TOTAL HUNTERS / 2023

YOY CHANGE

TOTAL REVENUE / 2023

YOY CHANGE

TOTAL HUNTERS / 2023

YOY CHANGE

TOTAL REVENUE / 2023

YOY CHANGE

Looking at the overall hunting data starting back in 2000, there has been an overall gradual decline in the number of people purchasing hunting licenses. Since 2000 we have lost just under 90,000 resident hunters and the numbers are not looking to be getting any better. If you add non-resident hunters, that number is just above 93,000.

At Primitive Outdoors, we think one of the leading causes of this is access to proper information and education for new hunters. Simply take a stroll around any facebook group and it feels like an “ole boys club” where you are bashed for asking questions and you have to know somebody to get in. Our goal is to change that culture and welcome anyone into the hunting world that wants to be here. With the loss of hunters comes the loss of revenue generated by hunting. That reduction directly affects the maintenance and care of our resources and land that we love to hunt. It is our job to bring up the next generation of hunters and teach those who want to take the next step before we dig a hole that as a collective group we can’t get out of.

We all know that every year fees go up and none has been more apparent over the last 3 years. We have seen a massive increase in not only every day goods but also an increase in hunting expenses related to fees, gear, ammo, etc. Naturally the revenue numbers generated per duck hunter will increase every year.

One would think that as the average revenue per duck hunter goes up, there is more money to go around towards conservation efforts. However even though the average revenue is higher, we have had such a dramatic drop in the number of duck hunters since 2020 that this year alone there was almost $1.4 million dollars less available for conservation efforts than last year.

This number is extremely troubling and we need to work to reverse this trend. Does that mean more hunters and more pressure out at our favorite place to hunt public land? Does this mean less probability for us drawing a reservation? The simple answer is yes, however if we continue down this same path, that public land we love to hunt so much might not be as available as it once was. Hunters are the #1 contributor to conservation and because of that, we can also become our own worst enemy at the same time.

At Primitive Outdoors we encourage you to think about the future that was left to you and how you can affect positive change so that future generations have the same access and ability to hunt that you have. Invite people out to hunt with you. Educate someone who might not know how to get started. Join an organization that is helping not only preserve our hunting land, but that is passionate about brining up the next generation of hunters.