Despite crossbow supporters claims legalizing crossbows does nothing for overall hunter retention or recruitment. If one want challenge they use a bow, if not they use guns. Noone is going to come out of the blue and say guns are legal bows are legal muzzleloaders are legal but I am not hunting until CROSSBOWS ARE! (duh!)
Ace, heres the stats you requested.
Article in GON. Shows Georgia is losing hunters at a record all time pace even though crossbows were legalized in 2003....Read and weep!
By GON Staff
Posted Monday May 8 2006, 11:57 AM
The number of Georgia deer hunters has declined more than 10 percent over the past two seasons making it more important than ever to introduce young hunters to the sport.
Enlarge Image
The WRD is completing hunter-survey data from Georgia’s 2005-06 deer season, and the information on hunter numbers is not good.
Deer-hunter numbers continued to decline at an alarming rate. According to the survey, the number of deer hunters in Georgia last season, including licensed resident, honorary license holder, and non-resident hunters, was 238,000, a decline of 30,561 hunters over the 2004-05 season. The numbers represent an 11.4 percent decline in one year — the largest annual percentage decline in hunter numbers during the past five years, exceeding the decline of 5.8 percent between 2002 and 2003.
During the five years since the 2001-02 hunting season, the number of deer hunters in Georgia has dropped by 54,209, or 18.5 percent.
With fewer hunters in the woods last year the statewide deer harvest also dropped, from 348,760 deer during the 2004-05 season to 319,000 last season, a decline of 8.5 percent.
“The bottom line is that we are losing hunters,” said WRD Assistant Chief of Game Management John Bowers. “And when you lose hunters, your deer harvest is going to go down. If you look at the big picture of deer management across the state it is disturbing long term. In another 10 to 15 years, if not sooner, deer management (with low numbers of deer hunters) is going to be a serious issue.”
Ace, heres the stats you requested.
Article in GON. Shows Georgia is losing hunters at a record all time pace even though crossbows were legalized in 2003....Read and weep!
By GON Staff
Posted Monday May 8 2006, 11:57 AM
The number of Georgia deer hunters has declined more than 10 percent over the past two seasons making it more important than ever to introduce young hunters to the sport.
Enlarge Image
The WRD is completing hunter-survey data from Georgia’s 2005-06 deer season, and the information on hunter numbers is not good.
Deer-hunter numbers continued to decline at an alarming rate. According to the survey, the number of deer hunters in Georgia last season, including licensed resident, honorary license holder, and non-resident hunters, was 238,000, a decline of 30,561 hunters over the 2004-05 season. The numbers represent an 11.4 percent decline in one year — the largest annual percentage decline in hunter numbers during the past five years, exceeding the decline of 5.8 percent between 2002 and 2003.
During the five years since the 2001-02 hunting season, the number of deer hunters in Georgia has dropped by 54,209, or 18.5 percent.
With fewer hunters in the woods last year the statewide deer harvest also dropped, from 348,760 deer during the 2004-05 season to 319,000 last season, a decline of 8.5 percent.
“The bottom line is that we are losing hunters,” said WRD Assistant Chief of Game Management John Bowers. “And when you lose hunters, your deer harvest is going to go down. If you look at the big picture of deer management across the state it is disturbing long term. In another 10 to 15 years, if not sooner, deer management (with low numbers of deer hunters) is going to be a serious issue.”
