Interesting article for sure. Thanks for posting it here.

Here's a link to a F&S piece that references the above article...

https://www.fieldandstream.com/are-we-approaching-end-hunting

Seen this on another site ... NPR is of course a liberal/democrat based news site .... by 2050, I'll be gone more than likely, if not I'll be 92 ...lol .. todays youth has a huge disconnect with the outdoors and nature .. esp. those in urban settings and some of that overflows into rural education systems ... just look at the crap going on today in DC, with the brain washed kids and the anti-gunners and left wing groups marching side by side... these kids are being indoctrinated by the likes of Bloomberg and Soros and the hypocrisy of Hollywood .... facts dont matter, neither does trying to reason with them ....

the age of hunters is getting older... lack of good hunting land and even good public land is hard to find.... with out private land accessibility, more are pushed onto already overcrowded public lands and altercations then happen ... theft of stands, theft of cameras, multiple types of hunting going on at the same time, so conflicts arise ..... I would love to see more public lands open up as well as more accessibility to private lands.... leasing/outfitters are now taking up more lands and then the only way to get on good land is by either leasing your for own self or buying... either options is not a viable option for many hunters, so some quit ... Bowhunting is who and what I am, hunting is part of me so I will continue even with crowded public lands, Ive been thru the leasing part for 20 years, I'm done with it and buying land isnt a option either. .... if and when I make it to 2050, I hope there are still lands available as I'll crawl out there if I can ..

The trend is not sustainable long term, especially when you consider the bulk of conservation dollars come from hunting.

And BTW, I don't think hunting is going to be done by 2050. It might be 2%-3% of the population who hunts each year but it will still be around.

BINGO!!!

or we could jump in and try to reverse the trend. Right? Maybe instead of trying to save the deer and the ducks and the turkeys, groups and orgs could try to push hunter recruitment?

Just a crazy thought.

Double post.

Not sure I buy into all the doom and gloom? If the stats are a result of license sales, I wonder how lifetime licenses...and more importantly, landowner tags are figured into the mix? When I started hunting, a lifetime license did not exist and there are ALOT more recreational landowners than ever before. Below are the trends I'm seeing:

- The majority of the hunters I know in Indiana are deer hunters. If that number isn't at an all time high, it is very close.

- Small game hunting is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I remember when opening day of squirrel season was a big deal. Not so much today.

- Big game hunting out west is gaining in popularity. My draw odds in western states just keep getting worse and worse as the years go by.

I'm not saying hunting will still be around in 2050, but if it is not...the change will likely be more of a product of hunter apathy than lack of participation. The anti-hunters are just much more motivated than hunters. Sad, but true.

I totally agree...Deer hunter numbers all very HIGH despite coming from a reduction mode and now headed into a maintain mode.

It is probably not much of a reach to say all the added opportunity to chase deer has helped lead to the demise of small game hunting. From my childhood until my early 30's...I always owned a good pair of beagles. Didn't lose interest in rabbit hunting until after the expansion of late season deer hunting. Personally, owning beagles would not be fair for the dogs now....

I don't think hunting will be gone by 2050. I think that's ridiculous. Too much money involved and too many people with money love to hunt.

Just my opinion, but lack of access to "Quality" hunting is the biggest problem I see. I know most will call me crazy, but it's my opinion. When I was a teenager 35 years ago, even growing up in the city, I could go out and get permission to hunt GOOD LAND that wasn't PACKED with hunters. Public land wasn't wall-to-wall hunters like it is now. Much of our public land is barren today because so many people are pushed off land by leasing.
As PAV said, lack of small game hunting hurts too, because that's where kids got started. There was ACTION. Trying to get a kid to enjoy hunting public land deer is going to be a low success venture.

I know things change. Doesn't mean I have to agree with the course. Before someone chimes in and tells me to knock on doors, I KNOW I can get permission. I have. But if I don't already know them and they give me permission they'll give ANYBODY and EVERYBODY permission. There's already people hunting, hanging stands, trail cams...laying claim to the entire woods...it's a bad situation...been there done that.
Please don't tell me about the needle in a haystack permission you got last week. Yes it happens. But it's not common enough to change the course of this generation.

Most of the people I know only hunt deer and turkey anymore...

And I've often wondered if people would hunt turkey if the only season available to do so was in the fall...

heck I dont even buy a turkey license in the fall, I'm to busy chasing deer ... Ive had 'em come by on more than one occasion, but I dont want to shoot a hen and the odds of a good Tom are slim, so I stick to deer ... however, I still get out every year for squirrels, and if I take 10 in a season, thats good enough for me....been a few years since Ive been out for bunnies ... Heck, I dont get out as much for coyotes like I used to either ..

Well - at our house we get excited about squirrel season as we do bow season and then back to late squirrel season.

If I had beagle I would hunt to them from Dec-February on land I could get on after all deer hunters are gone. Wrong season of life right now for that but hope it will happen soon.

Luke and Evan are getting older and I am already looking for someone to mentor when they are gone. IMO that is what is missing. People are so self focused on someone else shoooting their booner they neglect investing into others.

Very true words. h.h.