The Council, with help from all 50 state fish and wildlife agencies, conducted a national survey to quantify resources allocated to recruit, retain, and reactivate participants in hunting and the shooting sports.
As the following report states, “state fish and wildlife agencies rely on a viable population of active and engaged hunting and shooting sports participants to remain effective in their missions to manage and conserve wildlife and other natural resources. It is no secret that sportsmen and women have footed the bill for wildlife conservation and management for decades (Anderson et al, 1985; Schmidt, 1996; Enck et al, 2000; Jacobson et al, 2006).”
“In 1986, license fees (both fishing and hunting) supported 53% of agency budgets (Heberlein, 1991). Twenty-five years later, in 2011, revenues from license sales accounted on average for 48.7% of state wildlife agency budgets (National Shooting Sports Foundation, 2011). Funds from Federal Excise taxes on sporting arms and equipment accounted for an additional average 25.7% of those same budgets (National Shooting Sports Foundation, 2011). For nearly three decades, sportsmen and women have funded close to an average of 75% of agency budgets.”
The results of the survey are being used as foundational data for the National Action Plan for Hunting and Shooting Sports.
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R3 CLEARINGHOUSE