US hunting statistics 2026
Numbers you can actually cite: every figure below is computed directly from our open, linked datasets - regulations summarized from state agencies and nutrition figures taken from USDA FoodData Central. Free to use in articles and reports with a link to this page. Data checked: caliber rules in September 2026, nutrition in October 2026.
33states put no minimum caliber on deer rifles ('open' rules); 8 set a caliber or energy floor, 4 restrict rifles to straight-wall cartridges, 2 decide it by county, and 3 allow no rifles for deer at all
32 vs 10states where .223 Remington is legal for deer vs. explicitly not - the internet's favourite caliber argument, settled state by state
30gprotein per 100 g of roasted venison - against 26g for 85% lean ground beef, with 3.2g of fat vs the beef's 15.4g
1gfat per 100 g in the leanest cooked wild meat we track (Moose)
33gprotein per 100 g in Wild rabbit - the highest of the 9 cooked wild meats in our nutrition database
10.7mgiron per 100 g in Black bear - the highest of the cooked wild meats we track
4.1gaverage fat per 100 g across the 9 cooked wild meats we track - the number behind 'game is lean'
22North American furbearer species covered in our trapping library
Where these numbers come from (and how to verify)
- Caliber rules are computed from our state deer-caliber table - every row links to the state agency source. Regulations change; treat the table as a summary and verify with your agency.
- Nutrition figures come from our wild game nutrition database (13 wild meats plus supermarket comparisons; each row is a USDA FoodData Central record, per 100 g, and the page names it).
- Species coverage reflects the current species library and furbearer library.
Primary sources for the bigger picture
For national participation, license sales and economics, cite the primary sources directly: the USFWS National Survey, USFWS hunting license certification data, and the National Deer Association's annual Deer Report. We deliberately do not re-quote their numbers here.