Preliminary figures from the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation show that only 5 percent of Americans and 8 percent of Utahns hunt.
The number of U.S. hunters dropped 4 percent from 2001 to 2006, with a 3 percent drop in overall expenditures. There was a 22 percent drop in migratory bird hunting and a 12 percent decrease in small animal hunting.
The number of Utah hunters also declined. While the state's population increased dramatically, only 145,000 hunted in 2006, compared with 198,000 in 2001.
That has serious consequences for not only state wildlife budgets in particular but Utah's economy in general.
While wildlife watchers spend $620 a year on average to enjoy that activity, hunters put out a whopping $1,843 annually in the Rocky Mountains.
Since a 10 percent federal excise tax is placed on hunting equipment, money spent on licenses and gear directly helps preserve wildlife habitat and pay for biologists to manage all sorts of critters. Many hunters also donate thousands of dollars to conservation organizations that work to preserve habitat.
Don't think that wildlife managers - nationally and in Utah - aren't concerned about those figures, especially since the number of anglers has also been flat. About 80 percent of Utah's wildlife budget is funded by anglers and hunters.
"Across the board, interest in the outdoors among youths is declining," said Division of Wildlife Resources director Jim Karpowitz. "There is a big challenge in Utah in getting youths involved in outdoor activities. We have to reattach kids with the world they live in and attract kids to hunting and fishing. . . . It's a huge concern. If you miss a generation, then the chain is broken and this generation won't teach their kids to hunt, fish and watch wildlife."
Many states including Utah have lowered the legal hunting age to recruit new participants.
Last year, when the Legislature dropped an age requirement for small-game hunting, about 2,500 new Utah hunters were recruited. This year, the age of legal hunting for big game went from 14 to 12.
There are many reasons the number of hunters in Utah continues to decline, not the least of which is a cap on the number of deer licenses sold. Not that long ago, the opening day of the rifle deer season drew close to 200,000 hunters, plus families, into the field.
Increased cost of licenses, a bigger urban population in which families no longer hunt, decreased habitat and a generally declining interest in outdoor activities all play a role.
The way our wildlife management system is set up, fewer hunters means fewer dollars spent to preserve habitat and manage wildlife. Like hunting or not, the reality is that dollars from hunting fund wildlife management.
Wildlife agencies face difficult choices in the coming years.
They can raise the cost of hunting and fishing licenses to make up for declining numbers and sales.
They may choose to ask the Legislature for more general tax dollars to support programs that will help preserve Utah's quality of life. The wildlife, clean water and open spaces that quality of life requires might make that a palatable option.
Educational programs for hunters and nonhunters on the value of wildlife, as well as the joy of observing nature, must certainly be a part of the equation.
Wildlife officials can do a better job of reaching out to nonhunters for financial and political support by giving them a genuine stake and voice in wildlife management.
If consumptive wildlife users like hunters are paying the bills, then perhaps they should call the shots. That's the way it has always been. But fewer consumptive users and a growing and increasingly urbanized general population make for a dangerous combination where funding and wildlife are concerned.
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* TOM WHARTON can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com. His phone number is 801-257-8909. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
