It is speculated that there are more hunters in the U.S. than in any other country. This is because of the number of issued licenses every year by the states and other agencies.
How true is that?
With reliable hunting statistics from the right sources, it is easy to back up whatever hunting claims. In this post are of how many hunters in the U.S. that there is and the most hunted animal in the U.S.
How many Hunters have a license in the U.S.?
Hunting licenses are usually issued by the provincial wildlife agencies or by the state itself. They are either given in the form of a certificate or a card, and in some cases, you are eligible for both. With this, you can get a hunting tag and enter draws as the licensing acts as proof that you are well educated.
The age and time at which the license is gotten are different from state to state and even by every province. With this, the amount of hunters in the U.S. has gone up over the years.
Here is a table of the progression in the last seven years:
| Year | Total No. of Licensed Hunters |
| 2014 | 35,238,092 |
| 2015 | 35,850,931 |
| 2016 | 36,331,433 |
| 2017 | 36,824,655 |
| 2018 | 37,007,122 |
| 2019 | 35,900,913 |
| 2020 | 38,854,259 |
This table contains the number of hunters licensed in the U.S. in the past seven years. This data was gotten from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Hunting License Data and has proven reliable regarding hunting in the U.S.
Note, even with the high number of hunters licensed offered each year, what percentage of Americans hunt is still at four percent. Compared to the number of Americans living in the U.S. that is a deficient amount number of hunters in the general population.
How are hunting licenses gotten in the U.S.?
Hunting licenses are used as a sign of approval that a person could hunt in the U.S., and without that, it is illegal. This means that it is a crime to go on a hunt without getting a license, and it could attract dire consequences. However, there are steps to getting a hunting license in the U.S., which is based on this section.
Here are the steps to getting a license in the U.S.:
Step one: Get a hunter’s education.
A hunter’s education is the most crucial step towards getting a license, and the procedure takes getting a certificate. About seventy years ago, the idea of having a formal hunter education was introduced, and the goal was to ensure that the public is protected.
How does it work?
After the initial years of the educational program running outside the classroom, it advanced to involve classroom instructions. These instructions are given by already licensed hunter safety instructors as well as other online educational platforms. For either of them, they have to pass through some screening themselves and be approved by the state and wildlife agencies.
That’s not all:
Currently, most states and provinces now accept that some part of the formal hunter education can be received online if necessary. With this, the amount of time that a hunter has to spend in their classroom is reduced considerably.
In several states and provinces, the online part of the learning is followed by a hands-on practice accompanied by a hunter education instructor. Note that this follow-up class or day at the field is used to cover a considerable part of the certification process, leading to getting a hunting license.
After the field day practice, the formal hunter education then requires that you get a test that serves as the final written exam. If there is no provision for a final exam, then it could be just a hands-on evaluation or even include a review of certain hunter safety material.
Step two: Pay for the License.
Once you have successfully gotten the formal hunter education degree, then the next thing is to get the license. With that in mind, you are expected to pay a certain amount to the state, province, or agency that is meant to issue your license.
What does this do?
The license price differs from the place it is being obtained, so there is no clear cut price for obtaining the license. However, getting the voucher that leads up to the license still resides within the same range in almost every location where it is being issued.
What next?
Once you have paid the one-time fee required to process the license, you can head on print your online voucher. With this voucher, you can head on to the next stage of getting a license.
Step three: Attend the state follow-up class and get the license.
At this point, as an applicant, you are expected to attend a follow-up class that is organized by the state or province closest to you. This class aims to ensure that you have all that is needed before going on a hunt.
This is the last stage, and it is meant to validate whatever platform you have used in the educational program. At the end of this, you are issued the license as either a card or a certificate. In some cases, you are even given the two simultaneously, and with that, you can confidently hunt without running into legal problems.
Note, the goal of having a certificate for those that have passed the formal hunting education and even issuing licenses is for hunting conservation. Without the right regulations, hunters can easily hunt and kill animals that are meant to be preserved.
How many hunters are in every state in the U.S.?
According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Hunting License Date, in the year 2020 alone, over thirty-eight million hunters got licensed. This data is collected annually and based on their database, which has proven to be reliable over the years.
However, these licenses are based on the states, and some have more licensed hunters than others. In this section is a state by state analysis of the hunters licensed issued all through the U.S. for the past year, and it is based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Hunting License Date.
Knowing how many hunting licenses are sold in the U.S. would be easy to gauge the hunter demographics accurately.
Here are the number of hunters by state:
Alaska- A.K.
Averagely the amount of paid license holders in Alaska is placed at 90,406, while those with Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps are summed at 400,176. For those that have the Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps are at 47,585. With this, the total amount of Hunting licenses, tags, permits & stamps are placed at 447,761.
Alabama- A.L.
For the case of Alabama, they have a total of 503,144 paid license holders and 493,001 Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits holders. There is also a sum of 37,674 Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits holders in the state. With this, there are 530,675 Hunting licenses, tags, permits & stamps issued in total.
Arkansas- A.R.
Arkansas has a total of 507,918 hunter licenses, tags, permits, and stamps that have been issued in total. When split out, the amount of paid license holders is at 293, 356, while the Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps is at 360,810. The Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps are then summed at 147,108.
American Samoa- AS
Paid license holders: 0
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Arizona- AZ
Paid license holders: 304,789
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 426,354
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 79,727
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 506,081
California- C.A.
Paid license holders: 267,170
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 968,752
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 23,145
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 991,897
Colorado- C.O.
Paid license holders: 295,451
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 471,558
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 111,398
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 582,956
Connecticut- CT
Paid license holders: 34,340
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 105,477
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 4,728
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 110,205
District of Columbia- D.C.
Paid license holders: 0
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 0
Delaware- D.E.
Paid license holders: 16,291
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 47,566
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 6,117
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 53,683
Florida- F.L.
Paid license holders: 189,706
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 284,819
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 18,737
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 303,556
Georgia- G.A.
Paid license holders: 625,142
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,217,408
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 163,816
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,381,224
Guam- G.U.
Paid license holders: 547
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 547
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps:
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 547
Hawaii- H.I.
Paid license holders: 10,614
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 10,732
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,225
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 11,957
Iowa- I.A.
Paid license holders: 218,483
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 578,244
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 80,830
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 659,074
Idaho- I.D.
Paid license holders: 288,613
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,270,017
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 219,419
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,489,436
Illinois- I.L.
Paid license holders: 297,243
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,352,722
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 85,013
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,437,735
Indiana- IN
Paid license holders: 253,611
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 351,437
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 21,192
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 372,629
Kansas- K.S.
Paid license holders: 248,430
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 300,247
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits and Stamps: 168,236
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 468,485
Kentucky- K.Y.
Paid license holders: 334,342
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 468,895
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 112,338
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 581,233
Los Angeles- L.A.
Paid license holders: 396,621
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 554,753
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 52,588
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 607,338
Massachusetts- M.A.
Paid license holders: 56,985
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 240,449
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 16,202
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 256,651
Maryland- M.D.
Paid license holders: 119,202
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 280,815
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 345,327
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 64,512
Maine- M.E.
Paid license holders: 154,580
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 199,058
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 33,231
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 232,289
Michigan- MI
Paid license holders: 665,431
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 2,073,763
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 56,383
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 2,130,146
Minnesota- M.N.
Paid license holders: 550,087
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,320,033
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,364,972
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 44,939
Missouri- MO
Paid license holders: 486,025
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,855,335
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 90,918
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,946,253
North Mariana Islands- M.P.
Paid license holders: 308
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 308
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 2
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 308
Mississippi- M.S.
Paid license holders: 288,287
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits and Stamps: 304,201
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 89,749
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 393,950
Montana- M.T.
Paid license holders: 224,248
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 858,002
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 172,569
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,030,571
North Carolina- N.C.
Paid license holders: 603,995
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 295,312
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 26,732
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 322,044
North Dakota- N.D.
Paid license holders: 131,043
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 366,236
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 127,732
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 489,968
Nebraska- N.E.
Paid license holders: 183,516
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 315,848
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 91,968
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 407,816
New Hampshire- N.H.
Paid license holders: 56,001
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 129,306
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 20,256
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 149,562
New Jersey- N.J.
Paid license holders: 71,300
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 283,229
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 125,139
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 408,368
New Mexico- N.M.
Paid license holders: 110,194
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 110,194
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 93,148
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 386,978
Nevada- N.V.
Paid license holders: 69,681
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 115,329
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 27,953
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 143,282
New York- N.Y.
Paid license holders: 556,897
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,341,561
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 48,388
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,389,949
Ohio- O.H.
Paid license holders: 361,199
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 813,949
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 104,362
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 918,275
Oklahoma- OK
Paid license holders: 558,374
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 406,555
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 27,161
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 433,716
Oregon- OR
Paid license holders: 326,663
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,227,831
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 61,943
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 1,289,774
Pennsylvania- P.A.
Paid license holders: 930,815
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 2,537,824
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 108,896
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 2,646,720
Puerto Rico- P.R.
Paid license holders: 5,864
Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 3,638
Non-Resident Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 9
Total Hunting Licenses, tags, Permits, and Stamps: 3,647
Note, this estimate is based on the 2020 review and is bound to change overtime. So, always take note of the improvements that would be made over the years.
What is the most Hunted Animal in the U.S.?
Understanding the most hunted animal in the U.S. is quite easy to decide as several animals can be found in the country. However, the deer is one of the most hunted animals in the states. Both the white-tailed deer and the Mule deer list the top five hunted animals in the U.S.
The number of deer hunters by the state is hard to determine since they are found in almost all regions in the country.
- White-tailed Deer: The white-tailed deer is found in almost every state in the United States as they thrive in several habitats.
- Black Bear: The black bear is one of the most hunted in the U.S. because it is easily found in Spring Season. They are one of the most hunted because there is rarely any other animal found during spring, so they make the top of the list.
- Elk: Elks are majorly found during the rut period, and they are super exciting animals for bow hunters. They are easily located in September of every year, and with a bit of skill, bow hunters can find them.
- Pronghorns: For several states in the U.S. the Pronghorn season is considered to be found during the late summer season. They can strive even when it is hot or cold.
- Mule Deer: The big Mule Deer can be found in the high country where they live, and they make for rugged yet beautiful scenery. Hunters can easily sport and spot the muleys, unlike the whitetails. Even with less popularity than the Whitetail, it is still one of America’s most hunted animals.
These are some of the most hunted animals in the United States.
How many Deer hunters are in the U.S.?
There are speculations that deer hunting is on the decrease in America due to the reduced amount in the last year. However, considering the COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued every sector of the country, it is only normal for fewer hunters to be out on a hunting trip.
There’s more:
Another thing to consider is the type of hunters that hunt for deer in the U.S., and they are categorized based on the equipment used.
Here is a breakdown of the various hunters:
| Equipment used | A number of hunters. |
| Hunters that use both bow and guns | 2.59 million |
| Hunters that use bows in hunting | 2.04 million |
| Hunters that use firearms for hunting. | 9.36 million |
| Total deer hunters that are based in the U.S. | 11.4 million |
With this, it becomes more visible that deer hunting is the most popular form of hunting in the states as no other animal beats its numbers. This makes up for 3.35% of the United States’ hunting population out of the 4% of total hunters. The remaining is left to those who hunt things like a bear, elk, pronghorns, and more.
What state has the least hunters?
With millions of years’ worth of record, it is convenient to say that hunting has built a reputation as one of the oldest form of human activity. However, based off the record of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service there are states that have gotten more licensing than the others and in this section are some of these states.
Unlike the early years of hunting, the activity has evolved from being a necessity for most into being a sport that people consciously chose to engage. And with this, there has been a sharp decline in the amount of hunters licenses issued in the United States
So, below are the states with the lowest numbers of hunting licenses:
#1: California
The state of California itself has covered about 0.7% of the total population of the hunting population in the U.S. However, the amount of paid hunting license holders are about 267,170 when summed up. In general, the total hunting license, tags, permits and stamps holders in California are 991,897. This is one of the lowest in the hunters in the United States.
#2: Rhode Island
Rhode Island is another state that has enough hunters to cover about 0.7% of the total U.S. hunters in the world. But, the sum of paid hunting license holders are 7,208 while the total hunting license, tags, permits and stamps 26,690. With this it wins the second spot as the state with the most hunters in the U.S.
#3: Hawaii
Another state that comes to the bottom of the list when it comes to hunting in the U.S. is Hawaii. It makes about 0.7% of the total hunters in the United States. There are about 11,957 paid hunting license holder in total for the state of Hawaii. So, there are about 11,957 hunting licenses, tags, permits and stamps made available for those in Hawaii.
#4: New Jersey
New Jersey, unlike the other two covers for about 0.8% of the residents in the United States with paid hunting licenses. When it comes to those with paid hunting licenses then you have a sum of 71,300 hunters. However, on the general note there are about 408,368 hunting license, tags, permits and stamps issued in total.
#5: Massachusetts
Massachusetts is just like New Jersey as it has 0.8% of hunters that are in the United States in general. Still, the total number of paid hunting license holders that are available in the Unites states are 56,985. But the total hunting licenses, permits, tags and stamps in Massachusetts are 256,651 which is still below the bar of total hunters.
Note, this list is based on the review of 202 alone and is bound to change overtime. Therefore, ensure that you watch out for the new additions in the coming years.
Summary
Based on the hunting statistics provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Hunting License Date, it is easy to measure the available hunters. They have speculated that the hunters based in America alone make up for 4% of the total population. With this analysis, you also get to see where several of the hunters are based.
