Libtard teachers in our taxpayer funded liberal schools.

Does it seem weird to anyone else that state game agencies keep reporting hunter numbers being down? Everything is starting to go to leasing here, getting out of state tags is increasingly difficult, additional restrictions on non residents.

Maybe there's less hunters but the hunters are more effective? Walk onto public land here and it doesn't seem like numbers are down.

I question any of the numbers regarding hunter participation. I dont think most in the state DNR could pee a round hole in the snow. On the surface it definitely seems like we have fewer hunters in many instances and there is no doubt that the older generation is fading out on us. But I wonder how much the decline really is vs what our perception believes. My dads generation talked of Michigan hunting as chasing pheasants and ducks back in their day at least in the lower part of the state. Such a deal that kids didnt go to school on the openers. Deer hunting was a thing in the northern part of the state but not in the south at that time. Lots of folks traveled north to hunt then as there just werent the deer in southern Michigan. But things change over time--- As pheasants began to vanish, gun hunting for deer became a thing at least in area I grew up because the whitetail population by then was on a steep increase I only got to see the very end of the good pheasant days and I was awful little at the time but by time I was a teen at the end of 70s and into the 80's there was an army of orange out on deer opener that didnt exist in my dads era. I can drive 150 miles around southern Michigan now on first few days of deer gun season and I'd be lucky to count 25-30 parked vehicles. So sometimes that has me thinking there arent any hunters BUT I dont really believe that either. There are still plenty of deer hunters. To me the difference is most of them now bow hunt in some form or fashion which was NOT the case back 40-50 years ago and a good chunk have spent some time out before gun season even opens and unless you are a down state troll and going north for the solitude or experience you are likely better off pursuing deer in the south close to home. And turkey werent a thing in southern Michigan until recent times. Seems to be plenty of turkey hunters to go along with an oversupply of birds. I think many of the hunters now are splitting their time between lots of priorities and as such become dedicated hunters for a very brief part of any season but fewer spend long stretches hunting and most of the focus is on whitetails or turkey with a few small game or waterfowl hunters in the mix compared to generations ago when that was common practice. You cant hardly get out of your truck to set a trap unless its well past the first of the year without interupting someones deer shooting.

I believe as Ive mentioned before, the best investment a young person can make is a chunk of land. They arent making any more of it and it hasnt went down in price in many years...at least in my area. Even if a fella could afford a lease today, sure doesnt mean you could 20 years from now...or that your kids or grandkids will be able to.