Follow the $$$.

In this case, it’s all about folks with enough extra to spend big $$. Turkey Neck’s assessment is correct, with some other variables thrown in the mix.

Look at the cost of - access to property, weapons, clothes, boots, gear, anything hunting related. The cost is skyrocketing and that’s an understatement. However, a hunter like myself has the same small amount of extra to spend on hunting that I had 10 and 20 and 30 years ago. And for various reasons the experience has declined. Bad recipe, but nothing really new. It’s been a big money game for a while.

I think that there are more people hunting. BUT, they are hunting less individually than in the past.

I also think that for a myriad of reasons, a much higher percentage of them are declining to buy license.

You guys near the coast really do have a raw deal when it comes to deer hunting. You have to drive a long ways to get into good areas.

yeah, but the sumbitches have ALL the fish.....

That we do ! Fresh and Saltwater....hence why my daughter has basically given up deer hunting but she has 3 boats lol.

There’s been a big swing in the habitat type/usage from “the good old days”……There’s way more urban sprawl these days……habitat fragmentation…… along with lots of cattle being raised. Back in the good ol’ days most of Alabama was rural, less fragmented and people in the blackbelt were growing crops. Things are set up differently now. Deer can inhabit those subdivisions and urban outskirts but there’s a higher density of hunters when you divide the remaining habitat up into 100 acre parcels....500 acre parcels....etc……The black belt can still produce some dandies but when the vast majority of the acreage is worn out cattle pasture….then the amount of total deer to go around is much fewer. Add coyotes into the situation and here we are……..

I joined a club in Conecuh county in 1990. 3000 acres, 20 members, dues $400.00 per year and the hunting was great, fast forward to 2017, 1800 acres,12 members $1900.00 dues. The hunting is nothing compared to what it like before pine plantations. Add the price of an out of state Lic. and $100 or so dollars a week for fuel and food. I can understand why some folks hang it up. I feel fortunate to have been able to hunt this land when the wildlife was plentiful and we still had hardwoods.