Did you know there were 15.9 million licensed hunters in the United States as of 2023? But the amount of hunting licenses has slowly dwindled from its peak of roughly 17 million in the 1980s.
The following stats are based on 2023 hunting numbers and 2022 survey population estimates. Here are the states with the most paid hunting license holders PER CAPITA:
1. Wyoming. 23.4% of its population is a licensed hunter. Or 136,205 total.
2. South Dakota. 22.7% of its population is a licensed hunter. 206,316 total.
3. Montana. 20.6% are licensed hunters. 231,339 total.
4. North Dakota. 19.3% are licensed hunters. 150,724 total.
5. Idaho. 15.6% are licensed hunters. 301,994 total.
Now here are the states with the most paid hunting licenses period:
1. Texas. 1,170,316. That’s 3.9% of the total population. Texas came in 35th place per capita.
2. Pennsylvania. 953,903. 7.4% of the total population. 23rd place per capita.
3. Georgia. 769,105. 7.0% of the population. 25th place per capita.
4. Tennessee. 728,759. 10.3% of the population. 12th place per capita.
5. Wisconsin. 669,813. 11.4% of the population. 10th place per capita.
(Where’s your favorite place to hunt? Or would you rather just eat it instead of hunting?)
(Stacker)