Sometimes it’s hard for dads and daughters to find common ground. Not Casey and Camilla Colbry, though.
“I think some of our best talks and funniest memories happened when we were out hunting or fishing together,” said 11-year-old Camilla, the youngest child of Casey and Sari Colbry of Owosso, Michigan. “You get to get outside and forget about all the bad things in the world and you just spend time with your family.”
But interest in hunting and fishing – once common pastimes for many American families like the Colbrys – has dropped dramatically in recent decades. Hunting, in particular, has taken a big hit as baby boomers grow older, parents have little spare time and fewer young people have the interest or opportunity to head into the woods.
Until 2020.
Michigan and other states have seen a huge spike in hunting and fishing license sales since March as residents venture outdoors in search of safe recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in license sales. This is definitely the year that everyone wants to get outside,” said Shannon Lott, deputy director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Especially young people and women.
From March 1 to Oct. 31, license sales to hunters ages 10-16 more than doubled over the same period last year, according to the DNR. The number of female hunters applying for licenses increased by 24% over 2019. Continue Reading >
