There are 40 percent fewer hunters culling deer herds or shooting pheasant in New Jersey this year than there were 40 years ago, according to the most recent statistics released by the state.

And it's not because there are fewer animals to harvest or less open land to hunt on. Instead, officials believe it's part of a changing lifestyle in the Garden State.

"The simplest answer is that fewer kids are picking it up," said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Spokesman Larry Hajna. He said a declining number of hunters has been a trend for a number of years.

Many children who learned how to hunt from their parents are busy with other things -- school sports and activities, video games and TV among others.

Parents, too, have less time to hunt and thus pass on their knowledge of the sport, officials say.

In 1975, there were 241,522 hunting licenses issued by the state. In 2015 that number dropped to 146,152 -- a decline of almost 100,000, according to data from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.

As of Dec. 1 of this year, only 124,280 hunting licenses had been issued.

Those numbers include trapping licenses, too, but they only account for a very small percent of those overall total.

Nationally, the trend appears to be the same, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.

According to that survey, which is completed approximately every five years, there were 13,674,000 hunters in the U.S. in 2011, compared to 17,094,000 in 1975.

The survey shows the number of hunters has fluctuated over the years from 11,784,000 in 1955 to a high of 17,094,000 in 1975 before starting to slide.

While some might think that it's the state's rapid development taking away taking away land once used for hunting and ruining wildlife habitats, that's not the case.

"There's a lot of land out there for hunting and a lot of game," Hajna said. "We have an extensive network of wildlife management areas and they are growing."

Currently there are 347,000 acres in those wildlife management areas which are maintained by the state for multiple purposes, including hunting, officials say.

The state Division of Parks and Forestry also manages 450,000 acres in New Jersey where limited hunting is allowed.

There are also large privately-owned tracts where owners hunt or allow hunting.

And as far as the game population, it remains robust, according to Hajna.

While for decades hunting was a necessity to harvest game for food. Today it is more a sport, although much of the game bagged by hunters is eaten.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers programs which are designed to help encourage new generations of hunters.

The "Take a Kid Hunting Program" is designed to "provide a quality hunting experience for properly licensed youth hunters," according to the Fish and Wildlife website. The program provides hunter education to youngsters and also mentors.

The state has set aside special "youth hunt" days for small and large game and waterfowl just for the young hunters.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.