Why are hunting numbers down so low?

[Steelblitz]

Sadly, I stopped hunting 3 years ago. Some of my reasons.....

-PGC allowing logging during the 2nd archery season for two years in a row on an area I hunt. Seriously, that doesnt make for good hunting with chainsaws and heavy equipment going to town all around you. Once again the PGC put money before the sport of hunting.
-The ban on semi-automatics is ridiculous. It has been emperically proven by other states in their studies that it is no more dangerous or whatever other false bs we are led to believe. Semis allows for more accurate follow up shots, end of discussion.
-Amount of game. Over the last 5-10 years I have seen less and less respectable size deer and absolutely no bucks of legal size to take where I hunted.
-No sunday hunting? Another archaic rule from pennsyltucky.
-Couple all that with increasing fees, and hunting and me parted ways.

My oldest son who is 11 has been asking me for the last couple of years that he wants to go hunting. Unless the PGC makes some changes and wins me over, I'm not motivated to go through the expense of taking him hunting. I'll find something else for him and I to do spending quality time together. So there is another youth who might never hunt in PA. Appease the parents some and maybe the PGC might see some more youth and another generation interjected into the sport.

[Dredly]

Sadly, I stopped hunting 3 years ago. Some of my reasons.....

-PGC allowing logging during the 2nd archery season for two years in a row on an area I hunt. Seriously, that doesnt make for good hunting with chainsaws and heavy equipment going to town all around you. Once again the PGC put money before the sport of hunting.
-The ban on semi-automatics is ridiculous. It has been emperically proven by other states in their studies that it is no more dangerous or whatever other false bs we are led to believe. Semis allows for more accurate follow up shots, end of discussion.
-Amount of game. Over the last 5-10 years I have seen less and less respectable size deer and absolutely no bucks of legal size to take where I hunted.
-No sunday hunting? Another archaic rule from pennsyltucky.
-Couple all that with increasing fees, and hunting and me parted ways.

My oldest son who is 11 has been asking me for the last couple of years that he wants to go hunting. Unless the PGC makes some changes and wins me over, I'm not motivated to go through the expense of taking him hunting. I'll find something else for him and I to do spending quality time together. So there is another youth who might never hunt in PA. Appease the parents some and maybe the PGC might see some more youth and another generation interjected into the sport.

While I agree with your basic ideas and reasoning Its not fair to punish your son by not taking him out.

[NightRocker]

Sadly, I stopped hunting 3 years ago. Some of my reasons.....

-PGC allowing logging during the 2nd archery season for two years in a row on an area I hunt. Seriously, that doesnt make for good hunting with chainsaws and heavy equipment going to town all around you. Once again the PGC put money before the sport of hunting.
-The ban on semi-automatics is ridiculous. It has been emperically proven by other states in their studies that it is no more dangerous or whatever other false bs we are led to believe. Semis allows for more accurate follow up shots, end of discussion.
-Amount of game. Over the last 5-10 years I have seen less and less respectable size deer and absolutely no bucks of legal size to take where I hunted.
-No sunday hunting? Another archaic rule from pennsyltucky.
-Couple all that with increasing fees, and hunting and me parted ways.

My oldest son who is 11 has been asking me for the last couple of years that he wants to go hunting. Unless the PGC makes some changes and wins me over, I'm not motivated to go through the expense of taking him hunting. I'll find something else for him and I to do spending quality time together. So there is another youth who might never hunt in PA. Appease the parents some and maybe the PGC might see some more youth and another generation interjected into the sport.

You know what is REALLY funny? Maryland the most anti-firearm state I know allows semi-auto to be used for hunting with much success. Go figure.

[Dredly]

You know what is REALLY funny? Maryland the most anti-firearm state I know allows semi-auto to be used for hunting with much success. Go figure.

Maryland doesn't have 850K rifle hunters in the woods...

I think if they passed permission to use semi's I wouldn't shed a tear
(unlike Xbows which I am still strongly against). But I do believe it would be a safety hazard in the woods. Then again I don't hunt in the woods where rifles are possible during Orange season

[NightRocker]

Maryland doesn't have 850K rifle hunters in the woods...

I think if they passed permission to use semi's I wouldn't shed a tear
(unlike Xbows which I am still strongly against). But I do believe it would be a safety hazard in the woods. Then again I don't hunt in the woods where rifles are possible during Orange season

Maryland is a very small state they only have about 150k rifles there. But from first hand experince there is gun behind every tree. Looks like a pumpkin patch!!!!!! LOL.

[geist262]

I actually quit hunting about 2-3 years ago. I gave it up because I have to hunt the SGLs and it just got aggravating to the point that I wasn't enjoying it at all. One day I was IN my portable stand at 5:45 am. About 8am a guy walks past me says hello and walks about 50 yards and plops down. 10am rolls around and a shot goes off. Guy drags a deer past my stand and says that I couldn't see over there anyway. It seems every time I tried to get back hunting, an incident like this would happen. Between that and Gary Alt's doe slaughter, I have no inclination to go. I was told that its not about the kill, and it isn't. However, going in the woods and not seeing a tail all day for 2 weeks sucks! If I think it sucks, what do the kids think? I took my nephew a few times and he got bored as well. As far as semi autos go, I am glad they are restricted. One morning I went out and sat on a ridge overlooking a swamp. Again, around 7am a kid sets up near me about 75 yards out from me. Around 9 I hear boom boom boom, etc,. I saw a the kid with a 30-30 shoot 7 rounds like a machine gun. About 10 doe come hauling ass up the ridge I was sitting on. I check them all out, no horns. I run up to the plateau of the ridge and scope them out again, no horns. So I walk over to the guy and ask what he got. Oh, he ran up the hill with those doe. I told him there wasn't a buck among them that I could see. Oh, what happens if i killed a doe by accident? this was before the AR and concurrent doe season. I may go again next year. My wife and I bought a house and it has some property and borders more woods and a farm. Of course, I had people to tell me I need to walk farther in. I call BS. I don't sit 50 yards from my truck or road. I do miss the archery hunting the most.

[Poonie]

I've got two boys and have introduced both to hunting. They're both not old enough to carry a gun yet, but I have taken them just in the hopes they'll take interest. So far my oldest (he's 10) is showing signs that he wants to try it. Unfortunately my youngest (8) seems to have little interest.

[mredder351]

At 26, I feel embarrassed to be getting into hunting. I don't entirely blame my dad. I grew up in communist NJ and they make it almost impossible to do anything with a gun. He grew up in Minnesota and South Dakota where he could hunt out in the field. Now that I live in PA, I'm striking out on my own and going to try hunting. It felt really weird being in the HTEC with 11 and 12 year old boys and girls. I wish I could've hunted with my dad when I was younger. I never knew until I was 17 that he even had guns.

I wonder if there are mentoring programs out there for young and underprivileged kids to accompany an experienced hunter out in the woods. This would probably help expose people to a sport they probably didn't know exist.

[Dredly]

Hey guys... just remember, in PA Archery season opens a full 1 1/2 MONTHS before the army of orange invades and you can hunt all seasons with a bow!

There are a lot of areas (both private and public) where you can hunt with a bow that rifle hunters cannot go! For archery you need to be 50 yards from a dwelling, rifle has a 150 yard minimum.

For me I look at the 2 week rifle season as a break from hunting, or I'll go right behind the houses and post up. let them push the deer, who cares they will come right to me :P

[Booner]

Oddly enough, hunting license sales are up significantly this year...