In Pennsylvania, "hunting season" means something different than it did 25 years ago.

Then, the fields of fall were dotted with the orange garb of small game hunters. Beagles and setters coursed across the hills seeking scent left by rabbits, pheasants and even quail.

Today a line of orange arrayed behind eager dogs is a rare sight. Fall fields are mostly deserted. For sportsmen who remember the earlier era, a drive in the country prompts the question: "Where are all the hunters."

Statistics support what they don't see. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's annual game-take survey, which queries hunters on their activities and success, there were 739,000 rabbit hunters in the state in 1983. By 2006 (the most recent data available) there were fewer than 150,000.

The trend is the same for all small game hunting. Pheasant hunting data before 1990 was not recorded, but even then pheasant hunters numbered 275,000. In 2006, only 97,000 hunters went afield for pheasants.

Those missing small game hunters did not desert fields for the woods where they can't be seen. Hunting trends for forest-dwelling small game are nearly identical. In 1983, the state had nearly a half-million grouse hunters. Only 105,000 tramped the grape tangles for grouse in 2006.

Squirrel hunters have fallen like a hickory nut. In the early 1980s, more than 600,000 went into the woods. Two years ago, the game-take survey said they'd dwindled to 174,000.

Fortunately for wildlife funding, which is supported by hunting license sales, the overall hunting population has not thinned as fast as the ranks of small game enthusiasts. Rabbit hunters declined by 80 percent since 1983; grouse hunters by 77 percent; and squirrel hunters by 73 percent. The total hunting population shrunk by about 30 percent over the same span. Hunting season in the state now means big game, which, primarily means deer.

According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, compiled by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service at five-year intervals, 94 percent of all Pennsylvania hunters hunted deer in 2006, and big game accounted for 81 percent of all hunting days. Ten years earlier, big game claimed 68 percent of all days afield.

Wildlife professionals and serious hunters say a combination of factors has caused the shift.

"There is definitely a demographic thing going on," said Mark Banker, Mid-Atlantic regional wildlife biologist with the Ruffed Grouse Society. "The hunting population is aging, and with almost every species of small game you have to move constantly, often in tough terrain. Older hunters are challenged by that. But as you lose some of that wind, you can still sit a stand for deer or call turkeys."

Though he admits he doesn't sprint up the hillsides like he once did, prominent rabbit hunter Dave Fisher sees other causes.

"The primary reason for the lack of small game hunters is the continued destruction of wildlife habitat," said Fisher, of Fayette County. "We and the game are all being squeezed into smaller and smaller parcels."

Hard data shows Fisher's hunch is no wild guess. The 2003 Report for the Governor's Center for Local Government Services states that acres of developed land increased by 56 percent in Pennsylvania between 1982 and 1997. And a 2004 study, "Factors Relating to Hunting Participation in Pennsylvania," conducted by the natural resource management consulting firm Responsive Management, identified "Lack of places to hunt" and "Lack of time" as major reasons why small game hunters had stowed their shotguns for good.

Time is key for Rich Kovacic, president of the Tri-County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, which is working to restore wild pheasant populations in Washington County.

"Partly it's that there are just not enough pheasants," Kovacic said. "But a lot of guys would get out and hunt if they didn't work six days a week. I think Sunday hunting would help the participation rates. It applies to kids, too. Kids have all kinds of options and school obligations today. We had our annual youth pheasant hunt last Saturday, and we were excited to have 44 kids. They had a good time but it might be the last time we see them. Here, they're guaranteed to see some birds. Where else are they going to go where they know they'll see birds and get some shooting?"

Many hunters blame predators for a lack of small game and, consequently, small game hunters. But Banker says that blame is misplaced.

"Predation is natural, and predators, especially avian predators [hawks and owls], are effective at taking grouse," he said. "But grouse are less susceptible to predation when they have good habitat and don't have to forage so intensely for food."

Banker believes that habitat management is more effective in helping game populations than attempting to manage many predators, some of which are protected by federal laws. He's also encouraged by stronger commitments from state wildlife agencies and private groups including the Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever to work for habitat improvement.

Despite eroding ranks and spreading sprawl, Fisher says small game memories can still be made by those who persist.

"There is always enough game and rabbits to give the dogs a good chase, but you have to do your homework," Fisher said. "You have to develop relationships with the landowners and be willing to travel. For us die-hard hunters, it's the thrill of the chase and listening to the dogs. It's not about limiting out anymore."