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- Each day, sportsmen and women contribute more than $3 million to wildlife conservation efforts. This amounts to more than $1.5 Billion per year.
- Sportsmen contribute an additional $300 Million per year through over 10,000 private groups and organizations (like Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Pheasants Forever)
- For every taxpayer dollar invested in wildlife conservation, sportsmen contribute nine dollars.
- To date, hunters and fishermen have contributed a total of over $17 Billion for wildlife conservation.
- Hunters and Shooters generate some $30 Billion in economic impact annually - supporting more than 986,000 jobs. This exceeds the annual sales of Coca-Cola, Anheuser Busch, McDonalds and Hewlett Packard, just to name a few.
Over 60 years ago sportsmen and the firearm & ammunition industry proposed and actively supported an excise tax on all sporting arms and ammunition to fund wildlife conservation programs. In 1937 Congress established The Wildlife Restoration Program with money recieved from these self imposed taxes. In 1970 the same 10 - 11% tax was applied to all handgun and archery equipment sales. As a result:
- Over 4 Billion Dollars have been generated for wildlife conservation.
- More than 45 Million Acres of land are maintained for wildlife across the country thanks to this program.
- More than 25,000 professional wildlife biologists conduct essential research to benefit all wildlife.
- Whitetail Deer: In 1900, less than half a million whitetailed deer remained in the nation. Today, conservation programs have returned the whitetail population to more than 18 Million.
- Canada Goose: Habitat destruction reduced Canada goose populations to a low of some 1,110,000 in the late 1940's. Today, there are more than 4 Million.
- Rocky Mountain Elk: In 1907, only about 41,000 elk could be counted in the U.S. Today, populations in ten western states total over 800,000.
- Wild Turkey: By the early 1900's, encroaching civilization and habitat loss may have reduced the wild turkey population to under 100,000. Today, conservation programs have restored the population to some 4.5 Million birds.
- Pronghorn Antelope: About 50 years ago, the total U.S. population of pronghorn was only about 12,000. Today, conservation programs have helped increase the population to more than 1 Million.
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: $70 Million to enhance and preserve 2.3 Million acres of wildlife habitat and still counting.
- The National Wild Turkey Federation : $54 Million spent on 4,500 research and conservation projects benefitting the American wild turkey and other wildlife.
- I will be happy to post any groups wildlife accomplishments. Hunter and Bunny-hugger alike. I will do this because wildlife needs all the help it can get and I know who does the most. (In fact, now that you have read the information above, so do you!) And finally, just because you hate us doesn't mean I hate you. After all, we both love wildlife.:
- WHAT DO YOU THINK?: Lets hear about it! hunt4life@juno.com
