https://www.foxnews.com/great-outdoors/this-fall-could-be-a-busy-hunting-season-due-to-coronavirusBy Michael Hollan | Fox News
It could be a big fall for hunters.
With many businesses and industries still being impacted by the coronavirus and the resulting shutdowns, it seems more people are turning to the outdoors to stay busy. This has led some to believe that this fall will be a busy hunting season.
Various states across the country saw a significant increase in the number of fishing licenses sold. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, for example, has already sold 6,000 more licenses this year than last, KRQE reports. Illinois also saw a surge in fishing licenses sold, according to The Southern Illinoisan.
As the weather turns cooler, some in the industry are expecting this trend to continue with hunting licenses, especially if lockdowns or restrictions are still in place. For states with economies struggling due to the pandemic, this could be good news.
Chris Young, director of the Illinois Conservation’s Office of Resource Conservation, told The Southern Illinoisan, “Hunting and fishing licenses fund our wildlife and fish management, including salaries of our biologists. Essentially, funding from these license sales are used for hunting and fishing programs, operations, habitat and research. Last year, hunting licenses generated more than $31 million; fishing licenses generated nearly $9 million.”
Fox News previously reported that the Maine moose hunt permit lottery attracted tens of thousands of applicants this year. Unfortunately for most of these hopeful hunters, only 3,135 permits were issued during a lottery that was broadcast live over the Internet for over three hours.
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The number of applications saw an increase of 11 percent from 2019.
