Recruitment and Retention of Hunters and Anglers: 2000-2015

A historical and demographic description and analysis of hunting and fishing participation, recruitment, and retention. The number of anglers in 2016 was a significant increase over the number in 2006, according to the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The number of hunters in 2016 was a significant decrease from the number in 2006. Light can be shed on these participation trends by looking at the changes in the number of new recruits and changes in the number of participants who have continued to participate in the sport. This report first looks at the long-term trend in participation, going back to the first National Survey in 1955. Both the number of participants 16 years and older and the participation rates of these participants are presented. This puts current participation in perspective. Recruitment and retention are then examined in total, for the male and female cohorts, and by age. This analysis builds on a previous report written by Jerry Leonard and the author after the 2011 Survey, “Fishing and Hunting Recruitment and Retention in the U.S. from 1990 to 2010: Addendum to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation” Report 2011-5. The 2011 report has more detail and is well worth reading in conjunction with this report. The number of anglers in 2016 was a significant increase over the number in 2006, according to the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The number of hunters in 2016 was a significant decrease from the number in 2006. Light can be shed on these participation trends by looking at the changes in the number of new recruits and changes in the number of participants who have continued to participate in the sport. This report first looks at the long-term trend in participation, going back to the first National Survey in 1955. Both the number of participants 16 years and older and the participation rates of these participants are presented. This puts current participation in perspective. Recruitment and retention are then examined in total, for the male and female cohorts, and by age. This analysis builds on a previous report written by Jerry Leonard and the author after the 2011 Survey, “Fishing and Hunting Recruitment and Retention in the U.S. from 1990 to 2010: Addendum to the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation” Report 2011-5. The 2011 report has more detail and is well worth reading in conjunction with this report.