The number of hunters is declining in this state for a lot more reasons than gun ownership. Although that is a large part, the demographics of older hunters dying off, aging out and new replacement hunters not taking up the sport is another reason. I mean take a good look at your sportsmans club.......then weed out the guys that actually hunt. Most of the time you are left with a bunch of Qtips that are on the verge of aging out, and a few Gen Xers in the bunch.
And there are various and sundry reasons why new generations are not taking up hunting. But Ill leave it at society is very different than it was before.
Other factors are the plain difficulty of starting out if you didn't grow up in a hunting family.
More factors are that Conservative type people are trying to get out of this state in droves......taking the younger generation with them.
Also the terrible management of deer in our state (very low populations central and west where most hunting can happen), is a huge reason older hunters, and new serious hunters don't bother to hunt this state. They would rather go to PA, NY, CT, etc, etc..... for more deer population. Ill go out on a limb and say most of the hunters are Boomer or Gen X now, before those generations would stay and hunt here because of raising families and cost of travel. Now those populations are at their highest earning years, or hitting retirement where they have time and money. You think they are gonna spend their time and money hunting MA, think again. I'm a gen Xer that can afford to go where I want. Certainly if I'm planning a hunt for deer it's NOT gonna be in MA.
The poor management of our WMA's and state facilities as well. I know money is not being put into these things. Go out of state and look at what other states have for hunters, public gun ranges and management of WMA's. Other states actually use the money they are provided, in MA, NFW they do. If they use it, its for paving bike paths or some other bullshit. They probably get away with spending PR money saying they are opening up access or some other horseshit.
As far as the specialty hunters like Duck and Pheasant......again seeing a big fall off in those. Before pheasant fields were full of Boomers, now their either too old, dogs have died off, or have given up. The guys that I see out there are all older than me and I believe we really will see a big fall off in the coming years.
I think the state knows this, is looking at the demographics of all this and realizes they are going to need a lot more income to replace what they are going to lose.
This whole public hearing is a joke. The fee increases are going to happen, the shitty management with stay the same as it always has, and nothing will change except the rail trails and biking paths will continue to be paved with gold with our License fee's, ATV, and Snowmobile fees.
To pay or not to pay is the ONLY choice you will get.
I won't be paying for this one. Just another reason to deer hunt out of state, and pheasant hunt at private clubs and addieville.
