Chalk up another nearly one million reasons why hunting is conservation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) doled out $1.3 billion to states, commonwealths and territories to conserve land, promote public access, restore species, fund wildlife research, support hunter education and target shooting facilities, manage fish and wildlife habitat education and building fishing and boat access. The funding comes entirely from excise taxes paid by hunters and recreational shooters as well as anglers and motorboat owners in 2024.
Sixty-nine percent or $914,392,695 of the $1.3 total is from the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act, a measure passed in 1937 supported by hunters and conservationists that placed an 11 percent tax on guns, ammunition and archery equipment that is specifically earmarked for conservation. To date, combined P-R dollars generated $17.7 billion since its inception.
The remaining $416,382,754 of the $1.3 billion comes from excise taxes on fishing equipment and fuel motorboat engines via the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950.
P-R dollars combined with licenses and fees paid by hunters and donations to conservation organizations like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation generate about $1.6 annually for conservation programs.
Go here to view the USFWS news release.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)