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The Millennial Hunter

Prepared by: Southwick Associates, P.O. Box 6435, Fernandina Beach, FL 32035Phone: (904) 277-9765, Fax: (904) 261-1145

Technical series report #6

TheMillennialHunter

Report six of six in a series

Preparedforthe:

Producedby:

February2016

ProducedunderfundingawardedviaMulti-StateConservationGrant#F14AP00154aspartoftheFederalAidinWildlifeRestorationProgram,administeredbytheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceandtheAssociationofFishand

WildlifeAgencies.

Acknowledgments

Thisreport,alongwiththeotherreportsandmaterialsassociatedwiththisseries,wereproducedunderfundingawardedviaMulti-StateConservationGrant#F14AP00154aspartoftheFederalAidinWildlifeRestorationProgram,administeredbytheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceandtheAssociationofFishandWildlifeAgencies.TheNationalShootingSportsFoundation(NSSF)isgratefulforthefundingandsupportprovidedbytheseorganizations.

TheNSSFextendsitsthanksandappreciationtothe12statesthatkindlyextendedtheirassistanceandlicensedatatomakethisprojectworthwhile:Colorado,Florida,Georgia,Maine,Michigan,Minnesota,Mississippi,Montana,NewHampshire,NewYork,Utah,andWisconsin.Withouttheircooperationanddata,thisreportwouldnotbepossible.

ThisreportwasdevelopedundersubcontracttoSouthwickAssociates.SurveyresearchwasprovidedbyResponsiveManagement.SouthwickAssociateswishestothankMelissaSchilling,JimCurcuruto,SamanthaPedder,andGlennSapirfortheirdirection,guidance,supportandcontributionstothiseffort.Also,wewishtothankthemanystateagencystaffwhotooktimetoanswerquestionsandprovidecriticaldata.Regardlessofthecontributionsofmany,SouthwickAssociatesremainsresponsibleforthecontentandinterpretationswithin.

Suggestedcitation:NationalShootingSportsFoundation.“TheMillennialGenerationHunter”TechnicalReport#6.ProducedbySouthwickAssociatesandResponsiveManagement.February,2016.

Introduction

Onemightask,ifmembersoftheBabyBoomgenerationarebecominghuntersofthepast,whowillbethehuntersofthefuture?Withoutquestion,BabyBoomgenerationhuntershavebeenasignificantpartofthehuntingpopulation,providingthehighestlevelsofparticipationamongthispopulation,relativetoyoungerhunters,overthelast25years.1But,asthesehuntersageandfaceobstacleswhichpreventthemfromhunting,membersoftheMillennialgenerationbecomeanincreasinglyimportantpartofthefutureofhunting.

TheMillennialgeneration,currentlytotalingmorethan80millionintheU.S.,issaidtobethelargestcohortinhistory.2Theyarecurrentlyatanagewhentheyaretransitioningthroughmanylifestagessuchassecondaryschooling,newcareer,marriage,andchildren.Whilethedemandsofthesestagescompeteforanindividual’slimitedtimeandresources,thesetransitionspresentopportunitiesfortraditionandfamilyhistorywithinthesportofhuntingtoemerge.

Althoughconditionsmayberighttobringmillennialsintohunting,participationremainsrelativelylowwithinthispopulation(5%in2011,versus7%forhunters35-64yearsofage3).Inthissixth,andfinal,report,weattempttobetterunderstandMillennialhuntersbyexaminingwaysinwhichtheydifferfromolderhunters.Inparticular,weinvestigatewhethertherearekeycharacteristics,otherthanage,thatcanusedtoinformnationalandstatewildlifeagencyoutreachefforts.Sustainabilityandevengrowthofthehunterpopulationwillrequirerecruitmentandretentionofexistingandpotentialhuntersfromwithinthislargeanddiversepopulation,whosetastesandpreferencesareframedbybackgroundsdifferentthantheirpredecessors.

Approach

Wedrawfromtwosourcesutilizedinearlierreportstoexamineretentionandrecruitmentfromanumberofdifferentperspectives.Weanalyzedresponsestoanationalsurveyofhunterstolearnmoreabouttheirmotivationstohunt,theirexperienceswithinthesport,andtheirplansaboutremainingengagedinthesport.

Thesurveytoolwasfieldedontwoseparateoccasions;targetingslightlydifferentaudienceseachtime.TheinitialroundtargetedhuntersofallageswhilethesecondroundtargetedonlyMillennialgenerationhunters.Thehuntinglicensedatabasesfromtwelvestateswereusedtoidentifythetargetsample.ThesurveywasconductedasaphoneinterviewandadministeredbyResponsiveManagement.

1U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior,U.S.FishandWildlifeService,andU.S.DepartmentofCommerce,U.S.CensusBureau.2011NationalSurveyofFishing,Hunting,andWildlife-AssociatedRecreation.2NationalChamberFoundation.2012.TheMillennialGenerationResearchReview.3U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior,U.S.FishandWildlifeService,andU.S.DepartmentofCommerce,U.S.CensusBureau.2011NationalSurveyofFishing,Hunting,andWildlife-AssociatedRecreation.

Atotalof1,374hunterscompletedthesurvey.Theresultsofthesurveyareweightedbasedonthenumberoflicensedhunterstoensuretherespondentsamplereflectsthepopulationasaccuratelyaspossible.

Second,weutilizedlicensesalesdataprovidedbytwelveparticipatingstates.4Theselicensedatasetsareharmonizedintotwocomprehensivefiles,containinganindividual’shuntingorfishingprivilegespurchasedfrom2004to2013.Thetotalhunterpoolwasthenrestrictedtoincludethosewhowereatleastage18andtoresidenthuntersonly.Analysisanddiscussioninthisreportfocusesontwogroupsofhunters:

Millennialgenerationgroup:Huntersbetweentheageof18and34yearsoldin2015whopurchasedahuntinglicensein2013.

Othergenerationgroup:Huntersovertheageof34in2015whopurchasedalicensein2013.

Thelicensedataallowustoexaminethelevelofparticipationandchurnbetweenthetwotargetgroups.Tobetterunderstandhowtheyoungergenerationofhuntersvariesfromoldergenerations,welookatthedistributionofhuntersbasedongender,theirtendencytocross-overintofishing,andmarketsegmentation.Marketsegmentationharnessestheideathatpeople’spreferencesarelikelytovarybasedonincome,age,urban/rurallifestyle,wheretheyareinlife(single,family,empty-nest,retired,etc.)andmore.However,thistypeofinformationisnotavailablefromthetypicalstatisticsprovidedbyastate’selectroniclicensedatabase.Togainabetterunderstandingofwhoismorelikelytobuyornotbuyalicense,webridgethedatagapbylinkingahunter’szipcodewithAddressCoderTMtoTapestry™lifestylesegmentationdataprovidedbyESRIofArlington,VA.ESRI’slifestylesegmentationisbuiltfromCensusBureaudataandothersources.UsinganalyticaltechniquessuchasclusteranalysisinconjunctionwithgeodemographicdatafromtheUSCensus,ESRIidentifiesatotalof14LifeModegroupsand67Tapestrylifestylesegments.Theoverarchinggoalistoidentifydistinctgroupingsthatmaximizethesimilaritieswithinasegmentwhileatthesametimemaximizingthediversitybetweengroups.Inpreviousreports,wehavefocusedonstudyingthehunterpopulationbasedonaperson’slicensepurchasebehaviorandtheproportionoftheannualhunterpopulationthatisretainedthenextyearrelativetotheportionthatisreplacedbyneworoccasionalhunters.Itisimportanttonotethatwedonotdrawthatdistinctioninthisreport.Inotherwords,eachgenerationalgroupiscomprisedofhunterswhoexperiencesrangefromthosewhoregularlyengageinthesporttothosewhoarefirst-timehunters.4ThetwelvestatesprovidingcompleterecordsareColorado,Florida,Georgia,Maine,Michigan,Minnesota,Mississippi,Montana,NewHampshire,NewYork,Utah,andWisconsin.Thetwelve-statecollectionoflicensesalesrecordswereproportionallyweightedtoaccuratelyrepresenta“collective”result.

Surveyfindings

Demographiccharacteristics

Inthisreport,weseparatethehunterpopulationunderstudyintotwoseparategroups:theMillennialgenerationand“other”generations.Includedwithinthe“other”generationcollectionarehuntersfromGenX,theBabyBoomandtheSilent5generations.Figure1showsthedistributionofhuntersbyagecategorywithineachgroup.

HunterswithintheMillennialgenerationgrouparefairlyevenlydistributedacrossthethreeagecategories,splitat5-yearintervals.Ontheotherhand,the“other”groupconsistsprimarilyofGenXandBabyBoomgenerationhunters.

Figure1.Currentageofhunter

Fourotherdemographiccharacteristics(gender,householdincome,education,andethnicity)areincludedinTable1.Hunters,regardlessofgeneration,areprimarilymale.Yet,theMillennialgenerationshowsahigherlevelofgenderdiversity.Educationattainmentlevelsshowahighdegreeofsimilaritybetweenthetwogroups.Ontheotherhand,membersofthe“other”generationgroupreporthigherlevelsofhouseholdincome.Thisisunsurprisingsinceincomeiscorrelatedwithageandexperienceonaverage.MembersoftheMillennialgenerationgroupareonlyslightlymoreethnicallydiverse,relativetoothergenerations.

5TheSilentgenerationdescribesthosebornbetween1920sandearly1940s,placingthembetweentheGreatestgenerationandtheBabyBoomgeneration.Theyare70yearsoldandover.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

18to23yearsold

24to29yearsold

30to34yearsold

35to50yearsold

51to69yearsold

70yearsoldandolder

Millennialgeneralon GenX,BabyBoomandSilentGeneralons

Table1.Demographiccharacteristicsofhuntersbygeneration

Millennialgeneration Othergenerations

Gender Male 80% 90%Female 20% 10%

Total 100% 100%Highestlevelofeducation

Highschoolorlower 32% 34%Associate'sortradeschool 34% 31%Bachelor'sdegreeorhigher 35% 35%

Total 100% 100%Householdincome

Under$40,000 35% 20%$40,000-$79,999 34% 35%$80,000-$119,999 21% 23%$120,000ormore 10% 22%

Total 100% 100%Ethnicity

WhiteorCaucasian 96% 98%BlackorAfrican-American 1% 1%HispanicorLatino 2% 1%Other 3% 1%

Total* 102% 100%*Respondentsareallowedtoselectmorethanoneethnicity,asaresultthetotalisgreaterthan100%

Whydidtheygohunting?

Whatwasthecatalystthattrulymotivatedthemtotaketothefield?Inthisnextsection,weexaminerespondent’sreasonsforgoinghuntingandidentifyfactorswhichareuniquetotheMillennialgeneration.Thetopreasonreportedbypeopleofallgenerationswhowenthuntingin2013wastoharvestmeat.Interestingly,theproportionofMillennialgenerationhunterswhoweremotivatedbythechancetoharvestmeatisnotablyhigherthanamonghuntersofothergenerations.Therecentinterestamongyoungergenerationsineatingmorelocallysourcedfoods(i.e.locavoremovement)potentiallyplaysaroleinthemotivationformeat.

Huntingasasportoffersavarietyofcharacteristicsthatcanappealtopeoplelookingforasolitaryormoresocialendeavor.Infact,thesecondmostcommonlyreportedreasontohuntamongallhunterswastospendtimewithfamilyandfriends.Thisconfirmsotherresearchthathasfoundyoungerhuntersplaceahigherimportanceonthesocialaspectofthesportthanolderhunters.Obtainingatrophyisnotsignificantmotivatingfactorforeithergroup.OldergenerationsareslightlymorelikelythantheMillennialgenerationtobemotivatedsimplyforthesport,tobeclosetonature,orforrelaxation.

Figure2.Primaryreasontohuntin2013

And,huntersreportaninvitationfromafriendwasoneoftwomajorfactorsmotivatingthemtohunt,regardlessoftheirgeneration(43%amongtheMillennialgenerationand24%amongothergenerations).Theopportunitytospendtimeoutdoorswasthesecondmostcommonmotivatingfactor(15%amongtheMillennialgenerationand24%amongothergenerations).Otherfactorssuchas“findingmoretime”,“interestinanewhobby”,“improvedopportunitiesforhunting”,and“huntingassimplyanannualtradition”aremotivationfactorsforonly10%orlessofeachgenerationalgroup.

Consistentwiththeprimaryfactorspromptinganindividualtogohunting,thelargestproportionofbothgroupshuntedwithsomeoneelsein2013(Table2).Nearlytwo-thirdsofthosewhohuntedwithsomeoneelsemademutualhuntingplans.Fortherest,Millennialsweremorelikelytoreceiveaninvitationtohuntthantoinitiatetheplans(30%vs19%),whilehuntersoftheoldergenerationsweremorelikelytoinitiatetheplansorinvitesomeoneelsetohunt(22%vs14%)

Table2.Mostcommonhuntingpartycompositionin2013 Millennialgeneration OthergenerationsHuntedalone 19% 24%Huntedwithsomeoneelse 52% 46%Both,aboutequally 29% 30%

Total 100% 100% Receivedaninvitationfromsomeoneelse

togo30% 19%

Initiateplanningorinvitesomeoneelsetogohuntingwithyou

14% 22%

Makejointormutualplanswithsomeoneelsetogo

62% 64%

Don’tknow 1% 2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Forthemeat Tobewithfamilyandfriends

Forthesportorrecrealon

Tobeclosetonature

Forrelaxalon Foratrophy

Millennialgeneralon Othergeneralons

Wheredotheyturnforinformation?

Inanagewheninformationisreadilyavailableonlineandinprint,huntersofallgenerationsaresavvyconsumers.Thereareamultitudeofavenueshunterscanusetoobtaininformationaboutbestplacesandtechniquesforhunting.But,wheredotheyturnthemost?

Hunters,bothyoungandold,predominantlyturntofriendsandfamilywhoareexperiencedhunters(Figure3).Theyalsooftenturntostatefish&wildlifeagencywebsites.Millennialgenerationhuntersturntothesetwosourceswithgreaterfrequencythanhuntersofothergenerations.Communicationwithothersoutsideofthefamilyandothertraditionalmeansofcommunication(i.e.brochures,magazines,TVshows)arenotasheavilyrelieduponasinformationsources.

Anotableproportionofhuntersintheothergenerationgroupssaytheydonotneedhuntinginformation,suggestingtheyaremoreconfidentintheirskills.Assumingthatconfidenceinone’sskill-setisassociatedwiththefrequencytheyactivelyengageinhunting,wemightexpecttofindthatothergenerationhunterssaytheyhuntmorefrequentlythanMillennialgenerationhunters.Infact,78%ofothergenerationhunterssaytheyhuntedeveryyearovertheperiodfrom2009to2013,while44%ofMillennialgenerationhuntershuntedeveryyear.

Figure3.Informationsourcesusedbyhuntersin2013

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Radioandoutdoortelevisionshows

Guideorouqirer

Don'tknow

Salesclerksatlargesporlnggoodsstores

Peopleatsmallsporlnggoodsstores

Newspapersormagazines

Didn'tneedhunlnginformalon

Printedbrochures,hunlngmaps,pamphlets,

Other

Otheronlinewebsites

Statefishandwildlifeagencywebsite

Friendsandfamilywhoareexperienced

Millennialgeneralon

Othergeneralons

Potentialforafuturewithhunting

Respondentstothesurveycomefromavariedrangeofhuntingbackgrounds,fromthosewhotypicallyhunteveryyeartothosejusthuntingforthefirsttime.Ofthesehunters,somewillcontinuetohuntyearafteryearwhileotherswilltransitionawayfromhunting.Thatchoicecanbeinfluencedbytheircurrentlevelofinterestwiththesport.

Basedonascaleofnotatallinterested(zero)toveryinterested(ten)inhunting,wefindthatthelevelofinterestamongallhuntersishigh(Figure4).Millennialgenerationhuntersmostcommonlyreportaninterestlevelof8.Othergenerationsmostcommonlyreportaninterestlevelof9,onlyslightlyhigher.

Figure4.Currentlevelofinterestinhunting

Thishighlevelofinterestappearstohavebeentranslatedintoaction.Themajorityofhunterswhoboughtalicensein2013wentontobothpurchaseahuntinglicenseandgohuntingthefollowingyearin2014(Figure5).TheproportionoftheMillennialgenerationgroup,however,isapproximately10%lower,relativetoothergenerations,forbothmeasures.

Previouslywementionedthat78%ofhuntersintheothergenerationgroupindicatedtheyhuntedeveryyear.Thehighproportionofthisgrouppurchasingagainin2014islikelydrivenbythesehunters.Wehadalsopreviouslymentionedthat44%ofMillennialhunterssaytheyhuntedeveryyear.Theresultssuggestthatanotableportionofthesehunterswhowereinfrequentornewhuntersoptedtogetalicenseandgohuntingagain.

Figure5.Proportionwhopurchasedalicenseandhuntedagainin2014

0 2 4 6 8 10

Othergeneralons

Millennialgeneralon

Levelofinterestscale Veryinterested

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Didyoubuyahunlnglicensein2014:Yes Didyougohunlngin2014:Yes

8.0

Notinterested

9.0

Thosewhotypicallyhunteveryyeararethosewhoaremostlikelytohuntinfutureyears.Buttowhatdegreecanthehunter’sexperiencein2013influencetheirlevelofinterestandactivityin2014andbeyond?Thedatahereonlyprovidesasnapshotfromoneyeartothenext.Itcannotprovideinsightsastotheproportionofeithergroupwhichmightlapseoverfutureyears.Weencouragereaderstorefertoearlierreportswhichexplorehistoricallicensepurchasingbehaviors.

Thelicensedatadonotindicatewhyahuntermighttakeahiatusfromhunting.Throughthesurvey,wefindthattheprimaryreasonMillennialhunterstookahiatusfromhuntingbeforereturningin2013wasgoingtocollege(Table3).Huntersofothergenerationssaythatthecommitmenttoafull-timejobdidnotallowtimetohunt.Between35%-45%ofallhuntersalsoidentifiedanimportant“other”factoroutsideofthepre-definedlist.Thelistof“other”factorsprovidedbyrespondentsisvariedbutonecommonthemeemerged:agenerallackoftimeorinterestinhunting.

Table3.Reason(s)fortakingahiatusfromhunting

Millennialgeneration

Othergenerations

Wenttocollege 19% 3%Startedworkingafull-timejob 15% 12%Movedtoadifferentplace 14% 7%Enteredthemilitary 8% 6%Hadchildren 5% 7%Gotmarried 4% 2%Economicreasons/couldnolongeraffordtohunt 3% 3%Jobbecametoodemanding 3% 2%Illnessorotherhealthreasons 1% 6%Other 36% 45%Don'tknow 8% 12%

Historyasahunter

Momsanddadsplaythelargestroleintheyounghunter’ssupportingsocialnetwork,regardlessofgenerationaldifferences(Table4).Theynotonlyactivelytooktheirkidshuntingbuttheyalsoengagedinteachingthemaboutthesport.Otherfamilymemberswerealsoinstrumentalinsupportingthehuntersamongothergenerationswhentheywerechildren.WhileotherfamilymembersarevitalforaproportionofMillennialgenerationhunters,grandparentsarealsolikelytoplayaroll,too.

Table4.Primarymember(s)ofsocialnetworksupportinghuntingactivityduringchildhood

Parents GrandparentsOtherfamilymembers

Familyfriends

Huntedonmyownorwithfriendsmyownage

Whotookyouhuntingmostoftenasachild? Millennials 73% 8% 8% 9% 2%

Othergenerations 71% 2% 16% 7% 4%Whohadthemostinfluenceonyourinterest

Millennials 67% 13% 13% 4% 3% Othergenerations 69% 5% 13% 8% 5%

Whotaughtyouthemostabouthunting Millennials 72% 11% 10% 5% 2% Othergenerations 72% 4% 11% 9% 4%

Analyzingtheageeachgroupwasintroducedtohuntingrevealsanaverageageof16.5yearsoldforMillennialgenerationhuntersand15.2yearsoldforothergenerationhunters.And,statisticaltestingshowsthatthemeansareinfactstatisticallydifferentbetweenthegroups.Figure6showsthedistributionsoftheageofintroductiontohuntingbetweenthetwogroups.ItindicatesthatmoreMillennialgenerationhuntersarefirstexposedtothesportatalaterage,relativetohuntersofothergenerations.

Figure6.Agewhentheyfirstwenthunting

Analyzingtheageeachgroupfirstreceivedtheirfirearmorbowrevealsanaverageageof16.1yearsoldforMillennialgenerationhuntersand15.6yearsoldforothergenerationhunters.ReviewingtheageofreceivingequipmentdistributionbetweenthetwogroupsindicatesthatmoreMillennialgenerationhuntersreceivedtheirfirstfirearmorbowatalaterage,relativetohuntersofothergenerations(Figure7).However,statisticaltestingshowsthatthemeansarenotstatisticallydifferentbetweenthegroups.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

9yearsoldoryounger

10to14yearsold

15to19yearsold

20to24yearsold

25to34yearsold

35yearsoldandover


Figure7.Agewhenhunterfirstacquiredtheirfirearmorbow

Somehuntershavealludedtothefactthattheycontinuetohunteveryyearbecausethatisjustatraditionforthem.But,asliveschangeandhuntersage,doestheirhistoryandpassionforthesportinfluencethefrequencytheyengageinhuntingoverthelastfewyears?Wefindthatthemajorityofhunterswhohaveahistoryofhuntingfrequently(priorto2009)continuetohunteveryyear,regardlessofgenerationaldifferences(Table5).Wealsoseethatroughlyonethirdofhunters(28%ofothergenerationhuntersand39%ofMillennialhunters)whorarelyhuntedoverthecourseoftheyearsaythattheycurrentlyhunteveryyearandsometimefrequentlyoverthecourseoftheseason.TheresultsalsoindicatethatalargerproportionoftheMillennialgenerationgroupwhohadoncehuntedfrequently(10%)hadnotgonehuntingbetween2009to2013,relativetoonly2%ofhuntersamongothergenerations.

Table5.Frequencyofhuntingactivitypriorto2009relativetotheperiodfrom2009-2013

Ingeneral,whichofthefollowingbestdescribesyourhuntingparticipationPRIORto2009?Didyougo…?

Frequently Sometimes Rarely Frequently Sometimes Rarely MillennialGeneration Othergenerations

Whichofthefollowingstatements

bestdescribesyourhuntingactivityduringthe5-yearperiodfrom2009to2013?

Everyyear 78% 58% 39% 86% 51% 28%

Occasionallybutnotevery

year

12% 26% 39% 12% 32% 43%

Hadn’thunted 10% 16% 22% 2% 17% 29%

Total100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

9yearsoldoryounger

10to14yearsold

15to19yearsold

20to24yearsold

25to34yearsold

35yearsoldandover


Licensedatabaseanalysis

Lastly,weevaluatestatehuntinglicensedatabasesfromagenerationalperspective.Thenextfourtablesreporttheportionofthehunterbaseacrossfourcharacteristics(gender,licensetypecross-over,urban/ruralresidency,andTapestrysegmentation)forboththeMillennialandtheothergenerationalgroups.

Wealsoreportthelevelorchurnforeachgroupacrosseachcharacteristic,wherethemeasureofchurnreflectstheturnoveramongpeoplewhohunt.Specifically,themeasurereflectstheproportionoflicensedhunterswhopurchasedalicensein2012butdidnotpurchaseagainin2013.Collectively,Millennialgenerationhuntershaveanaveragechurnrateof32%whichisnotablyhigherthantheaveragechurnrateamongothergenerationhuntersof23%.

TheproportionofwomenintheMillennialgenerationhuntingpopulationislargerthantheproportionofwomenintheothergenerationsgroup(Table6).ThisreinforcesthefindingsfromthesurveythattheMillennialgenerationgroupofhuntersismorediversewithrespecttogender,relativetotheothergenerationsgroup.Femalehuntershoweverhaveahigherturn-overorchurnrate,relativetomalehunters.

Table6.Genderdiversitybasedonlicensesalesdatain2013


Licenseholders% Annualchurn% Licenseholders% Annualchurn%

Male 85% 30% 90% 21%Female 15% 44% 10% 37%

Total 100% n/a 100% n/aAnalysisofthebasiclicensetypeandtheprivilegesconveyedrevealsthatbothgenerationalgroupsareequallylikelytobuyalicensethatallowsthemtobothhuntandfishin2013(Table7).Approximatelyonequarterofthepopulationineachgrouppurchasesalicensethatallowshuntingonly.Retentionratesamongthisgrouparealsothelowest,relativetothegroupofcross-overlicenseholders,asrevealedbythehigherchurnratesof31%and41%.

Table7.Activitycross-overbasedonlicensetypepurchasesin2013



Huntonly 26% 41% 22% 31%Huntandfishlicense 25% 29% 20% 25%Combinationlicense 49% 28% 58% 19%

Total 100% n/a 100% n/aWithinthelicensedhunterpopulationhoweverwefindthattheMillennialgenerationhuntersareonlyslightlymorelikelytoberesideinurbanneighborhoods,relativetohuntersinothergenerations(Table8).And,infact,thetoptwentysegments,whichaccountformorethanthreequartersofeachhunterpopulation,arealmostidenticalforeachgroup(Table9).

Table8.Urban/ruraldistributionofhuntersbasedonlicensesalesdatain2013



Urban 12% 29% 10% 22%Suburban 30% 34% 31% 25%Rural 58% 38% 59% 28%

Total 100% n/a 100% n/a

Table9.ToptwentyTapestrysegmentsbasedonlicensesalesdatain2013

Millennialgeneration

Othergenerations

Licenseholders%

Annualchurn%

Licenseholders%

Annualchurn%

SouthernSatellites 9% 30% SouthernSatellites 9% 22%GreenAcres 8% 29% GreenAcres 9% 22%SaltoftheEarth 7% 29% SaltoftheEarth 7% 21%Middleburg 6% 31% Middleburg 5% 23%RuralResortDwellers 5% 30% RuralResortDwellers 6% 23%TheGreatOutdoors 5% 30% TheGreatOutdoors 5% 21%SoccerMoms 4% 32% SoccerMoms 5% 24%PrairieLiving 5% 26% PrairieLiving 4% 17%RootedRural 4% 29% RootedRural 4% 21%HeartlandCommunities 3% 31% Heartland

Communities 3% 25%

SavvySuburbanites 3% 35% SavvySuburbanites 3% 24%ComfortableEmptyNesters 3% 34% ComfortableEmpty

Nesters 3% 24%

RuralBypasses 3% 44% RuralBypasses 3% 26%UpandComingFamilies 3% 35% UpandComing

Families 3% 27%

MidlifeConstants 3% 33% MidlifeConstants 3% 23%InStyle 2% 37% InStyle 2% 26%RustbeltTraditions 2% 32% RustbeltTraditions 2% 28%OldandNewcomers 2% 36% OldandNewcomers 2% 27%HomeImprovement 2% 35% HomeImprovement 2% 25%TraditionalLiving 2% 34% Exurbanites 2% 25%

Sub-total 78% range:26%-44% Sub-total 80% range:

17%-28%Allothertapestrysegments 22%

range:29%-100%

Allothertapestrysegments 20%

range:17%-55%

Total 100% n/a Total 100% n/a

Discussion

Whilestillalargepartofthehuntingpopulation,membersoftheBabyBoomgenerationwillbetransitioningawayfromthesportinthefuture.Throughthisreport,weposethequestion,doestheMillennialhunterpopulationsharecommoncharacteristicswiththeBabyBoomhunterpopulation?Ifnot,whatarethoseuniquefeatureswithregardstodemographiccharacteristics,reasonsforhunting,andhistorywiththesport?

Withtheexceptionofgender,demographicandgeographiccharacteristicsarefoundtobesimilarbetweenthetwogroups.Theresultsalsoshowthestronginfluenceoffamilyandfriendsonaperson’sdecisiontohunt.And,thatsocialstructureisconsistentacrossgenerationaldivides.TorecruitmoreMillennialsintohuntingwillbasicallythesamemessagesaboutthefun,socialandoutdooraspectsofhuntingthatattractotherhunters,withtheaddedpointaboutsecuringyourownmeat.TheplaceswherewefindMillennialsinterestedinhuntingmaybethesameplaceswhereotherhunterslive,indicatingthatcommunityandcultureopentohuntingarestillimportantwhenayoungpersondecidestohuntornot.Recognizingthatpeopletendtoselecttheirlife-longinterestsatayoungage,thetrendtowardsrecruitinghuntersatanolderageissomethingtobeaddressedbythebroaderhuntingcommunity,wheretheneedtocapturetheirattentionatyoungeragesmaybecritical.Inall,theresultsofthisreportwillhelpguidefutureeffortstoattractandretainyoungerhuntersandhelpensurethefutureofconservationfunding.

Appendix:SelectedTapestrysegmentdescriptions

IncludedbelowareshortsummarydescriptionsforthetoptwentyTapestrysegmentsamongthecollectivegroupoflicensedhunters.Awebsitewithallthelongdescriptionscanbefoundatthefollowinglink:http://doc.arcgis.com/en/esri-demographics/data/tapestry-segmentation.htm

Tapestrysegments

SouthernSatellitesResidentsinthisgroupenjoycountryliving,preferringoutdooractivitiesandDIYhomeprojects.SouthernSatellitesisthesecondlargestmarket-inruralsettlements,butwithinmetropolitanareaslocatedprimarilyintheSouth.Thismarketistypicallynon-diverse,slightlyolder,settledmarried-couplefamilies,whoowntheirhomes.Almosttwo-thirdsofthehomesaresingle-familystructures;athirdaremobilehomes.Medianhouseholdincomeandhomevaluearebelowaverage.Workersareemployedinavarietyofindustries,suchasmanufacturing,healthcare,retailtrade,andconstruction,withhigherproportionsinminingandagriculturethantheUS.

GreenAcresThissegmentfeaturescountrylivingandself-reliance.GreenAcresareaviddo-it-yourselfers,maintainingandremodelingtheirhomes,withallthenecessarypowertoolstoaccomplishthejobs.Gardening,especiallyvegetables,isalsoapriority,againwiththerighttools,tillers,tractors,andridingmowers.Outdoorlivingalsofeaturesavarietyofsports,huntingandfishing,motorcycling,hikingandcamping,andevengolf.Self-describedconservatives,residentsofGreenAcresremainpessimisticaboutthenearfuture,yetheavilyinvestedinit.

SaltoftheEarthTheseresidentsareentrenchedintheirtraditional,rurallifestyles.Citizenshereareolder,andmanyhavegrownchildrenthathavemovedaway.Theystillcherishfamilytime,butcouplesvaluetimespenttendingtotheirvegetablegardensandpreparinghome-mademeals.Residentsembracetheoutdoors;mostoftheirfreetimeisspentpreparingfortheirnextfishing,boatingorcampingtrip.Themajorityhasatleastahighschooldiplomaorsomecollegeeducation;manyhaveexpandedtheirskillsetduringtheiryearsofemploymentinthemanufacturingandrelatedindustries.

MiddleburgThissegmenttransformedfromtheeasypaceofcountrylivingtosemiruralsubdivisionsinthelastdecade,whenthehousingboomreachedout.Residentsareconservative,family-orientedconsumers.Stillmorecountrythanrockandroll,theyarethrifty,butwillingtocarrysomedebtandarealreadyinvestingintheirfutures.Theyrelyontheirsmartphonesandmobiledevicestostayintouch,andpridethemselvesontheirexpertise.Theyprefertobuy,andtravel,American.Thismarketisyounger,butgrowinginsizeandasset.

RuralResortDwellersAlthoughtheGreatRecessionforcedmanysecondhomeownerstosell,RuralResortDwellersremainanactivemarket,justabitsmaller.Thesecommunitiesarecenteredonresortareas,manyintheMidwest,wherethechangeinseasonssupportsavarietyofoutdooractivities.Retirementloomsformanyoftheseblue-collar,olderhouseholders,butworkersarepostponingretirementorreturningtoworktomaintaintheircurrentlifestyles.Workersaretravelingfurthertomaintainemployment.Theyarepassionateabouttheirhobbies,likefresh-waterfishingandhunting,butotherwisehaveverysimpletastes.

TheGreatOutdoorsTheseneighborhoodsarefoundinpastoralsettingsthroughouttheUnitedStates.Consumersareeducatedemptynesterslivinganactive,butmodestlifestyle.Theirfocusistheland:

Theyaremorelikelytoinvestinrealestateoravacationhomethanstocks.Theyareactivegardenersandpartialtohome-grownandhome-cookedmeals.Althoughretirementbeckons,mostoftheseresidentsstillwork,withincomesslightlyabovetheUSlevel.

SoccerMomsAnaffluent,family-orientedmarketwithacountryflavor.Residentsarepartialtonewhousingawayfromthebustleofthecity,butcloseenoughtocommutetoprofessionaljobcenters.Lifeinthissuburbanwildernessoffsetsthehecticpaceoftwoworkingparentswithgrowingchildren.Theyfavortime-savingdevices,likebankingonlineorhousekeepingservices,andfamily-orientedpursuits.

PrairieLivingThemostruralmarket,comprisingabout1percentofhouseholds.PrairieLivingislocatedmainlyintheMidwest,withapredominanceofself-employedfarmers.Theseagriculturalcommunitiesarenotdiverse,dominatedbymarried-couplefamiliesthatownsingle-familydwellingsandmanyvehicles.MedianhouseholdincomeissimilartotheUS,andlaborforceparticipationisslightlyhigher.Faithisimportanttothishard-workingmarket.Whentheyfindtimetorelax,theyfavoroutdooractivities.

RootedRuralTheresidentsthatmakeupthisgroupareheavilyconcentratedintheAppalachianmountainrangeaswellasinTexasandArkansas.Employmentintheforestryindustryiscommon,andRootedRuralresidentsliveinmanyoftheheavilyforestedregionsofthecountry.Nearlynineoftenresidentsarenon-Hispanicwhites.Thisgroupenjoystimespentoutdoors,hunting,fishingorworkingintheirgardens.Indoors,theyenjoywatchingtelevisionwithaspouseandspendingtimewiththeirpets.Whenshopping,theylookforAmerican-madeandgenericproducts.

HeartlandCommunitiesWellsettledandclose-knit,HeartlandCommunitiesaresemi-ruralandsemi-retired.Theseolderhouseholdsareprimarilyhomeowners,andmanyhavepaidofftheirmortgages.Theirchildrenhavemovedaway,buttheyhavenoplanstoleavetheirhomes.Theirheartsarewiththecountry;theyembracetheslowerpaceoflifehere,butactivelyparticipateinoutdooractivitiesandcommunityevents.Traditionalandpatrioticresidentssupporttheirlocalbusinesses,alwaysbuyAmerican,andfavordomesticdrivingvacationsoverforeignplanetrips.

SavvySuburbanitesTheseresidentsarewelleducated,wellread,andwellcapitalized.Familiesincludeemptynestersandemptynesterwannabes,whostillhaveadultchildrenathome.Locatedinolderneighborhoodsoutsidetheurbancore,theirsuburbanlifestyleincludeshomeremodelingandgardeningplustheactivepursuitofsportsandexercise.

ComfortableEmptyNestersResidentsinthislarge,growingsegmentareolder,withmorethanhalfofallhouseholdersaged55orolder;manystillliveinthesuburbswheretheygrewup.Mostareprofessionalsworkingingovernment,healthcare,ormanufacturing.TheseBabyBoomersareearningacomfortablelivingandbenefittingfromyearsofprudentinvestingandsaving.Theirnetworthiswellaboveaverage(Index363).Manyareenjoyingthetransitionfromchild-rearingtoretirement.Theyvaluetheirhealthandfinancialwell-being.

RuralBypassesOpenspace,undevelopedland,andfarmlandcharacterizeRuralBypasses.Thesefamilieslivewithinsmalltownsalongcountrybackroadsandenjoytheopenairinthesesparselypopulatedneighborhoods.Theirlifestyleiscountry,focusedontheoutdoors,gardening,huntingandfishing.Theyaremorelikelytoownasatellitedishthanahomecomputer.Althoughamajorityof

householdsdohaveaconnectiontotheInternet,theiruseisverylimited.Thosewhoarenotyetretiredworkinbluecollarjobsintheagricultureormanufacturingindustries.

UpandComingFamiliesThissegmentisamarketintransition-younger,moreethnicallydiverseandmobilethanthepreviousgeneration.UpandComingFamiliesareambitious,workinghardtogetahead,willingtotakesomeriskstoachievetheirgoals.Therecessionhasimpactedtheirfinancialwell-being,buttheyareoptimistic.Theirhomesarenew;theirfamiliesareyoung.Andthisisoneofthefastest-growingmarketsinthecountry.

MidlifeConstantsWithbelowaveragelaborforceparticipationandaboveaveragenetworth,MidlifeConstantsareseniors,atorapproachingretirement.Althoughlocatedinpredominantlymetropolitanareas,theyliveoutsidethecentralcities,insmallercommunities.Theirlifestyleismorecountrythanurban.Theyaregenerous,butnotspendthrifts.

InStyleThesedenizensembraceanurbanelifestylethatincludessupportofthearts,travelandextensivereading.Theyareconnectedandmakefulluseoftheadvantagesofmobiledevices.Professionalcouplesorsinglehouseholdswithoutchildren,theyhavethetimetofocusontheirhomesandtheirinterests.Thepopulationisslightlyolder,andalreadyplanningfortheirretirement.

RustbeltTraditionsThebackboneofolderindustrialcitiesinstatessurroundingtheGreatLakes,RustbeltTraditionsareamixofmarried-couplefamiliesandsingleslivinginolderdevelopmentsofsingle-familyhomes.Whilevaried,theworkforceisprimarilywhitecollar,withahigherconcentrationofskilledworkersinmanufacturing,retailtradeandhealthcare.RustbeltTraditionsrepresentalargemarketofstable,hard-workingconsumerswithmodestincomes,butaboveaveragenetworth(Index111).Family-oriented,theyvaluetimespentathome.Mosthavelived,worked,andplayedinthesameareaforyears.

HomeImprovementMarried-couplefamiliesoccupywelloverhalfofthesesuburbanhouseholds.MostHomeImprovementresidencesaresingle-familyhomesthatareowneroccupied,withonlyonefifthofthehouseholdsoccupiedbyrenters.EducationanddiversitylevelsaresimilartotheUSasawhole.Thesefamiliesspendalotoftimeonthegoandthereforetendtoeatoutregularly.Whenathome,weekendsareconsumedwithhomeimprovementandremodelingprojects.

TraditionalLivingResidentsinthissegmentliveprimarilyinlow-density,settledneighborhoodsintheMidwest.Thehouseholdsareamixofmarried-couplefamiliesandsingles.Manyfamiliesencompasstwogenerationswhohavelivedandworkedinthecommunity;theirchildrenarelikelytofollowsuit.Themanufacturing,retailtrade,andhealthcaresectorsaretheprimarysourcesofemploymentfortheseresidents.TraditionalLivingisayoungermarket-beginninghouseholdersarejugglingtheresponsibilitiesoflivingontheirownoranewmarriage,whileretainingtheiryouthfulinterestsinstyleandfun.

ExurbanitesTenyearslater,Exurbanitesresidentsarenowapproachingretirementbutshowingfewsignsofslowingdown.Theyareactiveintheircommunities,generousintheirdonations,andseasonedtravelers.Theytakeadvantageoftheirproximitytolargemetropolitancenterstosupportthearts,butpreferamoreexpansivehomestyleinlesscrowdedneighborhoods.Theyhavecultivatedalifestylethatisbothaffluentandurbane.

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