Many had rifles, mostly 94 Winchesters, 14 and 141 Remingtons, and cut down Mausers and Jap rifles. Some guys only had a shotgun to hunt with, old 'punkin balls or rifled slugs. Scope sights weren't too common.

Then came TV, videogames, soccer Moms, supermarkets, anti hunting school teachers, steel shot, 2 and 3 car families, etc., etc. 20 years ago when my own kids were young they were in the minority as far as being hunting students. And that was in a rural school district. I'm proud to say both boys and our daughter were and are hunters.

Nowadays it's only the opening day that has a lot of deer hunters in the woods, most of them looking for instant pudding with their stainless Super Magnum rifle and 4-12X scope. Very few hunters out on either of the two Saturdays and almost no one out during the weekdays. Too many other priorities and not enough dumb deer to get one without spending time HUNTING in the woods.

Although I miss the old days, I do like the solitude while hunting on weekdays. Silvers

I hope ther is a decline in hunter numbers, then I won't have to wait 20 YEARS to draw an elk tag in my state.

I think King is right. I won't hunt in Canada because of their gun laws. It's not right to feed the mouth that is biting yoy a**. Also the move towards hunting becoming a rich man's sport is disturbing.

My friends and I go once or twice a year to Brooks, Alberta for waterfowl and upland hunting.
This is going to be more and more expensive, though.
I prefer to stay in Montana for most of the hunts.
Alberta charges higher fees for non-resident licenses. This year they changed the regulations allowing only 6 consecutive days of waterfowl hunting per licence. One has to buy another licence for each 6 day hunts.
They don't allow hunting on Sundays unless for snow geese.
It's harder to cross the Canadian border with your shotguns and it costs also for the permits, every two months.
The Canadian dollar is quite a bit stronger nowadays and their gas is more expensive.
A plus for the Canadians is that it is easier to find landowners to allow hunting on their property than in Montana.

If I may I'd like to say something on the subject of hunting and its demise as a activity that attracts young people. I will speak from what I know, not to ignore Mr. Brown's message concerning waterfowling. Perhaps it will apply?

At one time hunting was a "right of passage" to manhood. At a certain age a young man was given a gun, of all things, taught to use it and given a chance to provide food for the family table. I am not talking about the 18hundreds or even the early 19hundreds here. Perhaps it was his responsibilty to earn the small sum to purchase his license. Later he would find ways to acquire shells, a knife and specific clothing and equipement to assist him in his expanding exploration of the activity. He would feel a sense of pride in his skill to take game and his ability to contribute to the family table. He would also develope a strong affinity for the game he hunted and the other species he encountered while in the field. He learned to not only take game skillfully, but to care for it once it was on the ground. Perhaps and most likely he learned to prepare it for the table. Through this process of learning the activity became an important part of his life, elements of which overflowed to other things that required thought and care. And then came what?

The answer to that question I am unsure. You'll note I use "he" when addressing the young hunter and as a hunter without children of my own, I am proud that some of my neices showed some interest in hunting-at least to a point that today they are not "anti" to it, but I think it is most important that boys hunt. I know we should include the girls and perhaps it is the old chauvinist coming out, but I don't really see girls as the answer to the salvation of hunting, contributing indeed, but not the answer.

Perhaps it is to late and the future of wildlife is in the hands of the scientist/environmentalist and the politicians willing to see that their paid from tax dollars. Money, after all, is what it is mostly about today. We are a bit beyond the young person taking his shotgun to the water with his small collection of decoys and bringing home a main course feeling he has made a contribution. In Pennsylvania the licenses alone will cost him $34.00. Perhaps waterfowling isn't the best example here? How about the cottontail rabbit? WHO WANTS TO EAT ONE OF THOSE!? For $16.00, a hunter safety course, and with 250 square inches of fluorescense orange-screaming: careless, greedy, killer- a young boy or girl can hunt, if they have a parent that thinks it is money and time well spent and they can find a place worth pursuing it. We have youth pheasant hunts in PA. Sportsmen groups do the work and the PA game Commission provides the birds, not by game management, but by dollars earned through license sales. there are very few reproducing wild pheasants in PA. The head of our game department was asked recently about power generating windmills and state gamelands, his reply: "if the surrounding private land has them then the gamelands might as well too." ??!!! He also says that wildlife would benefit from greater areas of regenerating timber cuts. We don't have those on gamelands because timber prices are low.

My 13 year old nephew hunts! Sadley he has never taken game other than pen raised pheasants on regulated shooting grounds. I'll have to ask him what this teaches him about wildlife and the environment, he is a bright and thoughtful young man, but he still is only 13. At this point I'd hate to say anything about his Winchester 1300.

Oh well I think I'll shut up now. I've bored myself too.

Thank-you,

Kurt

National geographic
Just reconfirms the above article which has been posted onhere before(forgot by whom).

Just my opinion but with the change in sexual morals those teenage boys are all out getting laid. Now lets all remember back to when we were sixteen and see what choice we would make - "Let's see, go out with my sweet thing and do the wild thing all night or get up at 3:00 tomorrow morning and go out with Dad and his fat friends and freeze my ass off in the duck blind for five hours and then spend three hours cleaning ducks?" What would you have chosen back then?

Best,

Mike

King, Decline in hunters? Yes. I am not so sure this is a bad thing. But, on the age old issue of habitat, I must report a sad Canadian story.
I recently spent two weeks at my home in Maple Bay on Vancouver Island. My son is 12 and I am passing along what traditions I can. In that regard, I took the test for the Canada PAL license so I can keep some guns permanently in Canada and we looked for places to hunt waterfowl (probably next year).
Turns out that just miles from our home is a fairly large river bottom valley which is known to have lots of waterfowl.
Well, the boy and I went exploring. On the small two lane road through this valley we saw the wetlands in the bottom which I am sure is several hundred acres. There were over 500 Trumpeter Swans there, thousands of Canada Geese, many thousands of other ducks, geese and waterfowl. There were waves and waves of waterfowl.
As the small road made the end of its loop through the valley I saw a real estate sign for 65 acres for sale which went down into the wetlands. Got the information on the listing which said "there is a flooding problem in the winter which is presently being addressed." I called my realtor and asked her to contact the listing agent and find out what that meant. I told her if I was interested, I wanted all the wetlands left alone.
Well, it is MUCH WORSE than I imagined. Apparently, the landowners in the valley don't like the rainy season flooding. The "municipality" is building a control dam at the head of the valley and will "seasonally block the water." Goodbye another magnificent wetland.
My boy is only 12. I told him "remember this sight of many thousands of waterfowl. It is a sight you won't see much in your life."
Breaks my heart.
Regards, Craig

Interesting observations and opinions. Truth is there are fewer and fewer hunters here with the desire to make hunting more than the harvesting of game. So much of the appeal and masculine character associated with deer camps, the carrying or snow dragging of deer, back packing the meat, camp camaraderie, the night before preparations, predawn risings and camp duties etc. has been supplanted by 4WDs, ATVs, B & Bs and power winches etc. King mentioned duck and goose hunting in particular well I hunt both quite a lot and only on 2 hunts this year did I hear another groups guns and that from afar. I have a few freinds who hunt but there are few now younger than 50. As an aside there are more "non resident alien" hunters ( mostly US citizens ) hunting in Alberta than ever before according to Wildlife Services. There is a major push by the Outfitters Association to change the regulations to oblige non resident aliens to utilize outfitting services and prohibit do it on your own hunts. I hope that their efforts to change this legislation fail but they have been relentless in their efforts. King as to the 3" & 3 1/2" ammo - I really don't want to add any more discouragement to an already weakened fraternity. To me if hunters feel more confident in larger louder ammo go for it, of course where I hunt there are few if any houses so there is no one complaining about noise I suspect that it is much different near the coast where residents could be offended. Now for an encouraging word; a good freind is introducing his 12 year old to shotgunning this year and I am on the lookout for a nice light double for her. My own children attend the hunts with me and enjoy camp life. My wife took up archery this year with deer and moose hunting with bow and arrow to be on 2008 agenda. But NO Doubt hunting has lost it's allure for most and those of us who remain and attempt to recruit new members to enjoy what we know to be wholesome and healthy have lots of opposition.