I think there's a trend for less hunters......I think where it gets confused as it being the opposite is due to the fact that there has been a decline in habitat combined with the increased lease prices driving the average man out of the game and forcing more and more folks who used to lease land to look to public hunting. .....JMO
And there is little that anyone can do to stop the trend - other then to band together in hunting clubs that control as much land as possible for their club.
Of course, anyone is also free to improve their lot in life and produce more income so they can afford or be willing to spend more on the outdoor lifestyle. Or spend more on whatever it is they want.
The problem I have with some in this thread and the other threads is they keep making complaints on here - with the subtle (or not so subtle) call for government intervention to redistribute resources from out of private hands and into their greedy socialist hands.
