Sometimes more is less. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service records, hunting licenses sold nationally have increased in recent years to approximately 16 million. However, the percentage of hunters compared to the population has steadily decreased. Since 1960, hunting license sales increased until they peaked in 1982 (7.2% of population), then fell steadily for many years. In 2010, they started to edge back up but remain below the high of 1982, even though the population has boomed since then. The current numbers show that less than 5% of the U.S. population hunts.
Deer hunting
Hunting whitetail deer is by far the most popular type of hunting. This form of hunting is chosen by 57% of all hunters. Sixty-three percent of deer hunters use a firearm. Archery hunting is second. Crossbows are rapidly gaining in popularity across the nation.
Hunter motivation
A survey done by Responsive Management and The National Shooting Sports Foundation revealed that 95% of hunters (or their families) eat what they harvest. Another online survey of U.S. residents found that 87% of respondents agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for food. However, only 37% agreed that it was acceptable to hunt for a trophy.
Injuries
Hunting injuries are very low on a per capita basis. Fatalities are very rare. An interesting note was that 70% of deer hunting injuries occurred due to hunters not wearing hunter orange. These are easily preventable accidents if more hunters would just follow the rules.
Louisiana numbers
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ latest numbers, 213,500 deer hunters harvested 239,000 deer during the 2024-25 deer season. About 25% were archery hunters, with half of those using crossbows. Hog hunting was very productive with 71,400 hunters harvesting 674,000 hogs. Louisiana deer harvest numbers peaked in 1997-98 with 267,600 deer taken by 185,300 hunters. The numbers dropped after 2000 until very recent years, when there was a resurgence in hunter participation.
Days in the field
Louisiana deer hunters using firearms spent an average of 18 days in the field. Bowhunters spent 11 days. Hunting with dogs accounted for 2% of total hunting. Fifty-four percent of deer harvested were bucks, 44% were non-antlered deer and 2% were button bucks.
Louisiana has 1.4% of the nation’s population but produces almost 4% of the nation’s deer harvest. This is due to longer growing seasons, abundant habitat and successful wildlife management. Approximately 10% of residents in Louisiana hunt. Narrowing that down to adult males, participation is closer to 20%.
Conclusion
After reviewing the recent data, it appears that deer hunting in Louisiana is doing fairly well. Hunting participation has risen modestly compared to 10 years ago. Deer harvest numbers have risen at a higher rate. If you want to help increase the numbers, find a youngster and invest yourself in guiding them. Please teach them to hunt ethically and with integrity. We are all in this together!
