Hunters Spend Money on ATVs and Accessories

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in its National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, published every five years, says 47 million U.S. residents 16 years old and older went fishing and/or hunting in 2001. This includes 34 million who fished and 13 million who hunted (with the overage of nine million accounted for by those who both fished and hunted).
Of the 13 million hunters, those ages 25-34 accounted for 19%, ages 35 to 44 accounted for 27%, and ages 45 to 54 accounted for 22%. Furthermore, the vast majority fell into the $35,000 to $99,000 income range. Total equipment related expenditures by hunters that year? $10.4 billion.
Nice numbers. Particularly when you acknowledge the correlation between hunters and the powersports industry. The relationship isn’t lost on Kyle Phillips, who deals in product development for Parts Unlimited’s Moose Utility Division.
“I believe that hunters have a huge impact on the powersports industry,” Phillips told Powersports Business. “They seem not to be shy about dropping some cash on ATVs
and accessories.”
Glen Urquhart, ATV product manager for Tucker Rocky Distributing, agrees. “Hunters are a big part of the new unit sales and therefore should be a big part of parts and accessory sales. Sure, hunters may make up a small percentage of ATV owners, but the percentage of them who own ATVs is relatively high.”
Aaron Rose of Jackson County ATVs in Ripley, W.Va., is one of a number of the dealers Powersports Business talked with for this Focus section.
“Business from hunters is good,” he said. “We see a lot of hunters come through looking for gear.”