The coronavirus pandemic is the Age of Aquarius.
According to the Future Angler Foundation, record numbers of young people in particular have taken up fishing in 2020. In one week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sold a record 13,369 fishing licenses to resident teens ages 16-17. That's 99% higher than a year ago for the same period.
Overall, Minnesota fishing license sales overall increased 44% to 362,000. That's 110,000 more fishing licenses sold this spring than during the same period in 2019.
Arkansas is experiencing a similar phenomenon. Jami Fisher, chief of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's fiscal division, said that sales of the basic $10.50 annual resident fishing license are up 10%, from 203,000 at this time in 2019 to about 227,000. Sales of the annual resident combination hunting and fishing license are up considerably, too.
"People are shifting their buying habits," Fisher said. "For what you get for your money, they are aligning their purchases at one time, but we are seeing more participation and more purchases."
Fisher said she does not know whether the uptick consists of new buyers, occasional buyers or lapsed buyers.
"That's anyone's guess," Fisher said. "If I could do that, I'd be buying lottery tickets. But we are working on figuring out ways to measure who's returning, who's new and who's bought in the last three to five years."
Judging from the scant data available, spring turkey season did not appear to bring in an influx of additional hunters. Hunters killed roughly the same number of turkeys in the 2020 spring season as they did in 2019. Statistically, more hunters afield would have checked more turkeys.
Based on the continuing decline in hunting license sales, the opposite might be true.
"There's no way to pull out just turkey hunters the way our licenses are structured," Fisher said. "Resident Sportsman's License sales are down, and the basic $10.50 license is also down. We have seen decreases in hunting compared to fishing. It's real small. In 2019, we sold about 31,900 basic hunting licenses. This year, we sold about 29,500."
The basic resident hunting license, officially called the Resident Wildlife Conservation License, entitles a hunter to hunt small game and migratory birds. You may not hunt wild turkeys with this license, but you may kill one deer. The resident Sportsman's License, which costs $25, allows a hunter to kill a full season bag limit of deer, turkey and bear. From July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, the Game and Fish Commission sold nearly 147,000 resident Sportsman's Licenses. With one month to go in fiscal year 2020, that number is down to about 133,000.
"All of our hunting products are in that window," Fisher said. "Of course, the Combination Sportsman's License is in that category, so it neutralizes."
Fishing licenses are different, Fisher said, because they are valid for an entire year from the date of purchase.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Asa Hutchinson has encouraged Arkansans to spend time outdoors, and he has specifically endorsed fishing. Arkansans have taken his recommendation to heart.
Fishing participation is way up in other states besides Arkansas and Minnesota. According to the Future Angler Association, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Department has sold 697,418 hunting and fishing licenses in the fiscal year 2020, an increase of about 100,000. Kansas has experienced an increase of about 15%, and in South Carolina, the sales of resident freshwater fishing licenses are up about 20%. In Vermont, fishing license sales are up 62%.
On April 27, after Washington's governor announced a partial reopening of activities including fishing, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported $300,000 worth of fishing licenses sold in a single day.
While coronavirus concerns have put a big dent in boat sales in Florida, boat sales are steady and even vigorous in other states. The same is true for the camper and recreational vehicle industry. Glancing at the lots of camper dealers, I notice that inventory is depleted for all types and sizes of units, including expensive Airstreams. I've also noticed that inventory is not being replenished, probably because camper and RV factories -- most of which are in the Midwest -- are shut down during the pandemic.
When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, it's a great time to wet a line.
Sports on 05/31/2020