Poll Finds Large Hunting Support

Monday, October 02, 2006 by BILL MONROE in The Portland Oregonian

Most Americans support hunting and fishing, according to a recent survey of those 18 years and older from across a broad spectrum of the United States.

In a nationwide poll, conducted by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Va., approximately three of four Americans approve of legal hunting and more than nine of 10 approve of recreational fishing.

Hunting approval has actually increased slightly in the past decade, while that for fishing has fallen a bit, according to Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management.

In 1995, Duda said, 73 percent of Americans approved of hunting, a number that climbed to 78 percent this year. Fishing dropped 1.7 percentage points, from 95 to 93.3 percent, but remains high, he said.

Adults surveyed were randomly selected, Duda said. The poll was conducted as part of two larger projects, a book on hunting commissioned by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation and a study on the future of hunting and the shooting sports funded by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.