As we begin our accent into autumn 2025, news about the dwindling populations of hunters has been filtering in. Most hunters I know would be hard pressed to complain about finding less hunting pressure in their favorite spot, but as Baby Boomers now account for the largest contingency of hunters in our nation, it’s clear that more hunters are needed to secure the continuation of the sport. Many Boomers have already begun to age out of hunting, and as that continues, hunter numbers could drop by as much as 40% in the next 10 years. Add that to the problems associated with much-needed funding for wildlife management and future advocacy efforts, and this suddenly becomes important stuff for people like you and me.
Hunting participation peaked around 1982 with 17 million hunters nationwide. Since then, numbers have steadily declined with the loss of 2.2 million more between 2011 and 2017. By 2024 just about 14.5 million remained, which is less than 4% of the nation’s population. Yet, over the past few years, higher numbers of youth, middle-aged, and older adults have emerged into the sport, which is great, and is a pure confirmation that hunting is a sport for both the young and old. That said, there’s been a noticeable problem bringing older adults, especially those with no family ties in hunting, into the culture.
So how do you reach this group of people? Well, the first thing we might do would be to tell them not to fret about wanting to become a hunter at this period in their lives. Yes, it’s true that most hunters start out learning from their parents, grandparents, or at times, older siblings, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to start getting into the woods and learning, even if you’re an older adult, who comes from a family who has never hunted. The learning curve may be a little steep, but there are steps you can take to ensure you’ll have a fun and successful time in the woods, while widening your experiences as you go.
Here’s a few ideas that may help you get started. First, figure out what you want to do! When I was young, I hunted everything, and I mean everything, long before wild turkey hunting was even thought of. Eventually, my family and career responsibilities started to grow, and I soon realized that something had to change. Even though I fought it for a long time, something had to give. When you say you like to hunt, that’s like saying you want to play sports. The sports you can play are endless, and the types of hunting you can enjoy in this country are the same. You can quietly sit along a field’s edge listening for spring gobblers, take a stand along a ridgeline waiting for a wily buck, roam the high-country chasing elk, enter the “Maine woods” in search of moose, waterfowl hunt on a mysterious marsh, or simply do it all if possible while thinking about what kind of hunting you might eventually want to focus on. Then you’ll want to learn everything you can about it, and set a course to do it as best you can.
Most hunters I know would be hard pressed to complain about finding less hunting pressure in their favorite spot, but as Baby Boomers now account for the largest contingency of hunters in our nation, it’s clear that more hunters are needed to secure the continuation of the sport.
And no matter what you decide, you’ll need hunter education. This is an important part of it because hunter ed. teaches you how to stay legal, ethical, and safe when hunting. Many people don’t realize that there are seasons, rules, and restrictions of when, where, how, and what is allowed when hunting. Taking a hunter education course is also an excellent way to make new friends that are already into hunting or soon will be.
And this may be a given, but too many hunters overlook the fact that you can’t find success from the couch. Books and YouTube videos are all great resources, and with today’s internet, there’s no excuse for not getting a head start. But these things can only take you so far. Granted, looking for deer sign is much easier when you’ve seen it in a book, or hearing a turkey call on a video that you’re trying to master. But the point is, there’s no substitute for getting into the woods and learning as you go.
And this doesn’t mean you have to author a book on deer sign or wild turkey behavior. Being able to read signs will allow you to establish and learn hunting tactics, which can only help you. Getting out there and learning about habitat, what happens during different mating seasons, and what kind of foods and terrain they prefer, is part of the answer to becoming a better hunter. Combine the knowledge you gain with first-hand experience, and you’ll eventually be capable of finding success anywhere.
Finally, with so much more left to learn, give yourself some time and don’t get disheartened if your first hunts don’t always go well. There is no shame in missing a shot or occasionally messing up your set-up even when you’re a seasoned hunter. The best hunters will tell you that hunting doesn’t always go as planned, and there will always be situations that we can’t predict or simply don’t see coming, because after all, when it comes down to it, we’re all just “perfectly imperfect!”
Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the New England Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also a member of the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro/Cabela’s Pro Staff.
