Growing up in Arkansas, you learn quickly that it is almost impossible to separate our state's history from its hunting heritage. Whether it's duck hunting in the Natural State, chasing gobblers on the ridges of the Ouachitas and Ozarks, or any of the other diverse hunting seasons found here, generations of outdoorsmen and women have flocked to Arkansas to experience our unrivaled hunting opportunities.
Hunters, however, know that the hunting experience is not only about hitting your duck limit for the day, but also about how our passion for the outdoors can provide prosperity to our state's natural resources, its job market, and the economy.
As any outdoor sportsman or woman will tell you, there is no better steward of land and wildlife than a hunter. People whose passions are so intertwined with the wildlife populations and their habitats are uniquely incentivized to protect the long-term health of Arkansas' game species through sustainable use.
For example, hunting seasons and bag limits, as scientifically determined by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, ensure the state's wildlife populations do not exceed their natural carrying capacity and ensure Arkansans can live side-by-side with nature.
Equally important is the irreplaceable economic benefit the hunting industry provides. According to the latest Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, in 2016, outdoorsmen and women stimulated the economy by spending an estimated $156.9 billion on hunting and outdoor-related activities. In a previous survey, hunters in Arkansas generated $1.8 billion in economic benefits, while duck season alone generated an astounding $1 million a day.
With 360,810 resident hunters in Arkansas as of this year, we expect the economic boon of hunting to only increase.
At the federal level, long-established legislation like the Pittman-Robertson Act funnels tax dollars on the sale of firearms and ammunition back into Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's conservation efforts. To quote former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke discussing Pittman-Robertson, "Every time a firearm, fishing pole, hook, bullet, motorboat or boat fuel is sold, part of that cost goes to fund conservation."
Secretary Zinke's
words were put into action in 2018 when Arkansas got $18.5 million federal Pittman-Robertson dollars to exclusively benefit wildlife restoration programs and sport fish restoration. If it were not for the outdoor sporting community, these economic and conservation benefits would simply evaporate.
While it is easy to quantify the economic and scientific benefit of hunting, all hunters know that the most important benefit our passion for the outdoors produces is the bond we form with friends and family. It is more common than not to hear hunters tell stories of the privilege of taking their sons and daughters to the same hunting spots they grew up going to.
Chances are, anyone who grew up like that in the Natural State was taught that being from Arkansas means caring about how the land and water is treated, and that hunters know firsthand what needs to be done to conserve our natural resources.
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Bruce Westerman is the U.S. representative for Arkansas' 4th District, a Hot Springs native and a lifelong hunter. Clay Smith is an Arkansas activist with the American Conservation Coalition.