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Post by sd51555 on Nov 16, 2020 7:50:08 GMT -6
BLB got me thinking about this. Given the state of things, and the issues building over the past few years, do you think the number of people hunting for venison are going up or going down? Post-rona, I would have expected deer hunting to get a bump much like golf, gardening, and anything else that is anti-social.
What if deer hunting did get a bump? What if licenses were on pace to drop 4-5% but instead only dropped 1% cause a shitload of people suddenly had nothing better to do that weekend? I think the venison eating class is shrinking. Why wouldn't it? The meat will kill you and everyone you feed it to, and more guys than ever will have to do the work themselves from start to finish. And in the end, if you're ok with strike one and strike two, how many people really know how to make venison desirable for under $20-$25/lb?
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Post by batman on Nov 16, 2020 7:55:47 GMT -6
Interesting. Wonder if numbers are shrinking in states where CWD is not exaggerated and meat processors dont get harassed by snowflake dick taters.
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Post by Freeborn on Nov 16, 2020 8:16:45 GMT -6
In my neighborhood nothing has changed. The locals want their venison and from what I heard during the season nothing has changed.
I think for rural people venison will get more desirable as the economics make more sense as cost of meat goes up. Local families can harvest a 1/2 dozen deer and butcher them pretty economical.
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Post by sd51555 on Nov 16, 2020 8:33:47 GMT -6
In my neighborhood nothing has changed. The locals want their venison and from what I heard during the season nothing has changed. I think for rural people venison will get more desirable as the economics make more sense as cost of meat goes up. Local families can harvest a 1/2 dozen deer and butcher them pretty economical. Is there really such a thing as the rural starving family anymore? Between *Feeding America, free 3x365 meals at school, soup kitchens, and SNAP, who could still slip through the cracks? Who would be subjected to the barbarism of partaking in the harvest as a means of survival?
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Post by Catscratch on Nov 16, 2020 8:39:23 GMT -6
Low income locals that want venison have for the most part been leased out of hunting property. Some still get to hunt but the percentage is much lower than before. Covid will have no affect on these people unless they start poaching to get meat.
Some hunters with land want venison (my boys both are asking to buy doe tags for rifle season). Most landowners who bought for hunting are after antlers though and meat is a secondary thought at best.
NR who come here don't do it for venison. They are after antlers, otherwise they would have saved their money and hunted closer to home.
Summary; I think the number of people hunting for meat is trending downward. I don't think Rona is going to change it much. If it does it will be in the form of poaching. It's too damn expensive to shoot animals for meat if you go about it legally.
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 16, 2020 8:48:57 GMT -6
Low income locals that want venison have for the most part been leased out of hunting property. Some still get to hunt but the percentage is much lower than before. Covid will have no affect on these people unless they start poaching to get meat. Some hunters with land want venison (my boys both are asking to buy doe tags for rifle season). Most landowners who bought for hunting are after antlers though and meat is a secondary thought at best. NR who come here don't do it for venison. They are after antlers, otherwise they would have saved their money and hunted closer to home. Summary; I think the number of people hunting for meat is trending downward. I don't think Rona is going to change it much. If it does it will be in the form of poaching. It's too damn expensive to shoot animals for meat if you go about it legally. I have said this on forums for a decade plus.... The "need" to fill the freezer is a feeble reason.
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 16, 2020 8:53:34 GMT -6
The decline in license sales is probably very easy to explain.
1. My son got the china virus just before gun season and did not buy a license 2. Foggy had family that did not participate this year due to the 'rona. 3. neighbor at our farm told his friend from Maple Grove to stay home as he didnt want him in his house for the weekend due to the virus. 4. A retired deputy I know did not go to his buddies deer camp this season due to concerns over the virus. A handful of guys jammed into a small deer shack in the woods had him concerned. He is 72.
Thats 4+ people I know/have heard of that did not participate this year.
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Post by sd51555 on Nov 16, 2020 9:07:21 GMT -6
BLB got me thinking about this. Given the state of things, and the issues building over the past few years, do you think the number of people hunting for venison are going up or going down? Post-rona, I would have expected deer hunting to get a bump much like golf, gardening, and anything else that is anti-social. What if deer hunting did get a bump? What if licenses were on pace to drop 4-5% but instead only dropped 1% cause a shitload of people suddenly had nothing better to do that weekend? I think the venison eating class is shrinking. Why wouldn't it? The meat will kill you and everyone you feed it to, and more guys than ever will have to do the work themselves from start to finish. And in the end, if you're ok with strike one and strike two, how many people really know how to make venison desirable for under $20-$25/lb? The Rogan effect. More people than ever want to eat non-farm raised meat.
I think the meat hunters numbers are probably staying about the same all things considered. Trophy hunter numbers declining. How many can really access it though?
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Post by sd51555 on Nov 16, 2020 9:15:09 GMT -6
The decline in license sales is probably very easy to explain. 1. My son got the china virus just before gun season and did not buy a license 2. Foggy had family that did not participate this year due to the 'rona. 3. neighbor at our farm told his friend from Maple Grove to stay home as he didnt want him in his house for the weekend due to the virus. 4. A retired deputy I know did not go to his buddies deer camp this season due to concerns over the virus. A handful of guys jammed into a small deer shack in the woods had him concerned. He is 72. Thats 4+ people I know/have heard of that did not participate this year. I wonder how many of those that ducked because of the rona were camp hosts? Them bowing out cancelled the hunt for the whole camp. Will they reconvene next year? I'd argue they won't.
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 16, 2020 9:19:47 GMT -6
I dont believe for a second someone is hanging up deer hunting for good because they missed one year due to covid.
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Post by biglakebass on Nov 16, 2020 9:42:55 GMT -6
To answer the original topic: Venison (meat) hunters: growing or shrinking?
I say shrinking. My son is 23. I can say with confidence that he will likely never take a doe and surely will never take a young buck. He passes deer every year waiting for the right one. Meat give him no reason to shoot one. My nephew is 28, and he has morphed very quickly into the desire to only take a buck with age. I know its only 2 examples, but when I was a kid, it was all about tagging deer. Passing up deer wasnt even in the vocabulary. Passing deer is now very common phrase for many people.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 16, 2020 10:45:05 GMT -6
In my neighborhood nothing has changed. The locals want their venison and from what I heard during the season nothing has changed. I think for rural people venison will get more desirable as the economics make more sense as cost of meat goes up. Local families can harvest a 1/2 dozen deer and butcher them pretty economical. Is there really such a thing as the rural starving family anymore? Between *Feeding America, free 3x365 meals at school, soup kitchens, and SNAP, who could still slip through the cracks? Who would be subjected to the barbarism of partaking in the harvest as a means of survival? Starving? Probably not. Hungry and who benefit from shooting some critters to eat? Yep, lots of them in Todd County alone.
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Post by kabic on Nov 16, 2020 10:54:33 GMT -6
How accessible is hunting for poor families? Rifles last forever and box of ammo can be streatched across multiple years. Biggest problem here is fighting the urge to pawn/sell rifle in off season for some quick cash.
Access to land is probably bigger issue. If there isn't public land nearby they are hunting as easily as they did in the 70's. I hear stories from then where it was easy to get access to farms etc to hunt. No so much today.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 16, 2020 11:02:14 GMT -6
How accessible is hunting for poor families? Rifles last forever and box of ammo can be streatched across multiple years. Biggest problem here is fighting the urge to pawn/sell rifle in off season for some quick cash. Access to land is probably bigger issue. If there isn't public land nearby they are hunting as easily as they did in the 70's. I hear stories from then where it was easy to get access to farms etc to hunt. No so much today. Here it seems most folks have access to hunting. Almost everyone who lives in this area have ties to farming. I can't think of anyone who I personally know here who doesn't either own land, is related to someone who owns land, or knows someone who owns land. In more urban and suburban areas I'm sure that's far from being true however.
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Post by Reagan on Nov 16, 2020 11:23:11 GMT -6
I could take at least 4 people right now that would love to shoot anything just for the meat. It is a combination of rookies who haven’t hunted until they were adults and others who have lost access to their old spots.
I might allow a rookie to come to my place. But dad daughter and me come first. The people who lost access haven’t done the work that I do so I’m less likely to help.
Took one of the rookies turkey hunting 2 seasons ago. He hunted public last spring. Hasn’t tried for deer this year. Public is so overcrowded it is hard to get motivated.
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