Numbers of Ohio hunters have dropped over decades
The 2019-20 hunting seasons begins Sept. 1, four weeks from today.
On that day, anyone with a gun, a license and a hankering may legally bag squirrels, doves, rails, common moorhen and snipe — within prescribed limits.
The number of Ohioans with a hankering is no small matter, given that the Ohio Division of Wildlife is mostly funded by those who hunt, fish and trap.
In 2019, 376,435 hunting licenses were purchased in the state, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That was a decline of almost 14,000 from the 2018 total of 390,268.
Hunting license sales also were lower in the previous two seasons, and many more before that. In 2005, almost 426,000 hunting licenses were sold, down from almost 449,000 in 2000, down from 491,000 in 1995, down from 541,000 in 1970, down from 671,000 in 1960, down from 692,500 in 1958.
Ohio’s population grew from 9.7 million in 1958 to about 11.7 million in 2018, an increase of 20.6 percent. During the 60-year period, hunting license sales declined 302,271, or about 43.7 percent.
Look at the numbers another way:
• If sales had kept pace with population since 1958, the wildlife division would have sold some 835,000 hunting licenses in 2018. The revenue stream generated by those 445,000 extra licenses would have been $8.5 million, which doesn’t count a consequent increase in federal money.
• Based on population, about 7.1 percent of Ohio residents bought a license in 1958. Counting only adult males, who purchased virtually all of the licenses then, the likely ratio of Ohio hunters to non-hunters was closer to one in seven. Sixty years later, the overall percentage had tumbled to 3.3 percent, or about one in 30.
That hunters have become scarce in the face of sprawl contributes to the difficulty in increasing the ranks. These days it’s not as easy to find hunting role models — the buddies, the dads and uncles, the enthusiasts who’d let a youngster tag along, use an extra shotgun and learn by doing.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation, a Columbus-based advocacy group, is trying to enlist hunting newbies by providing a learning opportunities.
The nine-week Learn-to-hunt program, open to youngsters as well as adults free of charge, kicks off at 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at Fairfield Fish & Game Association in the Fairfield County village of Baltimore. Participants in the weekly classes will get hands-on hunter education, including the principles of hunting and firearms safety and skills. Classwork culminates in October with the completion of the Ohio hunter education test.
The program leads to a mentor-guided pheasant hunt at Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club in Bucyrus on Oct. 13. Hunters will be taught how to clean and prepare harvested birds, which will be served as part of a dinner for participants, family members, volunteers and partners.
Access to educational materials, firearms, ammunition, hunting licenses and fees is included. Youths must be accompanied by an adult. For details, contact Frank Price, the foundation’s director of education, at fprice@ sportsmensalliance.org or (614) 888-4868.
Parting shots
Whitney Stephens of Waverly finished second to earn $19,500 during the Basspro.com Bassmaster Eastern Open on Virginia’s James River last month. Stephens’ three-day total of 41 pounds, 15 ounces trailed Michael Iaconelli’s winning weight by an ounce more than 2 pounds. … Today is the final day to apply for one of 20 openings for the next Natural Resources Officer training academy sessions. Details can be found at wildohio.gov. Applications are available at careers. ohio.gov.
outdoors@dispatch.com