Newsgroups: talk.politics.animals
Subject: Re: Why Hunters Quit
From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:58:55 EST
Organization: Wright State University 

In article <altar.703144584@sfu.ca>, altar@beaufort.sfu.ca (Ted Wayn Altar) writes:
>  
>      What stated reasons do hunters themselves give for quitting?
> Believe it not, not only a few quit, but quite a significant
> number within a short period of time from first starting.  That
> was the question posed to 296 people who first hunted in New
> Jersey in 1976 but who did not purchase a hunting licence in
> 1981.
>  
>      Over the past decade there has been about a 30% overall
> decline in New Jersey's hunting-licence sales.  You can be
> assured that the "wildlife management" officials are mighty
> worried since the larger portion of their salaries comes from
> these licence sales.  Such, is the weakness of a system of
> wildlife "protection" that would make that system depended upon a
> vested interest group (hence, we have not wildlife protection,
> but "management").  The following results were compiled by
> trained interviewers at the Eagleton Instutite at Rutgers
> University.  Based upon a content analysis of responses to an
> earlier open-ended questionnaire, a set of 10 reasons for
> quitting were educed.  A sample of 296 "deserters" were then ask
> to rate each of the 10 reasons.  The following results are from
> James Applegate (1989; Dept. of Horticulture and Forestry,
> Rutgers University).  "Patterns of Early Desertion Among New
> Jersey Hunters".  WILD. SOC. BULL., 74:476-481. (note their
> obvious worry as expressed by referring to attrition as
> "desertion")
>  
>  
>            Reasons why former hunters did not purchase
>             a hunting licence in New Jersey in 1981.
>                                 
> reason                                       very        not very
>                                            important    important
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> 1.  Other things I like better
>      than hunting .........................  54%            45%
> 2.  Too many other hunters ................  35%            65%
> 3.  No good hunting places ................  34%            66%
> 4.  Hunting is more expensive
>       than I thought ......................  26%            74%
> 5.  Don't like to kill animals ............  21%            77%
> 6.  Hunting not as much fun          
>       as I thought ........................  20%            80%
> 7.  Can't get anything while
>       hunting .............................  18%            82%
> 8.  Now one to hunt with ..................  16%            84%
> 9.  Don't have equipment to hunt ..........  12%            88%
> 10.  Some people I know disapprove
>       of hunting ..........................  11%            89%
>  
>  
>      Now, the first thing that our inveterate hunters should note
> is that it is not us AR folk who are threatening your so-called
> "sport", but rather, it is that the activity of hunting
> inherently is not all that interesting or challenging (I know,
> you will noisily testify otherwise, but stop thinking about
> yourself for a moment and keep in mind that we are talking about
> those people who do quit, why they quit).  The most often cited
> reason for quitting was simply that there are other more
> interesting or meaningful recreational options to be preferred
> over that of hunting.  Incidentally, residential proximity to
> hunting had no relation whatsoever to this "desertion".
>  
>      The next most often cited reasons simply bear on what
> hunters themselves are doing to themselves.  I regret to say that
> you and your "sport" are your own worst enemies.  Too many of you
> are stalking after that one Bambi.  It is crowded out there, and
> it is no wonder that hunting firearm deaths and crippling are a
> serious problem (see "Hunting Firearm Injuries" AMER. J. OF
> PUBLIC HEALTH, 1988, 78(12): 1585).
>  


As for hunting injuries and deaths, I fail to see that it is any kind
of a serious problem, especiallly in our state.  Hunters are required
to undergo a several hour class in safety.  I dont think there have
been more than a total of five deaths over several year span.  Not
a significant number, considering how many people die overall.


>      Note that only 1 in 5 chose ethics (5th on the list) as one
> of the reasons prompting their not bothering to purchase a
> hunting licence.  Not very impressive, is it?  With respect to
> social pressure, only 11% chose reason #10 as having any weight
> in their decision (the least frequently chosen reason).  And what
> might we conclude from this?  Again, it is not us AR folk that
> are your worst enemies, nor is it even your conscience, or even
> social disapproval by friends, etc.  So why are you Elmer Fudds so
> hostile to us harmless AR wabbit folk?  Looking for a scapegoat?
> What the above results show is that according to ex-hunters
> themselves, it is inherent to hunting that this killing of
> harmless animals is simply less interesting than many other
> things, and it is you yourselves and the loss of habitat that is
> destroying the opportunity for easy kills and even its "pleasure"
> (such as it may be for whatever cross-grained reason).  So guys,
> don't blame us if your numbers are declining, blame this "sport"
> for being uninteresting and yourselves for finding better things
> to do.
>  
>                                               ted
>  

Don't know what state you live in, but here in Ohio, no lack of hunters.

Lots of deer still, hundreds of them, thousands of them.  They get 
killed on the highways in numbers almost larger than the number shot
by hunters.