Hunting Trends in Pennsylvania: Good and bad trends from recent years

Years ago, although the Pennsylvania Game Commission could tabulate how many hunting licenses were sold, it wasn’t easy to learn much about the individual license purchaser. With the advent of the Pennsylvania Automated License Systems (PALS) in license year 2009/2010, and with the help of statistics tabulators Coren P. Jagnow and Patrick T. Oelschlager of the PGC, we know a lot more.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission tracks hunting trends by studying hunting license sales. Once PALS began, those sales could be further broken down into age, gender, and participation in various types of hunting. Knowing those results could aid the PGC in its quest to retain and build hunter ranks through programs designs to promote recruitment, retention and reactivation.

Here are some statistics:

2014-15

Resident Hunting Licenses

• Average Age of buyer: 43.50 years

• Total male 771,004

• Total female 81,954 (9.6 percent)

2015-16

Resident Hunting Licenses

• Average Age of buyer: 43.87 years

• Total male 762,494

• Total female 85,058 (10 percent)

Many may be surprised to learn that females account for 10 percent of hunting licenses sold. The PGC further broke down the female hunters: 15-25 years old, 23 percent; 25-35, 16 percent; 35-45, 10 percent; 45-55, 6 percent, 55-65, 4 percent, and 65-75, 3 percent.

Surveys were mailed to random license holders to learn more about trends, such as species they pursued and the number of days they spent in the field. In general, hunter numbers pursuing deer and turkey (both spring and fall turkey seasons) remained strong. Bear hunter numbers rose. Hunter numbers pursuing grouse, rabbit, pheasant and squirrel declined.

Lapsed hunters were asked if they still considered themselves to be PA hunters, and 83 percent of them said, yes. The PGC asked that same question in a random survey sent to the general population of the state – surprisingly, they learned that 18-25 percent of PA residents identify as hunters. According to this response, that means that statewide, there are a potential 2 million people who might buy hunting licenses, but aren’t.

In 2014, the PGC launched at outreach campaign called www.GOHUNT PA.org, using television and radio ads, with the goal of one million hunters by 2017/2018. The PGC also focused on youth events, such as Youth Field Days (PGC manages event registration and attendance, local sportsman’s clubs run the event) and Junior Pheasant Hunts (run independently through sportsman’s clubs who apply/register events with PGC, birds provided by PGC at no cost to clubs)

As a group, junior pheasant hunters were surveyed from 2012-2016. The PGC found that although many of them (35-47 percent) had not previously hunted pheasants, they had previously hunted other species. The junior hunters were also asked different survey questions:

The 2012 question: As a result of attending this event, will you continue to pursue pheasant hunting? 73 percent answered “yes” and 17 percent answered “probably.”

The 2014 question: Will you hunt pheasants more often after participating in this hunt? 50 percent “strongly agree: and 31 percent “somewhat agree.”

In 2016, 84 percent of the junior pheasant hunters reported “greatly increased” interest in pheasant hunting. The majority of the hunters (76 percent) said that pheasant hunting had increased their interest in hunting overall.

The PGC’s struggle to fund and maintain its pheasant-stocking program continues. Allowing game bird breeders to stock their local game lands – competing through a bid process- appears to be a great option for augmenting the program using the most economical means.