The Daily Yonder The Pandemic Created New Hunters. States Need to Keep Them Significant uptick in the number of new hunters during the pandemic helps patch the budgets for conservation efforts at wildlife agencies. The next challenge is to have the newly initiated continue for years to come.
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A hunter walks through the woods on the first day of regular firearms deer hunting season in most of Pennsylvania, back in 2018, in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. States have seen a substantial increase in hunting during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
This article was produced by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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The Pandemic Created New Hunters. States Need to Keep Them.
A pair of Pennsylvania hunters exit the woods on the first Sunday of firearms deer season in November. States have seen a substantial increase in hunting during the pandemic.
Jacqueline Dormer
Republican Herald via The Associated Press
Conservationists and wildlife officials have spent years trying to stave off the decline of hunting in America. In 2020, they finally saw a glimmer of hope.
“I ve been working on this issue for 15 years,” said Matt Dunfee, the director of special programs at the Wildlife Management Institute, a national conservation nonprofit that focuses on restoring wildlife populations. “All I needed was a pandemic.”