Getting Harder to find younger hunters to commit?

[sawbill]

If they can't do it in front of the TV , use an Ipod or Text iten they're not interested. Just about any activity involving physically moving their body they have little interest in--unless its borrowing daddy's car.

[JBen]

I think a few people have touched on a few possible under lying reasons.

Doubt I will ever go Moose hunting. Despite having a fair bit of freedom for days here, weekend get aways. Extended trips are very difficult. Then to we have a statistically proven declining quality of life. We work longer for less. What does this mean for young families? It means unlike my parents, mom and dad are working longer for less, if dad goes away for two weeks, mom is left to care for the kids, do the shopping, the laundry, get little Johnny to hockey/soccer...and join the rat race.

When I was growing up cable TV was a new fangled thing. I relied on getting out of the house, seeing my friends, doing things to socialize. Todays younger society "socializes" on Facebook, texting etc.

Whats one of the biggest draws to going to hunting?
Camaraderie.

Used to be, no such thing as Facebook, texting, the web and forums


Re the expense.
No kidding, Ive spent a small fortune getting equipped for this/that. I still don't have a truck or ATV despite a growing need. Can't imagine what its like for a 20 something trying to get outfitted with a baby on the way or in the crib

[bucketboy]

With the comments posted do you think that with the end of the boomer generation the hunting camps too will subside as the next generation hasnt the time, interest or money?

[Fisherman]

I'm thinking you're pretty much right on, if it doesn't have wifi or a cell tower nearby, it's a no go.

[MikePal]

WiFi...Cell tower..Heck I know of two lads who wouldn't come to our camp because we didn't have satellite TV...( in fact we don't have a TV..period). They opted to go to the camp down the road ( same family).

Can't imagine them going to a Moose camp with NO electricity.

[baby123]

yup hunted moose for 25 years..then group went down to 4..now they have lost their jobs so no go..and i drew a bull tag..My son went when he was 16 and shot a bull first day..and the following year his buddy went with us and shot a cow..both said it was too easy and havent been back...that was in 1995...have been trying to recruite some new guys but the cost and the 16 hr drive scares them off.

[Fionn]

If they can't do it in front of the TV , use an Ipod or Text iten they're not interested. Just about any activity involving physically moving their body they have little interest in--unless its borrowing daddy's car.

I'm hesitant to agree with you - I don't think this is the norm. I'm one of the younger members (just a little under 30) at our camp, and I love turning off my work phone and disconnecting. So do many others in the camp. While the 'older' generation likes to read paper, I buy books on my iPad. So while we're doing the same thing when relaxing at the end of the day, I use a different medium to do it. That doesn't mean I'm all over social media and can't live without it, in fact, I love getting away from it. Until recently, we did not have cell service at our camp; the addition of it has enabled far better communication while in the hunt.

As for young hunters, we have a mixed bag. Two of the newer members are active in planning and executing hunt strategy with fading input from the older generation, as well as opening and closing the camp -- the first to arrive and the last to leave. While some others arrive when all the preparation has been done and leave before camp gets closed. This is fine too, everyone gets some work done, and I think the 'overachievers' are fine with their role, while the ones who might do a little less are fine with this as well.

New recruitment has been tough to say the least. Those who weren't raised in a hunting family, or brought into the experience with hunting friends at a younger age, are less likely to be interested. One guy in particular has been 'trying' to get his PAL & Hunter Ed done for about 10 years. This year he lost a $200 bet as he still doesn't have his license. It seems that if you're brought up in a camp, you stay with that camp as your friends and family are there. If you're not brought up in a camp, or a hunting family, I think it is a harder sport to break into for numerous reasons (i.e. licensing, access to knowledge, property, and friends to do it with). Compare to a league sport, you sign up, buy the gear, and go to the arena/diamond/field/pitch etc.

We have also had issues finding people who are the 'right fit' for the camp. Let me explain. We love to hunt, but its not our priority. Yes we're all at the camp for a common goal - deer. However, the priority is much greater than weighing down the meat pole. Its the camaraderie and friendships developed year over year. More than anything, we like to enjoy ourselves. Its not a big deal if we're not in the bush at first light; if we don't hunt all day; if we only get in 2 hunts instead of 3 - no biggie. The right attitude is hard to find. I don't think we're being too selective, but the camp belongs to the members and we want to continue to enjoy it the way we have been and are continuing to enjoy it. This year there are 5 new guests coming out for the deer hunt, all the members are excited. It is certainly the exception to the rule. It will be the first year in about 10 that we have a FULL camp.

[TurkeyRookie]

We got one new member, first one since my brother and I were old enough to join. He is a buddy of mine, and has no problem committing time and resources to the effort.

He is a stand up guy, and very dependable and reliable, which is why he was invited.

I don't know if it's hard to find guys to commit, or just hard to find the RIGHT guys.

[Lakon]

At the end of the day, age only plays a small role in getting people to commit. I can assure you that all of today's diehard older moose/deer hunters were -years ago- diehard young hunters. For all the young guys out there a little piece of advice, choose your company wisely, take your time selecting hunting partners and once you establish a good core group of guys (usually 2-3) stick with them. People say and do stupid things sometimes, take a deep breath carry on and ignore, we all are guilty of it.
I don't have an issue with guys outright stating that they can't make it to camp on a particular year, the problem I have is with the "serial offenders" that yank your chain, promise to show up and come up with a lame-azz excuse for not showing up. Ring a bell? Usually every camp has a number of these guys. The members that really enjoy the comradery, atmosphere and thrill of the hunt work hard to plan, improve and enjoy the camps. Sadly, not every member thinks this way, many of them are stragglers that choose not to take the time,money or effort and join in the work. I've learned over the years not to take it personally, I work my darndest for the good of the camp and enjoy every minute of it while I'm there and constantly plan for future years when I'm not.

[blasted_saber]

If they can't do it in front of the TV , use an Ipod or Text iten they're not interested. Just about any activity involving physically moving their body they have little interest in--unless its borrowing daddy's car.

I usually agree with you Sawbill but this is pushing it. Its not cheap to go hunting, and whether you want to believe it or not, the cost of living has gone up since you were in your 20s. If I wasnt blessed and lucky enough to be born into a family with an established hunt camp, which costs me nothing except helping out, there is no chance I'd be able to take off a week for both moose and deer. In fact I'd struggle with just one week.