How many hunters do we have in the US?

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How many hunters do we have in the US?


There are numerous sports which are enjoyed throughout the world. Some of them are really different than the regular football and cricket. One particular sport which is surrounded by many controversies yet enjoyed by many around the world is hunting. The reason why it receives different points of view is that of the core characteristic of the sport which depends upon killing animals and birds. Many animal rights activists claim that it endangers certain species of animals and birds which is why it should be stopped. The fact stands strong that one should not kill innocent lives for pleasure but this does not hold back those who have enjoyed this sport for years. Now one would think that a liberal and developed country like America would have an almost nonexistent rate of hunting but you just might be in for a surprise. A Nationwide survey was conducted of the hunting, fishing and other wildlife associated recreation which showed that 90.1 million Americans are fond of hunting and fishing. This means that around thirty-eight percent of the total American population is into hunting and other wildlife related recreational activities. What is even more interesting is that even young kids who are not typically expected to be excited about such a sport are also a part of this thirty-eight percent population. To be more specific children as young as sixteen years old enjoy hunting as well.


A decent contributor

One cannot deny that even though hunting has not been completely banned or eradicated, certain rules in fact laws have been created in order to protect the wildlife from excessive hunting. The wildlife recreational activities specifically hunting is one of the biggest contributors to the economy of the United States of America. The process is simple. When you want to hunt you also spend on it and this expenditure is a contribution to the economy of the country. If we are to put it into a number the total annual expenditure done by hunters as well as anglers goes up to $145 billion. Such a simple activity carried out by individuals’ leads up to almost one percent of the gross domestic product. This may seem small in terms of numbers but to think of it, it is coming from a simple and basic sport and for it to be a contributor to the GDP is quite interesting.


Recreational competitions

Whenever there are a significant amount of individuals interested in any activity several competitions and businesses surface related to that. Similarly, various fishing and hunting competitions are held which attract roughly thirty-eight million American individuals from all over the country. These competitions are not only a source of showcasing their talent for the hunters but also a great source of income for a lot of people. When entering into such contests hunters spend a great deal to get their hands on the best possible equipment simply because they don’t want to leave any stone unturned for winning. Their total spending’s on the equipment and preparation amount up to around $43.2 billion.  The spending does not just end at competitions and equipment. Hunters desire to hunt various kinds of animals and birds which lead them to a lot of traveling. They go off to far flung areas to hunt special kinds of wild life. This traveling definitely does not come free of cost. The trips cost in terms of air fare and accommodation charges. This expenditure is calculated to be almost $32 billion. Moreover, the memberships and licenses, as well as various other hunting fees, cost around $14.6 billion. So all these numbers might be hard to keep in mind which is why we can give you one figure to give you an idea about the whole hunting situation in America. One single American hunter spends almost $2,407 to support their hobby. This is quite interesting.


What do they hunt?

Now that we have established all the big numbers that are being spent on the hobby of hunting it sort of makes us curious that what is it that these hunters are so crazy for. Which animals are they so drawn towards that the spend so much of their money and go to such excessive lengths to hunt?  So in the entire year, the hunting season goes on for almost twenty-one days. During this time period, there are a lot of games and competitions which are held for all the hunting lovers. These hunters who participate in these competitions also prepare year around for this. Hunting is divided between going after the big species and hunting for smaller and easier targets. Deer, wild turkey and even Elks are considered to be among the big hunting experiences. Those who hunt for these animals are mostly professional hunters as this is basically the big game. Other small games have mostly fresh hunters who generally go after squirrels and rabbits as well as quails.

Better yet around 2.6 million of the population of America finds their pleasure in hunting for birds who migrate for example geese, doves, and ducks. Other animals which are generally hunted by almost 2.2 million people include raccoons, groundhogs, and coyotes. So after all the calculations and evaluation, we can safely say that $34 billion is spent by all American hunters in total including all their memberships fees, equipment expenditures, licenses and hunting trips and other important gear. If we are to evaluate it individually then we can see that the most amount of money is spent on the equipment to support the hobby. The vehicles which are used, the guns from which they hunt and other gear is what costs these hunters the most, to be exact it costs them $14 billion. As if the revenue from this sport wasn’t already interestingly high the number of people who are gaining interest in hunting is going up every year. It goes up about two percent every year. What is even more interesting that this increase is seen in big hunting games whereas the small games have seen a decline.


What does that bring us to?

These statistics teach us a lot about the game of hunting and the significantly large amount of people interested in the sport. The numbers might also be the good help in a hunting related quiz. Although hunting is a dangerous sport many people seem to enjoy it and the government has also taken necessary precautionary measures to secure both the animals and humans alike. Hunting is gaining popularity which is clearly shown by all these numbers and ratios we have discussed.