It’s no secret that statistics have shown a steady decline in hunting license sales for a number of years. The reasons are numerous and varied: no place to hunt, younger would–be hunters are preoccupied with ball sports or “indoor pastimes” like computers, I-pods, video games, etc. True, we have become a more urbanized society and nation than ever, and a hunter’s first thoughts might be; “Good, now it won’t be so crowded in the woods and more game for the rest of us.”

February stinks. Well ok, I guess many folks are happy because there is Mardi Gras and King Cakes, but at least for hunters and this goes for fishermen too, February really does stink. It’s cold and dreary, the only water left by the low tide is muddy and almost every hunting season is shut down. Yeah sure, there’s snipe and the goose conservation order, but those aren’t exactly the most popular seasons. But it is a good time to take a look at the future of our hunting and shooting heritage as we get past the inauguration of a new president and administration.