Many sportsmen will use the same arguments in defense of hunting, and one of these is how hunting helps the economy. But is this true? Hunting seasons can be big business opportunities in many rural areas of our country, so let’s take a look at how the hunting industry can have a positive impact on the economy.
A ton of money is generated through hunting license and tag sales. Just look at the state of Texas. In this one state alone, over one million licensed hunters are estimated to spend over $47 million in one year in the state alone. This is just on licenses, tags, migratory bird permits, and waterfowl stamps. All of this money will of course go towards conservation efforts and the management of the wildlife in the state. But how can this affect the economy?
The Massive Effect on the economy
A portion of this money goes towards jobs in wildlife and conservation. This money will pay the salaries and wages of hardworking people who contribute their time as conservation officers, biologists, and other personnel. These people then go and spend this money on other things, helping to support the local economies in each of their states. Every state employs hundreds and thousands of people in their conservation and hunting agencies, increasing employment and money that stays in the local areas.
The biggest economic impact, however, comes from the hunters spending money on things other than their tags and licenses. For a hunt, they are going to need guns, bows, arrows, ammunition, clothing, food, water, gas, and other gear to have a successful hunt. Not to mention the hotel rooms and restaurants that receive added business from traveling hunters.
If you add all of this up, you will easily see just how vital hunting is to the economy, especially in rural areas that may not see the huge influx of crowds like larger metropolitan areas. In fact, many small towns rely on the traffic of hunting season to make it through the year with their businesses. Hunting is definitely not cheap when you think about everything that goes into it, but at least all of this money is spent on helping businesses grow and thrive.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, hunting benefits a lot more than just the hunters who are pursuing the animals, or even the conservation of the animals themselves. Many sportsmen do not ever consider any of the economic impacts that hunting can have and how many people it can help. Hunting truly helps the economy and supports it with millions of dollars spent in order to enjoy this great pastime!
For more great ideas on how to fish and hunt from the experts, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Hunting & Fishing Blog for more great tips & tricks.
