Waterfowl Hunting on the Rise

Ducks Unlimited
Thursday, 31 January 2002

More hunters are harvesting more ducks than a decade ago

More people are heading to the marshes, fields, and flooded timber to hunt ducks and geese than at any time in the past decade. According to data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, during the 1991/1992 season, an estimated 1.2 million hunters in the U.S. hunted waterfowl. During the 2000/2001 season, that number had increased to 1.6 million.

Over that same period, waterfowl harvest also increased significantly. In the 1991/1992 season, hunters across the country harvested 6.2 million ducks, or 5.2 ducks per hunter. In the 2000/2001 season, they harvested 15.3 million ducks, or 9.6 ducks per hunter.

Goose harvest also increased from 1.9 million in 1991/1992 to more than 3 million in 2000/2001. "This is great news for Ducks Unlimited and for conservation efforts across North America, because waterfowl hunters do more to help restore and protect our wetlands and other wildlife habitats than any other group," said Don Young, Executive Vice President of Ducks Unlimited. "Through groups like Ducks Unlimited, through the purchase of duck stamps and licenses, and through individual efforts, they are helping conserve our wild places and preserve our hunting traditions for future generations."

A recent study conducted by the research firm Responsive Management for the National Shooting Sports Foundation found that most waterfowl hunters also pursue other game species, including deer (92%), pheasant (67%), turkey (60%), rabbit (58%), quail (55%), squirrel (54%), dove (52%), grouse (46%), elk (23%), and bear (17%).

"Year in and year out, hunters dedicate their time, money, and labor to conserving our precious wildlife habitats," said Young. "There is clear evidence for this in the Ducks Unlimited organization, where our own conservation efforts are supported by approximately one million people, most of whom are avid hunters. Hunters have a deep appreciation for our natural resources and a deep concern for the many threats to those resources.

As participation in hunting rises, we expect to see a correlating increase in dollars contributed for conservation. And the timing couldn't be better-our wildlife habitats are facing more threats than ever before."

For more information, or to contact Ducks Unlimited, see their website at: www.ducks.org