Over the past 30 years, the number of non-resident hunting licenses, tags, permits and stamps as a percentage of total purchases increased from 5.8% of total purchases in 1983 to 8.8% in 2013.

This trend indicates a greater mobility of hunters across state lines.

According to 2011 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service data, 86% of active hunters hunted in their home state only, 8% hunted in both their home state and at least one other state, and 6 percent hunted only outside their home state.

The breakdown of resident vs. non-resident hunters for the various types of game hunted looks like this: 

The greatest percentage of increase in non-resident licenses, tags, permits and stamps over the past 20 years occurred in Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey and Florida.

Based on USFWS 2013 hunting license data, these are the top 12 states for hosting non-resident hunters:

North Dakota 155,865

Wisconsin 150,850

Georgia 144,964

West Virginia 138,662

South Dakota 138,034

Montana 137,756

Kansas 134,220

Illinois 130,598

Arizona 118,520

Idaho 111,428

Colorado 105,693

Pennsylvania 104,188

Expect to see the number of hunters traveling out of state to continue to increase in the coming years. 

Editor’s Note: For more information on industry trends at a glance, click here to visit our collection of infographics.