HUNTING ON THE DECLINE - AWWWWWW

Saw this at the beginning of the month and noted it but didn't publish the entry. Now that I'm ready to, the link on the newspaper site has already expired. (Bradenton, is it possible people might want to read columns that are more than five weeks old?) So I'll link to a forum where someone helpfully posted it. Some highlights:

Recent figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have shown the number of hunters over 16 years old declined by about 10 percent from 1996-2006.

Although the drop was most significant in New England, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific states, the decrease has been felt locally as well.
...

The number of Americans who fish also has dropped, down 15 percent from 35.2 million in 1996 to 30 million in 2006, according to The Associated Press and the latest version of a national survey the Florida Fish and Wildlife service conducts every five years.

...

Perhaps the sport of hunting also has suffered due to the perception it is animal cruelty.

Of course, many people who believe this likely aren't reading this column.

Heh. Wanna bet, Mr. Misunderstood Wildlife Conservationist? We're reading it all right, and laughing at your pathetic attempts to justify this narcissistic anachronism.