The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has released the complete 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The report serves as the baseline for examining how Americans spend their time and money outdoors.

 

The 2006 Survey shows that 87.5 million U.S. residents 16 years and older participated in wildlife-related recreation during 2006—a 6 percent increase from 2001. The number of hunters and anglers fell from 37.8 million in 2001 to 33.9 million in 2006. The most recent survey also showed an 8 percent increase in the number of wildlife-watchers since 2001 but little change in total expenditures for that activity. The report provides a broader and more in-depth look at the data than the Preliminary Findings report issued in May.

There are several reasons why less folks Fish and hunt. First is Death. Service vets and Senior citizens die every day making  that many less to participate in the sports. And today's adults and kids do not jump in to take their place numbers wise.

Plus today's adults do not take their children out in the wild to teach.learn them the skills to fish and hunt.Or showing them the enjoyment Nature can provide. Like seeing a wild Mink, Muskrat, Beaver, Deer,/Fawn, Turkey, Ducks, Geese.

Next is the confounded TV, Computers, X-box's, Game Stations, and Nintendo's. Many Kids and lots of adults are glued to these things and will not go out in the wilderness to enjoy it.

It's a shame man & woman do not participate in Outdoor Sports [Fishing, Hunting, Trapping, Sight-seeing]  like the folks did in the 40's-late 70's. Still see a lot of campers but not all are in tents now they are in big comfortable trailers instead. Many equiped with those darn Tv's, computers, and games in them !!!!!

Modernization and Advanced Technology  and add in death to America's Seniors and you have started the destruction of the world. The Climate, Outdoor Sports and add the price of fuel in with all this. Now folks don't even take drives out on the old country roads at night just to see the wildlife and enjoy the fresh air. = It even costs to much to drive around for pleasure anymore.

It seems that America's Seniors, Service Vets, and the Baby Boomers will have to try their best to bring up and introduce those born from  yr. 2000 on, about the great Outdoors. Get them into Fishing and Hunting. Nature walks & Photography. Anything that will get youngsters outside, and away from the TV, Computers, and Games.

 Then maybe an interest for Mother Nature will be sparked again. If we can't convince kids and teenagers now to enjoy the Outdoors and the Activities then it's just a matter of time.

Many animals will be much more overcrowded with trees and cover torn down by man, and many will die from less or little to eat.

Fishing will become who can catch the largest Stunted fish from Ponds, Lakes, Streams, Rivers, Creeks, and Reserviors full of unharvested fish.

About the only ones going to like this in the long run will be the Fox's, Coyote's, Turtles, Raccoons, O'possum's, Crow's, Vultures, Buzzards, and anything else that eats dead fish and animals.

It seems that we as SPORTSMEN [both men and women] are in a baseball game //  score Visitiors 6 - Home 3 bottom of the 9th w/ bases loaded for Home and the count 3-2.

What Happens Next?

I took my grandchildren fishing once, 2 years ago . They are great at their innumerable computer games . Have no interest in going fishing again . My fishing partners and I still go to the lake once a month . All the fishermen I see are @ 30 or older . My youngest son  ( 29 years old ) owns a boat , not a fisherman but likes boating . Looks like his generation will be close to the last to enjoy the outdoors . I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my grandparents hunted and fished and passed these healthy pastimes on to me.     Happy fishing.

I am 24 years old I have 3 kids my sons name is Fischer for goodness sakes dont give up on the generation X yet. trust me once they get a lil more mature and have to work for a living they will find just the drive home relaxing and start fishing with guys like me at work or even hunting so once again dont give up.

 

At this point in time I work in a call center and once a Week if the weather permits did not find anyone to ice fish with me this year, I take someone new from work out fishing as a matter of fact the last one i took fishing in fall caught his first fish and it was a 50lb+ flathead measured 57 in and tipped my scale out so i know it was 50+ put it right back in the platte where it belongs took home a few good eater channels that night and gave them to one of my neighbors. trust me fishing is not going anywhere we are just going into a depression so people spend less money on stuff we dont need, and fishing is a need for me but for the other umpteen million that are not gonna buy fishing liscenses this year it prolly is not a need just something to do.

 

One more thing another reason ppl are not buying fishing and or hunting liscenses is because the Fish and game officials are doing crap jobs on catching poachers I personally have called my local Game and parks commision on more than 2 dozen occasions and when I fish I fish for the DAY and not once has any individual in the good ol Brown suit showed up.