Dollars From Hunters For Wildlife

Hunters Fact Card 1998 | What Hunters Dollars Buy | The Hunters Image

State Licenses, Tags, Stamps and Permits
New York was the first state to require a hunting license in 1908. By 1928 every state was benefitting from such dedicated funding for the new science of wildlife management, totally supported by hunting licenses. In 1996, 15.2 million licensed hunters*(Note: Figure does not include hunters under the age of 16, subsistence hunters, or those legally exempt from license requirements.) contributed over $542 million to state fish and wildlife agencies. Combined with fishing license sales, that total exceeded $989 million. Since 1923, sales of state hunting licenses, tags, and permits have provided more than $8 billion toward wildlife management, habitat acquisition and enhancement, conservation law enforcement, shooting range construction and hunter education.

Federal Duck Stamps
Legislation authorizing the Federal Duck Stamp Program was passed in 1934. Since then hunters have provided well over $500 million for wetland purchase and protection through the program, and by 1996 duck stamp revenue reached $22.9 million per year. The preliminary report for 1997 lists the revenue at $23.7 million.

Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937
Better known today as the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act, this law imposes an 11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition, an 11% excise tax on certain archery equipment, and a 10% tax on pistols and revolvers. The P-R Act was adopted with the strong backing of sportsmen in response to wildlife population declines caused in large part by land use effects on wildlife habitat. P-R funds support wildlife management, hunter education programs and shooting range development. In 1997 P-R funds totaled $165.8 million. Since its enactment sixty years ago, the P-R Act has distributed over $3.2 billion to state fish and wildlife agencies.

Voluntary Contributions
Millions of American hunters donate money, time and hard work toward the conservation of wildlife and other renewable resources. This takes place through local club projects, state conservation and hunting organizations, and many national associations. Conservative estimates of monetary and in-kind donations exceed tens of millions annually.

Our Nation's Economy
The 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation reports that in 1996 hunting expenditures alone totaled $20.6 billion. Hunting equipment expenditures were $11.3 billion, trip-related expenses totaled $5.2 billion, and other expenses such as land leases, membership dues and licenses, totaled $4.1 billion. Hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout many industries in the U.S. depend on these hunting-related expenditures every year.

The Final Tally
Through all these various revenue sources, hunters now provide over $730.7 million annually for wildlife conservation and hunter education. Combined with fishing and trapping licenses, permit fees and taxes, the total sportsmen's contribution for 1996 was over $1.3 billion.