Hunting remains a large U.S. outdoor activity and an important source of wild-game meat. In 2022, 14.4 million U.S. residents aged 16 and older hunted, taking 165 million trips and spending 241 million days hunting. The figures below put that activity in context, from big-game participation and equipment spending to bird harvest estimates and research on preparing and eating wild game.
Contents
- U.S. participation and effort
- Hunting effort by game type
- Who hunts big game?
- Hunting spending and economic activity
- Migratory-bird harvest
- Wild-game preparation and consumption
U.S. participation and effort
The 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation counted 14.4 million U.S. residents aged 16 and older who hunted during 2022. The same survey reported that hunters took 165 million hunting trips and spent 241 million days hunting.
Six percent of the U.S. population aged 16 and older hunted in 2022, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report 2022 Participation and Expenditure Patterns of African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and Female Hunters and Anglers. That participation figure describes the U.S. population in the specified age group and year; it is not a worldwide rate or an estimate for all ages.
The survey’s measures cover different parts of participation. A hunter can contribute more than one trip or hunting day, so the number of trips and days reflects effort rather than a count of unique people. This distinction matters when considering wild-game cooking: the scale of hunting activity is measured both by the people involved and by the amount of time they spend afield.
The 2022 survey used a changed methodology. The Fish and Wildlife Service advises against direct comparisons between its 2022 results and earlier survey results. Accordingly, the numbers here describe 2022 activity and should not be treated as a trend line stretching backward without additional methodological work.
Hunting effort by game type
Big game represented the largest game-type category in the 2022 national survey. Big-game hunting involved 11.5 million hunters, 135 million days afield, and 92 million trips. The survey’s more detailed big-game report counted 11.522 million big-game hunters, while the national summary rounded the figure to 11.5 million.
Small-game hunting involved 5.3 million hunters. Small-game hunters spent 38 million days afield and took 34 million trips in 2022. Migratory-bird hunting involved 2.8 million hunters, who spent 23 million days afield and took 20 million trips.
The category described as hunting other animals involved about 2.3 million hunters. Those hunters spent 20 million days afield and took 20 million trips during 2022. The following table keeps the survey’s reported scale visible without combining categories that may overlap across participants.
| Game category | Hunters | Days afield | Trips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big game | 11.5 million | 135 million | 92 million |
| Small game | 5.3 million | 38 million | 34 million |
| Migratory birds | 2.8 million | 23 million | 20 million |
| Other animals | About 2.3 million | 20 million | 20 million |
Source: 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The categories are activity groupings, so their hunter counts should not be added as though every participant appeared in only one category.
For a wild-game kitchen, the largest activity grouping is therefore big game, while small game and migratory birds represent substantial but smaller participation categories. These national totals do not identify how much edible meat each hunter obtained, because the supplied measures report hunters, trips, and days rather than pounds of meat.
Who hunts big game?
The Big-Game Hunters: Demographic Characteristics and Expenditures report provides a closer look at the 11.522 million big-game hunters counted in 2022. Urban residents accounted for 6.285 million hunters, or 55% of the total. Rural residents accounted for 5.190 million, or 45%.
Participation rates tell a different story from the population composition. The big-game participation rate was 3% among urban residents and 10% among rural residents in 2022. Urban residents made up more big-game hunters in absolute terms in the report, while rural residents had the higher participation rate within their population.
Age groups were also distributed across the big-game population. People aged 16–24 accounted for 1.567 million big-game hunters, or 14% of the total. People aged 35–44 accounted for 2.318 million, or 20%. People aged 65 and older accounted for 2.093 million, or 18%.
The report counted 9.176 million male big-game hunters, representing 80% of big-game hunters. Female big-game hunters numbered 2.224 million, representing 19%. These reported percentages do not sum to 100%, which is consistent with the source’s rounded presentation and the possibility of unreported or differently classified responses; no adjustment is made here.
Household income groups show that big-game hunting was not limited to the highest reported income category. Big-game hunters in households earning under $50,000 numbered 4.043 million, or 35% of the total. The $50,000–$99,999 group numbered 3.901 million, or 34%. The $100,000–$149,999 group numbered 1.747 million, or 15%.
For readers interested in cooking venison and other wild game, these demographics describe the size and composition of the potential hunting and cooking audience. They do not measure recipe preferences, meat consumption frequency, or the share of harvested animals that becomes food.
Hunting spending and economic activity
The 2022 National Survey reported $45.2 billion in total U.S. hunting expenditures. Trip-related hunting expenditures totaled $12.3 billion, while hunting equipment expenditures totaled $19.6 billion. Other hunting expenditures, including licenses and land leasing or ownership, totaled $13.3 billion.
The equipment total included several reported categories. Rifles, telescopic sights, ammunition, and other hunting equipment accounted for $7.9 billion. Auxiliary hunting equipment expenditures totaled $3.9 billion, and special hunting equipment expenditures totaled $7.7 billion. These are spending categories reported for 2022, not measures of household wealth or the retail value of wild-game meat.
Trip-related spending averaged $857 per hunter in 2022 and $51 per hunting day. The two averages use different denominators: one is expressed per hunter and the other per hunting day. They should be read as the source’s reported averages rather than used to infer an individual hunter’s complete annual budget.
Big-game hunting accounted for a substantial share of activity-specific spending. The big-game report estimated that big-game hunters spent $15.6 billion on hunting-related trips and equipment in 2022. Because this measure is defined as trips and equipment for big-game hunters, it should be kept distinct from the national total that includes all reported hunting expenditures.
For wild-game cooking, the spending figures offer context around the path from field to kitchen. The national survey separately measured trips, equipment, and other costs; it did not provide a supplied dollar value for home preparation, processing, preservation, or recipe ingredients.
Migratory-bird harvest
The Migratory Bird Hunting Activity and Harvest, 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 report gives estimates for the 2022 hunting season. About 1 million waterfowl hunters harvested ducks and geese during that season.
The estimated duck harvest was 8,272,400 birds, with a ±5% estimate interval. The estimated goose harvest was 1,987,000 birds, with a ±11% estimate interval. Those intervals matter: the figures are estimates, not exact counts of every bird harvested.
Approximately 625,000 hunters harvested mourning doves during the 2022 hunting season. The estimated mourning-dove harvest was 8,254,600 birds, with a ±7% estimate interval. About 105,100 hunters pursued American woodcock, and the estimated American woodcock harvest was 177,900 birds, with a ±16% estimate interval. About 22,500 hunters pursued snipe during the same season.
| Species or group | Hunters | Estimated harvest | Estimate interval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ducks | Included in about 1 million waterfowl hunters | 8,272,400 | ±5% |
| Geese | Included in about 1 million waterfowl hunters | 1,987,000 | ±11% |
| Mourning doves | About 625,000 | 8,254,600 | ±7% |
| American woodcock | About 105,100 | 177,900 | ±16% |
| Snipe | About 22,500 | Not supplied | Not supplied |
These harvest estimates apply specifically to the 2022 hunting season. The report notes later survey-method changes and limited comparability with 2023 estimates, so the 2022 numbers should not be presented as a directly comparable year-over-year series.
Wild-game preparation and consumption
Research on eating and preparing wild game can add useful context, but geography and date are essential. The USDA National Agricultural Library summary of Habits and Behaviours of High-Level Consumers of Lead-Shot Wild Game Meat in Scotland describes a Scottish study conducted in 2010–2011. It examined high-level consumers of lead-shot wild game, not the current U.S. population.
During the main shooting season, 51% of participants ate lead-shot game at least weekly. Outside the main shooting season, 21% ate it at least weekly. In the same study, 85% considered wild-game meat suitable and safe for all household members.
The study also reported age-related differences in consumption. Reported wild-game consumption was 23% lower for children under 5 than for the reference group and 18% lower for adults aged 65–74 than for the reference group. These are study-specific comparisons, not general consumption rates for every age group or country.
Portion expectations were fairly specific. Sixty-six percent said wild-game portions should match portions of chicken, pork, or beef, while 25% said portions should be slightly smaller than portions of other meats. When eating out, venison was the wild-game meat of choice for 94% of respondents, and pan-frying was preferred by 67%.
For a wild-game cooking audience, the preference findings point to venison and pan-frying as prominent choices within that Scottish study. They do not establish that pan-frying is the most common preparation method among U.S. hunters, nor do they replace current food-safety guidance. The measurement period, population, and lead-shot context should remain attached to every interpretation of these results.