Sportsmen numbers are on the upswing

The number of paid hunting and fishing license holders in the United States increased slightly from 2003 to 2004, and sportsmen’s advocates say that’s welcome news.

The number of paid hunting license holders increased .3 percent from 14,740,188 to 14,779,071, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent National Hunting License Report. The stabilization is welcome following a long downward trend, said Jodi Valenta of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Paid fishing license holders increased 2.1 percent from 27,908,272 in 2003 to 28,499,206. A sportfishing industry spokesman said the trend of flat or slightly decreasing numbers may be on the upswing.

“Angling is one of America’s most popular participation sports,” said Mike Nussman, president of the American Sportfishing Association. “It’s a sport that everyone can enjoy.”

About 31.6 million resident fishing licenses, tags and permits were sold last year, an increase of nearly 2 percent from 2003. Nonresident license sales increased 3.7 percent to 6.6 million.

The gross cost paid by anglers in 2004 for licenses, tags, permits and stamps—the primary funding source for sportfish conservation and management programs in America—was $540.9 million, an increase of 5.3 percent over 2003.

One in 10 Americans has a fishing license. The number of anglers in America peaked in the mid-1980s at 31.5 million when they comprised about 19 percent of the U.S. population.

Hunters have shown a similar trend.

Hunting license holders represent about 5 percent of the U.S. population. Hunter numbers also peaked in the mid-1980s, at 16.8 million or about 9 percent of the population at that time.

“Over the past 20 years, good news about hunter numbers has been hard to find, but now we’ve seen increases in two of the past six years,” Valenta said. “I believe that’s a tribute to the many wonderful programs today that are designed to recruit and retain hunters.”

The number of resident licenses, tags, permits and stamps issued in 2004 increased 4.1 percent in 2004 to 33,111,202. More than 3 million non-resident licenses and tags were sold, an increase of 5.6 percent.

Gross cost paid by hunters for licenses, tags, permits and stamps—the primary funding source for wildlife conservation and management programs in America—was nearly $704 million, an increase of 3.5 percent.