The Japanese hunter population has been declining and aging since the 1970s. As hunters' removal of nuisance animals is important for the prevention of agricultural damage, their retention is critical for sustainably managing Japan's wildlife. In order to understand the reasons for the decline in the number of hunters and propose appropriate retention measures, we surveyed 1,409 people who did not renew their hunting licenses in 2008 and 2009. The respondents who revoked their trap hunting licenses were younger and had significantly shorter hunting careers than those who revoked their gun hunting licenses. The former had mostly carried on hunting for nuisance control until the cost of hunting became too expensive for them to continue. Therefore, provision of economic incentives could be an important retention measure. While the main reason given by both big game and bird hunters was the reinforcement of gun holding regulations, bird hunters indicated that the reduction in the number of game birds and loss of hunting area were also problematic factors. Thus, in order to retain bird hunters, it is important to improve the environmental conditions of bird hunting.
