According to HunterSurvey.com, almost 25% of hunters said they hunted more than they expected to in 2009 and 40% said they hunted about as much as they expected to.
Results from this poll support the finding that hunting license sales rose by 3.5% in 2009 in the 12 states that make up the National Shooting Sports Foundations Hunting License Sales Index.
While several factors can affect hunting licenses sales, experts point to the high jobless rate as the most likely reason for the 2009 uptick in license sales.
While the exact reasons for the 3.5% increase are unknown at this time, past research suggests that slowdowns in the nations economy often result in hunters having more time to go afield, said Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates, Inc.
States participating in the NSSF License Sales Index are New York and New Jersey in the Northeast; Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee in the Southeast; Minnesota, Indiana, Tennessee and Texas in the Midwest; and Oregon and Utah in the West.
Typically, hunting license sales data does not become available until 18 to 24 months after sales end. NSSF and Southwick Associates saw there was a need to work directly with states to receive data in a more timely matter, said Jim Curcuruto, NSSFs director of industry research and analysis.
The NSSF Hunting License Sales Index is designed to be an indicator of hunting license sales but not an exact measure of all hunting license sales nationally. Should the 3.5% rise hold true nationwide, it would represent one of the largest percentage increases in hunting license sales in more than 20 years.
