Staff Photo by Dan Henry Duck hunter Matt Brewer watches his decoys while hunting in the Hixson TWRA management area off of Lower Mill Rd. Thursday Morning.

Freeland Leffew has been hunting for most of his 65 years, and he’s passed on the family tradition.

“I grew up hunting and fishing in Rhea County and I’ve had my son hunting and fishing ever since he was in diapers,” the Soddy-Daisy resident said. “After you get experience, hunting is not about killing. It is about being outdoors with your family or friends, enjoying the people and your surroundings.”

Mr. Leffew and his son Todd, now 35, travel across the United States on hunting and fishing trips as well as nearby woods, lakes and fields.

They are among three-quarters of a million Tennesseans who have a license to hunt and fish in the state. But the total number of licenses sold each year is in decline. Officials say they don’t know why the number of licenses sold dropped by 159,414 between 2005 and 2008, yet it seems to be part of a national trend.

“Why is anybody’s guess,” said Ken Tarkington, chief of administrative services for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “It could be hundreds of different things but, until a couple of years ago, it had not affected Tennessee.”

Reasons commonly heard are that timber companies have sold huge tracts of land that once were open to hunters, that urbanization is making it difficult to find nearby hunting grounds, and that hunting and fishing have taken a back seat as a recreational activity, he said.

“Today’s youth are more involved in organized sports on a year-round basis,” Mr. Tarkington said.

Revenues drop, hunters decline

Fewer licenses sold means fewer dollars to spend to buy public land — available to everyone, not just hunters — and less revenue for state and local economies.

“It is a ton of tax dollars, a ton of economic impact in rural economies and a sustainable part of the economy,” said Michael Butler, CEO of Tennessee Wildlife Federation, the state’s oldest and largest conservation organization. “Hunting provides a reason to keep wildlife habitat in its native state rather than turn it into a development. This is a renewable resource.”

Legislators this year will consider changes to the state constitution to guarantee that Tennessee residents have the right to hunt and fish throughout the state.

Similar laws are on the books in 25 states, including Alabama and Georgia, and the proposed Tennessee statute could appear as a statewide referendum during the 2010 general election.

Opponents of hunting say wildlife management is less about control of animal populations and is more about hunters wanting a steady supply of animals to kill.

“Most people do not need to hunt to survive in this day and age,” said Nicole Matthews, a spokeswoman with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals based in Michigan. “Hunting is nothing more than a violent form of recreation.”

Supporters say hunting funnels money into the local economy.

In addition to license fees, sportsmen pump about $3.5 million into Tennessee’s economy each day through the purchase of supplies, travel, lodging, meals and associated incidentals, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

The recession and higher fuel costs have kept some hunters from traveling far afield, but Mr. Tarkington said there is usually an uptick in license sales when the economy is in decline.

Still, there are some outdoorsmen buying gear as well as permits this year, according to Britt Rogers, an office manager at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Chattanooga.

“In November, we sold more guns than ever in a single month and the demand for guns and ammo is constant or increasing,” she said.

personal choices

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Manager Greg Atchley said some people choose to pay to play golf or tennis, while hunters decide to spend their time and money otherwise.

“People are eating their harvested game, but they aren’t hunting just to put food on the table,” he said, specifically mentioning deer hunters. “If you ever figure what the cost of venison is, you could eat filet mignon every day for the same.”

Guy Bilyeu, executive director of the Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga, said hunting wild game can be done in a legal and humane fashion.

“(Hunters’) mentality is the same: be proficient, eat the game you hunt just as you would a cow — don’t hunt just for trophies — and obey laws and rules regarding hunting,” Mr. Bilyeu said.

Locally, sportsmen can hunt on their own property or on nearby lands that are overseen by the TWRA.

“We are the only self-supporting agency in the state,” said Alicia Haines, of the TWRA revenue division. “All fees collected from fees, licenses and registration are used to run the agency and do not go into the state’s general revenue fund.”