In this Oct. 10 photo provided by Zane Goucher is Goucher, left, and his daughter Annabelle Goucher bow hunting for deer near Dansville, Mich. Zane Goucher says he hadn’t gone hunting in 22 years but took up the sport again because the coronavirus outbreak provided incentive to spend more time outdoors with his children. (AP photo)

TRAVERSE CITY — Hunting was a big part of Zane Goucher’s youth, when he pursued whitetail deer and ruffed grouse in the Maine woods with his father. He eventually drifted away from the sport but has returned after a 22-year absence, inspired by the coronavirus outbreak.

Many Americans appear to be doing likewise, as sales of hunting and fishing licenses are spiking in much of the U.S. Weary of being cooped up at home — and of masking and social distancing when they go elsewhere — they’re taking refuge in outdoor sports that offer safety and solitude.

The trend has abruptly reversed a steady decline in hunting’s popularity that once appeared permanent and provided a potential new source of food for families and food banks pressed by the pandemic.

“I’d been meaning to get back into it and just never did,” said Goucher, now a resident of Grand Ledge, Michigan, who headed into the field Sunday with 12-year-old daughter Annabelle as the state’s firearm deer hunting season opened. Lifestyle changes forced by the pandemic, especially online schooling for his four children, “gave me that boost to make it happen.”

“They were getting a lot more screen time than normal, so this was a way to get them outside,” he said. For his part, “it’s a reawakening, kinda gets me back to my roots.”

More than 545,000 hunters in Michigan had bought licenses through Nov. 11, nearly 10 percent more than at the same point in 2019, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Significantly, the number getting licenses for the first time in at least five years — if ever — has jumped 80 percent, to nearly 84,500.

The state’s total is up 20 percent for female hunters and 18 percent for those ages 9 and younger.

In neighboring Wisconsin, archery license sales have risen 12 percent and gun license sales 9.5 percent. Maine reports a state record for deer hunting permits, and Vermont and Nevada have had double-digit hunting increases.

Fishing license sales also have soared. Louisiana’s total in April, shortly after the governor issued a stay-at-home order, nearly doubled that of the same month in 2019. In Idaho, new hunters and anglers are up nearly 30 percent over last year.