The percentage of adults who hunt nationwide is now about 5% & has been dropping for the last several years. Even when I was starting to hunt, that percentage was well in the double digits. The percentage of kids that hunt nationwide is even smaller. As hunters, we will have to figure out a way to accommodate kids or the sport of hunting will die out. But that's not gonna happen because some hunters aren't willing to share. Just propose moving youth season into early November & you will have bow hunters all over you in no time. I used to bow hunt & now crossbow hunt so I get the impact doing this would have. There are many competing interests for kids' time these days. I have an 11 yr old granddaughter, Emma. She plays traveling soccer & is on the cheerleading team. She has been asked to be on the academic team. Each one of these teams has practice a couple times a week. Her mom works 40 hrs/wk & her dad works 70 hrs/wk. Neither of them hunt. Even if Emma wanted to go hunting, she would have a difficult time getting to do so. Last year, I had plans to take her hunted Early Youth Season. The night before, her dad (my son) called & said she had a pop up soccer tournament in Evansville, IN. There went our hunting weekend. Getting kids involved in hunting is difficult under ordinary circumstances. With opposition from any hunting group, for any reason, it is nearly impossible.
