Children and Hunting Numbers and Statistics

1. How many days per year do you hunt?

1-5 14%

6-15 26%

16-30 19%

30+ 41%

2. Where do you do most of your hunting?

68% PRIVATE

32% PUBLIC

3. Do your friends think hunting is cool?

82% YES

18% NO

4. Have you ever hunted with a guide?

92% No

8% Yes

5. What age do you think young people should be able to hunt without supervision?

2% 8 + under

5% 9-11

28% 12-14

54% 15-17

11% 18 + older

6. Does your school ever close for hunting seasons?

No 91%

Yes 9%

7. Is it easy to find places to hunt?

48% NO

52% YES

8. Which of the following game do you enjoy hunting the most?

48% Whitetail deer

10% Rabbits/squirrels

10% Ducks/geese

7% Turkeys

5% Pheasants

5% Other animals

3% Mule deer

3% Elk/antelope

2% Bears

2% Quail

2% Other birds

1% Predators

9. At what age do you think a kid should be taken on his/her first hunt?

43% 8 + under

36% 9-11

18% 12-14

3% 15-17

10. Do other sports conflict with hunting time?

56% Yes

44% No

11. How often do you eat what you kill?

NEVER 2%

SOMETIMES 12%

ALWAYS 86%

12. Have you ever been teased about hunting?

NO 63%

YES 37%

13. Do any of your teachers ever say that hunting is wrong?

yes 58%

no 42%

14. Do you hunt without adult supervision?

57% YES

43% NO

15. Do you travel to go hunting?

64% YES

36% NO

16. At what age should a kid be taught to shoot a gun?

8 + under 43%

9-11 42%

12-14 14%

15-17 1%

17. Who taught you how to hunt?

18% Friend

10% Grandparent

6% Instructor

5% Other

61%=Father

18. How many of your friends hunt?

1-3 35%

7-10 17%

4-6 24%

10+ 24%

“I like a lot of things about hunting. Spending time with Dad is probably the best.” –Jonathan Walton, 14, Houston, Texas

“I like to hunt because it’s in my blood.” –Josh Fitzgerald, 15, Petersburg, Pa.

Why do you like to hunt?

“It’s always more fun to eat something wild than something you bought from a store.” –Dustin Danielson, 14, Singer, La.

What advice would you give to adults who want to teach kids to hunt?

“Don’t always yell at them if they’re not being quiet. Just let them have fun.” –Daniel Merrell, 15, Erlanger, Ky.

“One of the best parts about learning to hunt was that my dad answered all of my questions, no matter how silly they seemed.” –Tia Currier, 20, Bridgewater, Va.

DADDY’S GIRL Danny Soldan, 12, and her father, hunting guide Dan Soldan, in west-central Michigan. GOOD TIMES Kevin Spander laughing in a Missouri duck blind. With him are Caleb Romero and adult Chris Irwin.