Number of Hunters in Alberta
Last Update/Review: November 2, 2006
The
number of licensed hunters in the province is a concern to many people
for a variety of reasons. Wildlife managers need to know how many people
are hunting what game animals so they can adjust hunting opportunities
to ensure conservation of the resource. Also, by purchasing Wildlife
Certificates and hunting licences, hunters make significant financial
contributions to wildlife conservation in the province. If the number
of licences purchased significantly changes, conservation programs
that depend on these sales for funding could be affected.
Indeed over the last decade and a half, the number of hunters purchasing licences has significantly dropped as illustrated in the figure below. It shows the number of Wildlife Certificates sold from 1964 (when they were first sold) through fiscal 2001-2002. As outlined in Licences and Fees, each person that hunts in Alberta must purchase a Wildlife Certificate before he or she can purchase a game licence.
This decline in the number of hunters is not just an Alberta phenomenon. It has occurred throughout North America and is probably the result of several factors. First of all, waterfowl numbers dropped drastically in the early 1980s, forcing governments to restrict the number of birds that a hunter could kill. This caused many waterfowl hunters to leave the sport and not return, despite the more recent upswing in waterfowl numbers. At the same time, the cost of hunting licences increased. This combined with more restrictive gun control laws make it difficult for people to enter the sport.
There have also been demographic changes to our human population. More of us live in or near urban centers, and the core of hunter numbers has traditionally come from rural areas. As well, in the last couple of decades, many more leisure activities have come on the scene to compete for our limited leisure time.
Actual figures by year
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