Reasons for the fall range from the increased popularity of vegetarian or vegan diets, to public shaming of hunters, and fewer young people taking up the hobby.

These declines in hunting numbers were welcome news to some animal rights advocates, and we have to respect their viewpoint.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), the world’s largest animal rights organization, says that hunting is an “unnecessary, violent form of ‘entertainment’ [that] rips animal families apart”. Anyone interested in finding out more about its position could check out Peta’s website., external

However, state wildlife agencies get about 60% of their budget from the sale of hunting licenses, and taxes on guns and ammunition.

They also rely heavily on hunters to control animal populations that have made extraordinary comebacks since managed wildlife programs began in the early 20th century. In 1930, for example, there were only 300,000 white tail deer left in the US. Today, there are more than 30 million. , external

There are also increasing efforts to make the US hunting community less white, and less male. Website Outdoor Life estimated in 2019 that 90% of American hunters were Caucasian and 70% were men., external

Opportunity Outdoors is a volunteer organization based in North Carolina whose mission is to bring new people into hunting by making it more inclusive and accessible.

Founded in 2019 by young hunters Andy Tomaszewski and Evan Trebilcock, their intention was to create a scalable mentorship program that could be rolled out nationally over the next few years. The group promotes ethical hunting combined with conservation and outdoor survival skills such as wild foraging.

Their outreach coordinator, 23-year-old Safiyyah Motaib, grew up in Queens, New York. She’s also a practicing Muslim of Moroccan descent who performs her daily prayers while out in the field. And she hunts according to Islam’s Halal slaughter rules, whispering prayers before firing upon an animal.