Although Covid caused a lot of problems and created major setbacks in a lot of areas, the pandemic actually has had the opposite effect on outdoors pursuits. Here in West Virginia and even nationally, the wildlife resources agencies report an increase in the sales of hunting and fishing license for both 2020 and 2021.
“It was a bit of an uptick in license sales which is a positive and indicating an interest in folks getting outdoors,” said Paul Johansen, Chief of the Wildlife Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
During 2020, when the pandemic first manifested itself, people were left with very little to do. Indoor gatherings were largely forbidden and social distancing was recommended. There are few place better for social distancing than a stream bank or a tree stand. Thousands of people began to make that discovery and renewed that interest in 2021.
Read more: