Following years of gradual decline in the ranks, it appears that 2004 saw a very slight increase in the number of hunters, based on figures from the US Fish & Wildlife Service showing that more hunting licenses were sold in 2004 than in 2003.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the number of hunters bumped upward a very slight 0.3%, from 14,740,188 in 2003 to 14,779,071 last year. That’s less than 39,000 hunters nationwide, which is a virtual drop in the proverbial bucket, but it has the NSSF hoping that the trend will continue.

“Over the past 20 years, good news about hunter numbers has been hard to find, but now we’ve seen increases in two of the past six years,” said Jodi Valenta, NSSF director of recruitment and retention programs. “I believe that’s a tribute to the many wonderful programs today that are designed to recruit and retain hunters. The hunting community is working together, making a difference, and it’s beginning to show.”

According to NSSF, the number of resident licenses, tags, permits and stamps issued last year increased 4.1% over the previous year to 33,111,202, while 3,020,395 non-resident license sales were reported, an increase of 5.6% over 2003.

Hunter numbers peaked in the mid-1980s when license sales hit 16.8 million.