Outdoor sales liftsluggish economy

February 19, 2009 12:35 am

PRESIDENT OBAMA soon will deliver his first State of the Union address and there will be minimal, if any, sugarcoating of the economic challenges facing the world.

Lagging indicators outlining consumer trends in the shooting and hunting industry for 2008 ran counter to other industry segments. This is according to data presented at the January Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show by Frank Briganti, research director of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Rob Southwick, president of Southwick Associates survey research firm.

Hunting is often dismissed as a niche market, but the numbers reveal otherwise. Briganti presented numbers from the National Sporting Goods Association and the Sporting Goods Market reporting that only exercise equipment exceeded hunting in total retail dollar sales among equipment and gear.

Exercise equipment was forecast to end the 2008 year with $5.4 billion in sales followed by hunting with $3.9 billion. Golf equipment was third with $3.7 billion.

With 14.4 million certified-paid hunting-license holders, more people hunt than play soccer (14 million), tennis (10.4 million), mountain bike (8.5 million), canoe (7.1 million) or ski (6.4 mil-lion).

Those 14.4 million license holders generated $764 million in licenses, tags, permits and conservation stamp sales. This fuels operations of state fish and game agencies and pays for land conservation nationwide. This doesn't include the many millions more in excise taxes also going to state conservation agencies through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration programs.

Southwick's research showed the average hunter spends $17,836 on primary equipment in his or her lifetime. Target shooters, which include trap and skeet enthusiasts, spend an average of $23,664. Related lifetime expenses for hunters were reported at $63,634, with target shooters spending $75,359.

Southwick's survey data from huntersurvey.com indicated that hunting (72 per-cent) and target shooting (44 percent) remain the top two reasons why people purchased firearms in 2008, with self-defense (26 percent) third. (Note: Respondents could select more than one reason. Among December purchases, 39.5 percent said they were purchasing firearms for self-defense.)

Firearm production over the last 15 years has been largely stable, with a slight rise in handgun production in the last couple years.

Sustainment Challenges

Despite the strong economic showing relative to hunter and shooters, disturbing trends relate to urban growth and couch-potato kids.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reported the hours devoted by children to media use is 6.5 hours daily, or 44.5 hours weekly. This directly competes with the outdoors for children's attention and is creating a generation increasingly disconnected from the world outside their computers.

Twenty-three percent of America's population lives in rural areas, but 55 percent of hunters live in rural areas. From 1991 to 2006, urban populations increased 28 percent while rural populations increased only 1 percent. Urban populations are much less likely to have that "land ethic" espoused by the late Also Leopold and--here's where the big challenge enters--will wield increasing political clout that can be exploited by anti-hunters.

Hunters report they fear the biggest long-term threats to hunting will come from human population growth and fewer places to hunt (41.2 percent), and from animal rights activists' efforts to stop hunting (34.3 percent).

Southwick's survey also showed 80 percent of hunters and shooters believe it will become more difficult to purchase firearms under the new administration and Congress, which no doubt drove the huge spike in purchases in November and December of 2008 that carried through January.

Top 2008 Hunting and Fishing Brands

Monthly consumer panel surveys AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com announced the brands and products hunters and anglers taking their online surveys preferred most in 2008.

Nearly 47,000 people participated in the surveys. Numbers reported are in percentages.

Top fishing brands (all purchases): Rod: Shakespeare Ugly Stik (14.3)

Reel: Shimano (21.9)

Rod and reel combos: Shakespeare (24.9)

Fly rod: Sage (10.8)

Fishing line: Berkley (Trilene, Fireline, Big Game, Vanish (35.8)

Hardbait: Rapala (21.7)

Softbait: Zoom (17.9)

Fly line: Scientific Angler (23.4)

GPS or radio: Lowrance (40.9)

Tackle box: Plano (44.9)

Fishing knife: Rapala (33)

Top hunting/shooting brands (all purchases):

Rifle: Remington (18.1)

Shotgun: Mossberg (29.9)

Muzzleloader: CVA (40.8)

Handgun: Smith & Wesson (18.4)

Rifle ammunition: Remington (29.9)

Shotgun ammunition: Winchester (35.7)

Handgun ammunition: Winchester (26.1)

Blackpowder: Pyrodex (39)

Bow: BowTech (22)

Arrow: Easton (40.5)

Broadhead: Muzzy (21.5)

Game call: Primos (35.9)

Reloading bullet: Hornady (23)

Reloading powder: Hodgdon (33)

Binoculars: Bushnell (29.4)

Knife brand: Buck (19.8)

Local Outdoor Show

There's an excellent opportunity to get children exposed to outdoor opportunities this weekend at the third annual Fredericksburg Outdoor Show, Friday through Sunday. Children 12 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult.

Ken Perrotte can be reached at The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, by fax at 373-8455 or e-mail at
Email: outdoors@freelancestar.com.