Hoping to not start a rucus but a careful read of that story, combined with personal observations, will show many of us that there is a lot of truth there.
I've mentioned similar on another site years back and will stick to it.
The cost of a young person going hunting is muliple times what it was when I was young and is and will continue to put a huge dent in the number of "new" hunters.
High divorce rates with absentee dads allows for little time (I had 4 days a month with my son.....period) to ingrain the whole package of practice, preparation and going out hunting.
Remove time from that with "other things" the youngster wants to do with Dad, and be aware that "Dad" finds himself in a situation where choices made are different than if the child lived with him BECAUSE there is so little time allowed together.
I tried, and failed. My oldest from the example above shot 3 deer, one with a bow and two with my Renegade and decided he had done it and wanted more "active" activities that included things I knew nothing about. Working double jobs to pay the bills and support there was never ample time...........and Lord I wish I could have done that over with both my sons.
I had a constant battle with the ex. When I shot a nice buck I would stop by to let my son see it and talk to him. More often than not he was not allowed to come out because "it wasn't my weekend". I also failed in educating the ex on how much damage she was doing to our son being like that.
She did learn, and learn the hard way. Our son sees her less than he does me now.
My second son, and last, has had no interest at all. Lots of time with him but even though he spent years with me evenings, helped butcher and tagged along on rabbit and squirrel hunts, he had no interest at all in "killing anything". Shooting was "fun" but that was where he drew the line. It became a simple case of loving him enough to allow him to be "different" than I am.
This failure will plague me to my death and beyond.
I love them both more than my next breath but when season rolls around I see them less than ever because "it's deer season........Dad is out hunting" so they don't bother coming over much. It makes for a difficult season sometimes and feel they feel "put aside" due to my still fanatical hunting practices (to some......not you guys LOL) yet annual invitations to come along are met with no interest. Too many things to do, too many games to play, too many girlfriends to take their time.
Fishing was the same. They went but grew bored rapidly and these examples I quote mirror many children of friends of mine.
Oh.....some of them hunt but not habitually. A few fish but rarely often.
Coming from a divorced set of parents myself and knowing how it starts the wedge between father and son I saw the problem but didn't have the intelligence to defeat it.
Places TO hunt being in demand, COST to hunt much higher than decades back, TIME to go away from "other interests" where technology has ... and WILL CONTINUE....to starve the numbers of new hunters all paint an UGLY picture of what may be in hunting's future decades to come!
Those that wish to go "on their own" and learn with a buddy are flat out of luck. No longer will Farmer Brown give a freindly nod to youngsters running amuck with firearms like when my friends and I were out. Teens on bikes with 22s straped on the handle bars are no longer a common sight here in rural IN, in fact, I dont recall what decade I last saw that.
IMHO, and only that, there is some SCARY truths listed in the article and I have seen it coming for decades.
All this said, I just hope I am wrong, misinformed and / or stupid. This is, and has been, an area where I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT.
God Bless
Steve
