Not a new topic: Hunter participation rates falling.

The urbanization/suburbinaztion combined with the on screen age and multiplied by the covid generation and wait for it trumped with the metoric rise in single parent households hunter and fishermen participants will continue to decline.

I believe that kids that have been taught to hunt and fish and have access to land to hunt are hunting just as hard as Gen X (my gen) ever did.

My son and his group of friends hunt all the time and they travel further than I ever thought about to hunt.

It's all how the kids are raised.

I am likely in the same camp as your kid. We grew up hearing stories about how great hunting once was, with the hope that it would come back to the same, but did not. Which caused most of us to spend more time traveling to hunt - but just as mad at em. (typing this while currently heading home from hunting in Oklahoma).

Regarding public land, it has absolutely gotten worse everywhere. It's almost impossible to even door knock to get access to shoot woodducks or squirrels, much less to deer hunt or turkey hunt.

This in turn has forced most (especially my generation) to all hunt public lands which means more people on public which leads to more interactions with people (both good and bad, but mostly bad) which leads to my generation saying screw this and going home to deer hunt two times per year or take up golfing.

The amount of money it takes for a young adult to get into hunting and the amount of aggravation on public from the large influx of people forces most of us out. We are just priced out.

If public land rules were enforced and fellow hunters had even 50% of the common decency of the past -- public land would continue to be fine, but what is frustrating is the fact that every time i (and others i know) set up for a duck hunt and another group comes in 30 minutes before shooting light to set up on us within 80 yards and ruins it for everyone while refusing to hunt together like we used to when I was a kid (5-16yo) by my uncle.

Tl;Dr: the youth dont want out of hunting. we are pushed out by prices of private ground, inability to access property through door knocks, and the degrading of public land success due to the failure of others to have common decency/respect.

Got my BIL his first deer at noon today. He’s 55 years old.

Another issue in my case is that kids grow up and move away WAY more than my generation, and even moreso, the Greatest Generation, where families often lived adjacent or on the same street with other family members.

Both my boys enjoy hunting, but with the distance apart, and young babies, it’s almost impossible to get them on even one trip per year. And I’m about to lose the 1000 acres I’ve hunted for almost free for 15 years when my cousin sells the place. The other places I hunt are too Spartan for most of the current generation, even though we did scouts and spent a fair amount of time in tents.

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Regarding public land, it has absolutely gotten worse everywhere. It's almost impossible to even door knock to get access to shoot woodducks or squirrels, much less to deer hunt or turkey hunt.

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The reason for this is the litigious nature of the country now. In no way would I give someone I don't know permission hunt my land. Reason being, if one of them ended up hurt on my land, from no fault of my own, they can and would likely sue me.

It's not worth the risk.

Not sure about your state- but most states (including Louisiana) have Recreational Use Immunity for landowners to encourage landowners to let others use their property for recreational purposes, including hunting.

Might me something worth looking into in your state - that is, if you're truly willing to allow a door knocker access.

Also something to keep in your back pocket if you're ever the one door knocking.

I agree regarding wanting it bad enough you'll make it happen.

On other hand, i guess i am a bellyacher as I 100% believe that woodsmanship has completely deteriorated and left the picture (at least related to duck hunting and turkey hunting). Don't get me wrong there have always been those without it, but in todays world there seems to be very very little of it.

When I deer hunt, I hunt nearly 100% public in SELA, and the etiquette/woodsmanship among deer hunters where I hunt is fantastic as I am surrounded by "old men" who have hunted the property since long before it was even a federal area and simply respect each other.

Congrats to ya buddy on the deer. There are still plenty of deer to be killed on Louisiana public.

They killed 7 good ducks this morning with Kemo Jr, quit complaining dood.
So glad he asked him to hunt this morning, it’s possible that they will eventually fall into a great speck blind we can hunt for free!

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Most of the bellyaching is from people who don’t want it bad enough to put in the effort.

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I disagree. I put in the effort. One of the problems is that it’s becoming almost effortless. For example, Sunday morning I went in in the blind. Walked a good ways and then ran into a “recovery” atv trail I didn’t know was there. A damn highway through the woods running all the way down the ridge from the road. Even walking, it makes it so much easier.
That, plus ONX makes it impossible to find stuff that others don’t know about. Social media like THP has everybody thinking big bucks are everywhere on public so pressure has gotten insane. Then you have the folks that walk in 10 minutes before legal, shining white lights everywhere, after you slipped in quiet with a dim red light an hour early to let the woods settle down.
I’m all for people wanting to kill nice bucks on public land. It’s literally what I do. But they go in thinking those bucks are everywhere, then shoot the first 1yo fork horn they see because waiting for big boy sounded fun, but they lack the patience to actually do it.

Long story short, public land really is going to shite. I’m watching it happen very quickly.