2022 Special Report on Hunting and the Shooting Sports

The 2022 Special Report on Hunting and the Shooting Sports, provides a look at Americans ages 6 and over who participated at least once in hunting or target shooting with both firearms and archery equipment in 2021. The report identifies trends and includes detailed information about participation including motivations, barriers, and preferences of participants. It is important to keep in mind that these data are derived through online panels which have limitations, but still provide valuable insights into recent trends.

Highlights from the report include:

Hunting:

• 27 percent of participants were female, up from 16 percent a decade ago
• Share of hunters who were Black or Hispanic increased 4 percent and 1 percent, respectively, on average for the past 3 years
• “For food/meat” was the number one motivation for hunting
• 49 percent of hunters first participated before the age of 18
• 68 percent of hunters were introduced to hunting by a family members

Firearms Target Shooting:

• 32 percent of participants were female, up from 25 percent a decade ago
• Share of target shooters who were Black or Hispanic increased 5 percent and 4 percent, respectively, on average for the past 3 years
• “For recreation” was the number one motivation for target shooting
• “High cost” was the number one barrier reported for target shooting

Archery Target Shooting:

• 39 percent of participants were female, the highest since 2016
• Archers are slightly more mixed that firearms target shooters
• “For recreation” was the number one motivation for target shooting
• 19 percent of participants shot solely on public property/ranges

The special report was developed to serve as a companion to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Special Report on Fishing they produce annually in partnership with the Outdoor Foundation.