Was giving this a thought the other day. When I go to the TFF, there are always tons of people there. Gave it some thought though,and it kind makes sense. It is cheaper to fish then hunt.....correct?? Most lakes are public so that makes sense. The other thing that bugs me though is all this talk about declining number of hunters, every yr. I don't know if that's PETA, or we have just lost interest in the sport. Well???

I don't know if we are outnumbered or not, but I know the economy seems to be keeping a lot of people from spending extra money on hunting leases. There are a couple leases I know of around here that very rarely have openings that have had people get off in the last couple years. And it seems like kids now aren't as interested in hunting either.

A cane pole is cheaper than a rifle, but then again some of them bass fisher men have bass boats that cost as much as a house!

I think there are many more fisher men than hunters. People like Rowel in Odessa make people want to stay out of the woods.

agree with twice70. the cost of hunting is high and the fun factor seems to be dwindling. i know my 2 boys are still anxious about going with me and hopefully it will continue. unless you have a .22 the cost of shooting is expensive also.

I fish a lot sometimes and we always have a good time on the water. to me, a boat is a very good investment for my family. i have a lot of great memories from fishing with the family and hope to build more of them while hunting too.

fishing has some advatanges. say you buy a boat, you've basically just given yourself access to thousands of square miles of "public" land.

compare that to a upper end deer lease, and even with a boat it's cheaper... mainly that you have something for the money you put in (a boat), compared to a lease payment, which you could lose at any time.

I enjoy both but will admit hunting/shooting is more expensive. I can fish the local stock tank and fry up a bunch later for literally no cost involved.

The dove we put on the grill........figure in the cost of your license, shotgun shells, gas money. Those lil birds definitely run more than the fish, but honestly I don't care.

Anytime spent outdoors with family/friends is worth it's weight in gold.

Good news!!! the biggest growing segment with in hunters are Women!!! i think thats awsome by the way...hurts my pocket book but awsome.


There ahs always been more draw to fishing then hunting... Easy to start.

economics 101... I think its access that keeps folks from hunting, as stated, there's alot of water out there thats free access

Along with the dwindling interest is the cost. As stated above, you can fish for almost nothing. Not everyone can afford to hunt but they can to fish. The whole family can make it an outing and participate, can you do that on a lease? For the most part, no. Hunting, and not just in Texas, has become a rich mans sport. I hunt in NM every year because at this time I can still afford it. The only way I can hunt here is to apply for the draws. There are numerous lakes, streams, and gulf shoreline that we can take advantage of and do. We live in a fishermans dream. I would love to be able to take my son hunting one day but I really don't know if that will happen. This is where the decline in hunting is occurring. In todays economic times, it's not easy to justify the cost when that same money can pay the mortgage and put food on the table. I see this and it really saddens me. I remember going on family hunting trips to Sonora in the 70's and it still being one of the best times ever. Besides the cost, kids have so much more to do that they don't have the time anymore. I could go on and on but we here seem to understand where we are heading and it's kind of scary.

It's a lot easier to be a self-proclaimed semi-pro bass angler than it is to say you are an expert deer managing ranch owner.

I love fishing, but it is against my religion to fish Oct-Jan.

I don't know if my style fishing is cheaper that hunting or not... I have a decent boat, decent truck and decent gear but none of them are great.

Boat=about 2k a year on payments
Fuel=around 1k
replacing or buying new gear= a t least $1500

So I would guess I spend every year 4k-5k a year chasing bass. I am probably on the low end of guys who fish a few tourneys a year and I am more of the weekend guy that a person who gets to go 4-5 times a week.

Both keep me pretty busy year around. Some people don't have the time or family that'll put up with both. I'd say you can spend equal amounts on fishing/hunting, depending on a number of things.

Time of year. Compare the fishing forum to hunting forum in mid October.

At one time almost all the private land around here was accessible. All you had to do was drive up to the owners' house, get out and talk awhile, ask for permission to hunt and it was a done deal.
Now, if you ask, you get replies anywhere from - "We don't need the trouble from insurance" - to - "The people that hunted last time left such a mess". Yeah - one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch...I reckon.

There are more Wussies in texas

There have always been more fisherman than hunters from what I've seen. I think some of it has to do with what you expect to get out of your hobby. I think that for those who have quit hunting, at the end of the day, when the only person asking and answering questions is YOURSELF, answers may begin to take the form of how much fun is this hobby really for me, or do I have the money to do this to the level I'd like to, what is my real motivation, etc. Let's face it, there are lots of hobbies that are cheaper and can be very rewarding in different ways. It's still a hobby in most folks eyes.

I know several who just got sick of having to pay so much money to hunt. It literally comes down to them being able to fish for very little at great lakes year round, or spend a lot of money to access one relatively small area and only be able to do certain, limited activities. Not so much that these folks DON'T hunt, they just don't hunt leases and pretty much tag along when invited. They have boats that cost about what one year on a really good lease would cost. The trucks..they'd have had those anyway, and the other expenses probably still come out cheaper.

Now me PERSONALLY, I have realized that my desire to be outdoors is about the adventure, not necessarily about catching or killing something. In that vein, I have pursuits that may seem 'pie in the sky' to some because of the goal(s) I pursue, but it's still the thrill of the hunt and being outdoors. I also discovered that I can't stand to hunt from a stand! For me personally the deer lease is the LAST place I'm gonna put myself-you can't move around much! Others like me have found Colorado and other places with vast amounts of public land to be more 'fun'. It's not necessarily about the money with me or them, but more the type of experience and style of hunting. Texas is just so private, and so many landowners either don't want the hassle, or want too much to make it worth it to some when you consider crowding and other factors.

Another factor to think about is how society has been pushed away from hunting. Look at all the Disney stuff with talking animals and stuff. Kids grow up thinking that animals have feelings and stuff and then THAT is compounded by the fact that they get everything they need from a grocery store anyway. An exaggerated example of somebody led astray by 'Disney logic' is that D.A. who went to Alaska and got himself eaten by a bear..what was that show on Discovery? The Bear hugger..or was it THE BEAR TURD, lol..can't remember.

So yes. We hunters are outnumbered.

Hunting requires a lot of research and time for newbies. Hunters Ed, specific licenses, zones, limits, species identification, public land restrictions/access. Unless your ushered into the sport, it could be overwhelming.

My wife loves to fish more than anyone I know of, man or woman, so we have a pretty decent boat. We go to the lake several times a week during the summer. If the fish aren't biting we ski and tube. We really enjoy the boat. But don't let anybody make you believe fishing is cheap, that is from the boat standpoint. Owning a boat can be pretty expensive when anything breaks.

If we coughed up the extra expense for a travel trailer she would enjoy just going with my son and I hunting and be content to stay at the trailer.

I guess what I am saying is hunting is just for my son and myself. Fishing is for all of us.

There are many more fisherman simply because like you said, it is cheaper and more easily accesible.

Hey, it doesn't bother me one bit. I'd rather there be less hunters so I never have to lose my hunting grounds.

Good observation BTW 7mag

My wife and two daughters, 9 and 11, fish and shoot with me at every opportunity. The wife hunts, and the girls are getting ready to. My 9 yr old asked me to take her squirrel hunting this year so that will be her first hunt. The 11 year old has sat in the deer stand with me, but not shot yet, she's working up to it. I believe that hunting is more expensive by far, at least for me, cuz I gotta outfit 3 people on one paycheck. As long as they want to go, I'll put in a little more overtime.

I imagine a lot of folks dream about that combination.

if hunters are outnumbered, I sure don't mind. It only increases my odds.

Besides, I'm a much better with firearms and a bow than I am a fishing pole.

Not wanting to start a ar thread but since they started i lost 2 hunters in my house because of that and the cost of taking em both somewhere else is something i just cant afford anymore.

I do both, and my time spent on certain forums is dictated by the season. However, I feel that a large portion of why hunters are outnumbered by anglers has to do with the production quality in terms of game which is accessible to the public. Aside from there being more public waterways available in terms of square mileage than public hunting land, I feel it is far easier to catch limits on these bodies of water than it is to shoot say a limit of ducks or kill a quality deer.

This kinda emphasizes why hunting is more expensive; you have to pay for quality.