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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??
 
Message Subject: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??
Musky Brian
Posted 1/14/2018 10:36 AM (#889723 - in reply to #889722)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1767


Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin
Plenty of millenials fishing. Lot of silliness posted here.

Edited by Musky Brian 1/14/2018 10:37 AM
horsehunter
Posted 1/14/2018 11:02 AM (#889725 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Location: Eastern Ontario
So I don't actually know what a millenial is, and the spell checker doesn't seem to either. I see and talk to lots of young guys who fish hard for a couple of years you can set a clock by their arrival at the launch . They then disappear and when I ask about them is . He's started his own business. He's got a new baby, He's bought and renovating an old house, He's got a couple of kids into sports, so I realize they have their priorities straight and at some point when they have less demands on their time they are likely to return.
MuskyTime
Posted 1/15/2018 9:31 AM (#889776 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 331


Location: Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Boy where to start....

When I grew up all of my friends and my friends fathers hunted and fished. We were raised to love the outdoors and forced to go on occasion. At times we didn't want to go but at the end of the day we were happy we did. I have friends that leave it up to their children as to whether or not they want to hunt and fish. Because it takes effort to hunt and fish most times their children don't go. They loose interest and soon my friends stop asking their children to go. So in a sense I blame the parents that don't want to "pressure" their kids to go.

Secondly, just look at the time commitment required by our youth today with organized sports! Don't get me started on that topic! Tournament teams and club teams have kids practicing and playing in tournaments year round. Talk about taking away valuable family time together in the outdoors.

Parents today (not all) are more concerned with making their children the center of their universe rather than making their children grow up making the parents the center of the childs universe. Many great lifelong values are lost in this process and some of the greatest lessons and values I have learned in life can be attributed to lessons and values gained through experiences in the outdoors.

Ed
Musky Brian
Posted 1/15/2018 9:43 AM (#889777 - in reply to #889776)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1767


Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin
MuskyTime - 1/15/2018 9:31 AM

Boy where to start....

When I grew up all of my friends and my friends fathers hunted and fished. We were raised to love the outdoors and forced to go on occasion. At times we didn't want to go but at the end of the day we were happy we did. I have friends that leave it up to their children as to whether or not they want to hunt and fish. Because it takes effort to hunt and fish most times their children don't go. They loose interest and soon my friends stop asking their children to go. So in a sense I blame the parents that don't want to "pressure" their kids to go.

Secondly, just look at the time commitment required by our youth today with organized sports! Don't get me started on that topic! Tournament teams and club teams have kids practicing and playing in tournaments year round. Talk about taking away valuable family time together in the outdoors.

Parents today (not all) are more concerned with making their children the center of their universe rather than making their children grow up making the parents the center of the childs universe. Many great lifelong values are lost in this process and some of the greatest lessons and values I have learned in life can be attributed to lessons and values gained through experiences in the outdoors.

Ed


I completely agree with your last point Ed. Seeing that happen a lot all around me. Kids aren’t even being given the option to dislike something if their parents aren’t making any efforts to expose them to certain things outside the cliched norms of suburban America.
BNelson
Posted 1/15/2018 9:45 AM (#889778 - in reply to #889776)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Location: Contrarian Island
very good points Ed... sports are year round now, when we were kids it was nothing like it is now... kids don't have time to learn how to hunt and fish... we are all mainly from the midwest on this Forum too... which skews things a little as by and large I bet the midwest still has more families who hunt and fish as opposed to other regions...
jonnysled
Posted 1/15/2018 10:22 AM (#889779 - in reply to #889778)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 13688


Location: minocqua, wi.
it's possible to do both the sports and the hunting and fishing, but easier if you live in the element vs. having to travel. sports are really important of course after academics and in combination can balance out to other activities. for kids growing up the single most important decision they and parents make is who their friends are. make the right choices there and you can watch a kid achieve in school, in the gym and out in the woods/water. key is to pick your battles and challenge them without burning them out. i see too many guys trying to make their kids into musky fishermen instead of realizing some of the most fun there can be a slip bobber in a downed tree or off a trestle or on the ice.

Edited by jonnysled 1/15/2018 10:23 AM
North of 8
Posted 1/15/2018 11:33 AM (#889786 - in reply to #889779)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




jonnysled - 1/15/2018 10:22 AM

it's possible to do both the sports and the hunting and fishing, but easier if you live in the element vs. having to travel. sports are really important of course after academics and in combination can balance out to other activities. for kids growing up the single most important decision they and parents make is who their friends are. make the right choices there and you can watch a kid achieve in school, in the gym and out in the woods/water. key is to pick your battles and challenge them without burning them out. i see too many guys trying to make their kids into musky fishermen instead of realizing some of the most fun there can be a slip bobber in a downed tree or off a trestle or on the ice.


Yes, my adult son still would rather go out and catch some bluegills or crappies when he comes to visit as opposed to pounding the water for muskies. He has caught some and goes with me but it is not something he gets real excited about. We took him and his sister fishing from shore when we went to camp grounds starting when they were 3 or 4 and they would sit for hours if the panfish were biting. There were days where my hands would have all kinds of knicks and scratches from releasing dozens of panfish when the kids were real little. They both love being outside, in nature and I think those fishing times were a big part of it.
Slopski
Posted 1/15/2018 12:00 PM (#889793 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 155


Location: Cedarburg, WI.
First i was born in 1982. From my personal point of view i find it comical how older generations want everybody to get into their hobbies or pastimes. Or all the anecdotal evidence of "snowflakes, entitled, or lazy." I won't dispute there are exceptions in the masses to validate these broad accusations. However "old guys" be careful what you wish for! A quick google search showed me the US population in 1980 was 226.1 million people. As of today the same google search displays a population of 323.1 million. Just shy of 100 million more people.

Where is Slopski going with this??? I would just say my theory is this. The same people complaining about "millennials" would complain a lot louder if every time they choose to fish or hunt the launch was full or all the tags were taken. So relax and be happy a bunch of these snowflakes decided to develop your new Helix 10 instead of beating you to your favorite spot.

Not taking sides here, just a thought i had.

Edited by Slopski 1/15/2018 12:15 PM
Brian Hoffies
Posted 1/15/2018 1:05 PM (#889803 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1667


OUCH, well stated!!
Nomadmusky
Posted 1/15/2018 1:13 PM (#889804 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 176


There are a ton of great issues covered with this thread and quite frankly quite a few lame, "Me too" generalizations which don't help.

I'm the father of Millennials: They grew up in a world run by electronics, it's not something they made a conscious choice about, and now my son makes his living with those same electronics. By the way, 20 years ago we wouldn't be having this conversation, because we'd be reading it on a newsletter that was probably type set 3 months prior to our reading it.

They also grew up in a world of organized sports that took up far more time than we did growing up, but again it wasn't their choice, they simply grew up in that world.

I think as I reflect back that we adults to those children often made that as our excuse. I coached a lot of those teams and I can tell you that anyone who makes the argument that they are lazy as a group has their hands full! I would put up that generation's top achievers against any other generations. All generations had their failures, or groups you could easily point to, I was born in the early 60's and it wasn't hard to see all the burnouts hanging out from the 40's 50' and 60's growing up.

We need to adapt and change, because things simply aren't like they used to be, nor is their world or ours.

The cost of our sport as viewed on tv has gotten out of hand, we need to let this generation know that you don't need a $75,000 boat pulled by a $75,000 truck, with a $2,000 trolling motor, and $4,000 worth of electronics to have fun.

I'd love to see a tournament series with 16' boats with a 40hp limit, a tiller trolling motor and one piece of electronics 7" or less, to help them get started. Remember when we fished like that and had fun? Back in the 80's BASS had the 150 hp limit and it didn't hurt anything.

Maybe we need to adapt to help them out. Maybe we need to understand the electronics as an asset and not a curse, maybe we need to not use all the boring worn out generalizations.

Nomad

Edited by Nomadmusky 1/15/2018 1:14 PM
tolle141
Posted 1/15/2018 1:21 PM (#889806 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1000


Speaking from experience, mostmillennials don't fish/hunt because they haven't been given the opportunity to experience it. I'm not pointing fingers, I'm just saying that instead of going out in the boat on the weekends, the family did something else.

How do you reverse that? By giving them the opportunity.

I've introduced dozens of people my age and younger over the years to fishing by simply taking them out. Guess what? It sticks with a lot of them.

My best example is grouse hunting.Three years ago a couple buddies and I organized a grouse camp in northern MN. In the process, some younger brother in laws and their friends found out and asked to join. We said yes of course. Unfortunately, about 9 of them didn't have firearm safety. In a span of 2 weeks, all of them did their online course and got their licenses. That first year was more about gun safety than hunting. Guess what? 8/9 have come back every year since.

I challenge everyone on this board to introduce at least one new person to hunting or fishing every year. If everyone did that, this trend would reverse in short order.
North of 8
Posted 1/15/2018 1:38 PM (#889808 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




If you want to see young people involved in the sport, when a new/wannabe musky fisherman posts about what is the best rod/reel combination he/she can get for under $300, don't tell them they "have" to buy a $500 Tranx and mount it on a $400 custom St. Croix. You see that on here time after time and god forbid they want to start out in a used, 16' aluminum boat because only a 620 Ranger will do if you truly want to catch muskies.
The new fishermen say this is what I can spend, and people don't seem to get, that is what they can spend. If they had a $1,000 to spend on a rod/reel they would have said that, not $200 or $300.
Pointerpride102
Posted 1/15/2018 1:48 PM (#889811 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 16632


Location: The desert
This millennial took his kids fishing yesterday, and taking them again tonight. Both had their tablets along to help keep them entertained beyond playing with the minnows and not catching fish. The tablets sat idle most of the time as they played outside and tried convincing the fish to bite most of the time.

They still like the boat better. So does dad.


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ToddM
Posted 1/15/2018 2:19 PM (#889815 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 20178


Location: oswego, il
In about 25 years the millennials will recall a time when they walked to school uphill both ways and scroll menus on their smart phone to get to things.
sworrall
Posted 1/15/2018 3:07 PM (#889820 - in reply to #889793)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 32785


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Slopski - 1/15/2018 12:00 PM

First i was born in 1982. From my personal point of view i find it comical how older generations want everybody to get into their hobbies or pastimes. Or all the anecdotal evidence of "snowflakes, entitled, or lazy." I won't dispute there are exceptions in the masses to validate these broad accusations. However "old guys" be careful what you wish for! A quick google search showed me the US population in 1980 was 226.1 million people. As of today the same google search displays a population of 323.1 million. Just shy of 100 million more people.

Where is Slopski going with this??? I would just say my theory is this. The same people complaining about "millennials" would complain a lot louder if every time they choose to fish or hunt the launch was full or all the tags were taken. So relax and be happy a bunch of these snowflakes decided to develop your new Helix 10 instead of beating you to your favorite spot.

Not taking sides here, just a thought i had.


Why is it 'comical' that I would want to see new anglers, especially young folks, in the sport? If we don't collectively grow the sports of fishing and hunting, the industry is in trouble and the door will be open to over-protecting the fish and game from the far, far left. PETA would love to see my generation not get replaced as we leave this rock. I have done everything I can to get my sons involved (Keith works with OFM full time, he was born in 1980, Brian is a few years older and is a psychologist who loves to hunt and fish with his kids), and my grandsons too. Also, a shocker...OFM originally created this place shooting specifically at the Gen Xers and Millennials. The 'old guys' who decided computers were OK joined in. Now some of the younger folks who joined us are crowding middle age...time flows along pretty quickly. One thing I have noticed on social media is younger folks ARE ice fishing more than in previous decades, good to see.

Soon you will be looking at a very intensive effort to bring more of the current and future generation's young folks into the sport right here. We (OFM) won't 'relax' until a good number of the Millennials who had a hand in designing my Helix 7 are anglers, and their friends are, too. I wouldn't worry about tags being gone or the landings filling up with young folks because of the demographics of geography alone, it will be difficult enough to hold status quo. Look at where/who the people are, and where there's fishing and hunting opportunities.



http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_mostcommonindustry.html

http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_generations.html
North of 8
Posted 1/15/2018 3:18 PM (#889823 - in reply to #889820)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




sworrall - 1/15/2018 3:07 PM

Slopski - 1/15/2018 12:00 PM

First i was born in 1982. From my personal point of view i find it comical how older generations want everybody to get into their hobbies or pastimes. Or all the anecdotal evidence of "snowflakes, entitled, or lazy." I won't dispute there are exceptions in the masses to validate these broad accusations. However "old guys" be careful what you wish for! A quick google search showed me the US population in 1980 was 226.1 million people. As of today the same google search displays a population of 323.1 million. Just shy of 100 million more people.

Where is Slopski going with this??? I would just say my theory is this. The same people complaining about "millennials" would complain a lot louder if every time they choose to fish or hunt the launch was full or all the tags were taken. So relax and be happy a bunch of these snowflakes decided to develop your new Helix 10 instead of beating you to your favorite spot.

Not taking sides here, just a thought i had.


Why is it 'comical' that I would want to see new anglers, especially young folks, in the sport? If we don't collectively grow the sports of fishing and hunting, the industry is in trouble and the door will be open to over-protecting the fish and game from the far, far left. PETA would love to see my generation not get replaced as we leave this rock. I have done everything I can to get my sons involved (Keith works with OFM full time, he was born in 1980, Brian is a few years older and is a psychologist who loves to hunt and fish with his kids), and my grandsons too. Also, a shocker...OFM originally created this place shooting specifically at the Gen Xers and Millennials. The 'old guys' who decided computers were OK joined in. Now some of the younger folks who joined us are crowding middle age...time flows along pretty quickly. One thing I have noticed on social media is younger folks ARE ice fishing more than in previous decades, good to see.

Soon you will be looking at a very intensive effort to bring more of the current and future generation's young folks into the sport right here. We (OFM) won't 'relax' until a good number of the Millennials who had a hand in designing my Helix 7 are anglers, and their friends are, too. I wouldn't worry about tags being gone or the landings filling up with young folks because of the demographics of geography alone, it will be difficult enough to hold status quo. Look at where/who the people are, and where there's fishing and hunting opportunities.



http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_mostcommonindustry.html

http://www.censusscope.org/us/map_generations.html


Steve, I think one point he is trying to make is that the same guys who say the Millenials are too lazy to fish are the ones who would pee and moan if they found a bunch of twenty somethings fishing their favorite lake instead of welcoming them to the sport.
sworrall
Posted 1/15/2018 3:21 PM (#889825 - in reply to #889823)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 32785


Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Understood. I also understand that was a bit of a 'shot across the bow', and it missed this old guy.

Come on out and fish, young folks, there's plenty of room.
Slopski
Posted 1/15/2018 3:41 PM (#889830 - in reply to #889823)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 155


Location: Cedarburg, WI.
North of 8 - 1/15/2018 3:18 PM

sworrall - 1/15/2018 3:07 PM

Slopski - 1/15/2018 12:00 PM

First i was born in 1982. From my personal point of view i find it comical how older generations want everybody to get into their hobbies or pastimes. Or all the anecdotal evidence of "snowflakes, entitled, or lazy." I won't dispute there are exceptions in the masses to validate these broad accusations. However "old guys" be careful what you wish for! A quick google search showed me the US population in 1980 was 226.1 million people. As of today the same google search displays a population of 323.1 million. Just shy of 100 million more people.

Where is Slopski going with this??? I would just say my theory is this. The same people complaining about "millennials" would complain a lot louder if every time they choose to fish or hunt the launch was full or all the tags were taken. So relax and be happy a bunch of these snowflakes decided to develop your new Helix 10 instead of beating you to your favorite spot.

Not taking sides here, just a thought i had.


Why is it 'comical' that I would want to see new anglers, especially young folks, in the sport? If we don't collectively grow the sports of fishing and hunting, the industry is in trouble and the door will be open to over-protecting the fish and game from the far, far left. PETA would love to see my generation not get replaced as we leave this rock. I have done everything I can to get my sons involved (Keith works with OFM full time, he was born in 1980, Brian is a few years older and is a psychologist who loves to hunt and fish with his kids), and my grandsons too. Also, a shocker...OFM originally created this place shooting specifically at the Gen Xers and Millennials. The 'old guys' who decided computers were OK joined in. Now some of the younger folks who joined us are crowding middle age...time flows along pretty quickly. One thing I have noticed on social media is younger folks ARE ice fishing more than in previous decades, good to see.

Soon you will be looking at a very intensive effort to bring more of the current and future generation's young folks into the sport right here. We (OFM) won't 'relax' until a good number of the Millennials who had a hand in designing my Helix 7 are anglers, and their friends are, too. I wouldn't worry about tags being gone or the landings filling up with young folks because of the demographics of geography alone, it will be difficult enough to hold status quo. Look at where/who the people are, and where there's fishing and hunting opportunities.


Steve, I think one point he is trying to make is that the same guys who say the Millenials are too lazy to fish are the ones who would pee and moan if they found a bunch of twenty somethings fishing their favorite lake instead of welcoming them to the sport.


North of 8 - Hit the nail on the head!

Sworrall - I am not against getting new people into hunting and fishing at all. Also i appreciate all you and your family does for the sport I enjoy. I would add while the hunting and fishing industry along with OFM would probably love to see all their numbers double. Do you and anyone else really want to see twice as many people on all your local lakes and hunting land? This is where i think the industry and average sportsmen part ways quite drastically.

Again just thinking out loud. Also really enjoy this site and this discussion in particular

Edited by Slopski 1/15/2018 3:55 PM
esoxaddict
Posted 1/15/2018 4:30 PM (#889837 - in reply to #889825)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 8717


I fish because someone took the time to get me a fishing rod, took me to the lake, and spent countless hours sitting on the pier dealing with hooks and bait and tangled lines until I was old enough to be out there by myself.

A lot of kids aren't that lucky.
Sidejack
Posted 1/15/2018 5:56 PM (#889844 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1080


Location: Aurora
I checked with Captain Obvious on this and he said catch & release aligns with well with millennial mission, vision & values but considering what the baby boomers have done with hunting & fishing, they don't want anything to do with it and therein lies the problem..


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esoxaddict
Posted 1/15/2018 7:08 PM (#889851 - in reply to #889844)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 8717


Sidejack - 1/15/2018 5:56 PM

I checked with Captain Obvious on this and he said catch & release aligns with well with millennial mission, vision & values but considering what the baby boomers have done with hunting & fishing, they don't want anything to do with it and therein lies the problem..


They'll change their tune when they realize that there may come a time in their life where they have to hunt and fish in order to survive.
tolle141
Posted 1/15/2018 7:39 PM (#889852 - in reply to #889815)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 1000


ToddM - 1/15/2018 2:19 PM

In about 25 years the millennials will recall a time when they walked to school uphill both ways and scroll menus on their smart phone to get to things.


In the snow too!

Then again, in 25 years the youngsters probably won't know what snow is. And summer at sea will mean sailing off the coast of Ohio
Junkman
Posted 1/16/2018 7:37 AM (#889870 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 1220


OK, seriously, my daughter (the older one who has produced three grandchildren) was the only one who failed my “mandatory” requirement of all my kids showing up for Thanksgiving. Yes, it was a bit farther this year in Florida but really great weather. Why the failure? Sure, the kids had off from school, but not off from practice. All three are in varsity sports, the younger two in two sports, the graduating senior lettered in three. Do you know when these kids have no sports activity? Never! When my younger daughter played high school softball, I coached the girls team in the summer for the coach. Why? Because the “official” coach can’t have contact in the summer, but the parents can fill in. Trust me, all the varsity girls and some very, very serious parents were there. I’m saying there is no summer anymore, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no Easter. There is sports day and night every day and night. And (sadly?) it’s a good thing! If those kids fail a mandatory, random drug check, they lose their eligibility. If they mess up their grades, they lose their eligibility. If they don’t engage in some meaningful community work, they don’t get into the best colleges. It’s just different now in pretty much every single way. It’s not bad, it’s just different. Musky fishing can still grow, it’s just not going to ever grow into something large. Just face it and fish. Forget changing the world and just fish. Forget the guys who think the musky are eating their walleye and just fish. Forget the guys in the dark houses and the native Americans with spears and just fish. Basically, I’m saying, “It’s not gonna be what you want...so just fish!”
RyanJoz
Posted 1/16/2018 7:53 AM (#889872 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 1675


Location: Mt. Zion, IL
I don't hunt simply due to costs. Ground to deer hunt in this area runs around 15k per acre. Duck hunters get in a lottery for blinds here but there is a waiting list. Land here in IL is leased or sold for astronomical prices. It is not that I don't want to, it is simply that I cannot afford to shoot 3 gun, deer hunt, waterfowl hunt, musky fish, bass fish, work, work on cars (side job), work on reels (side job), take care of my 9 month old daughter, and maintain peace at home. Apparently the OP did not attend the chicago musky show. Millennials (born after 1980) were 3/4 the population at the show.
JTHIRY
Posted 1/16/2018 8:30 AM (#889873 - in reply to #889872)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 28


For me, it is all about accessibility. I would love to hunt more, but the lack of huntable ground in my area makes that very difficult. I can hook my boat up and have ~20,000 acres of prime musky water w/in minutes of my house. Or...I could dedicate my limited time to hunting, where I have a couple small chunks of public land w/in 30 minutes of my house. I used to hunt a lot growing up and do miss it. But now with a wife, a son going on two years old, a demanding job, I find it harder and harder to have more than one hobby that I dedicate the majority of my free time to. I feel hunting is becoming more and more privatized, and you gotta pay big if you wanna play in my area. On the flip side, we are beyond lucky to have the lakes we do in the TC metro area. Fishing is my passion more so than hunting, lakes are way more accessible than hunting land, and I can pull out of my driveway and be making my first cast 15 minutes later. So that is what I choose to do and will do everything I can to make sure I pass that passion down to my son.
Brad P
Posted 1/16/2018 9:00 AM (#889875 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 833


I suspect hunting and fishing will be just fine. I have no quantitative evidence to support any claims, but if i were to venture a guess, it would be that the participation rates are likely caused at least in part by the transitive nature of wealth in our society. People in their 20s are saddled with a lot of costs and lower income (relative to a 30 or 40 year old). Thus the ability to afford a house, boat, and suitable towing vehicle is probably less than it would be for someone further down the path.

My sense is that as people progress into middle age the single serving/instant gratification forms of fun lose their luster. Also maybe 0.1% of kids in athletics will go on to have a career in it. It is likely that past times/hobbies like hunting and fishing will be turned to as a more fulfilling outlet. Our job isn't just to pass it on to kids, it is also to pass it on to 30/40 somethings who become interested.

Still you can't get past the simple fact that an XBOX costs $300 and $50 a game. Compare that to minimums for a boat/vehicle/house of $10K/$15K/$175K. In the twin cities if you want something "newer" it might be more like $15K/$20K/$300K. If you are a single adult, that will require a decent job to responsibly "afford". Let alone the cost of an XBOX game is what $40? Whereas a single bucktail is $25. Cost of Entry is likely a hurdle...
Espy
Posted 1/16/2018 10:25 AM (#889877 - in reply to #889875)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 323


Location: Elk River, MN
Brad P - 1/16/2018 9:00 AM

I suspect hunting and fishing will be just fine. I have no quantitative evidence to support any claims, but if i were to venture a guess, it would be that the participation rates are likely caused at least in part by the transitive nature of wealth in our society. People in their 20s are saddled with a lot of costs and lower income (relative to a 30 or 40 year old). Thus the ability to afford a house, boat, and suitable towing vehicle is probably less than it would be for someone further down the path.

My sense is that as people progress into middle age the single serving/instant gratification forms of fun lose their luster. Also maybe 0.1% of kids in athletics will go on to have a career in it. It is likely that past times/hobbies like hunting and fishing will be turned to as a more fulfilling outlet. Our job isn't just to pass it on to kids, it is also to pass it on to 30/40 somethings who become interested.

Still you can't get past the simple fact that an XBOX costs $300 and $50 a game. Compare that to minimums for a boat/vehicle/house of $10K/$15K/$175K. In the twin cities if you want something "newer" it might be more like $15K/$20K/$300K. If you are a single adult, that will require a decent job to responsibly "afford". Let alone the cost of an XBOX game is what $40? Whereas a single bucktail is $25. Cost of Entry is likely a hurdle...


I agree very much on this.
musky-skunk
Posted 1/16/2018 10:34 AM (#889878 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: RE: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 785


https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170315005391/en/Camping-U.S...
https://e360.yale.edu/features/greenlock-a-visitor-crush-is-overwhel...

Just another quick thought... look at the rough age of the people in the two pictures in the second article and you will see a ton of Millennials doing challenging things outdoors. They show the half dome hike; 16 miles round trip and the narrows hike; 10 miles round trip. Hiking, camping, climbing/mountaineering, trail running, mountain biking, kayaking/paddle boarding, slack lining, scuba diving/snorkeling, skydiving, nature photography and many more are growing at impressive (or alarming) rates. National Parks are being overwhelmed and retail stores that specialize in outdoor activities are seeing record sales and growth. On my adventures I can say that people under the age of 40 are the majority. Though when someone over 50 is on the trail young people often gravitate towards them and the conversations are very fun and encouraging. I think we need to promote hunting and fishing with youth and make some sacrifices to mentor more. Unlike them we have the boats, the tackle, the hunting ground etc., we need to make the time as well. The idea however that young people are not desiring the outdoors and that connection with nature is false.

Edited by musky-skunk 1/16/2018 11:02 AM
MuskyMatt71
Posted 1/16/2018 12:12 PM (#889880 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??





Posts: 141


Location: Minnetonka
Steve mentioned the apparent growth of younger people ice fishing, which is very important to note here. Ice fishing is the "equalizer" so to speak. For less than a lot of peoples' monthly boat payment, a person could get a used shelter, auger, and everything necessary to access the fish anywhere within walking distance on a lake. The growth in ice fishing supports the previously mentioned ideas that open water fishing is just plain expensive these days. The desire is likely still there, but the funds are not.
DRPEPIN
Posted 1/16/2018 1:00 PM (#889884 - in reply to #889543)
Subject: Re: Why Have Millenials Rejected Hunting and Fishing??




Posts: 164


I think what we are all missing is the fact that the younger generations are not getting involved with the clubs and organizations that shape the future of fishing and hunting.
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