Hunting off in the future

[Doc]

So, let your imagination run loose for a moment. What do you think hunting will be like 50 years from now? What changes do you envision as far as weapons, seasons, regulations, game availability, etc.?

[growalot]

right now as it stands...I'm too frightened to think about it....lets see how the next 4 years pan out first....

[Chevy]

With the erosion of society and socialism taking hold as it is, I'm not very optimistic. Taxes and prices keep going up while pay goes down so owning land is out. Everything needs to be fair and even so I doubt archery season will exist because xguns and ML's will be added. This "watering down" will push new hunters out and turn off the regulars. To deal with the national deficit the Democrats will confiscate IRA's and 401K's to distribute the money evenly. Most won't be able to afford the sport of hunting. A box of deer slugs will cost $100....If we still have our guns in 50 years. Sorry to be so negative but folks need to wake the F up.

To deal with the deer herds the government will just have bait and shoots to keep the numbers in check.

[apoallo]

all of the above or... the young generation of that time will be able to sit at his/her computer/phone and move a gun on screen and aim at a deer shoot and the meat will be shipped from whereever to his/her house. all from the warm cozy couch

[Doc]

Now again remember that this is an exercise in imagination and may or may not be based on any actual fact. But anyway, let me try my hand at some of this. I'll have a go at future hunting opportunities:

State land will be the only land available for free open public hunting except for the commercial fenced hunting preserves. The state lands will have heavy regulation and perhaps even a drawing system in order to maintain a huntable supply of game because of the increased volume of hunters. The fees on leases and commercial hunting preserves will remain exhorbitant and even rise as a percentage of income. Private land that is not being used as hunting preserves or heavy-priced leases will be owned by hunters who keep the land for their own use or will be broken into small parcels or non-hunters who keep their land heavily posted. Farmers will continue to go out of business and will be breaking up their holdings into developments so those lands will go out of hunting opportunities.

And so, the bottom line is that access for hunting will continue to be restricted, scarce and expensive to obtain, moving well out of reach for those of moderate income. Much of this will be causing management problems, and some areas will be over-run by deer until the devastating forces of nature begin to be the only population control.

[Elmo]

10 years later, Coumo succeeds in taking control of the country. 20 years later, all guns get confiscated. 30 years later, the revolution starts and last 10 years. America is sent into a Mad Max type of world. At the 50 year mark, children will hunt rats with salvaged 100 year old 22s for food.

[13BVET]

Now again remember that this is an exercise in imagination and may or may not be based on any actual fact. But anyway, let me try my hand at some of this. I'll have a go at future hunting opportunities:

State land will be the only land available for free open public hunting except for the commercial fenced hunting preserves. The state lands will have heavy regulation and perhaps even a drawing system in order to maintain a huntable supply of game because of the increased volume of hunters. The fees on leases and commercial hunting preserves will remain exhorbitant and even rise as a percentage of income. Private land that is not being used as hunting preserves or heavy-priced leases will be owned by hunters who keep the land for their own use or will be broken into small parcels or non-hunters who keep their land heavily posted. Farmers will continue to go out of business and will be breaking up their holdings into developments so those lands will go out of hunting opportunities.

And so, the bottom line is that access for hunting will continue to be restricted, scarce and expensive to obtain, moving well out of reach for those of moderate income. Much of this will be causing management problems, and some areas will be over-run by deer until the devastating forces of nature begin to be the only population control.

Hell, Doc, that sounds like what goes on now.

[sweet old bill]

I sure think that it may be harder in the out years with the right wing trying to also buy votes with the non document people in our country. They will spend just like the left wing. There all bums, they tell you what ever you want to hear and then when you put them in, there just for themself and big money.

We as hunters have to get together and push the guys in state/Washington to do what we want.

My question to you is how did you support the march on our capital to show Como that what he put into law in the dark of night will not stand ? I am down in the south for the winter, so the best I could do was send out email asking for my hunter friends to spport and attend.

It fine to just say everthing is Obma fault, well it not, 8 years of Bush with two wars not being paid for, the housing failure and the bank failures was not Obma fault. He may have made some big errors in his handling but unless we can get people working together, we will become a 2nd rate country.

[Uncle Nicky]

My predictions:

1). Antler Affliction will continue to grow, most areas will have AR in place.

2). More & more private property will be posted up, and leasing or joining a hunting club will become more prevalent, unless you want to hunt public land.

3). Bow hunting will become as popular or more popular than hunting with a rifle or shotgun

4). Predator hunting, trapping & small game hunting will make a small comeback, for those who can't afford the price of leasing or joining a hunt club

5). There will be a huntable wild hog population throughout much of the country

Edited March 3, 2013 by Uncle Nicky

[Doc]

Special seasons weapons and regulations:

It is possible that 50 years from now there will be no bow season. It will become something that they might call a "primitive weapons season" where bows, crossbows, and muzzle loaders, and perhaps even black powder pistols and maybe even atlatyls (sp?) and possibly even weapons that we haven't even considered will all become combined. These weapons will be allowed in an early season, right through a much longer "rifle, pistol and shotgun season" and into what we now consider the "late season".

Bag limits for all seasons will be increased significantly as the hunter numbers shrink to the point where they cannot adequately control deer populations. There will be increased experiments with alternate wildlife population control. They probably will be unsuccessful, but with the ever-increasing pace of technology .... who knows?

Pistols may have to be excluded from hunting seasons depending on how successful the anti-handgun groups and politicians are.

[nyslowhand]

And so, the bottom line is that access for hunting will continue to be restricted, scarce and expensive to obtain, moving well out of reach for those of moderate income. Much of this will be causing management problems, and some areas will be over-run by deer until the devastating forces of nature begin to be the only population control.

The limited availability of huntable habitat and its' access to the general public is already coming into play. If you take this current situation and play it forward you can foresee it exponentially getting worse with each passing generation. Logging & development of prime habitat, the large farms being parceled off and the neighborhood mentality of allowing unlimited access will eventually disappear and will contribute to the European hunting style of strictly limited, purchased hunts in our future. Those older civilizations stripped their forests and then were forced to venture westward across the Atlantic in search of new resources. North America has already done the same type of habitat devastation in the original colonial areas (and others). Just a matter of time before we destroy what's left. Unfortunately we're too greedy &/or near-sighted to see what we're doing to our future generations and any hunting opportunities we might will them. Also with the reduced habitat, think everyone can imagine what's in store for the wildlife.

Okay - Venting is complete, time to take my soapbox & go home!

[landtracdeerhunter]

Hunters will be hovering around in their skittle crafts with their GPS tracking devices., as it's much faster to get a kill, and revert back govermental controlled tv programs and video games They will revert back to more primitive weapons like spear and sling shot as to even the playing field, as goverment will have control of all firearms and bows. This hunting will take place on goverment control lands, that once were known as farms for a stiff fee. . Small acreage hunting parcels will have dried up due to the tax rate increasing 100%. ( based on 2% tax cap) State and federal lands, which have been severely downsized, with state and federal sell off programs, will have a fee with a yearly usage tax on a lottery draw system with a 2 year waiting period. A hunting license will no longer be required, as goverment will have control through your imagration usage pass.

Editors note: We have already taken the Y in the intersection.

Edited March 3, 2013 by landtracdeerhunter

[Doc]

As far as future hunting implements, tracking devices, scouting gizmos and bait-like items, new deer farming methods to create super-deer, and whatever other new technology that will be available to use against our prey, I doubt we can even imagine what 50 years of "progress" will come up with. But you can bet that over 5 decades, they will come up with things that make you shake your head ..... lol.

[Five Seasons]

I'm pessimistic... My generation has little interest, so I can only imagine what the instant gratification of my son's generation will be like. 4 hours in the cold woods and I didn't even see a deer? this stinks!

But society can be cyclical some times and the "organic and green" movements may help. Nothing is more organic then venison, and its lean and healthy as well. If we go too far in the "technology" side of things, I think you may see people push back a little and try and get more in touch with "the old way of doing things".

We shall see.

[Fantail]

There will be a Bow that shoots faster than the speed of sound.

[josephmrtn]

My predictions:

1). Antler Affliction will continue to grow, most areas will have AR in place.

2). More & more private property will be posted up, and leasing or joining a hunting club will become more prevalent, unless you want to hunt public land.

3). Bow hunting will become as popular or more popular than hunting with a rifle or shotgun

4). Predator hunting, trapping & small game hunting will make a small comeback, for those who can't afford the price of leasing or joining a hunt club

5). There will be a huntable wild hog population throughout much of the country

that dont sound bad!

[Geno C]

10 years later, Coumo succeeds in taking control of the country. 20 years later, all guns get confiscated. 30 years later, the revolution starts and last 10 years. America is sent into a Mad Max type of world. At the 50 year mark, children will hunt rats with salvaged 100 year old 22s for food.

your prob not to far off....

[josephmrtn]

exept im hoping my great,great,great grandkids are doin better than that!!! LOL

[Doc]

Actually 50 years from now, hunting will be a whole lot different than we know it today. How do I know that? .... Well, I have seen how much it has changed over the last 50 years. Other than some extended seasons, and some liberalized bag limits, I'm afraid that it hasn't really improved all that much in terms of the quality of the hunt in fact it is mostly moving in negative directions. Things seem to have gotten a lot more complicated and the social aspects of hunting have really gone severely downhill compared to years past. There now seems to be a lot of politics-of-hunting taking over hunting. And today there is more concern with hunters competing with other hunters than hunters vs. game. The measures of success have been perverted to just numbers and measurements. The lives of people are becoming so crammed full of obligations and other activities that hunting has taken on an aire of "hurry-up and go and let's get this over with". The increasing problems with access have already been mentioned. All those things are showing patterns of increasing and are being reflected in participation and the downward spiral of the quality of the hunt.

So what can one really expect from another 50 years? I suspect that if I were somehow magically returned 50 years from now, I probably wouldn't even want to be involved in hunting. Strong words, but just looking at the directions of things and the increasing rate of negative change, I don't think it will even be recognizable or offer anything that I would be interested in.

The question is will the changes be so gradual that people will slowly acclimate to all these negative changes and accept the new versions of "hunting". Well, each generation seems to be adapting and even forcing some of these changes, so I would guess that the answer might be yes. Those that have never known anything better really can't miss it and will simply accept things as they are.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Hunting will again become a rich mans sport. High fence will keep growing at record pace! Hunting is in the back seat now with most of the world. Kids dont hunt. Electronics will keep growing. The change in my 30 years hunting has been huge!

[Five Seasons]

the social aspects of hunting have really gone severely downhill compared to years past. There now seems to be a lot of politics-of-hunting taking over hunting. And today there is more concern with hunters competing with other hunters than hunters vs. game. The measures of success have been perverted to just numbers and measurements. The lives of people are becoming so crammed full of obligations and other activities that hunting has taken on an aire of "hurry-up and go and let's get this over with". The increasing problems with access have already been mentioned. All those things are showing patterns of increasing and are being reflected in participation and the downward spiral of the quality of the hunt.

socially, i think people are more accepting and there's less "hunters are bad and cruel towards animals". I think we have the pink slime, slaughterhouse documentaries and KFC "chicken" scandal to thank. There is and always will be anti-hunters, most of them Vegans and that's fine. As long as we outnumber them

I agree that hunting shows and social media have warped our sense of a successful hunt. Young or new hunters should be thrilled with a nice doe, especially with a bow. Yet we see 8 year olds shooting 130 class bucks off bipods in heated treeforts on TV and our sense of reality becomes warped. I too worry about the obligations, especially in my own life. But hunting for me is the one thing I can do to escape it all. I will always make time even if it means sacrificing other hobbies. It's not so much the kill for me, it's the time in the woods alone. I'm looking forward to my son being old enough to take fishing. 2 birds with 1 stone. Father son bonding and a hobby. I look even more forward to him being old enough to drag out my buck.

[tughillhunter]

Jeez, I have been in the sport for nearly 20 years, and it has changed 10 fold. 50 years from now I will be sitting in a wheelchair accessible treestand, I hope.

[Dom]

In 50 years I will be shooting deer off a bait pile under my clothes line from my kitchen window.lol

[Doc]

socially, i think people are more accepting and there's less "hunters are bad and cruel towards animals". I think we have the pink slime, slaughterhouse documentaries and KFC "chicken" scandal to thank. There is and always will be anti-hunters, most of them Vegans and that's fine. As long as we outnumber them

Well, when I said "social aspects", I wasn't actually thinking of the general public, but rather the family social style of hunting where the driveways of farmers would fill up with cars and friends and relatives would gather for deer hunting. I remember how big dinners were planned for the end of opening day and aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. would all be sitting around the dinner table yacking it up about the deer they saw and all kinds of hunting stories. It was kind of a huge family affair, even neighbors would be there. Heck, opening day of deer season was an accepted excuse for skipping school. It really was quite an event. That's the kind of thing that is really getting super rare anymore, and will undoubtedly disappear in the next 50 years.

The social acceptance that you are talking about with the general public ..... the jury is still out on that one. I think a lot of the faltering hunter population may have something to do with the actual successes of the animal rights wackos in personifying animals. There are a lot of ex-hunters that will admit that they feel bad about shooting critters, and that's why they quit. I think the anti-hunting pressures being fostered in schools has intensified over the years. It seems that 50 years ago, hunting was a very accepted thing, especially in rural areas. And I don't recall the city folks getting all crazy and up in your face the way they do now. This is another thing that I think will increase off in the future as people make it more and more of a pastime to try to get into other people's business and try to tell the rest of the world how to live.

[josephmrtn]

socially, i think people are more accepting and there's less "hunters are bad and cruel towards animals". I think we have the pink slime, slaughterhouse documentaries and KFC "chicken" scandal to thank. There is and always will be anti-hunters, most of them Vegans and that's fine. As long as we outnumber them

I agree that hunting shows and social media have warped our sense of a successful hunt. Young or new hunters should be thrilled with a nice doe, especially with a bow. Yet we see 8 year olds shooting 130 class bucks off bipods in heated treeforts on TV and our sense of reality becomes warped. I too worry about the obligations, especially in my own life. But hunting for me is the one thing I can do to escape it all. I will always make time even if it means sacrificing other hobbies. It's not so much the kill for me, it's the time in the woods alone. I'm looking forward to my son being old enough to take fishing. 2 birds with 1 stone. Father son bonding and a hobby. I look even more forward to him being old enough to drag out my buck.

WOW Belo I actually TOTALY agree w this!!!