Quick, how many licensed bowhunters are there in America?

How bout 3.7 million.

The Archery Trade Association worked with the National Deer Association and state wildlife agencies to identify the number of licensed residents in each state that bowhunted in the 2021-22 season.

“This is the most reliable single-source of bowhunting participation data generated to date,” said Jeff Poole, ATA president and CEO. “We are pleased to share this information and know the data serves as a benchmark to inspire growth nationwide.”

The data is available here: 2021 State-by-State Hunting Data, 3.7 Million Bowhunters in America along with harvest statistics for each state. The ATA also created a downloadable one-sheet document so members can easily read and compare state bowhunter numbers.

So what are the top 5 states by number of licensed bowhunters? They are all whitetail deer states of course:

  • Pennsylvania 331,000
  • Wisconsin 307,450
  • Michigan 304,278
  • New York 244,225
  • Missouri 202,726