The number of hunters heading out to bag an elk each fall is steadily declining in Colorado, but stores locally are staying busy.
The decline in interest could be tough to reverse, as hunters grow older. The largest group of big-game hunters is between 47 and 57 years old, and the younger generations are just not pursuing the sport, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife report from May.
The report showed the number of hunters declining steeply from a high of about 363,000 in 1998 to about 281,000 by 2012.
Volunteers adjusting rifles during Sight-In Days at the Durango Gun Club have noticed the slip in participation.
In six days, the volunteers used to see about 600 people. This year, they hope to see 450 to 500, said Tom Price, a volunteer hunter-safety instructor with CPW.
Local outfitters who pack hunters into the woods and set up their camps are also seeing the change.
“People in their 20s and 30s, they are not interested in hunting like their dads,” said Terry Palmer, who owns Over The Hill Outfitters.
His summer trips focused on fishing and photography are more popular, he said.
However, a few young Durangoans are bucking the demographic trends and are heading out to find elk this fall.
Dave Potter and grandson Sage Potter, 21, said hunting is a family tradition and they are interested in the meat far more than finding a trophy.
“I get to hike around in the woods and spend time with family,” Potter said, as he was walking into Sight-In Days.
License sales recovering
Despite the demographic shift, hunting license sales in Colorado have recovered as the economy has improved.
During the primary hunting seasons, Colorado Parks and Wildlife elk license sales increased from about 128,900 in 2010 to about 132,800 in 2014.
Out-of-state hunters make up about 35 percent of the sales, said Joe Lewandowski, a spokesman for CPW.
These people are drawn largely by the unlimited number of elk licenses that are available for two seasons, he said.
Even though CPW does not put a limit on sales during that time, the percentage of successful hunters statewide during all seasons stays roughly flat at about 14 percent, and the elk population seems to be holding steady.
An active archery scene
While rifle hunting is more popular and easier, there is strong interest in archery locally, said Hannah Johnson, store manager at Gardenswartz Sporting Goods.
Johnson is an avid bow hunter.
“You can learn more about hunting with a bow in one hunt than you could hunting with a rifle your whole life,” said 24-year-old Johnson.
At Goods for the Woods, archery season is always busy because of the demand for repairs, said owner Jane Gustafson.
“There’s no time to breathe during archery season,” she said.
This year, archery season for deer and elk ran from Aug. 29 through Sept. 27. The longer season gives hunters more opportunity to be in the woods, and archery itself offers a greater challenge, Johnson said.
“Hunters just want the authenticity of hunting with a bow,” she said.
