Hunting licences soar as virus-weary Americans head outdoors

The trend has abruptly reversed a steady decline in hunting's popularity that once appeared permanent and provided a potential new source of food for families and food banks pressed by the pandemic. “I'd been meaning to get back into it and just never did,” said Goucher, now a resident of Grand Ledge, Michigan, who headed into the field Sunday with 12-year-old daughter Annabelle as the state's firearm deer hunting season opened.

Hunting was a big part of Zane Goucher's youth, when he pursued whitetail deer and ruffed grouse in the Maine woods with his father. He eventually drifted away from the sport but has returned after a 22-year absence, inspired by the coronavirus outbreak. Many Americans appear to be doing likewise, as sales of hunting and fishing licences are spiking in much of the US.

Weary of being cooped up at home — and of masking and social distancing when they go elsewhere — they're taking refuge in outdoor sports that offer safety and solitude. The trend has abruptly reversed a steady decline in hunting's popularity that once appeared permanent and provided a potential new source of food for families and food banks pressed by the pandemic.

"I'd been meaning to get back into it and just never did," said Goucher, now a resident of Grand Ledge, Michigan, who headed into the field Sunday with 12-year-old daughter Annabelle as the state's firearm deer hunting season opened. Lifestyle changes forced by the pandemic, especially online schooling for his four children, "gave me that boost to make it happen." "They were getting a lot more screen time than normal, so this was a way to get them outside," he said. For his part, "it's a reawakening, kinda gets me back to my roots." More than 545,000 hunters in Michigan had bought licenses through November 11, nearly 10 per cent more than at the same point in 2019, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

Significantly, the number getting licenses for the first time in at least five years — if ever — has jumped 80 per cent, to nearly 84,500. The state's total is up 20 per cent for female hunters and 18 per cent for those ages nine and younger.

In neighbouring Wisconsin, archery licence sales have risen 12 per cent and gun licence sales 9.5 per cent. Maine reports a state record for deer hunting permits, and Vermont and Nevada have had double-digit hunting increases. Fishing licence sales also have soared. Louisiana's total in April, shortly after the governor issued a stay-at-home order, nearly doubled that of the same month in 2019. In Idaho, new hunters and anglers are up nearly 30 per cent over last year.

The trend appears to be nationwide, although many states won't have final numbers until the end of the year, said Nick Buggia of the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, which supports outdoor sports caucuses in Congress and state legislatures. The pandemic almost certainly is a leading factor, Buggia said. The US Fish and Wildlife Service had reported a decline in hunting since the early 1980s.

Michigan had lost about 300,000 deer hunters in the previous 20 years, state wildlife biologist Chad Stewart said. The slump is worrisome to state wildlife regulatory agencies, whose budgets rely heavily on revenue from hunting and fishing licence fees. Natural resource managers also depend on hunters to cull overgrown deer populations. Maine boosted its permits this year to control a herd that has swelled in recent years because of mild winters.

Young people especially have shown less interest as more of their time goes to extracurricular school activities and computer games, officials say. But with the virus outbreak, "kids aren't having sports practices or music lessons, and people working at home have more free time, so it's been an opportunity for families to reconnect with the outdoors," Buggia said.

Hunting is ideal for avoiding the virus because participants are outside and usually a good distance apart, said Louis Porter, Vermont's fish and wildlife commissioner. "All of the things that hunting offers to people and the varied reasons people hunt all fit in with the pandemic," he said.

But Vermont officials are discouraging one cherished tradition: deer camp, where hunters from numerous locations can pack into tight quarters for days. Some new or returning hunters may have a more pressing motive than curing stir-craziness or reconnecting with nature: putting food on the table.

"Any time the economy slows down, there is an increase in hunting licences as people are interested in pursuing a less expensive food source," said Eric Lobner, director of Wisconsin's wildlife management division. Dean Hall, executive director of a non-profit called Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger, said he had heard anecdotal reports of more people going hunting to meet basic needs, although he had no statistics.

But his organisation, which provides venison donated by hunters to food banks and shelters, has seen a 50 per cent rise in demand this year. "With so many people let loose from their jobs or businesses going under, we've gotten quite a few more calls for assistance," Hall said.

Wildlife regulators hope at least some of those who took up hunting during the virus outbreak will continue after it ends. Claire Grigsby, 14, of Traverse City, Michigan, said she's enjoying hunting with her dad and helping feed their family, pandemic or no.

"My favourite part is just being able to be in nature and see deer and birds and all kinds of animals," she said..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)