The New Future of Hunting and Fishing

There is a clear and present need for research that scientifically forecasts future hunting and fishing participation and soundly conveys how participation changes affect state wildlife agencies. Previous iterations of The Future of Hunting and Fishing Project (Chase, 2012; Chase, 2017) indicated a cohort of individuals in their mid-50s who are consistently more likely to hunt and fish regardless of the current year or age. However, this cohort is aging to the point where they will physically no longer participate in outdoor recreation. As a result, hunting and fishing participation is projected to decline, along with associated purchases, and at this point, conservation's fiscal stability will likely be challenged. The New Future of Hunting and Fishing Project is a five-year update on past research on nationwide hunting and angling trends. In the past five years, R3 efforts have increased significantly in volume and efficacy, perhaps changing the tide of future hunting and angling numbers. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for more discretionary time and instigated a return to nature. We intend to conduct an Age-Period-Cohort analysis on nationwide hunting and fishing data to update past predictions of license volume and identify how contemporary influences such as R3 efforts and the COVID-19 pandemic have altered previous predictions. This study will provide state fish and wildlife agencies and interested stakeholders with the information to make impending financial and business decisions. Our evaluation will also determine: 1) if R3 event participants are recruited at a significantly higher rate than nonparticipants, 2) the attributes of participants that are recruited at higher rates, 3) the types of participants that continue to participate in hunting activities after participating in R3 events, 4) the age groups or other demographics that respond better to R3 events, and 5) the pattern(s) of individuals most receptive to R3 events.