Hunting Generates Benefits
Here are some of the benefits from hunting.
- Wildlife Management: FWP depends on hunting to help manage wildlife populations.
- Funding for Wildlife: Hunting licenses and taxes on hunting equipment contribute about $800 million to the national economy annually. These funds provide an average of about $2 million every day for wildlife management as well as hunter education.
- Jobs and Economic Activity: Hunting supports more than 700,000 jobs in the U.S. alone. People spend over $22 billion a year to go hunting. The average Montana hunter spends about $1,500 each year on hunting trips, equipment, and other hunting related goods or services. In Montana, about 190,000 people hunt (about 1 in every 5 people hunt).
- Community Support and Stability: Many communities in Montana have a long tradition of hunting. The tradition of preparing for the hunt is a way of reestablishing ties that help to bring together and sustain a community.