Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

 

The weather seems destined to hover around the 30-degree mark, which to a lot of folks is a reason to celebrate. Mainly because it keeps the heating bill at a reasonable level. Don’t get me wrong when I say I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more of a normal winter rather than a balmy one. I like the idea of not freezing when I go outside, but I am also a Minnesotan who chooses not to turn into a snow bird and head south when the weather turns cold and snowy. To me, there is nothing wrong with heading south for a few months, staying around during the winter is my choice.

If you have noticed, there are quite a few pickups driving around with snowmobiles in the back almost like they are trolling for a place to ride. I assume they just want to be ready in case of snow. Not only have the snowmobilers taken a hit this year, but the outdoor ice rinks are almost not useable and then there are the permanent fish houses. I have seen pictures of quite a few of them that have fallen through the ice. Just keep one thought in mind – “there is no such thing as safe ice.”

In my last column I mentioned the importance of getting our youth involved in outdoors activities, mainly hunting and fishing. Small game hunting for rabbit and squirrel runs until the Feb. 28. What better way to introduce a youth to the sport of hunting than to hunt small game? We have 10 or 11 wildlife management areas (WMA’s) in Freeborn County that are there for the public to use. A small caliber rifle such as a .22 or a .410 shotgun are perfect for hunting small game. Youth ages 11 and older can attend a firearms safety certification course and receive their certificate. The Firearms Safety Certificate becomes valid at age 12.

DNR Firearms Certification is required of anyone born after December 31, 1979 to purchase a hunting license in Minnesota.

Two unprecedented generational challenges are negatively affecting Minnesota hunting and fishing participation rates: 1) Younger Minnesotans are not participating in hunting and fishing as did previous generations and 2) a large cohort of older hunters and anglers are at or near the age at which they will stop participating because of health, mobility or other age-related lifestyle choices. The net result will be an increasingly smaller percentage of the state’s population that hunts and fishes.

To date, Minnesota has been the envy of many states as it has not experienced declines in hunter and angler numbers.  Hunting and fishing license sales for the past decade have been remarkably stable at roughly 1.5 million resident and non-resident anglers and 575,000 resident and non-resident hunters.  However, stable license sales during an era of population growth results in a statistical decline in participation rates. In the 1960s, for example, some 40 percent of Minnesotans age 16 and older purchased a fishing license. Now it is 28 percent. Similarly, in the 1980s, 16 percent of Minnesotans hunted, now it is 12 percent.

Since 2000, Minnesota has had a 12 percent decline in hunting and fishing licensing rates as the population has grown from 4.9 million to 5.3 million.  This decline represents 153,000 fewer resident licensed anglers and 74,000 fewer resident hunters than if participation had kept pace with population growth.

The fishing generational challenge is most pronounced among those from ages 25 to 44. Specifically, from 2000 to 2012, participation dropped 16 percent for those ages 35 to 44 and 10.7 percent for those ages 25 to 34. The decline for those ages 16 to 24 was 7.4 percent.

The decline in young adult fishing participation is doubly problematic when viewed in the long-run. That’s because hunters and anglers tend to be the children of hunter or anglers or relatives that hunt and fish. As young adults drop out of hunting and fishing it greatly increases the likelihood that their children will not become hunters or anglers.

Minnesota is a land of opportunity when it comes to hunting and fishing. It has 5,400 fishing lakes, thousands of miles of river and streams, millions of acres of public land to hunt, low cost license price alternatives and a firearms safety requirement exemption under certain situations. And most importantly, fish and wildlife are generally abundant. Yet most Minnesotans don’t hunt and fish.  Those interested in recruiting hunters and anglers need to adapt their efforts to the realities of why people do not participate.

Hunting and fishing are great ways to get our youth out of the house, away from the video games and help them enjoy some of the many natural resources that they have available to them. As adults and sportsmen, we need to encourage our youth to get involved in either or both of these great sports. After all, these are the future of our outdoors heritage.

 

Boat hosts needed for the Governor’s Fishing Opener

Until next time, we have been getting good responses for our need of fishing hosts, but we still have a long way to go in reaching the number of hosts needed to make this event a success. I would like to encourage anyone who is a registered boat owner and would like to participate in the Governor’s Fishing Opener by being a boat host to sign up online. The easiest way to do that is by going to www.mngovernorsopener.com look for the search box and type in boat host, click on search glass and it will take you to the page. Select boat host information and follow the instructions. This is our chance to showcase this great community that we choose to live in and one that we are proud to call home.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers during the year 2019. They are the reason we are able to enjoy all of these wonderful freedoms we enjoy today.