Hunting for the Future

 

Joe Houle

 

 

            Hunting has been a way of life and then a tradition in the United States for hundreds of years. In many ways the reasons for hunting in this country have evolved over time and the same is true of today as the sport is ever changing. The reasons that Americans participate in the sport of hunting is almost completely for sport and not necessity for food as it used to be. The fact that American hunters are willing to put their time and money towards the sports they love is the reason we are able to acquire most of the funding for natural resources programs and restoration of habitat projects in the US. This is the main reason that we should be worried about the dwindling number of hunters as the years go on. Less and less young people are partaking in the sport of hunting and this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

One example of how hunters and those who enjoy shooting sports are very important is the Pitman-Robertson Act. This is a mandatory tax of 11% on guns and ammo sold in the US. All of the Pitman-Robertson money goes straight back into habitat reconstruction for game and non game species of wildlife. Less hunting will result in less firearms and ammunition purchased and therefore reducing funding for wildlife. In a SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) report done in 1998 this 11% tax raises about 155 million dollars annually and has raised about 3 billion dollars since it has been enacted. These and other government funding programs are then distributed to the states based on the amount of hunting and fishing license sales sold in the separate states.

The fact that we are selling less and less hunting and fishing license is a very bad thing so there are things that need to be done. There are an increasing number of children in our society that do not have the chance to interact with the outdoors and many that do have a very limited experience in the outdoors. This means that people need to start to get involved and get our youth to experience the outdoors so that they can develop a positive attitude towards recreating in the great outdoors. The importance of kids experiencing hunting and fishing at a young age is vital to the survival and management of our many wildlife and other natural resources in this country.

There are some opportunities to get involved in introducing youth to the outdoors. At the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point a student organization called the Student Law Enforcement Association (SLEA) organizes different youth hunts and wildlife workshops throughout the year. Volunteering to be a mentor to a kid on a hunt in an organization like this is a great way to get involved. You don’t have to be a hunter or even fish to take kids that you known out to the many state parks and scenic areas and have a good time hiking or wildlife viewing. Also private land owners can offer up land if it is appropriate to be used for theses youth hunts and other activities.

Getting our youth involved in the outdoor sports like hunting and fishing and off the couch is something that needs much more work and is a serious problem. It increases the knowledge and over health of youth in our country for kids to spend more time recreating outside. Continuing the American tradition of hunting and fishing is the only way we will continue to be able to fund management programs and protects our amazing natural resources. So in conclusion, we all know kids that could use more opportunities to recreate outside. Take a kid hunting or fishing and do your part to help out and keep the sport so many of us love alive for ever.

 

Works Cited

"Economic Impact of the Sporting Firearmsand Ammunition Industry in America." Economic Impact of the Sporting Firearms and Ammunition Industry in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2012. <http://www.reloadbench.com/gloss/impact.html>.