2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: National Overview

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been conducted every five years and provides data on the number of participants involved in each activity. The full report contains data on: number of anglers, hunters, and wildlife-watching participants, by type of activity, trips and days spent on different types of activities, expenditures (trip, equipment, etc.), by type of fishing and hunting and wildlife-watching activity, number of persons and days of participation by animal sought, demographic characteristics of participants (including age, income, sex, race, and education).

Excerpts from Report Summary:

“In 2011 90.1 million Americans, 38% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, enjoyed some form of fishing, hunting or wildlife-associated recreation. Outdoor recreation is a huge contributor to our nation’s economy. Expenditures by hunters, anglers and wildlife-recreationists were $145.0 billion. This equates to 1% of gross domestic product; meaning one out of every one hundred dollars of all goods and services produced in the U.S. is due to wildlife- related recreation.”

“Almost 37.4 million Americans participated in fishing, hunting or both sports in 2011. These sportsmen and women spent $43.2 billion on equipment, $32.2 billion on trips, and $14.6 billion on licenses and fees, membership dues and contributions, land leasing and ownership, and plantings for hunting. On average, each sportsperson spent $2,407 in 2011.”

“Although the Survey focuses on collecting information on people 16 years of age and older who participated in wildlife-related recreation in 2011, it does include some information on 6 to 15-year- olds. Data available from the FHWAR Survey screen reveals 1.8 million 6 to 15 year olds hunted, 8.5 million fished, and 11.7 million watched wildlife.”

Fishing: “As one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United States, fishing attracted 33.1 million individuals 16 years old and older in 2011. These anglers spent an average of 17 days fishing. Freshwater, excluding Great Lakes, fishing was the most popular type of fishing with 27.1 million anglers devoting 443 million days to the sport. Great Lakes and saltwater fishing were also popular with 1.7 million and 8.9 million anglers, respectively.”

Hunting: “In 2011 13.7 million people, 6% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, went hunting. Hunters in the U.S. spent an average of 21 days pursuing wild game. Big game like elk, deer and wild turkey attracted 11.6 million hunters (85%) who spent 212 million days afield. Over 4.5 million (33%) pursued small game including squirrels, rabbits, quails, and pheasants on 51 million days. Migratory birds, such as geese, ducks and doves, attracted 2.6 million hunters (19%) who spent 23 million days hunting. Hunting for other animals such as coyotes, groundhogs and raccoons attracted 2.2 million hunters (16%) who spent 34 million days afield.”

Wildlife Watching: “Wildlife watching is a favorite pastime for millions in the U.S. Nearly 71.8 million people 16 years old and older fed, photographed, and observed wildlife in 2011. They spent $55.0 billion on their activities. The Survey defines wildlife watching as participants either taking a “special interest” in wildlife around their homes or taking a trip for the “primary purpose” of wildlife watching. Wildlife- watching activities such as incidentally observing wildlife while gardening are not included.”