The United States had a total of 13,996,353 hunters in 49 States who purchased one or more hunting licenses during 1962, the Department of the Interior reported today following receipt of information from State fish and game departments. The licenses cost nearly $64 million.
Figures on the number of paid license holder are used as a basis for distributing Federal-aid funds for wildlife restoration projects. The 1961 total was 11,798,890, but did not include four states.
Although information on the number of hunters from one State, where hunting is a major sport, was not available for 1962, the Department did receive a complete count on the total number of licenses, tags, stamps, and permits, issued in all 50 states—18,175,396—and the amount paid $63,983,798 which was $78,984 less than 1961.
The number of licensed hunters does not accurately reflect the total number of persons who hunt because many are not required to purchase a license. Previous national surveys by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife on fishing and hunting indicate there are approximately 15,000,000 hunters.
Figures supplied by State fish and game departments for 1962 indicate that the number of persons buying one or more hunting licenses varies from year to year. The number of licenses sold is influenced by several factors, including weather conditions and the relative abundance of game. Many States permit land owners to hunt on their own lands without purchasing licenses.
Some States require sportsmen to purchase separate licenses, stamps, permits or tags for hunting different kinds of game, as well as for hunting in different areas. Other States issue only one license for all game hunting. In many States minors are not required to purchase hunting licenses.
The attached table gives further details regarding 1962 hunting licenses.
State Paid hunting Resident Hunting Non-Resident Total Gross
License holders Licenses, Tags, Permits Licenses, Tags, Permits to hunters
& Stamps issued & Stamps issued
Alabama 309,391 305,293 4,098 309,391 $733,967
Alaska 37,618 41,235 3020 44255 309,839
Arizona 123,445 257,542 6,643 264,185 859,667
Arkansas 255,269 242,143 13,126 255,269 807,152
California 625,844 1,300,580 1,545 1,203,125 3,721,881
Colorado --3 349,355 77,210 426,565 3, 843,942
Connecticut 53,878 53,594 284 53,878 191,941
Delaware 24,054 23,673 381 24,054 58,449
Florida 170,061 168,311 1,750 170,061 867,538
Georgia 240,779 236,581 4,198 240,779 618,336
Hawaii 6,924 6,806 142 6,948 33,992
Idaho 171,060 360,839 14,082 374,921 1,012,629
Illinois 468,586 509,100 6,201 515,301 1,827,012
Indiana 607,686 625,876 2,797 628,673 859,012
Iowa 308,148 312,295 5448 317,743 877,780
Kansas 205,881 371,978 13,247 385,225 954,319
Kentucky 228,877 235,202 5,698 240,900 888,196
Louisiana 249,338 307,238 2,129 309,367 632,741
Maine 175,787 146,316 28,042 174,358 1,034,872
Maryland 158,589 221,523 6,029 227,552 741,750
Mass. 115,975 130,034 1,712 131,746 627,755
Michigan 1,086,506 1,074,762 15,533 1,090,295 4,528,228
Minnesota 638,450 620,119 1,899 622,018 1,527,071
Mississippi 197,933 207,990 5,392 213,382 495,183
Missouri 333,087 404,785 5,896 410,6811,599,862
Montana 202,886 311,265 19,292 330,557 1,428,554
Nebraska 192,741 350,575 11,713 362,288 717,828
Nevada 44,226 55,754 21,997 77,751 644,370
New Hamp. 80,345 71,239 17,515 88.754 572,981
New Jersey 193,695 209,672 3,402 213,074 607,897
New Mexico 111,400 124,642 4,097 128,739 818,514
New York 685,172 913,624 40,008 953,632 3,336,483
North Carolina 382,518 428,685 6,551 435,236 1,340,885
North Dakota 80.917 116,092 1,281 117,373 487,215
Ohio 625,846 623,125 3,421 626,546 1,296,935
Oklahoma 212,076 252,798 2391 255,188 599,536
Oregon 310,965 637,502 3,953 641,455 1,904,889
Pennsylvania 981,527 1,207,560 46,699 1,254,259 4,253,715
Rhode Island 12,149 12,907 255 13,162 41,920
South Carolina 171,979 166,315 5,664 171,979 527,664
South Dakota 209,192 170,835 50,619 221,454 1,826,207
Tennessee 431,197 492,583 3,173 495,756 903,024
Texas 503,539 509,026 3,945 512,971 1,693,393
Utah 177,857 183,238 49,732  
