COVID-19 Triggers Hunting Boom

Written by HLRBO| 12/11/2020

COVID-19 has forced us to find hobbies where we can remain socially distant, wear a mask, and be outdoors. Does that sound a lot like hunting to you? You're not wrong or alone. Business is booming for hunting in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. 
 While the pandemic has curtailed many indoor leisure activities and spectator sports, hunters are more fortunate: the great outdoors isn't shuttered by health restrictions.  
Game processors in Michigan and elsewhere say business is promising so far and they expect continued steady customer traffic through the end of the season. 
Some hunters who are working fewer hours due to the pandemic are using their extra time to seek deer, elk, and other game. 
Michigan is one of several states where hunting licenses are selling like hotcakes this year. There were 72,563 licenses sold to new hunters as of Oct. 26, up from 38,609 at the same point in 2019. Sales from hunters purchasing licenses online are also up about 127% from last year.

Meanwhile, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports a nearly 10% increase for hunting licenses from last year, which reverses a declining trend over the past few decades. In fact, this year, Californians have purchased nearly 1.2 million fishing licenses, the most since 2008. 
In Wisconsin, the deer harvest was up nearly 16 percent. The number of bucks harvested was 85,340, compared to 75,236 last year. For antlerless deer, the 2020 total was 103,372, compared to 2019's total of 85,533. 
Maine reports a state record for deer hunting permits, and Vermont and Nevada have had double-digit hunting increases.

In New York, state officials report that sales for its hunting and trapping licenses had tripled on opening day alone compared to the prior year. As for license sales this year, they were more than double on the second day and nearly double for the entire first two weeks. 
 Fishing license sales also have soared. Shortly after the governor issued a stay-at-home order in April, Louisiana's total nearly doubled that of the same month in 2019. In Idaho, new hunters and anglers are up almost 30 percent over last year. 
 While hunting during the pandemic, hunters may want to plan ahead for processing their kill. Pandemic-related issues led to several local wild game processors to suspend processing. There are a few other things hunters and anglers should keep in mind during COVID-19; read our post on what you should know here. (Link to new post). 
 If you want to join in on the hunting fun, HLRBO is here to make finding a hunting lease easy. Contact us today to learn more!