Hunting In American Culture: Something More Than Just A Hobby

Walking through the door at deer camp and being greeted by families and friends and the smell of the smoke from the fire is something that many hunters recognize and have grown to love. These memories has made the sport very important to hunters as they are able to celebrate traditions with the ones they love. Hunting is important to America not only as a sport, but in wildlife management, an economic contribution, and encouraging organic lifestyles. Without hunting, there would be multiple bad side effects that would outweigh the good ones.

Hunting has a far greater impact and contribution to the economy than many people know. The hunting market is a billion dollar market with an estimated 86. 9 billion dollars of annual spending (“Hunting in America”).

The bulk of consumer spending comes from the purchase of tags, licenses, guns, ammunition, bows, gear, memberships, and taxes. It is estimated that each hunter spends an average of $2800 annually (“Economic Impact of the Hunting Industry”). The purchase of licenses alone is an estimated $800 million which goes mostly to conservation programs (“Economic Impact of the Hunting Industry”). Other products like guns and ammunition make up much of the hunting market as well. The annual number of firearms that are manufactured in the United States is about 9,358,661 which makes up about $13. 5 billion of the total hunting revenue cite. Another major part of revenue comes from gear. This part of the market includes clothes, decoys, blinds and tree stands, footwear, accessories, and much more. The taxes from the hunting market produce approximately $12 billion annually for federal, state, and local revenues cite. Not only does the hunting market excel in revenue, it also produces nearly 700,000 jobs throughout the country cite. While hunting boosts our economy, it also betters the lives of Americans and the wildlife around us. Wildlife management and conservation is held in the public trust. Most of North America’s natural resources and wildlife on public lands are managed by government agencies.

These agencies use government funded money and hunting license revenue to improve habitat and ensure the survival and prosperity of wildlife. The majority of this money comes from the combination of funding from excise tax and state license and tag sales from sportsmen every year cite. This money does not just go towards huntable wildlife, but all outdoor areas including campsites, nature trails, and other outdoor public site improvements. The funds from the duck stamp have a very large contribution towards wildlife management funds as it has provided more than $1 billion to protect nearly 6 million acres of wetlands across the United States.

During the 1930’s, sportsmen also advocated for a tax on bows, arrows, guns, and ammunition. The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act was passed in 1937 and contributed directly to conservation efforts, providing around $370 million annually from guns and ammunition cite. Wildlife is also managed by private organizations such as The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. RMEF was founded in 1984 and has since then enhanced more than 7. 1 million acres of habitat cite. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation mostly focuses on elk and maintaining herds and healthy habitat for elk, but elk habitat is very often shared with other species that also benefit from the healthy habitat. Another organization that focuses on wildlife management is Ducks Unlimited. Ducks Unlimited has contributed more than 14 million acres of wetlands since they were founded in 1937 cite. (they also help with waterfowl conservation). They focus their resources and efforts in all 50 states on the habitats that benefit waterfowl the most. The other major group of conservationists are hunters. Without hunters, populations would not be in check and they would start to rapidly increase, which would lead to the over grazing of the land. With no resources, starvation would increase and species would experience major declines in numbers. Hunting also stops the spread of disease. All of these facts are evidence that the United States has one of the most successful wildlife management systems in the world largely due to sportsmen.

Today many people choose organic lifestyles and hunting as a way of getting meat that is as organic and free range as possible. Today there are many pesticides and chemicals used in the mass production of food. Wild game has no artificial hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, pesticides, or questionable feed. Game is also a lean protein that is similar to foods found in organic grocery stores.

Many Americans have a love of the sport because it offers many things that other activities do not. Hunting offers a break from society because it is easy to get away from technology, politics, stress, and jobs and just enjoy nature. This escape teaches respect for the natural land. People also enjoy hunting because it often creates traditions and allows people to spend more time with their family and friends. Every hunter has traditions, whether it’s going to the same deer camp, certain opening day activities, or hunting the same piece of property. No matter what it is, hunting traditions usually involve friends and family getting together each hunting season to spend time together hunting, telling stories, and making new memories.

If people were banned from hunting there would be some severe repercussions. First there would be a major backlash of hunters very upset about the situation. Many hunters would stop supporting conservation organizations that help provide, improve, and protect wildlife habitats. There would also be no sales of hunting license fees, which help support the government. A tax increase may result to be able to fund DNR agencies and national and state forests and parks. Taxes may also be used for paying people to cull local populations that are becoming overpopulated. When local populations start to become overpopulated, more animal related car accidents can occur. Also, local overpopulation can cause an increase in pet and human attacks by predators and the spread of high-density animal plagues like CWD or Blue Tongue. Starvation will also be a main cause of death due to overgrazing by large populations. The economy will also be affected. Many jobs would be endangered by people who work in hunting and outdoor retail, have guide businesses or manufacturing companies, or any job that has association with hunting.