Latest Hunting Statistics [2021-22]

Everyone loves some good statistics about their favorite past-time. On this page, I am going to list as many hunting statistics as I can find for hunters in the United States. Some data will be country-wide, other data may be by state.

How Many Hunting Licenses Were Sold in 2021?

During the 2021 season, there were 38,590,862 hunting licenses, permits, and tags sold in all 50 states combined. These licenses and tags were sold to 15,202,669 license holders. 34,712,508 of these permits were sold to in-state hunters, while only 3,878,354 were sold to non-resident hunters. Source[1]

What Percentage of People Hunt in the United States in 2021?

In 2021 there were 15,202,669 license holders in the United States, which accounts for about 4.55% of the total population. Source[1]

How Much Money Did States Make from Hunters in 2021?

The total 38,590,862 permits and tags account for $918,478,259. Of that, $372,804,333 comes from non-resident hunters and $545,673,926 came from in-state hunters. Texas made the most from in-state hunters, $34,381,172. While Colorado made the most from out of state hunters, $49,732,815. Source[1]

What Methods of Hunting Are Most Popular?

The three most popular methods of hunting in 2021 were a rifle, shotgun, and bow. There were 15.2 million people who hunted with a rifle in the U.S., compared to only 7.87 million shotgun users. Coming in third on the list is bow hunters with 4.66 million people hunting with bows in 2021. These numbers are related to big game hunting. Source[2]

Market Size Growth of Hunting and Trapping Industry

From 2020 to 2021, the hunting and trapping industry grew in market size from $888.5 million in 2020 to $890.1 million in 2021. This is less than 1% growth between years but still shows that the industry is growing overall. There is projected to be a slight decline in 2022 as statistics show that the hunting and trapping industry tends to trend upward for two to three years before declining for a single year before another two to three-year growth. Source[3]

Hunting and Trapping Businesses and Employees

In the hunting and trapping industry, there were roughly 15,720 hunting and trapping businesses in the U.S. in 2021. Those businesses accounted for 17,230 employees across the country. These do not account for big box stores like Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop. These are small, independently owned companies directly involved with hunting and trapping, such as hunting and fishing guides. Source[2]

Indiana 2021 Whitetail Deer Harvest Statistics

In 2021, hunters in Indiana harvested a total of 112,481 whitetail deer. That is down 11,699 deer from 2020, but it falls back into line with the previous three years’ averages.

Antlered deer harvested were 53,751, which accounts for almost 48% of the deer taken in Indiana. Classified antlerless deer harvested were 58,730, making up the other 52% of deer harvested in Indiana.

Whitetail deer harvested on private property numbered 104,418 statewide, while only 8,063 were taken on public land. That accounts for a 93% – 7% split between private and public land respectively. Source[4]

Deer Taken with Specific Equipment in Indiana

	Private Land	Private Land	Public Land	Public Land
	Antlered	Antlerless	Antlered	Antlerless
All Equipment	50,015	54,403	3,736	4,327
Bow	5,416	6,909	636	890
Crossbow	7,352	8,583	635	892
Handgun	126	157	17	22
Muzzleloader	3,513	6,693	431	717
Rifle	27,797	26,588	1,113	1,059
Shotgun	5,811	5,473	904	747

Indiana 2021 Turkey Harvest Statistics

In the Spring of 2021, hunters harvested a total of 12,319 bearded turkeys statewide. That is down 2,173 from the previous year but falls back into line with totals taken from 2016 to 2019. Hunters used a firearm to take 11,975 turkeys, which is 97%. The other 3%, 344 turkeys were taken with archery equipment in the Spring season.

During the Fall Turkey Seasons, hunters only harvested a total of 585 turkeys. Of those, 251 were bearded males or females, equating to 43% of the total harvest. Non-bearded females accounted for the remaining 334 turkeys harvested, making up the remaining 57% of the harvest. Source[5,6]

Ranking States by Percent of Residents with Hunting Licenses

Rank	State	% Residents with Hunting License	Total Paid Hunting License Holders	Total Licenses, Tags, Permits, Stamps	Gross Cost of All Hunting License
50	California	0.7%	267,170	991,897	$21,107,452
49	Rhode Island	0.7%	7,208	26,690	$407,485
48	Hawaii	0,7%	10,614	11,957	$684,001
47	New Jersey	0.8%	71,300	408,368	$7,629,928
46	Massachusetts	0.8%	56,985	256,651	$2,367,256
45	Florida	0.9%	189,706	303,556	$6,873,110
44	Connecticut	1.0%	34,340	110,205	$2,325,211
43	Delaware	1.7%	16,291	53,683	$1,447,208
42	Maryland	2.0%	119,202	345,327	$6,437,254
41	Nevada	2.3%	69,681	143,282	$7,629,934
40	Washington	2.3%	174,660	685,780	$17,068,229
39	Illinois	2.3%	297,243	1,437,735	$31,024,125
38	New York	2.8%	556,897	1,389,949	$24,248,161
37	Virgina	3.1%	261,416	825,084	$21,279,813
36	Ohio	3.1%	361,119	918,275	$21,634,294
35	South Carolina	3.6%	181,820	1,098,355	$10,816,831
34	Indiana	3.8%	253,611	372,629	$11,308,327
33	Texas	3.9%	1,120,620	1,740,102	$46,886,984
32	New Hampshire	4.1%	56,001	149,562	$4,487,238
31	Arizona	4.2%	304,789	506,081	$17,485,504
30	Colorado	5.2%	295,451	582,956	$59,006,693
29	New Mexico	5.3%	110,194	386,978	$16,064,100
28	North Carolina	5.8%	603,995	322,044	$10,669,918
27	Georgia	5.9%	625,142	1,381,224	$19,171,012
26	Michigan	6.7%	665,431	2,130,146	$35,676,998
25	Iowa	6.9%	218,483	659,074	$20,076,441
24	Pennsylvania	7.3%	930,815	2,646,720	$36,873,199
23	Kentucky	7.5%	334,342	581,233	$19,369,805
22	Oregon	7.8%	326,663	1,289,774	$28,221,918
21	Utah	7.9%	249,765	453,609	$18,074,717
20	Missouri	7.9%	486,025	1,946,253	$21,801,927
19	Louisiana	8.5%	396,621	607,338	$10,156,375
18	Kansas	8.5%	248,430	468,485	$25,944,894
17	Nebraska	9.5%	183,516	407,816	$15,851,695
16	Mississippi	9.7%	288,287	393,950	$12,791,274
15	Arkansas	9.7%	293,356	507,918	$18,830,352
14	Minnesota	9.8%	550,087	1,364,972	$30,336,640
13	Tennessee	10.1%	684,364	712,303	$20,908,618
12	Alabama	10.3%	503,144	530,675	$11,793,800
11	Vermont	10.3%	64,788	178,323	$4,016,039
10	Maine	11.5%	154,580	232,289	$7,587,437
9	West Virginia	11.6%	210,101	646,508	$8,831,815
8	Wisconsin	11.7%	680,733	4,142,884	$40,940,312
7	Alaska	12.3%	90,406	447,761	$11,114,179
6	Oklahoma	14.2%	558,374	433,716	$9,917,076
5	Idaho	16.5%	288,613	1,489,436	$29,105,510
4	North Dakota	17.2%	131,043	489,968	$10,497,040
3	Montana	21.1%	224,248	1,030,571	$38,983,268
2	Wyoming	22.7%	131,318	256,326	$26,079,665
1	South Dakota	24.1%	212,736	353,339	$20,405,234

Source: States with the Most Registered Hunters

Public Land Open To Hunting By State

Rank	State	Total Land Acres Open To Hunt	% of State Open to Public Hunting
1	Alaska	271,174,000	74.3%
2	Nevada	53,752,000	76.5%
3	California	38,197,000	38.3%
4	Idaho	34,807,000	65.8%
5	Oregon	34,752,000	56.6%
6	Utah	34,736,000	66.1%
7	Arizona	32,539,000	44.8%
8	New Mexico	31,427,000	40.5%
9	Wyoming	31,403,000	50.5%
10	Montana	30,065,000	32.3%
11	Colorado	23,397,000	35.3%
12	Washington	13,467,000	31.7%
13	Minnesota	8,217,000	16.1%
14	Michigan	7,346,000	20.3%
15	Florida	5,884,000	17.1%
16	Wisconsin	5,167,000	14.9%
17	Pennsylvania	4,170,000	14.6%
18	New York	3,824,000	12.7%
19	Arkansas	3,232,000	9.7%
20	Missouri	2,525,000	5.7%
21	South Dakota	2,376,000	4.9%
22	Tennessee	2,356,000	8.9%
23	Virginia	2,006,000	7.9%
24	North Dakota	1,976,000	4.5%
25	Texas	1,591,000	1.0%
26	West Virginia	1,482,000	9.6%
27	North Carolina	1,380,000	4.4%
28	Louisiana	1,349,000	4.9%
29	Mississippi	1,268,000	4.2%
30	Georgia	1,215,000	3.3%
31	Alabama	1,061,000	3.3%
32	New Hampshire	991,000	17.3%
33	Maine	942,000	4.8%
34	Oklahoma	932,000	2.1%
35	South Carolina	819,000	4.3%
36	Kentucky	804,000	3.2%
37	New Jersey	740,000	15.7%
38	Nebraska	699,000	1.4%
39	Illinois	698,000	2.0%
40	Ohio	651,000	2.5%
41	Indiana	502,000	2.2%
42	Vermont	463,000	7.9%
43	Kansas	420,000	0.8%
44	Maryland	344,000	5.5%
45	Iowa	266,000	0.7%
46	Massachusetts	232,000	4.6%
47	Connecticut	173,000	5.6%
48	Delaware	61,000	4.9%
49	Rhode Island	60,000	9.0%
50	Hawaii	24,000	0.6%

Source[7]

2021 Hunting Safety Statistics for New York State

The state of New York had its safest hunting year on record for hunting-related shooting incidents since its hunter safety program was signed into law in 1949. This year they only had one fatal incident and only nine total incidents throughout the entire 2021 calendar year. This is almost half of their normal five-year average and more than half of 2020’s total incidents which were 22.

Four of these incidents in 2021 occurred during Deer Hunting Season, one during Spring Turkey Season, and the remaining four occurred during Small Game Seasons. Five of the nine total incidents involved a shotgun, while the other four involved a rifle.

So far, the 2020s have shown the lowest number of hunting-related shooting incidents compared to previous decades. If it continues at this pace, the 2020s could see less than an average of 15 total incidents in a single year. Source[8]

Estimated Deer Populations in All 50 States

State	Whitetail Deer	Mule Deer	Blacktail Deer
Alabama	1.75 Million	0	0
Alaska	0	0	350,000
Arizona	50,000-60,000	85,000-100,000	0
Arkansas	900,000	0	0
California	0	460,420 Combine Mule deer & Blacktail
Colorado	427,500 Combined Whitetail & Mule Deer	0
Connecticut	101,000	0	0
Delaware	45,000	0	0
Florida	550,000-700,000	0	0
Georgia	1.27 Million	0	0
Hawaii	0	0	950-1,050
Idaho	520,000	249,691	0
Illinois	660,000	0	0
Indiana	680,000	0	0
Iowa	445,000	0	0
Kansas	646,000	53,400	0
Kentucky	900,000-1 Million	0	0
Louisiana	500,000	0	0
Maine	280,000-300,000	0	0
Maryland	207,000	0	10,000 Sitka Deer
Massachusetts	95,000	0	0
Michigan	1.7-2 Million	0	0
Minnesota	900,000-1 Million	0	0
Mississippi	1.75 Million	0	0
Missouri	1.4 Million	0	0
Montana	212,814	293,950	0
Nebraska	300,000	90,000-130,000	0
Nevada	0	84,000-90,000	0
New Hampshire	100,000	0	0
New Jersey	125,000	0	0
New Mexico	0	80,000-100,000	0
New York	1.2 Million	0	0
North Carolina	1 Million	0	0
North Dakota	135,000	21,000	0
Ohio	700,000-750,000	0	0
Oklahoma	750,000	1,750-3,000	0
Oregon	0	170,000-190,000	320,000
Pennsylvania	1.4-1.5 Million	0	0
Rhode Island	18,000	0	0
South Carolina	730,000	0	0
South Dakota	425,000	80,600	0
Tennessee	900,000	0	0
Texas	5.3 Million	227,392	0
Utah	1,000	314,850	0
Vermont	133,000	0	0
Virginia	850,000-1 Million	0	0
Washington	90,000-110,000	90,000-110,000	90,000-110,000
West Virginia	550,000	0	0
Wisconsin	1.6 Million	0	0
Wyoming	72,900	330,700	0

Source[9]

Is Hunting Sandhill Cranes Allowed?

In short yes, but only in seventeen states which include: Alabama, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Minnesota, Arizona, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alaska, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

There are over 650,000 Sandhill Cranes located in North America. They are a larger migratory bird that often migrates in large droves. These flocks are usually tracked and have several travel corridors that run north and south in various areas across the United States.

In the Central Flyway, where most of the states have a Sandhill Crane season, 63,187 hunters were given permits to hunt Sandhill Cranes. An estimated 74,936 Sandhill Cranes were harvested in the 2020-2021 hunting season across the United States.

Sandhill Crane hunting tends to be a very hot topic as conservationists oppose hunting seasons for these birds. But with a lifespan of 20+ years and a rising population, the flock of Sandhill Cranes can support reasonable hunting seasons. Source[10]

What is the Status of Feral Hogs in the United States?

Feral swine or feral hogs have now been reported in at least 35 states. The population is estimated roughly at over 6 million hogs and rising quickly. Many states have opened hunting seasons or have year-round open hunting seasons for feral hogs to try and reduce the damage being caused by the invasive species.

Texas has been at the forefront of trying to mitigate the damage that feral hogs have caused. It is believed that there are over 3 million hogs alone in Texas that cause up to $500 million in property and agricultural damages every year. This has led to the creation of the Feral Hog Task Force in Texas which will begin a bounty system at $5 per hog. Source[11]

How Much Money Does the Pittman-Robertson Act Generate Yearly?

The Pittman-Robertson Act, which is an 11% excise tax levied on most firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment, usually generates between $750 million and $1 billion dollars in revenue to be used by state fish and wildlife agencies to be used for conservation.

In 2022, it is estimated that over $1.1 billion will be distributed to state fish and wildlife agencies which will match the funds they receive with other state funds, usually with hunting and fishing license revenues. Source[12]