Find your perfect college degree
There are millions of hunters and anglers in the United States, and there will be more individuals who will be interested in these pursuits in the next decade. In fact, the angling and hunting equipment industry in the country may skyrocket to $160.47 million by 2030 from $93.69 million in 2022.
If you’re a fishing or hunting enthusiast, going to college may be challenging, especially if it involves relocating and moving away from your favorite recreational spots while you pursue your education.
Fortunately, there are many universities and colleges across the country that are favorable to those who love these hobbies, whether it’s because of their location, the programs they offer, or both.
Recommended Majors for Anglers and Hunters
Hunting and angling aren’t just about harvesting animals and fish but also involve ensuring a respectful and sustainable relationship with the natural world. More specifically, these hobbies require an understanding of the natural life cycle of wildlife and aquatic species to determine when to hunt or fish and when to stay away.
With that said, many of the recommended degree majors for anglers and hunters who want to supplement their hobbies with a strong academic foundation offer courses on the protection of wildlife and aquatic species as well as the conservation of their habitat. These recommended courses include the following:
- Wildlife Biology or Management
- Fisheries Biology or Management
- Forestry
- Ecology
- Natural Resource Management
- Environmental Science
- Conservation Biology
- Parks and Recreation Management
- Outdoor Recreation or Recreation Management
- Wildlife Law Enforcement
Features of the Best Colleges for Anglers and Hunters
Various factors make an educational institution ideal for hunters and anglers:
- Has its own managed areas for fisheries and wildlife conservation, especially for universities with vast lands or land-grant universities
- Is in close proximity or has easy access to public or private lands for sustainable hunting or fishing
- Offers degree programs with rigorous courses on environmental conservation, wildlife and fisheries management, and related topics
- Promotes practical, experiential learning through hands-on field activities, internships, and research opportunities
- Employs faculty members and staff with relevant industry experience and academic work in wildlife and aquatic species management
- Offers programs with accreditation or certification from industry-recognized organizations and agencies like the Society of American Foresters
10 Colleges Most Suitable for Hunters and Anglers
Colorado State University
Aside from the gorgeous scenery that surrounds Colorado State University, the institution can be the perfect college for those who love to hunt and fish, considering that the school is known for its commitment to the preservation of wildlife species and their habitat.
Through its Warner College of Natural Resources, the University offers a variety of major programs suitable for anglers and hunters, including the following:
- Forest and Rangeland Stewardship (BS.)
- Restoration Ecology (BS.)
- Natural Resources Management
- Watershed Science and Sustainability
The University leverages its proximity to the High Plains, Rocky Mountains, and other majestic natural resources in order to provide its students with practical, hands-on, experiential learning combined with traditional classroom and laboratory activities.
The University’s range of forest and rangeland stewardship programs are accredited and certified by the Society of American Foresters, the Association for Fire Ecology, and the Society for Rangeland Management.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia offers a variety of degree options for hunting and fishing enthusiasts through its Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources. For one, the school offers a Fisheries and Wildlife major degree program with emphasis on the following:
- Wildlife Sciences, which equips students with the capability to understand and manage animal environments and to collaborate with organizations with wildlife conservation goals
- Pre-Vet Wildlife Sciences, which prepares students for entry into the UGA veterinary school with an emphasis on wild animals
- Aquatic Sciences, which equips students with the capability to manage and make crucial decisions for aquatic species conservation and their environments
Students under the Fisheries and Wildlife major program have the opportunity to be a part of faculty-mentored research and engage in internships to help them gain practical training.
Furthermore, the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources also provides study-abroad programs that focus on wildlife ecology and management, among other related emphasis, in Costa Rica, Fiji, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Other major programs offered by the school that are relevant to fishing and hunting enthusiasts include Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, and Forestry.
Boise State University
Hunting enthusiasts who are considering enrolling in Boise State University will not be disappointed, as the southwest Idaho institution has plenty of nearby spots of interest, including one of the greater Pacific Northwest region’s major rivers, the Snake River, where world-class waterfowls are available for hunting.
Southern Idaho also has plenty of public lands with a massive variety of species that are perfect for big game and fowl hunting.
For academic pursuits, the University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies through its School of Public Service. It’s a 120-credit degree program that includes courses on wildlife and fisheries management, biology conservation, and nature conservation from a global perspective.
Purdue University
Purdue University in West Lafayette may not be directly located in heavily wooded or wild areas, but it definitely is a convenient drive away from many of Indiana’s popular hunting and fishing spots. For hunters, the State has both private and public lands available for hunting, including wildlife management areas and state forests.
On the other hand, anglers have numerous reservoirs and natural bodies of water to choose from where they can fish for walleye, catfish, and bass, among many others.
When it comes to academics, Purdue offers a variety of major degree programs that anglers and hunters will find interesting. These include the following:
- BS Wildlife
- Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering (BSAGE)
- Forestry major (BSFOR) with several options for concentration
All these majors are delivered by the University’s College of Agriculture.
Kansas State University
Kansas State University has a variety of major degree programs that hunters and anglers will be interested in enrolling in. These include:
- BS or BA in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, which requires students to complete 120 credit hours toward graduation
- BS in Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management, which is a 120-credit program that focuses on training professional operational managers for hunting/shooting and fishing resorts, outdoor experience companies, and related establishments. This wildlife degree program is a first of its kind.
The fall semester provides a massive opportunity for students who are hunting enthusiasts, thanks to the state of Kansas’s walk-in access program that allows for around 1.15 million acres of private land to be available for hunting. The State has plenty of waterfowl, small game, and upland available.
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is only one of the two universities that offer a BS in Fisheries and Wildlife Management in Michigan, but it’s the only one that focuses on providing students with practical learning in the laboratory and field.
With the program offered by its College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education, the University leverages its three Great Lakes, thousands of miles of rivers and streams, hundreds of inland lakes, 800,000 acres of forest, and many other abundant natural resources around it in order to provide students with the practical learning experience they need to succeed in the field.
Other relevant degree programs that the University offers for both hunting and fishing enthusiasts include:
Similarly, the University offers hands-on research and plenty of learning opportunities outside the classroom, including community services.
Pennsylvania State University
The location of Pennsylvania State University (PennState) is ideal for those who love the sport of hunting, considering that the institution is only a few minutes away from state forests and game lands where turkeys, deers, waterfowl, and bears abound. The University is also accessible to the state’s north-central region, where wildlife is also abundant.
Furthermore, the College of Agricultural Sciences offers a variety of relevant academic programs for both anglers and hunters, including the following:
The University offers students not just traditional laboratory and classroom learning settings but also outdoor exploration for experiential learning, thanks to its hundreds of Agricultural Sciences facilities on its University Park campus as well as the many research opportunities available to students from day one.
Clemson University
Based in South Carolina, Clemson University offers a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology as well as the same majors at Master and PhD levels. These programs are offered by the University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences (CAFLS), which is committed by its land-grant legacy to maintain the image of higher education as a public good.
Aside from the streams that pass through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chattooga River is only several minutes away from the campus and is home to at least a hundred species of fish, which the University’s Clemson Fly Fishing Club is committed to protecting through conservation initiatives.
CAFLS offers many relevant activities and academic opportunities to fishing and hunting enthusiasts, including the availability of more than 30 student organizations to choose from, a 17,500-acre experimental forest, research and education centers across the state, and various study abroad programs.
South Dakota State University
In terms of location, South Dakota State University offers convenient access to many of the State’s public hunting grounds, including state parks and wildlife management areas, as well as numerous lakes, rivers, ponds, and reservoirs. Anglers, fishing, and hunting enthusiasts will definitely not regret having their college degree at SDSU.
To supplement their hobbies with academic knowledge, students have a wide selection of relevant degree programs offered by the University, including the following:
- BS Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences
- BS Natural Resource Law Enforcement
- BS Conservation Planning & Park Management
- BS Ecology & Environmental Science
The University also offers a minor program in Rangeland Ecology and Management, which can supplement all of the Majors mentioned above and many others.
Internship opportunities are available in many government agencies and private companies, including State and Municipal Departments of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, Tribal Governments, and US Fish and Wildlife Service.
University of Arkansas
Hunters will find the University of Arkansas a haven for their favorite sports activity, as it is close or accessible to many interesting places such as the popular duck hunting spot in Stuttgart, the bear and deer spots of the Ozark National Forest, and the turkey and whitetail spots in Missouri.
Unfortunately, there is no degree program at the University that is relevant to wildlife and fisheries conservation. The closest programs available to anglers and hunters are the following:
- BSA Environmental, Soil, and Water Science offered by Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences
- BS Biology offered by Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
Key Takeaways
Being hunters and anglers also involves the understanding and respect for the natural life cycle of aquatic and wildlife species, and thus, academic programs with courses on ecological and biological conservation are important.
The location of the school, as well as the programs offered that are relevant to wildlife, fisheries, and forestry, are just two of the major factors that make colleges and universities ideal for students who love hunting and angling.
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