The good news: more than three-quarters of Americans approve of hunting, fishing and recreational shooting. The bad news: that supermajority of supporters is declining, according to a survey of national attitudes concerning our field sports that was released last year. The slipping support comes after nearly 30 years of increasingly favorable attitudes toward hunting and fishing, and it has caused some conservation leaders to suggest that we participants need to do a better job of projecting the public benefits and personal joys of hunting and fishing to Americans who may have no familiarity with the activities.
The “Americans’ Attitudes Toward Legal, Regulated Fishing, Target/Sport Shooting, Hunting and Trapping” survey was released in August by the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation (OSCF), a non-profit organization that uses research
